Dear CMAA Family and Friends,
亲爱的朋友们，
Summer seems to just be flying by! From class cancelations to competitions, new black belts, Chinese school and Karate program you definitely want to get all the info! Check out this month’s newsletter and see what’s going on at CMAA!
亲爱的朋友们，希望大家一切安好！从讲座，比赛，表演以及其他精彩活动，每一项您都不容错过！。请看以下详细信息！
Read more below and get all the information on the following:
CMAA School Closings
停课安排
CMAA Black Belts!
中华武术院新黑带
CMAA Sep Schedule
9月份课的临时安排
FSK NORTH Kyokushin Karate and Competition!
CMAA的极真会空手道课以及比赛
FSK North on Instagram
关注FSK的North Instagram
Northeast Open Martial Arts Competition Recap
武术比赛回顾！
Chinese School
中文学校
CMAA on Instagram
关注中华武术院在Instagram
Get all the news here:
详细信息请参考以下检索：
CMAA School Closings
CMAA will be closed Friday Sept 3rd through Monday Sept 6th (reopen Tuesday Sept 7th) for a long Labor Day Weekend.
CMAA Black Belts!
What an incredible month. Let me introduce you to CMAA’s newest black belts. These three were all very special. Let me tell you more:
Sam Carusone
A black belt 9 year’s in the making.
Talking with Sam at any point over the last 9 years you would get the same impression. Sam is bright, thoughtful, and intelligent. He’s personable and always asks how you’re doing. Additionally, no matter how class goes, or what form of physical torture he might endure under the guise of “conditioning”, upon saluting he will always shout out “Thanks for class Shifu”. It’s hard to express how much that means to a teacher.
Kungfu - 功夫，literally means great skill acquired through hard work over a long time.
That is exact definition of Sam’s journey toward black belt.
I tell every student “Kungfu is easy, all you have to do is work hard”. I truly believe that you do get out what you put in. However, I have worked with a number of students who just had a natural aptitude. Some might have a background in gymnastics but there are just kids who just have genius level Athletic IQ, or the body type ideal for Wushu/gymnastics. Looking at Sam now leaned out and over 6ft tall, throwing sky high butterfly kicks and aerials you might assume he was one of the gifted ones. But honestly that’s just not the case. No, Sam was one of the lucky few who truly learned Kungfu’s most important lesson, determination overcomes EVERYTHING. All the greatness Sam is capable of he earned through consistent hard work over many years.
There has been no shortcuts, just years of late night practices. We’ve shed blood and shared laughs.
With the greatest lessons Kungfu can teach about long term vision, consistency and determination, combined with Sam’s intelligence and affability I couldn’t be more excited to see Sam excel in life.
I’d like to say an extra “Thank You” to Sam’s mother for always championing him and going above and beyond the call of duty to see him succeed. They say “You can judge the quality of a tree by the fruit it bears”. Congratulations to you!
Great work Sam, I couldn’t be more proud of your efforts.
Noah Graber
This one is also very special for me to award.
I don’t have many regrets in life. I am consider myself privileged. I found my life’s passion somewhat early and with dedication and support from my family I was able to fully pursue it to the fullest degree.
However, when I work with Noah I find myself with a mix of emotions. I’m inspired, proud and maybe even a little jealous. You see, I see Noah has what I had and I think a little more. He has the passion and support but more than that he has a truly lethal combination of talent and incredible work ethic.
Noah is what I would consider a super achiever. This year he will begin his freshman year at Johns Hopkins. He’s a jazz guitarist. But as he described to me his academic and music pursuits come late at night, since after school hes typically playing sports for Albany High including wrestling, swimming and running. However, for him those are supplemental athletics. After school practices are finished is when he will run off to Brazilian Jiujitsu (where he’s a 3 stripe blue belt), Or sanda kickboxing and wushu at CMAA. Did I mention he is also a black belt in Tae Kwon Do? I think you’re starting to get the picture.
However, this is not the (only?) reason I feel the way I do about Noah. No, there’s more. You see he’s also thoughtful and humble. He asks insightful questions about his routines, always says “Thank you” when I give a advice and often says “thank you” again before leaving for the night. I get same mix of emotions when he lands a combination of strikes on me or puts me on my back with a takedown. Not one to hide his joy, he at least typically offers me a “hey that combination you taught me worked!” to at least soften the blow to my ego.
So, now awarding him his black belt I find myself with the same mix of emotions. Proud of what he’s accomplished, inspired by what he’s doing and maybe even a little jealous of what I see as his unlimited potential. With plans to pursue his academics and wrestle at JHU, I see Noah as a uniquely powerful force.
Congratulations on your accomplishments Noah. I couldn’t be more proud to have stood in your corner over the years. Guarantee I’ll be cheering from the sidelines and training vicariously through you. Glad to have shared time on the martial path with you!
Micah Juman
Another black belt 9 years in the making. I had the honor to award one of my longest training and most skilled ninjas with his black sash this month.
Honestly, I can’t say enough how proud of this young man, what he’s accomplished and how he’s accomplished it. In the day and age of “McDojo’s” and belt factories to see someone work so hard for so long and actually have so much skill is truly impressive.
Beyond his resolve and skillset, Micah has another trait that is truly praise worthy- he is a genuinely kind person. I’ve seen him regularly welcome new students in with a quick compliment or word of encouragement. While natural for him, I can tell how meaningful it is for someone new to CMAA.
Having just finished high school, Micah is choosing that path less traveled. Joining CMAA as an assistant instructor, he is looking to work part time while dedicating himself to acting. A real passion for acting, an exceptionally strong base in martial arts, and a clear unparalleled level of focus and determination will certainly serve him well in this pursuit! In fact he’s already landed a lead role in a short film. I can’t wait to share more info about this project with our team!
Congratulations to you Micah. I couldn’t be more excited to see where you take your passions!
FSK NORTH Kyokushin Karate at CMAA!
Experience the power of Kyokushin first hand and change your life!
Known as “The Strongest Karate”, Kyokushin Karate (極真) is a style of stand-up fighting. "Kyokushin" is Japanese for "The Ultimate Truth". It is rooted in a philosophy of self-improvement, discipline, and hard training. Kyokushin Karate offers a powerful combination of tradition and sport. It draws on tradition in its techniques and emphasis on spiritual development but uses full contact sport fighting as its vehicle. While Kyokushin is known for its power, and practicality, not everyone who pursues training in Kyokushin Karate need be a competitive fighter. This style of martial arts can be practiced by anyone and will benefit anyone who dedicates themselves to it as a means of self-mastery!
Evening: Tues 6-6:50pm, Weds 6:15-7:30pm, and Thurs 6-6:50pm
This class is geared toward Teens and Adult (ages 12+). No experience is required. Typically, one classes week will be taught by a senior instructor of Fighting Spirit Karate (live or via ZOOM), with Shifu on the floor leading. All other classes will be led by Shifu reviewing the modes, techniques and lessons outlined by FSK Black Belts previously in the week leading up. Our bridging with Fighting Spirit Karate will give access to incredibly passionate and knowledgeable instructors, a phenomenal community of Kyokushin practitioners and many training & tournament and event opportunities!
These classes will be offered at $99/month for non CMAA members and just $45/month for current members enrolled in other programs. We recommend participants have MMA style gloves (boxing gloves are acceptable), and shin guards. For those interested in sparring other protective equipment is encouraged. Note: Kyokushin style uniforms can also be ordered and purchased from Shihan Sean at FSK.
Feel free to send our website link to your friends and encourage them do do a trial week! https://www.fsknorth.com/
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USA IFK Presents:
"WE FIGHT ON - TOURNAMENT & TRAINING DAY!"
USA IFK Dojos & Fight Affiliates Inter-Dojo/Invitation Only
Date: SATURDAY NOV 6TH
Time: 10:00am - 2:00pm
Location: Fighting Spirit Karate in Gardiner, NY
A small, inter-dojo training day/event (invite only for other NON USA IFK clubs) to get some tournament style training/competition and judges experience.
*If interested in participating, speak with Shifu!
KATA & KUMITE DIVISIONS
(Semi-Contact/All NO Head Kicking Divisions)
FSK North on Instagram!
Sept Class Schedule
To get the most updated version of our current class schedule please visit our live calendar!
https://martialartsalbany.sites.zenplanner.com/calendar.cfm
To ensure the safety of all students, we have revised our group class schedule to reduce the time of classes each day and to ensure there is a break between the classes. This is to minimize any potential overlap/contact among students and allow time for necessary clean-up between classes.
Classes will be offered in 2 different types:
1.Classes offered On Site w/ Online option (ex. Tai Chi) .
2. Classes On Site (ex. Kungfu, Tai Chi, Sanda Kickboxing, and Combatives).
Please note onsite classes require registration and have a 16 person maximum. Classes on ZOOM do not require registration and there is no capacity limit.
For ZOOM classes Tai Chi sign in information will remain the same:
When it’s time for class to start just click here: https://us04web.zoom.us/j/9319755831
Meeting #: 931-975-5831
Password: CMAA
Northeast Open Martial Arts Competition Recap
Big congratulations to team CMAA on their success at the NEO!
I was particularly hard our team the past week or so but I hope that with their success today my harsher tone will be forgiven.
Thank you Master Grogin and the NEO Team for all your efforts. This was a streamlined version of the NEO but it was still first rank organization and spirit!! We are very fortunate to have you in our community!
Thank you to the moms and dads for encouragement and support! This was truly a team effort!
I am one proud Shifu! Congrats team!
Chinese School
Before I had any students, I was given the chance to coach marital arts at the Chinese Community Center's Chinese School. Not being Chinese and not even being a longstanding member of the local community, I wasn't sure how I'd be received. Over the past 10 years the Chinese School has become a meaningful part of my life. The Kungfu class is consistently one of the most popular classes to be offered. This has provided both a large group of enthusiastic kids every semester which is always energizing to any instructor. This pool has also helped in recruiting serious talent and developing CMAA black belts. I've seen students grow from elementary school students to young adults preparing for college, and high school students now finish college and enter the working world. As a host of the annual Chinese New Year celebration for several years, the stage has not only provided an impressive back drop for CMAA students to showcase their talents, its also been a source of inspiration, exciting kids in the audience enough to get them interested in starting their own journey in the martial arts. The New Year Celebration stage was also where my wife and I first crossed paths and met and we are excited to think about when Kai will join the Chinese School. Although its only one hour a week on Sunday's, it does mean that in addition to CMAA's Saturday classes, I teach seven days a week throughout the school year. Not having a day off is a major sacrifice but this community, has proven itself valuable and meaningful is so many ways that it's something we plan to be a part of for a long time to come.
Look forward to classes beginning again Sept. 19th!
CMAA on Instagram
Follow here:
https://www.instagram.com/chinesemartialartsacademy/?hl=en
Best-
祝好-
Shifu
师傅
