May 2010 – Volume 2, Issue 4 THE DRAGON’S LAIR NEWSLETTER OF THE IRON DRAGON KUNG FU AND KICKBOXING CLUB 91 STATION STREET, UNIT 8, AJAX, ONTARIO L1S 3H2 MAY 2010 VOLUME 2, ISSUE 5 (905) 427-7370 / [email protected] / www.iron-dragon.ca COMMENTARY As we move into summer, I am always disturbed by the inevitable drop in attendance at the Kwoon. Kung Fu is more than a seasonal sport like Hockey and Skiing. Kung Fu is a holistic lifestyle not a sport! Sure there are sporting aspects to it such as Competitive Kickboxing and Grappling but there are underlying principles that inevitably spill over into other aspects of our life that make this a valuable activity all year round! Training in Kung Fu is a cumulative endeavor. Each skill once learned, becomes the foundation for the next skill to be developed. This is an activity where a continuity of effort will provide superior results! Take the time to evaluate your own training experience and you will see that your best training results are achieved with a steady, workmanlike effort. Don’t stop for the summer only to start all over again in the fall. Train consistently all year round and achieve consistent results all year round! Lil’ Dragons and Young Dragons Lazyitis - an addiction to Laziness As parents we have all showered our kids with love, affection and material goods. We strive to give them what we, ourselves never had. We do our best to ensure that our children want for nothing. Unfortunately, one thing that we cannot purchase and give to our kids is a work ethic. That must be developed from within. In years past, work ethic was developed through a determination to escape humble or even impoverished circumstances. Is it any wonder then, that our May 2010, Volume 2, Issue 5 2 children (who have everything) display a lack of initiative and a complete lack of work ethic?!! Their privileged existence gives them no impetus to defy the odds and succeed?!!! So how can we develop a work ethic in a child that wants for nothing? Strict and Disciplined Martial Arts training at Iron Dragon, that’s how!!!! I have discussed this matter with the parents of my students on many occasions recently. Parents have expressed their disgust at the sometimes minimal effort displayed by their children during their classes. Remember, our “privileged” children have been catered to since they were very small. It has taken years to create a lazy kid! It is unreasonable to think that we are going to be able to turn such a child around in a matter of weeks or months! Change will come but this is going to take time. Improvements will come in baby steps at first and later leaps and bounds. There will however, be times where they “relapse” so to speak. Experience has taught me that “Laziness”, “Lazyitis” as I prefer to call it, should be treated as an addiction. It is an addiction to being catered to and showered with gifts and ambience without a corresponding requirement to work for it. So what is the first step to correcting the problem? Same as any addiction……ADMIT THERE IS A PROBLEM. Once we have established that there is a problem we can get to work on correcting the problem! We as parents need to take a hard line with our kids. Make it clear to them that they are enrolled in our martial arts program for their own good. Make it clear that quitting is not an option! The program will be fun but not easy and we will certainly require the children’s participation. That said, it needs to be recognized that a 100% effort during a workout at Iron Dragon, from a kid that practices 25% effort in all other areas of his life is unrealistic! As long as a child comes to class it is ensured that his or her effort will definitely be more than the 0% effort produced while lying on the couch, watching TV and munching on potato chips! Over time the level of effort will improve and your child will come to enjoy his or her classes, eventually looking forward to them! Again I repeat…”this will take time and patience”. The time and patience you have invested in your child’s training at Iron Dragon will ensure that they reap the benefits of such training for a lifetime! May 2010, Volume 2, Issue 5 3 TRADITIONAL HUNG GAR KUNG FU Forms training – much more than a traditional art form There has always been a great deal of controversy regarding the relevance of forms training in the Martial Arts. Traditionalists often view forms as rehearsed fighting while non-traditionalists view it as a waste of time. Both sides need a more complete understanding of the relevance of forms training in Martial Arts. Non-traditionalists assert that forms have no relevance to actual fighting. Traditionalists assert that forms training teaches correct striking concepts and strategy. Both assertions are true to some degree but the truth of the matter is that forms are not intended to simulate actual fighting! In fact, forms should be regarded as a type of “moving meditation”. Forms should be considered a mental and physical exercise that can lead to better fighting technique and strategy. Let me clarify what a form is first of all. A form is nothing more than a collection of martial arts techniques that have been strung together like a long striking combination. Often forms will group simpler techniques in the short beginner forms and then progress to the more advanced techniques in the advanced forms. In essence, a collection of forms is very much an encyclopedia of all the techniques contained within a given martial arts system. When you have mastered all the forms you have mastered all the techniques of a system. Does mastery of all the techniques make that person an effective fighter? NO! Similar to other areas of knowledge such as Law, Martial Arts are a body of knowledge that can be acquired through learning. It is the application of that body of knowledge however, that will determine the fighting prowess of the martial artist. Similarly, all Lawyers will acquire a common body of knowledge. Some will go on to defend O.J. Simpson as prestigious and talented criminal lawyers while others will labor as public defenders for legal aid. It is not the knowledge that these people have garnered from the educational system but the way in which they apply that knowledge that will determine their stature in the long run. The non-traditionalist who refuses to train forms is akin to a paralegal that encounters a lawyer in court. The lawyer has mastered more of the legal code than the paralegal who is likely to have specialized in a very small section of that code. The lawyer will have a broader knowledge of the law and thus more options available to him when fighting his case. In the same way, a fighter with a broader knowledge of fighting techniques will have more options when dealing with a confrontation. On the other hand, the traditionalist who has practiced his technique without actually using it in combat will be at a decided disadvantage when facing an opponent who has actually applied a lesser variety of techniques. This would be similar to a Professor of Law with mostly theoretical experience taking on a seasoned Criminal Lawyer with many years practical experience! May 2010, Volume 2, Issue 5 4 Clearly neither side is entirely in the right when incorrectly viewing Forms training as an adjunct to fighting technique. Forms training is much more than fight training however! It is my opinion that forms training is more a mental exercise than a physical exercise! It is in fact more akin to moving meditation! Often, when meditating it is difficult to avoid thoughts from creeping into ones mind thus negating the benefits of a “still” mind. Some forms of meditation advocate the use of a mantra (a word repeated over and over again either verbally or mentally) to avoid this. With forms, it is the concentration on the movements that prevents the mind from wondering! In fact, I have found that forms practice will actually enhance your meditation when you practice it later without the movements. Many people in the West are skeptical of the benefits that can be derived through meditation. In addition to that, there is a “giggle factor” attributed to most Far Eastern practices that are not fully understood in the West. This is unfortunate. Forms training may be a more palatable way to start exploring meditational practices. I hope that you will take the opportunity to explore this for yourself! TRADITIONAL HUNG GAR KUNG FU The 5 Ancestors aka the 5 Elders of Shaolin Kung Fu Much of the history of Shaolin Kung Fu has been passed down verbally for many centuries. Very little information was ever documented in writing. As a result, there are many contradictory accounts of people and events. Regardless, the following are the most common variations of the “5 Ancestors or 5 Elders” story. The “5 Elders of Kung Fu” refer to the 5 senior monks who escaped the burning and destruction of the Northern Shaolin Temple around 1674 and Southern Shaolin Temple at Fukien around 1768. Traditionally the 5 Elders of Shaolin Kung Fu are: Gee Sin Ng Mui Lei Ba San Fung Do Duk Miu Hin Gee Sin Gee Sin was a monk who escaped the destruction of the Northern Shaolin temple around 1674 AD (although this date is questionable given the fact that Gee Sin is was the Abbott of the Southern Shaolin temple at the time of its destruction around 1768).