Dear Friends, If a picture is worth a thousand words, then a video must be worth ten thousand and this month’s newsletter is full of them. I’ve come across so many interesting things that I wanted to share with you all. Whether you practice Kungfu or Tai Chi, I think you’ll benefit from keeping an open mind and watching a few of these videos. And as always, from seminars, to competitions, demo’s and other activities, you won’t want to miss out on the action at CMAA!
Eastern medicine practices have always placed a strong emphasis on prevention and treating diseases naturally whenever possible. Now, in many ways, Western medicine is catching up, particularly when it comes to utilizing tai chi moves to improve the mind, body and heart. A growing number of people around the world are now interested in traditional Eastern systems of healing — including Tai chi, yoga, acupuncture and meditation — due to mounting evidence that they can help prevent and treat many health problems such as arthritis, anxiety and chronic pain.
If a picture is worth a thousand words, then a video must be worth ten thousand and this month’s newsletter is full of them. I’ve come across so many interesting things that I wanted to share with you all. Whether you practice Kungfu or Tai Chi, I think you’ll benefit from keeping an open mind and watching a few of these videos. And, as always, from seminars to competitions, demos, and other activities, you won’t want to miss out on the action at CMAA!
Dear Friends,
If a picture is worth a thousand words, then a video must be worth ten thousand and this month’s newsletter is full of them. I’ve come across so many interesting things that I wanted to share with you all. Whether you practice Kungfu or Tai Chi, I think you’ll benefit from keeping an open mind and watching a few of these videos. And as always, from seminars, to competitions, demo’s and other activities, you won’t want to miss out on the action at CMAA!
School Closings KungFu Sash TestCMAA Student’s Incredible StoryCMAA Rap
Tie Chi
Chinese Archery Tai Chi at CMAA 6 Reasons Everyone Needs to Try Tai Chi
Kungfu Meme’s
School Closings
There will be no school closings this month. All classes will be held as regularly scheduled.
KungFu Sash Test
We will be holding our quarterly Sash Test on Sunday, June 25th at 10:30am. If you are not sash testing you are still encouraged to come participate and support your teammates (no charge of course).
You know exactly what we will be testing but if you have any questions, check the Sash Requirements page on the website and feel free to clarify things with me during class. http://www.martialartsalbany.com/kungfu-sash-requirements/
If you are unsure whether or not you (or your child) are ready to test, please speak with me before or during class, via email at AlbanyCMAA@gmail.com or by phone (518) 755-7512.
Remember, you will not “get” your sash at CMAA – you will EARN it! There is a big difference. It’s important you (your child) learns the value of their sash- the value of hard work! Let’s stay focused and step up our training so we’re fully prepared for the test!
White/Yellow/Green/Blue: $25, Red/Purple/Orange: $50, Light Brown/Dark Brown/Gold: $75 Black: $100
CMAA Student’s Incredible Story
Recently I was scrolling through Facebook when one post jumped out at me. I couldn’t believe what I was reading. I had to reach out to her for more details. Get the full story here!
http://www.martialartsalbany.com/cmaa-student-incredible-story/
CMAA Rap
I recently had the idea to make a CMAA Rap Song and Music Video. The result was better than I could have imagined. Check it out here! Make sure to give it a thumbs up if you like it!
Tie Chi
Chinese Archery
Not martial arts per say but interesting none the less. Chinese archery! Enjoy.
Tai Chi at CMAA
Tai Chi in the Capital District! For anyone interested in Tai Chi please check out CMAA's Tai Chi dedicated page. I will be posting interviews, seminar info, articles and videos etc. here :) Enjoy!
https://www.facebook.com/TaiChiatCMAA/
6 Reasons Everyone Needs to Try Tai Chi
Eastern medicine practices have always placed a strong emphasis on prevention and treating diseases naturally whenever possible. Now, in many ways, Western medicine is catching up, particularly when it comes to utilizing tai chi moves to improve the mind, body and heart. A growing number of people around the world are now interested in traditional Eastern systems of healing — including Tai chi, yoga, acupuncture and meditation — due to mounting evidence that they can help prevent and treat many health problems such as arthritis, anxiety and chronic pain.
"Discipline equals freedom"- Jacko Willink. I want to teach my students an incredibly real and important lesson. Discipline equals freedom. Martial arts teach this lesson perfectly. Train hard, train consistently and you'll be the one who can explore the arts with freedom, whether that's means flipping and flying or mopping the mats with your classmates. However, this applies to all areas of life. People don't want to be a slave to their teachers, their bosses, their poverty or their ignorance but the only way to truly free yourself of those things is to have the discipline to work. Study hard, train hard, eat right so you can enjoy all the other things life has to offer: health, creativity, meaningful work and positive relationships, etc.
It's not about who's the best, it's about who's left. "Kungfu" literally translates to skill acquired by working hard over a long period of time. It can be used to describe anyone who develops great skill via sustained effort. Keep the faith, stay consistent and enjoy a privilege enjoyed by few- mastery!
Recently I was scrolling through Facebook when one post jumped out at me. I couldn't believe what I was reading. I had to reach out to her for more details.
Well, within a few hours former CMAA student HD responded and gave me the full story. It was Wushu - Kungfu for the win! As a martial arts instructor I hope my students will never need to use their skills. I’ve always said it is better to have them and not need them than need them and not have them. However, a former student HD recently found herself in situation while traveling abroad.
A college girl traveling in Paris, France, HD was ready for a day of fun. HD says “I was hanging out with a friend at a cafe's with outdoor seating and got out my wallet to pay. I put it down on the table and took a picture of something. All of the sudden a guy made a really fast grab for my wallet and ran. I immediately shouted, “STOP! GIVE IT BACK! STOP!” and chased after him. Honestly, I wasn't really thinking. I sprinted after him through this plaza and across a street. I was gaining on him. Then, I really gained on him as he slowed down on the stairs to the metro. He attempted to jump the train turnstile but I grabbed him and he didn't make it all the way. I held on to him with one hand and started punching him with the other. A guy I was with at the cafe finally caught up to us and grabbed on to him to. The whole time I was yelling “HELP”, “HELP” and such and yelling at him to give me my wallet back. He dropped my wallet and some French pedestrians also came to help. A guy helped move the thief away and then we retrieved my wallet from the ground and made sure everything was still there”.
HD’s friend GL, who was with her at the time said “HD jumped out her chair and sprinted after the guy before I even knew what happened. She had beat him up by the time I caught up”
HD explains, “I think it's was because he made a fast move, that it caught my attention and triggered my reflexes. It made me think about bystander intervention. If everyone had the same sense of importance to helping others, as I did to getting my wallet, then I don’t think anyone would just watch injustices happen or stop and ruminate over little details of whether it's rude to involve yourself in other people’s issues or like what's p.c. and such.”
Well, I am just glad that HD is safe. I would never recommend chasing a thief over material possessions. However in this case, "All's well that ends well". No one was seriously injured, though the thief’s pride may have been destroyed after being beaten in public by a young college girl and HD got her wallet back. Way to not be a victim. Way to stand up and get back what is rightfully yours. Great job HD!
Dear Friends, If a picture is worth a thousand words, then a video must be worth ten thousand and this month’s newsletter is full of them. I’ve come across so many interesting things that I wanted to share with you all. Whether you practice Kungfu or Tai Chi, I think you’ll benefit from keeping an open mind and watching a few of these videos. And as always, from seminars, to competitions, demo’s and other activities, you won’t want to miss out on the action at CMAA!
School Closings KungFu Sash Test Recap Qigong Warm Up and Practice Kungfu Competition Martial Arts are Arts CMAA Black Belt - SP What’s Fantasic about Tai Chi? Tai Chi Feel Good Why Tai Chi is as Good For You as CrossFit Incredible Kungfu Forms Traditional Chinese Kungfu Wrestling The Best Self Defense Video You’ll Ever See
School Closings Friday the 19th, and Friday/Saturday 26th/27th and Monday 29th (Memorial Day Weekend)
KungFu Sash Test Recap I was very proud to watch my team at CMAA sash test. Everyone rose to the occasion and truly performed their best. What an awesome team!
Martial Arts are Arts In a recent speech Meryl Streep announced that without Hollywood, “you’ll have nothing to watch but football and mixed martial arts, which are not the arts.” Although Streep won a well-deserved award for an outstanding acting career, the award did not confer authority to define what “the arts.” are The martial arts are called “martial arts” because they are generally recognized to be arts, even though they are not the particular arts at which Streep and Hollywood excel. Anti-martial hauteur was well-known to the ancient Taoists: In the space of one generation, the cultural and the martial may shift in relative significance, insofar as there are times when each is useful. Nowadays, however, martialists repudiate culture and the cultured repudiate the martial. Adherents of cultural and martial arts reject each other, not knowing their functions according to the time. Read more here: http://www.martialartsalbany.com/martial-arts-arts/
CMAA Black Belt - SP It is with great honor that I announce an addition to the CMAA Black Belt roster. This young man has been with me for almost 5 years now. Originally he trained at the Chinese Community Center with me before transitioning to a full time student training daily. He has since moved over an hour away and still travels to the school twice a week for private lessons. He's cool, he's dedicated and now he's officially a BLACK BELT! Congrats Stav! He's promised to produce a video by the end of the summer, but until then you can see a trailer and read his essay to learn more about him in his essay! Click My Kung Fu Story to read about my journey! :)
Why Tai Chi is as Good For You as CrossFit By Markham Heid - TIME Health
"You’ve probably seen groups of people practicing tai chi in a park, so you have some idea what it’s all about. Slow, mindful movements. No weights. Low intensity. The practice combines aspects of ancient Chinese medicine, philosophy and martial arts, and it’s the antithesis of most modern exercise programs that emphasize fast, vigorous activity.
Indeed, certain parts of tai chi are thousands of years old. But while tai chi may look mundane—even boring to some—experts who’ve studied it say its benefits are vast and hard to oversell." Read more here: http://www.martialartsalbany.com/tai-chi-good-crossfit/
Qigong Warm Up and Practice As you know I am a huge advocate for home practice. However, I know when first starting it can be quite challenging as we may not feel comfortable practicing independently. Typically, when starting out with Tai Chi I still recommend to practice Qigong at home. Specificially, Ba Duan Jin (Eight Sections Brocade). I do this because it is a static routine that can be performed in a small space and doesn’t change directions which means you can easily do this home following along with a video. In addition, this form repeats each posture several times which allows the new practitioner an opportunity to essentially practice and develop a better understanding of each posture before moving on. This video is Ba Duan Jin exactly as we practice it every Tuesday and Thursday morning. Enjoy! For more information about Ba Duan Jin (8 Sections Brocade) learn more here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baduanjin_qigong
What’s Fantastic about Tai Chi?
Tai Chi Feel Good And if you needed any more reasons to practice, here’s something that just might inspire you. There is something about practicing gentle movements that is relaxing and invigorating. You can get a little of that sensation just by watching… Enjoy!
Incredible Kungfu Forms A strong foundation with incredible speed and precision = GOOD KUNGFU! These two routines showcase some pretty spectacular martial prowess.
Spear:
Straight Sword:
The Best Self Defense Video You’ll Ever See The best conflicts are the ones we avoid. Here's some solid advice from Sifu Tim Tackett.
Kungfu Competition Coming up in May and July there will be opportunities to challenge yourself. Competition is a great tool to set short term goals, and hold yourself accountable to your training. Read more about these two opportunities below! You can do it, CMAA can help!
What: Kungfu Forms Competition When: Saturday July 15th, Where: Hopkins Academy, 131 Russell St, Hadley, Massachusetts Why: Represent CMAA and showcase your handwork and skills! This well organized, friendly tournament presents a great opportunity for goal setting, and gaining competition experience! Get it on your calendar. More info to come!
What: Kungfu Forms Competition When: Sunday, May 28th Where: Sheraton Atlantic City Convention Center, 2 Convention Blvd, Atlantic City, NJ Why: Represent CMAA and showcase your handwork and skills! This tournament is larger and usually more competitive than the one listed above. However, it can also be a bit unorganized as well. This is not one a recommend for a first time competitor but for those who have competed before and want to challenge themselves! Get it on your calendar. More info to come!
Traditional Chinese Kungfu Wrestling
As part of the Kungfu (wushu) we teach at Sanshou (also called Sanda). Sanda emphasizes three areas of combat: Da – punch, Ti – kick and Shuai – throw (leaving out the 4th, known as Na – seizing (as in part of QiNa – joint locking). Many people are familiar with the hand and foot strikes but are less aware of Chinese wresting methods. If you are interested in learning more, please watch this 3 part documentary about Shuai Jiao – Traditional Chinese Wrestling.
You’ve probably seen groups of people practicing tai chi in a park, so you have some idea what it's all about. Slow, mindful movements. No weights. Low intensity. The practice combines aspects of ancient Chinese medicine, philosophy and martial arts, and it's the antithesis of most modern exercise programs that emphasize fast, vigorous activity.
Indeed, certain parts of tai chi are thousands of years old. But while tai chi may look mundane—even boring to some—experts who’ve studied it say its benefits are vast and hard to oversell.
Tai chi is a richly researched exercise, with health improvements ranging from better blood pressure scores to a sharper mind. “We’ve seen improved immunity to viruses and improved vaccine response among people who practiced tai chi,” says Dr. Michael Irwin, a professor of behavioral sciences and director of the Mindful Awareness Research Center at UCLA. During the past 15 years, Irwin has published more than a dozen studies linking tai chi to lower rates of insomnia, depression, illness and inflammation.
It holds up when compared to other more strenuous types of exercise. “Over time, we see people who do tai chi achieve similar levels of fitness as those who walk or do other forms of physical therapy,” Irwin says. One study in the American Journal of Epidemiology concluded that tai chi was nearly as effective as jogging at lowering risk of death among men. Another review in PLOS One found that the practice may improve fitness and endurance of the heart and lungs, even for healthy adults.
Part of that is due to tai chi’s soothing effects on the sympathetic nervous system (SNS), which tends to activate when a person is under stress. Much like aerobic exercise, tai chi seems to increase hormone and heart-rate measures linked with lower SNS activity, which could partly explain its ties to stronger hearts and lungs, Irwin says.
But how could such low-intensity exercise—something that involves movements with names like “cloud hands” and “lifting a lute”—offer these kinds of fitness perks?
“One of the most striking things we’ve found is that [tai chi’s] physiological impacts can’t be explained by its physical activity component," Irwin says. It’s the mindful, meditative quality of tai chi that makes it so compelling, and that may explain the practice’s broad benefits.
“I think of it as meditation on wheels,” says Dr. Peter Wayne, director of research at the Osher Center for Integrative Medicine at Harvard Medical School. (He's the author of The Harvard Medical School Guide to Tai Chi, in which he references more than 600 academic papers on the health boons of the practice.) “You’re getting all the cognitive pieces you might get from meditation—mental clarity and focus and positive thoughts and lower stress—but you’re also getting physical exercise.”
Tai chi may also be a more approachable form of mindfulness training for those who struggle with the sit-and-breathe forms of meditation. “Directing attention to the body and pairing hand movements with balance and flexibility is easier for a lot of people than breath focus," Irwin says.
Tai chi may be especially healthful for older or sick adults who can’t perform more vigorous forms of physical activity. Among these groups, the practice is associated with improved balance and mobility, reduced risk of falls and better reaction times, Wayne says. A study in the Journal of Rheumatology tied tai chi to reduced pain and stiffness among people who have arthritis. It may also improve kidney and heart function among people suffering from related health issues, according to another study in the Journal of Physical Therapy Science.
But maybe the most compelling reason to give tai chi a shot is its ability to strengthen the connections between your mind and body, which can help you move through life with greater awareness and pleasure. “You might enjoy exercise more than you did before because you’re more mindful of your body,” Wayne says. “Or you may avoid injury or falls because of body awareness.”
It's a rare aspect of exercise. Unlike almost every other form of physical activity, tai chi demands focus, which is central to its meditative benefits. “Even with yoga, you can do it and have your mind be somewhere else,” Irwin says. “It’s very hard to do tai chi and not be present.”
