Monthly Newsletter - January

Monthly Newsletter – January

Dear Friends,

Happy New Year! As always, there’s a lot happening at CMAA!  Please review the following information on:

School Closings Kungfu Sash Test CMAA Holiday School Party Recap Holiday Kids Kungfu Movie and Pizza Night Recap New Year Goal Setting Students of the Month Profile – Emma "Big Sis" Chouinard CMAA In High Demand for Martial Arts Performances! 1 Year FREE at CMAA – Referral Program! As usual please stay tuned for more exciting action at CMAA!

Best,

Shifu School Closings All classes will be held as regularly scheduled.

Additionlly, with the winter weather looming, please stay tuned to inclement weather closings.  I will post school closings on the websites homepage.  However, it might not display on certain mobile devices which automatically default to the mobile site.  Please call (518) 755-7512 if you are not sure!

CMAA In High Demand for Martial Arts Performances! CMAA has been invited to showcase our talents at a few events this year, including an Open House on Sunday, January 18^th, 1:30-3pm and several Chinese New Year celebrations in Clifton Park on Saturday 2/14 and at SUNY Albany on 2/21 (3-5).  We may even organize a group for a performance at the East Greenbush YMCA.  See below for more details! Open House: Sunday, January 18 1:30pm-3pm.  We will be having an Open House demo at CMAA!  I want you to bring you silk and come demo the latest form you've been working on!  Remember this is a holiday weekend so there is no Chinese school.  Since its an Open House and there's no real time limit everyone is invited to perform at this event (ie. no sash requirements).  The event starts at 1:30 so plan to arrive by 1 so we can warm up and prepare! This would be a great first time performance experience as it will be in the comfort of our own home- CMAA, with Shifu acting as the host and without time limitations.

Saturday February 14th at the Clifton Park Library and our most important demo - Saturday Feb. 21 at SUNY Albany for the Chinese New Year!  For these two demo's there is a Light Brown Sash and above requirement as we will only be demo'ing advanced forms. Note there are two Orange Sash qualifiers who know their first advanced form well enough to demo.  The stage is much smaller at SUNY than the egg and performances are to be kept under 5 minutes.  Those are the main reasons why we have to be so selective now. Everyone is welcome to support your team and come enjoy the show!

CMAA Holiday Dinner Party Recap

What a special evening.  This year the weather held out for usIt was a wonderful evening of eating, drinking and being merry.  Although not everyone could make it, it was wonderful to get our long time students together with the new generation just beginning at CMAA.  In the spirit of the holiday season, it was very special to spend our time together with our other family – the CMAA family.  I look forward to celebrating with you all again next year.

Kungfu Movie and Pizza Night Recap What a blast!  From an indoor soccer championship to sharks and minnows, lots of fun was had by all.  A healthy dose of pizza, and cookies were consumed during the showing of Jackie Chan's “Around the World In 80 Days” and the “Kungfu Panda Holiday Special”!  Stay tuned for upcoming news on another night of fun!

Kungu Sash Test Let’s start 2015 by working hard and making progress in your Kungfu practice! We will be holding our quarterly Sash Test on Sunday, January 11th 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

New Year Goal Setting

Typically, with the New Year comes a New Year’s Resolution.  What’s yours?  Remember, “The tragedy of life does not lie in not reaching our goals.  The tragedy of life is not having goals to reach for”.  In the spirit of self-improvement and goal setting, let’s revisit the September monthly challenge, identify our goals, and start making a plan for 2015! Read more here:

http://www.martialartsalbany.com/cmaa-monthly-challenge-september-goal-setting/

Students of the Month Profile – Emma "Big Sis" Chouinard She works hard, and has great leadership skills, but most importantly, she is just super nice.  Her willingness to help others is a very special and wonderful quality. For this, Emma Chouinard has been selected as Student of the Month!  Beyond her enthusiasm to lead her line in basic kungfu exercises is her desire to assist the newest and youngest students.  When new students timidly sit on the sideline in their first practice, without asking, I will notice Emma going right over to them to introduce herself.  The new student is instantly relieved to have a new friend.  Within minutes they’re working together as if they’ve known each other long before.  In addition, her kindness is contagious and now we have two more girls, Elaine Savaria and Jennifer Desantis, who have become wonderful helpers as well.  All three girls take on the qualities of the ideal ShiJie (sure-gee-ah)- elder kungfu sister.  Let’s get to know Emma a little better...

Shifu: Why did you start Kungfu? Emma: I was looking for a new activity. I had not found one that I wanted to continue with. Kung fu suits me.

Shifu: What is your favorite thing about Kungfu? Emma: Broadsword and working with new students.

Shifu: What are your goals in Kungfu for this coming year? Emma: I would like to improve my flexibility and splits. Plus learn how to do an aerial.

Shifu: Do you have any advice for anyone looking to get better at Kungfu? Emma: Pay attention and focus on what you are doing.

Shifu: You are always ready to work with new the newest and the youngest students.Why do you help other people? Emma: Helping others makes me feel good and we all need help at some point. Also when I help someone  else I have to work harder to make sure I am doing it right so i don't teach them wrong.

Shifu: What is your favorite food? Emma: I love taco's.

Shifu: When you’re not training at CMAA what do you like to do in your free time? Emma: Studying and training take up most of my time but when I can I like to hang out with my friends.

Shifu: Anything else about yourself you’d like to share with everyone? Emma: I am in fifth grade at St. Pius X School. I also take art lessons and sing in choir. Taking kung fu had helped me in many areas of my life. I have developed more confidence in myself. I have also gotten sooner and faster since I started training here. I would like to thank Master Shifu for helping me with these improvements.

We'll there you have it guys!  Help other people, it'll make you feel good! It's a reminder we could all use.  Keep up the hard work Emma, you're doing great!

Save Money with the CMAA Referral Program! CMAA Referral Program- Easy as 1, 2,3,4,5.

1. Earn $50 when your first referral joins. 2. Earn $100 when your second referral joins. 3. Earn $250 when your third referral joins. 4. Earn $500 when your fourth referral joins. 5. Earn ONE YEAR FREE when your fifth referral joins.

This will be even easier now with our new CMAA flyers.  You can pick them up for free at the school. Just write your name on the back of the bottom info tabs and when people come in with your flyer tab they will be considered your referral!

*Please note that offer applies to annual memberships and new referrals only (as of 1/1/15).

Summary

As usual please stay tuned for more exciting action at CMAA!

Best,

Shifu

Monthly Newsletter - December

Monthly Newsletter – December

Dear Friends,

As always, there’s a lot happening at CMAA!  Please review the following information on:

School Closings CMAA Holiday School Party NEW JKD Combatives Class at CMAA Kungfu Sash Test Holiday Kids Kungfu Movie and Pizza Night Students of the Month Profile – Micah, Caleb and Noah Juman AKA “The Three Ninjas” Chinese Community Center Kungfu Performance CrossFit - All New Classes! 1 Year FREE at CMAA – Referral Program! 

As usual please stay tuned for more exciting action at CMAA!

Best,

Shifu School Closings Please note we will be closed Wednesday the 24^th, Thursday the 25^th and Friday 26^th and then again for December 31^st and January 1^st.  Please take advantage of this time to be with your families and friends and plan for how you see yourself making progress in 2015!

Additionally, with the winter weather looming, please stay tuned to inclement weather closings.  I will post school closings on the websites homepage.  However, it might not display on certain mobile devices which automatically default to the mobile site.  Please call (518) 755-7512 if you are not sure!

CMAA Holiday Dinner Party With all the holidays and family get togethers this time of year, we would like to organize a time for the CMAA family to be together outside the school. Please join us for a holiday dinner celebration!

Date: Saturday, December 13th Time: 6:30 PM Location: Dragon Buffet, 1881 Central Ave. Albany, NY 12205 (518) 452-6963 Price: $16.50 for adults and $11 for children (under 10 years old).  Please pay in advance by check or cash at the school as we have reserved a room for our group. Deadline: Please register by Tuesday, Dec. 8^th.

NEW JKD Combatives Class at CMAA Bruce Lee’s JKD inspired Combatives class will now be held at CMAA on Saturdays from 2-3pm.  For more information about the class please read more here! JKD Combatives Kungfu Movie and Pizza! Event: Kungfu Movie and Pizza Night at CMAA! Movie: Kungfu Panda Winter Holiday Special and Jackie Chan's Around the World In 80 Days! Date: Saturday, Dec. 20^th Time: 5:30pm -8:30pm. Limited: 8-14*

Parents are welcome to drop your children off for the evening to get things done before the holidays (or just enjoy a relaxing night out).  Non CMAA students (siblings and friends) are welcome too!

We will have a minimum sign up of 8 people and a maximum of 12.  The cost is $25 per child under 13 years old, $12 for individuals 13+.  However, additional persons accompanied by a parent acting as a chaperone will be permitted at the rate of $10/child and $10/parent.  Students accompanied by their chaperone parent will not count toward the total number of signups.

Please register by Friday, Dec. 19th.  However, the earlier your register the better as space will be limited!

Kungu Sash Test Let’s start 2015 by working hard and making progress in your Kungfu practice! We will be holding our quarterly Sash Test on Sunday, January 4th 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 Students of the Month Profile – Micah, Caleb and Noah Juman AKA “The Three Ninjas”

What’s the secret to success?  Ask around and you’ll get many answers but when you simplify it, it really just comes down to two things- work hard and be nice.  Well, we all know that it’s much easier said than done.  However, these boys do it on daily basis.  They take hard work and leadership seriously.  They are constantly at the front of the lines showing off new tricks like back handsprings, and head flips all while being the first to cheer on a new student just learning a cartwheel or console someone privately who may have just done something embarrassing in front of the class.  I’ve seen them do these things out of the corner of my eye over the last two years and it has continued to give me great inspiration.  I’d like to introduce you to them- The Three Ninjas- Micah, Caleb and Noah Juman.

Shifu: “Why did you start Kungfu?” Micah: "We grew up around Kungfu training with my parents then my dad introduced me to CMAA. Right away I knew here is where I can train hard, learn kung fu, become physically stronger and mentally sharp.” Caleb: "I started Kung Fu because it seemed like a fun activity, physically challenging and something I wanted to get better at.” Noah: "Because it looked fun.”

Shifu: “What is your favorite thing about Kungfu?” Micah: "The flexibility and acrobatics.” Caleb: "My favorite thing is that it helps me with other sports such as soccer, basketball and gym class.” Noah: "I like the different forms, seeing my friends and warm up games.”

Shifu: “What are your goals in Kungfu for this coming year?” Micah: "Get better, train harder and have fun.” Caleb: "This coming year I would like to work on my flexibility, my spear form and acrobatics.” Noah: "Work on my flexibility to do my forms and kicks.”

Shifu: Do you have any advice for anyone looking to get better at Kungfu? Micah: "At first it might be frustrating but keep at it, stay focus and do you best.” Caleb: "When things become difficult work harder you will get it.” Noah: “Keep practicing and ask me for help.”

Shifu: “What is your favorite food?” Micah: "Yummy Crunchy Tacos!!!” Caleb: "Buffalo chicken wings.” Noah: "I love me some cheese pizza.”

Shifu: “What are your favorite marital arts movies?” Micah: "Rush Hour, First Strike and Shaolin Soccer.” Caleb: "The Forbiden Kingdom, Jackie Chan's Drunken Master and First Strike." Noah: "The Last Airbender and The Ninja Turtles.”

Shifu:  “When you guys fight at home is it like a kungfu movie scene with spears and swords?” Micah: "You have no idea..  (I sleep with two Kali Sticks for safety).” Caleb: "It's like Jet Li fighting Jet Li in The One.” Noah: "Sure but I always win LOL!”

Shifu: “When you’re not training at CMAA what do you like to do in your free time?” Micah: "I like to draw, hang out with friends, act and sing and well, train at home.” Caleb: "Play Soccer, Basket Ball and video games”. Noah: "Watch TV, play Lego Batman and eat snacks.”

Shifu: “Anything else about yourself you’d like to share with everyone?” Micah: "I like helping others and would love to work at CMAA as a summer job.” Caleb: "I love to go to Albany Flight the trampoline park and I love playing Nerf Wars with my friends.” Noah: "I always seem to get Caleb angry....”

Well, there you have it guys.  Keep up the hard work guys, you’re doing great.  You have an amazing future in the martial arts.  I can't wait to see where you take it!

Chinese Community Center Kungfu Performance Team CMAA will be organizing a small performance for the Chinese Community Center’s Sunday school on Sunday December 14^th.  With so many students who originally began practicing at the CCC, I’d like to showcase their progress at CMAA.  If you attend the CCC or originally started Kungfu at the CCC, please join us! I will be sending out an email about this, but just in case I forget to include you, please let me know if you are available.

CrossFit - All New Classes!

CrossFit is the most dynamic strength and conditioning program ever.  We combine cardio intensive boot camp style workouts with heavy weight lifting, and gymnastics strength training.  Our workouts vary every day to keep your body constantly adapting to new challenges.

We can scale all workouts to any level of fitness, professional athlete to desk jockeys and soccer moms.

Please email or call in advance to schedule your first training session (518.755.7512).

New Schedule Here: Latham CrossFit Schedule

Save Money with the CMAA Referral Program! CMAA Referral Program- Easy as 1, 2,3,4,5.

1. Earn $50 when your first referral joins. 2. Earn $100 when your second referral joins. 3. Earn $250 when your third referral joins. 4. Earn $500 when your fourth referral joins. 5. Earn ONE YEAR FREE when your fifth referral joins.

This will be even easier now with our new CMAA flyers.  You can pick them up for free at the school. Just write your name on the back of the bottom info tabs and when people come in with your flyer tab they will be considered your referral!

*Please note that offer applies to annual memberships and new referrals only (as of 12/1/14).

Summary

As usual please stay tuned for more exciting action at CMAA!

Best,

Shifu

Monthly Newsletter - November

Monthly Newsletter – November Dear Friends,

As always, there’s a lot happening at CMAA!  Please review the following information on:

School Closings CMAA Holiday School Party NEW JKD Combatives Class at CMAA Kungfu Competition Recap Kungfu Sash Test Recap Student of the Month Profile – Lizzy “The Warrior Princess” Liu Festival of Nations – Recap 1 Year FREE at CMAA – Referral Program! Kick or Treat – Halloween at CMAA Costumes Tai Chi vs MMA (Who is Nicer)? Black Belts Never Give Up

As usual please stay tuned for more exciting action at CMAA!

Best,

Shifu School Closings Please note we will be closed and all classes will be canceled on Nov. 27^th, Thanksgiving Day.  Otherwise, all classes will be held as regularly scheduled.

CMAA Holiday Dinner Party With all the holidays and family time this time of year, we would like to organize a time for us to be together outside the school. Please join us for a holiday dinner celebration!

Date: Saturday, December 13th Time: 6:30 PM Location: Dragon Buffet, 1881 Central Ave. Albany, NY 12205 (518) 452-6963 Price: $16.50 for adults and $11 for children (under 10 years old).  Please pay in advance by check or cash at the school as we have reserved a room for our group. Deadline: Please register by Saturday, Dec. 5^th.

NEW JKD Combatives Class at CMAA   Bruce Lee's JKD inspired Combatives class will now be held at CMAA on Saturdays from 2-3pm.  For more information about the class please read more here! JKD Combatives

Festival of Nations Representing China and the Chinese Community Center, CMAA was the first to take the stage and open up the festivities with an exciting performance.  This is part of a follow up email I received from one of the organizers, “We want to thank the Chinese Martial Arts Academy, under the guidance of Lucas Geller, who performed an acrobatic, exciting and dynamic presentation of Wushu.  It was a real "hit" and absolutely mesmerized the audience.  We hope they come back next year.”

Due to time constraints, we pulled off this year’s demo without a single rehearsal practice.  I can assure you, our next demo for the Chinese New Year will be even more exciting! To see CMAA in action check out the video of our performance here!

Kungfu Competition: International Chinese Marital Arts Championship I know many of you were excited to begin learning your new forms and weapons routines. However, it was important that we not be distracted in our training with anything we would not have been competing in at the ICMA. For those who sash tested but didn’t complete, you too were required to wait until your teammates had finished competition before moving on to new forms. This is because we are a team and even if you don’t compete you are still a huge part of our competition preparation.

With our biggest competition team to date, CMAA made a very impressive showing with students placing top in every single division we competed in. I hope it was exciting to see just how good other martial artists are, and learn how hard other people and schools train to get to the levels they are at. I know that personally, it was a great learning experience. With years of competition experience, it was all a very different experience as a coach.

Again, congratulations on all your success! Team CMAA will spend the winter in training hibernation, looking at sash tests and the many upcoming Chinese New Year’s demo’s as opportunities to showcase our rising talents. We will begin looking for competition venues again in the spring and summer.

Kungu Sash Test Great job to those of you who participated in October’s Sash Test. Many of you practiced all summer for the test and rose to the occasion. Also, with so many of you taking summer vacation, I was equally impressed by those of you who were not at CMAA as much this summer, but kept up with your training and didn’t seem to miss a beat! Congratulations to all of you!

In addition, I would like to congratulate those who chose NOT to sash test. You too demonstrate self-control. I know you too were excited to get your next sash and move on to something new but with an honest self-assessment, decided to wait until you knew you’d truly mastered your form. Keep up the hard work, we will test again soon and you will be all the better for having waited.

Student of the Month Profile – Elizabeth “The Warrior Princess” Liu

A few months ago a new student joined CMAA.  You’ve all seen her because she’s always in the class you’re in.  She has progressed incredibly quickly, but it’s not just because she’s a fast learner (which she is), it’s because she doesn’t just take classes at CMAA, she takes take’s ALL the classes! She frequently stays for 2 hours of classes, then eats dinner at the school so she can stay for a 3rd class.  You guessed it.  November’s student of the month is Elizabeth “The Warrior Princess” Liu.

Shifu: Why did you start Kungfu? Lizzy: I started kungfu because it looked fun!

Shifu: What is your favorite thing about Kungfu? Lizzy: Learning new forms.

Shifu: What are your goals in Kungfu for this coming year? Lizzy: I don’t have any goals. I just practice.

Shifu: Do you have any advice for anyone looking to get better at Kungfu? Lizzy: Keep practicing and don’t give up.

Shifu: What is your favorite food? Lizzy: Instant noodles, pizza and hotdogs.

Shifu: When you’re not training at CMAA what do you like to do in your free time? Lizzy: Read books, play games, play sports and climb trees.

Shifu: Anything else about yourself you’d like to share with everyone? Lizzy: My favorite color is yellow. I’m Chinese I have been to China 3 times. I love kungfu.

Well, there you have it guys.  Keep up the hard work Lizzy, you're doing great! Kick or Treat! Halloween at CMAA!

Wow, you guys looked great!  From super heroes and dinosaurs to ninjas and vampires it was great seeing you guys in action on Halloween!

(Since most people couldn't guess my costume I'll give you a hint "Sweep the leg!  Yea, Johnny, put him in a body bag! Cobra Kai, Never Die!".. "Wax on, Wax off"... got it yet?!) Tai Chi VS MMA (Who is Nicer)?

If what he says is true about judging the quality of a martial arts program by the character of their students or personality of the instructor, then we must have a very high quality program (if I don’t say so myself).  In addition to an interesting message, I also loved watching the video and just seeing some very interesting applications of Tai Chi!

Black Belts Never Quit All the reasons you should keep going! (… even when you want to quit, sometimes).

1.  Learn what it really means to be a martial arts master.  You won’t ever know if you quit now.

2.  All your friends at practice miss you when you’re not there.

3.  Sometimes you’re teammates are having a tough time in training and they could really use your motivation and support!  Every practice you miss might have been one that a teammate needed you… Read More Here: http://www.martialartsalbany.com/never-quit/  

Save Money with the CMAA Referral Program! CMAA Referral Program- Easy as 1, 2,3,4,5.

1. Earn $50 when your first referral joins. 2. Earn $100 when your second referral joins. 3. Earn $250 when your third referral joins. 4. Earn $500 when your fourth referral joins. 5. Earn ONE YEAR FREE when your fifth referral joins.

This will be even easier now with our new CMAA flyers.  You can pick them up for free at the school. Just write your name on the back of the bottom info tabs and when people come in with your flyer tab they will be considered your referral!

*Please note that offer applies to annual memberships and new referrals only (as of 11/5/14).

Summary

As usual please stay tuned for more exciting action at CMAA!

Best,

Shifu

Never Quit.

All the reasons you should keep going! (… even when you want to quit, sometimes).

1.  Learn what it really means to be a martial arts master.  You won’t ever know if you quit now.

2.  All your friends at practice miss you when you’re not there.

3.  Sometimes you’re teammates are having a tough time in training and they could really use your motivation and support!  Every practice you miss might have been one that a teammate needed you.

4. Shifu is so proud of what you’ve accomplished but you and he both know you’ve still got so much potential.  Keep training and see just how far you can go.

5.  You are a martial artist.  It’s your identity.  Think of what Shifu or the hero in your favorite movie would do and stay the course until you reach your goals.

6.  Your younger kungfu brothers and sister look up to you!  Set the example by working hard and showing them what it means to be persistent.

7. We’ve got sash tests, competitions and demo’s to prepare for!  Get to practice so you can rep’ your team, Shifu and yourself to the best of your abilities.

8.  Wushu Kungfu is an AWESOME martial art and sport.  You’ve accomplished a lot but there’s still more you can do.  Keep training and learn what it’s like to have the skills that only a few disciplined few ever develop.

9.  It is great exercise.  You have to go to school to study and be smart.  Training Wushu makes your mind strong and your body smart as you develop discipline and focus, as well as speed, power, flexibility and coordination.

10, 11, 12... What are your reasons for not quitting??

Monthly Newsletter - October

Monthly Newsletter – October Dear Friends,

As always, there’s a lot happening at CMAA!  Please review the following information on:

School Closings Kungfu Competition October in Boston, MA Kungfu Sash Test Student of the Month Profile – SP Festival of Nations – CMAA Martial Arts Demo 1 Year FREE at CMAA – Referral Program! Kick or Treat – Halloween at CMAA Qigong Postures and Benefits Articles A Special Thank You

As usual please stay tuned for more exciting action at CMAA!

Best,

Shifu

Columbus-Day-Closings

School Closings Please note we will be closed and all classes will be canceled Columbus Day Weekend on Saturday and Monday (Oct. 11th/13th).  Otherwise, all classes will be held as regularly scheduled.

Kungfu Competition: International Chinese Marital Arts Championship If you are interested in competing, this is a great opportunity. CMAA will be organizing a competition team to participate in the 4th Annual “New England” Kung Fu – Wushu Championship.  This year’s competition will be held on Saturday, October 11, 2014 at the Fore Kicks Sports Complex in Marlborough, MA. (aprox. 30 minutes outside of Boston).

Yellow sashes and above are encouraged to compete.   Everyone is welcome to come and support your team!

Just like sash tests, the true value of competition is still self-improvement.  All the fun and team bonding is just a nice extra!

For more information please visit the website here: http://www.kungfuchampionship.com/boston/ For registration forms please follow this link: http://www.kungfuchampionship.com/boston/registration.html

Kungu Sash Test Please note that we will be holding our quarterly Sash Test on Sunday, October 19th at 10:30 am!

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

Student of the Month Profile – SP You can’t help but hear the claps on thunder and imagine bolts of lightning as SP connects on his front slaps and tornado kicks.  Combine that with his great stances and you’ve got the foundation for future success as a competitor in the martial arts. You may have noticed that a year ago, he and his sister Georgia joined CMAA and seemed to climb the ranks very quickly.  Part of that was their work ethic and consistency, while another was a previous year of training Wushu Kungfu basics at the Chinese Community Center.  I’d like to take the opportunity to better acquaint you with October’s Student of the Month- SP.

Shifu: Why did you start Kungfu? Stavros: It looked cool and I was obsessed with Jackie Chan movies and for self-defense.

Shifu: What is your favorite thing about Kungfu? Stavros: Everything! It's awesome.

Shifu: What are your goals in Kungfu for this coming year? Stavros: To get through spear.

Shifu: Do you have any advice for anyone looking to get better at Kungfu? Stavros: Keep practicing and don't give up.

Shifu: What is your favorite food? Stavros: Mmmm I have a lot: any meat, fries, Greek food, cheeseburgers and PIE!

Shifu: When you’re not training at CMAA what do you like to do in your free time? Stavros: Play video games, go on YouTube, and text people lol... Even though I have studying :/

Shifu: When you and Georgia fight at home is it like a kungfu movie scene with spears and swords? Stavros: Totally.

photo (8)

Shifu: Anything else about yourself you’d like to share with everyone? Stavros: I'm half Greek and I love Kungfu! I literally come every day and everyone is nice and I have many friends. My favorite movie right now is Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. I also have a cat named Smokey ^_^

Kick or Treat! Halloween at CMAA Kick or Treat!  Come wear your Halloween costume to kungfu on Friday, October 31st !  Of course we’ll train hard as usual, but there will be time for games and treats! 

Qigong Routine's Postures and Benefits

Here's is a link to the Chinese National Health Qigong Association (CNHQA).  On the website you can review "Practice Tips" page.  There are many articles on Yi Jin Jing (Tendon Changing Classic) and Ba Duan Jin (Eight Sections Brocade) as well as general qigong practice (listed at the bottom of the page under "Other").  In the various articles western medicinal and traditional Chinese medicinal benefits are described. While traditionally there are many variations of these routines, we do the exact same forms as described by the CNHQA. http://jsqg.sport.org.cn/en/tips/index.html

Under the "Illustration" page, there is also a step by step description of the routines (including photos). http://jsqg.sport.org.cn/en/illustration/index.html 

Save Money with the CMAA Referral Program!

CMAA Referral Program- Easy as 1, 2,3,4,5. 1. Earn $50 when your first referral joins. 2. Earn $100 when your second referral joins. 3. Earn $250 when your third referral joins. 4. Earn $500 when your fourth referral joins. 5. Earn ONE YEAR FREE when your fifth referral joins.

This will be even easier now with our new CMAA flyers.  You can pick them up for free at the school. Just write your name on the back of the bottom info tabs and when people come in with your flyer tab they will be considered your referral!

*Please note that offer applies to annual memberships and new referrals only (as of 10/5/14).

Festival of Nations Come have fun and support your team as a group of your classmates perform at the Festival of Nations.  Our group is scheduled to perform around 12pm on Sunday, 10/26.  More info here: http://festivalofnations.net/ A Special Thank You Last month I celebrated my birthday at CMAA and then at the end of the month my grandfather passed.  I wanted to say thank you for all your kind words and support.  Your sincere show of care in the form of cards, celebrations and then condolences and sympathies was significant and meaningful.  I couldn’t be more thankful to work for such kind people.

Summary

As usual please stay tuned for more exciting action at CMAA!

Best,

Shifu

Monthly Newsletter - September

Monthly Newsletter – September

Dear Friends,

As always, there’s a lot happening at CMAA!  Please review the following information on:

School Closings Kungfu Movie and Pizza Night Recap Student of the Month Profile – Christopher “B2L” Stewart 1 Year FREE at CMAA – NEW Referral Program! Kungfu Competition October in Boston, MA Kungfu Sash Test Kettle Bell Seminar – Strength and Fitness with CrossFit Coach Kyle Roddy 3 Great Tai Chi Articles 

As usual please stay tuned for more exciting action at CMAA!

Best,

Shifu

School Closings Please note we will be closed and all classes will be canceled Labor Day Weekend on Saturday, Sunday and Monday (Aug. 30, 31^st and Sept. 1).  Otherwise, all classes will be held as regularly scheduled.

Kungfu Movie and Pizza Recap

What a blast!  From an indoor soccer championship to duck duck dragon, lots of fun was had by all.  A healthy dose of pizza, and cookies were consumed during the showing of the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles!  Stay tuned for upcoming news on another night of fun!

Shifu Does the ALS Ice Buck Challenge During the Kungfu Movie and Pizza Night CMAA students were more than happy to help Shifu participate in the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge and dump icy cold water on him!  Hey it’s for a good cause, right?

Kungfu Competition: International Chinese Marital Arts Championship If you are interested in competing, this is a great opportunity. CMAA will be organizing a competition team to participate in the 4th Annual "New England" Kung Fu - Wushu Championship.  This year’s competition will be held on Saturday, October 11, 2014 at the Fore Kicks Sports Complex in Marlborough, MA. (aprox. 30 minutes outside of Boston).

Yellow sashes and above are encouraged to compete.   Everyone is welcome to come and support your team!

Just like sash tests, the true value of competition is still self-improvement.  All the fun and team bonding is just a nice extra!

For more information please visit the website here: http://www.kungfuchampionship.com/boston/ For registration forms please follow this link: http://www.kungfuchampionship.com/boston/registration.html

Student of the Month Profile – Christopher “B2L” Stewart I’d like to introduce you to Christopher.  Chris is a natural leader, always eager to step up to the front of the line and take charge. You might have not realized how young he is because he is also huge for his age, standing 6’4 at 8 years old… (well, maybe not that tall yet, but he sure seems like it!). If I say let’s practice something one more time, he’s quick to ask to practice it one hundred more times.  Because of his leadership skills and super awesome dance moves, Chrisopther “Born 2 Lead” Stewart has been selected as CMAA’s Student of the Month!

Shifu: Why did you start Kungfu? Chris: When I started in October of 2012 it was mainly for exercise, but it was fun and exciting for me, and I grew to love it.

Shifu: What is your favorite thing about Kungfu? Chris:  The warm up drills and learning new forms.

Shifu: What are your goals in Kungfu for this coming year? Chris: To compete in a competition this year. And get brown sash and start spears.

Shifu: Do you have any advice for anyone looking to get better at Kungfu? Chris: Keep working hard and you will get better  in no time.

Shifu: What is your favorite food? Chris: Sushi. I have been to every Japanese Restaurant in the area..

Shifu: How’d you get such awesome dance moves? Chris:  Some people have gifts, dancing is one of mine. When I hear good music I cant stop my butt from  moving.

Shifu: Anything else about yourself you’d like to share with everyone? Chris: I love basketball, I want to become great like Kareem Abdul Jabar, who played basketball and martial arts.

Thanks for taking the time to chat Chris!  Congratulations on all the progress you’re making.  Keep up the hard work, I know we’re going to make some major progress this year.

Kungu Sash Test Please note that we will be holding our quarterly Sash Test on Sunday, October 19th at 10am.

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

Save Money with the CMAA Referral Program!

CMAA Referral Program- Easy as 1, 2,3,4,5. 1. Earn $50 when your first referral joins. 2. Earn $100 when your second referral joins. 3. Earn $250 when your third referral joins. 4. Earn $500 when your fourth referral joins. 5. Earn ONE YEAR FREE when your fifth referral joins.

This will be even easier now with our new CMAA flyers.  You can pick them up for free at the school. Just write your name on the back of the bottom info tabs and when people come in with your flyer tab they will be considered your referral!

*Please note that offer applies to annual memberships and new referrals only (as of 8/5/14).

Kettle Bell Seminar – Strength and Fitness with CrossFit Coach Kyle Roddy Have you ever used a Kettle Bell before, you know the thing that looks like a bowling ball with a handle on top? Maybe you’ve tried them before or seen them sitting in the corner of a gym and were curious to try them but unsure of how to use them.  Come learn the basics of one of the most dynamic and fun strength apparatus with CrossFit CrossFit Level I, Level II and Kettle Bell Certified Coach Kyle Roddy!  From proper handling for safe training to intricate details on everything from swings, and snatches to jerks and Turkish get ups come get some new tips on better KB training!

No previous KB Training is required for this seminar.  This seminar is open to non-crossfitters!  CMAA parents are welcome to register!

Seminar: Kettle Bell Technique for Strength and Fitness with Coach Kyle Roddy Date: Sunday, September 21. Time: 10am-12pm. Cost: $40 (if registered by Sept. 12^th), $50 (if registered by Sept 19^th). Limit: 8 -12 person (min/max).

3 Great Articles on Tai Chi

Chen Style Tai Chi Body Requirement Six Harmonies – The Cheat Sheet for Perfect Posture Why Study Tai Chi? Adaption. Click here to read more!

Summary As usual please stay tuned for more exciting action at CMAA!

Best,

Shifu

3 Interesting Tai Chi Articles

3 Interesting Articles on Tai Chi Article 1

Chen Style Tai Chi body requirement

Violet Li

August 8, 2014

During the recent 2014 International Tai Chi Symposium, Grandmaster Chen Zhenglei shared the secrets of authentic Chen style Tai Chi (Taiji) by describing the detailed body requirements

Grandmaster Chen is a 19th Generation Chen Family descendent and 11th Generation Chen Style Tai Chi Lineage Holder. He was sanctioned as the 9th Duan by the Chinese Martial Art Association that means he reached the highest level in the martial arts. He was selected as one of the Top Ten Martial Art Masters in China for his superb Tai Chi skills and in-depth knowledge. He has authored a complete set of books on Chen Style Tai Chi bare hand forms and weapons, which have been translated into dozens of languages.

During the symposium, Grandmaster Chen divided a body into three (San) sections (Jies) to discuss the Tai Chi fundamentals: the top, the middle and the lower sections.

The top section includes the head and the neck. Grandmaster Chen said that it is essential to keep the head suspended or lifted without tilting it forward, backward or sideways during any movement. The head turns only as the body turns. It is imperative to keep the head naturally hung without stiffening it. It is called “Xu Ling Ding Jing” because the pressure point Baihui near the top of the head is the confluence of all energy pathways and only through the head suspension the Qi can flow smoothly to Baihui. Chen cautioned beginners against using muscle strength to push the head up, which will cause stiffness in the neck and block Qi from traveling.

In general, the eyes look straight ahead and move according to the head movement with the peripheral vision focusing on the leading hand. A common mistake is a practitioner bobbing his head up and down or circling it simply because his eyes are fixating on the leading hand as the latter moves.

The middle section includes the trunk and two arms. The trunk area is comprised of the shoulders, the arms, the hands, the collarbones, the chest, the waist, the hips and the buttocks. It houses our vital organs. It is essential to pay attention to this section for health and self-defense purposes. Grandmaster Chen mentioned if a practitioner cannot correctly execute the middle section requirements, he is really not doing Tai Chi chuan.

The fundamentals of proper body alignment (Sheng Fa) include keeping the spine upright but with a slight natural curve, tucking the chest, relaxing the waist, loosening the shoulders and sinking the elbows. Chen declared that Tai Chi is scientific and its movements follow the human body’s physique and kinetics. Beginners tend to raise the shoulders, lean sideways, bend forward at the waist, push the backside out, or lift the elbows above the shoulders. Chen warned practitioners not to stick the chest out or pull back the shoulder blades too much. In Chinese, “Han Xiong ” means tucking the chest; but some misunderstand the meaning and bring the shoulders forward too much, forcing the chest to be concave and putting unnecessary pressure on the lungs and the heart. “Ba Bei” means pulling the back; again some misinterpret it as pulling the back out instead of up. He also mentioned that tilting forward pelvis is wrong. During the arm movement, he cautioned practitioners to make any linear movement. The spiraling techniques of Silk Reeling should be applied to hand rotation and arm movement to create the maximum health benefits as well as self-defense mechanism.

Chen stated that if the lower section movements are not clearly executed, it would cause the instability of the entire body. The lower section includes the Kuas (hip joints), the groin area, the knees and the feet. Precise footwork and stances are critical to ensure flexibility and agility in a Tai Chi form. Relaxing or sinking Kaos is similar to sitting on a hair stool. Pivoting the empty foot inward can help to form a rounded groin area, which makes body movement flexible and powerful.

It does not matter if a Tai Chi stance is high or low especially when one is practicing the art for a health purpose. What matters is that all stances have a solid foot and an empty foot clearly distinguished; the body weight needs to be distributed unevenly and transferred from one foot to another smoothly during the movement in an arc fashion or S line as the center line of the Tai Chi symbol.

For knee protection and greater martial art power, it is crucial to align the knee with the direction of the toes. Unlike the external martial art styles, Chen Style Tai Chi always keeps the knees bent and never locked even in a bow stance. Bent knees also facilitate the groin area to be rounded and provide extra protection of the legs for self-defense. He alerted practitioners not to let their knees surpass the toes. He advised people to start with a high stance and gradually lower it as the leg muscles developed further.

Article 2

Six Harmonies – The Cheat Sheet for Perfect Posture

Small postural improvements have huge impact on your health, practice, and mental state.

Here is a statement that needs to be intrinsically understood to progress in Tai Chi: Internal energy building and circulation, balance, and martial abilities are dependent on posture.  For those of you that are one step ahead of me, you are seeing the potential bang-for-your-buck by focusing on posture over other more trivial matters.Posture is the tai chi version of the Pareto Principle which states that 20% of your activities realize 80% of the results and vise-versa.  Small postural improvements have huge impact on your health, sitting at your desk, your taichi form, balance, pushhands prowess, etc.

How do we evaluate our posture and make corrections? 

We could have proper instruction, do chiropractic work or even Rolfing.   But thankfully, Tai Chi also has a blueprint to evaluate yourself and make corrections in real time.

The Six Harmonies – History

Dai Long Bang was a master of the internal martial arts who lived in the 18^th Century.  His family cultivated and developed Xing Yi Quan, one of the two other major internal martial arts.   During his life he recorded a great deal of tactical points of martial arts and wrote “The Six Harmonies Fists.”  It’s from this work that the Six Harmonies are taken.

What are the Six Harmonies?

The Six Harmonies refer to coordination between three external joints (6 total, 3 per side) and the coordination of three internal processes that align emotion and intention.  “Harmony” does not only mean “moving together” despite this being a good start.  It also connotes a connection between the movements.

External Harmonies (san wai he) 

1) The hands harmonize with the feet.

2) The hips harmonize with the shoulders.

3) The elbows harmonize with the knees.

Internal Harmonies (san nei he)

1) The heart harmonizes with the intention.

2) The intention harmonizes with the Chi.

3) The Chi harmonizes with the movement.

Coordination of the Harmonies

“Coordination” or “Harmonizing” includes good posture and the body parts moving in unison.  It does not mean you move like a robot or that your body parts aren’t moving in different directions at times.  Harmony can also refer to the angles of the joints being the same or the body parts moving in the same direction.  An example of this last point could be your hand traveling forward and your toes pointing in that direction.

Coordination of the External Harmonies

Coordination of the external harmonies is a straightforward alignment of pairs of joints.  In tai chi we are initially concerned with the hip and shoulder alignment because the other two harmonies will be dependent on this primary structural alignment.  This can easily be studied by looking in the mirror and making concrete adjustments.  Let’s take a look:

The hands harmonize with the feet:  the toes are pointed in the direction that the hand is traveling and the step and strike/grab arrive at the same time.  Proper alignment of hands and feet leads to heavy pushes or strikes where the support of the ground is felt rather than arm strength.

The hips harmonize with the shoulders:  the shoulders are aligned over the hips.  The hip joint (kua) and armpit are not collapsed.  Rotational power is generated by the hips and carried out though the torso.  You can accomplish this harmony by turning your whole torso as you move rather than just your arm and by keeping an upright posture as though you are sitting on an invisible chair.

The elbows harmonize with the knees: The elbows shrink and expand in unison.  A great example is shooting a free throw in basketball.  The player crouches down, springs up, and the hands are over his head releasing the ball at the second that the entire body has expanded.

Coordination of the Internal Harmonies

Internal coordination, harmony, is dependent on external coordination.  So if you have not checked your posture throughout different parts of the tai chi form, external coordination is the low hanging fruit.

Coordinating the internal harmonies is putting the intention and will (the brains and heart) behind the movement.  Yes you can just step forward and grab a doorknob.  This would be more akin to focusing on the doorknob, reading your body, and consciously reaching for and seizing the doorknob.

The heart harmonizes with the intention:  The heart is the emotional that sets the motivational fires burning.  Back to the doorknob for practicality and humor’s sake.  Imagine being mad at the doorknob and grabbing it.  Imagine that it is elusive and if you don’t grab it at the right second it will disappear.  When I first wrapped my mind around this I woke up to the fact of how unintentional I move about throughout the day.

The intention harmonizes with the Chi:  Your degree of intention will determine your degree of concentration.  Walking by a tai chi class you would just see someone taking a step.  The person however would be concentrating on the accuracy of this step and setting it in motion.

The Chi harmonizes with the movement:  Now it is time to act.  Your posture is good you are focused and choose to move.  The brain makes all movements happen.  Once your intention is set you fire off nerve impulses and off you go.

We began talking about simple movements and end the same way.  I hope this article provides 1) a way for us to self-monitor and make adjustments and 2) dramatically see the difference between a typical step and the movements of tai chi.

Betty Edwards in Drawing with the Right Side of the Brain described it the best when she talked about getting lost and forgetting about time when you incorporate intention and balance in the creative process.  If I get nothing else out of tai chi class, I at least get a break from the continual ramble of thoughts (grocery lists, where did I put my…) that usually accompanies my day.

Article 3

Why Study Tai Chi? Adaptation

It is the perennial question:  “Why study tai chi?  There are a host of obvious answers such as fitness, health, community, interest, or culture.  But the truth is that any number of sports or hobbies can deliver on these promises.  Some are even better.  Here is one idea where tai chi truly stands out:

Adaptation

Tai chi is a systematic rewiring of your movements and breathing.  You breathe and move just fine last time you checked right?  Movements are based on habit and responding to stimuli.  At its extreme; an alarm goes off, you jump, and your pulse quickens.  More commonly; the email you dread arrives, you clench your teeth, hunch your shoulders, and slump in your chair.  Or, your son takes his first step, your spine straightens, you smile and gasp.

We react to what is presented to us.

Without focusing on how our body, mind, and emotions respond to a stimuli we are left with letting our body choose.  In negative situations this will result in heightened stress and negative emotion.

But wouldn’t it be better if we could insert a thought before we react?  Maybe even give us a choice as to how we react?  Definitely, but our autonomic and emotional system rarely give us that option.  What we can do is preplace the reaction that our body chooses with a much more esteemed, adaptive response.

Adaptive Change takes less time than you think

Tai chi is not a quick fix but rewiring old patterns does not take a lifetime.  Research on learning music (The Talent Code, Effortless Mastery) and Kinesiology (Alexander Technique) both indicate that 4-6 weeks of slow movement practice can reprogram fine and gross activities and physiological responses.

How Does Tai Chi change our response to stressors?

Tai chi provides series of slow repetitive movements where you are observing your surroundings and concentrating on our breath.  Your “reaction” to a stimuli includes 1) concentration on relaxed muscles and 2) an elongated breath.  Therefore, when a stressor occurs your first inclination is relax the shoulders and breath into the belly.  A far cry from the tensing impulse that is typical.

Example from Tai Chi

Someone 1) pushes on you, 2) your body tenses, 3) you think “crap, I am supposed to be relaxed.” You relax your shoulders and breath deep.   The body’s reaction always precedes the thought.  However, after hundreds of simulated pushes your body accepts this immediate relaxation as the normal first response to a stressor.

Example from Life

I hate leaving an essay in an esoteric cloud so I will also share a real life examples of adaptation.  In my work I am often brought problems which I am asked my opinion on or asked to solve.  I would traditionally “respond” to an issue with incredulity (on a good day) or outrage (on a bad).  My emotion was obvious and my opinion or ideas hastily shared.

After incorporating awareness that I built in tai chi and qi gong into my job, an amazing thing began to happen.  I sat there.  Just for a split second.  I sat there uncommitted to an opinion or emotion.  This created a large enough space in the conversation to allow my colleagues to offer a solution.  They honestly know more about the situation than me and their opinion is probably more valuable.  M y colleagues still come with the problem but now they bring solutions. They say, “here is the problem, we can do this or that.”

Kettle Bell Seminar – Strength and Fitness with CrossFit Coach Kyle Roddy

Kettle Bell Seminar – Strength and Fitness with CrossFit Coach Kyle Roddy Have you ever used a Kettle Bell before, you know the thing that looks like a bowling ball with a handle on top? Maybe you’ve tried them before or seen them sitting in the corner of a gym and were curious to try them but unsure of how to use them.  Come learn the basics of one of the most dynamic and fun strength apparatus with CrossFit Level I, Level II and Kettle Bell Certified Coach Kyle Roddy!  From proper handling for safe training to intricate details on everything from swings, and snatches to jerks and Turkish get ups come get some new tips on better KB training!

No previous KB Training is required for this seminar.  This seminar is open to non-crossfitters!  CMAA parents are welcome to register!

Seminar: Kettle Bell Technique for Strength and Fitness with Coach Kyle Roddy Date: Sunday, September 21.

Time: 10am-12pm.

Cost: $40 (if registered by Sept. 12^th), $50 (if registered by Sept 19^th).

Limit: 8 -12 person (min/max).