The Spirit of Partnerships

One of the things that creates the most productive learning atmosphere is working with excellent partners. It is this spirit of partnership that can take students to the next level. 

In martial arts, this can be a tricky concept. I say tricky because martial arts, Kung-Fu, Jiu Jitsu, you name it, has an image of you fighting or working AGAINST another person.

But the truth of the matter is, most of the learning and foundational development happens when you work WITH your partner. 

There's also an unseen benefit - the better of a partner you become, the better your own skill gets! It takes a good amount of strength, control, and mindfulness to be an effective partner. 

The actual self defense techniques are great, and there are a lot of sources where you can learn that information. What isn't so readily accessible are the perfect training partners. 

Creating perfect training partners is our goal. When you have the perfect training partner, and you are working together at a very proficient level, aesthetically, it looks amazing. Functionally, you are developing some very real skills.

So as we start this 4th Quarter at Austin Kung-Fu Academy, we will be discussing what it takes to become a Perfect Partner. We will be practicing a lot of these ideas in class, and we will also have an achievement and reward system in place, to help set some concrete goals. 

A Perfect Partner is genuinely concerned with making you successful. So the focus becomes on this idea:
What can I do to help you reach your best?

With that in mind, let's get started! 

How Can I Help My Child To Focus?

It is not uncommon to hear parents ask us how to help their child improve his or her focus. There's no one magic sliver bullet for this, as there are many factors to consider.

But what we can tell you is that giving them structure tends to help. Having a specific schedule of activities (they don't necessarily need to be too complicated), but just a schedule and adhering to it tends to help. 

We recommend taking some time and doing structured activities with them, such as building something, practicing Kung-Fu moves together with a designated amount of repetitions, or reading to each other.

It takes more effort and time, but you are instilling a sense of orientation towards a goal. And when that becomes the culture of your household, it does tend to rub off on the child.

A couple of cautionary notes. It could very well be that your child has a neurological condition that inhibits his or her ability to focus. If you have suspicions, by all means, get your child evaluated. Not to say a structured environment won't help, it probably will, but there may be deeper issues that need to be dealt with.

Another cautionary note is to keep as cool and as positive as possible when creating a highly structured world. If you keep yelling at them, and/or berating them for losing focus and not adhering to the structured task at hand, then resentment will form. Instead, tell them how much you love seeing them do xyz. 

Sometimes you might get some resistance and attitude. Again, try your best to keep your cool and be positive, and talk to them about how to express their frustration without being too negative. Maybe it is something you can work a compromise with. Or, maybe it is a non-negotiable, that you acknowledge their feelings, but it is extremely important to you that they do xyz. Use bribery rewards sparingly. 

An over reliance on rewards has them focusing just long enough to get the prize, but then it's all over after that. They might just do the bare minimum, just to get the reward. So, like I said, use rewards sparingly. 

In another post, I'll talk about strategic games you can play with your child to help them prepare for more structured activities like going to our Kids Kung-Fu class! =)

Timing is Everything, with Children

When teaching and raising children, one of the most challenging things is to figure out which approach to use, and at what moment. Additionally, it is worth mentioning that too much of one has the possibility of creating longer term issues. For example:

--Too much freedom could lead to not respecting boundaries.

--Too much control could lead to a lack of self confidence.

--Too little consequences could lead to lack of awareness of what their actions means for others or themselves.

--Too many consequences could lead to someone who does just enough to not get punished. 

--Too much criticism with not enough praise can lead to a lot of self doubt.

--Too much praise with not enough constructive feedback can lead to a false confidence.

Bribery, humiliation, being hands-off, and endless positive praise have their moments of short term results, but might not be the best strategy for the long term.

So what is the right answer? Well, in martial arts, you have many techniques to deal with situations. But using a certain technique at the wrong time is the wrong technique. For example, if I try to do the technique for escaping a wrist grab against someone who is choking my neck, that's the wrong technique!! 

There are some moments when you need to be hands off, let them make their own mistakes. There are other moments when you need to be hands on, and teach/remind. There will be some moments where in order to get a task done where bribery could be effective. There will be other moments where you have to have them understand that getting the task done is a non-negotiable, and failure to do so will result in a consequence. There will be some moments where you want pump the praise, and not give much attention to what needs fixing. There will be other moments where you need to give more attention to what needs fixing than the praise.

It's all a balancing act. We want children who can take their own initiative, make good choices, learn from the mistakes, but have the confidence to keep moving forward. We want positive children who are able to deal with and learn from negative situations.

But don't stay too much in one place. Sometimes, it is tempting to stay with one main default way because it is the most comfortable. This calls for more mindfulness, and be open to sometimes changing the way you respond to your child. Yin and Yang! 

The most skilled martial arts teachers can meet you where you're at, and give you the perfect exercise to get you to the incremental next step. What that requires is an acute awareness, sensitivity, and deep understanding of where the student is, as far as techniques, ability, mindset, and belief in one's self. 

As a teacher, one might tend to develop this ability with students. But it is much harder to do as a parent. Chances are, we've not received training for this, and even if we have, it is more difficult with our own children because we might not always be "on" for our kids as we might be for students, employees, clients, etc.

So there is always movement, it is always shifting. And that is what we provide at Austin Kung-Fu Academy for our Adults Flow class, where you are being given situation after situation after situation to respond to, and your job is to work at bringing the correct response to the situation.

As parents, I feel like you could benefit tremendously from our Adults classes. Not only is it a great stress reliever, but you start realizing and developing your ability shift from technique to technique based on whatever I give you.

 

The Secret to Self Defense....

...is getting comfortable with the closeness. When you are comfortable with the closeness, you start developing the ability to stay calm in worst case scenarios. 

You need to stay in close, because you can control the situation better. You also are more effective at neutralizing devastating strikes from there. 

You don't have to be big and strong to do this. You don't need to be a seasoned martial artist training for 10 years to do this. Anyone can do this, and it really does not require a lot of energy. You can effectively shut down someone's attack, by simply hugging them! This is also known as the clinch. Whether you want to escape, or finish the fight, the clinch is probably the most important technique you can learn. 

There is a stigma that in order to do martial arts, you have to be strong. And/or, a martial arts class is simply a more formalized way of getting beaten up. Perhaps at some places it is. Ok, perhaps at a lot of places it is like that. Not with Austin Kung-Fu Academy. This simply is not true. Our methods are for average, everyday folks. There is no expectation on strength, ability, or any prior knowledge. 

What we want to do is empower you with leverage based techniques, structural mechanics, help you develop a calmer mind, and build your confidence and belief in yourself. At Austin Kung-Fu Academy, we take a "ladder approach" towards everything. Climb one incremental rung at a time. We take baby steps. If you take enough baby steps, and enjoy those baby steps, before you know it, you'll have climbed Mount Everest!

 

 

TEST MATERIALS

The test date is Sept 24. Please be in FULL UNIFORM.
Graduation is Friday, Sept 30 at 6pm. 
Tests for colored belts are $25.
Tests for buttons, stripes, and pins are free.
3-4 Year Olds Test - 9am
5-6 Year Olds Test - 9:30am  
7-8 Year Olds Test - 10am
9-12 Year Olds Test - 10:30am
Adults Test - 11:30am

5-6 Year Olds Class:
Chop
Gwa
Chuin
Pak
Side Kick
Ax Kick
Stage 1
Stage 5

7-8 Year Olds Class:
Chop
Gwa
Chin Ji
Chuin
Pak
Jaap
Side Kick
Ax Kick
Roundhouse Kick
Form: Gwa-Kam, Chin Ji, Biu, Chuin
Stage 1
Stage 3
Stage 4

9-12 Year Olds Class:
Chop
Gwa
Chin Ji
Ow Choy
Chuin
Pak
Jaap
Jeet
Side Kick
Ax Kick
Roundhouse Kick
Jumping Front Kick
Form: Chuin, Poon, Poon, Sow
Stage 1
Stage 3
Stage 4
Stage 5
Stage 5 Rollover

Adults:
Chin Ji
Kam
Sow Jang
Chop Jang
Jumping Front Kick
Skip In Side Kick
Spinning Hook Kick
Self Defense:
Standard Grip Knife Stab to Body
Standard Grip Hostage Hold
Standard Grip Knife to Throat
Ice Pick Grip Angle 1
Ice Pick Grip Angle 2
Ice Pick Grip Stab to Body
Ice Pick Grip Hostage Hold
Ice Pick
+ Your Form Requirements

What Does Tai Chi and Jiu Jitsu Have in Common?

This is a fun question!

If you know nothing much about either of the arts, no problem! Just keep reading, I think you'll find this fascinating.

If you know a little something about both arts, you might reason that they both go with what ever energy is given. And more advanced, they use joint locks and leverage mechanics as a way to neutralize, redirect, misdirect, and submit the attacker.

Those are all not false at all! But that's not where I'm going with this. My idea is a little broader.

Gracie or Brazilian Jiu Jitsu uses the ground as a leverage principle. They connect their body to to the ground and use that to gain an advantage. So, a big part of the strategy is to clinch the opponent, take them to the ground, control them with strategic, leverage based principles, and ultimately submit the opponent.

While Tai Chi doesn't generally take the fight to the ground, it uses the ground as a leverage base point, as well. You see, in order to generate more energy/power, you push your foot into the ground to transfer weight to the other leg. There is an isometric tension going on that increases the more you do it.

So the more you push off your foot (not unlike a track athlete who pushes off of support for the sprint), the stronger your legs get, and more grounded you become in your executions.

There is a whole-body effect that happens when you start all of your motions from the push of your foot on the ground. 

So the ground is an incredible place to build your skills from!

If you'd like to understand more about how we do this, contact us to try a Tai Chi class!

TESTING MATERIAL for Quarter 3

The test date is Sept 24. 

5-6 Year Olds Class:
Chop
Gwa
Chuin
Pak
Side Kick
Ax Kick
Stage 1
Stage 5

7-8 Year Olds Class:
Chop
Gwa
Chin Ji
Chuin
Pak
Jaap
Side Kick
Ax Kick
Roundhouse Kick
Form: Gwa-Kam, Chin Ji, Biu, Chuin
Stage 1
Stage 3
Stage 4

9-12 Year Olds Class:
Chop
Gwa
Chin Ji
Ow Choy
Chuin
Pak
Jaap
Jeet
Side Kick
Ax Kick
Roundhouse Kick
Jumping Front Kick
Form: Chuin, Poon, Poon, Sow
Stage 1
Stage 3
Stage 4
Stage 5
Stage 5 Rollover

Adults:
Chin Ji
Kam
Sow Jang
Chop Jang
Jumping Front Kick
Skip In Side Kick
Spinning Hook Kick
Self Defense:
Standard Grip Knife Stab to Body
Standard Grip Hostage Hold
Standard Grip Knife to Throat
Ice Pick Grip Angle 1
Ice Pick Grip Angle 2
Ice Pick Grip Stab to Body
Ice Pick Grip Hostage Hold
Ice Pick
+ Your Form Requirements

A Yard is Hard, An Inch is a Cinch

Whenever we'd like to achieve something, either for ourselves, or our children, it is important to set goals. 

The problem is, often times the goals are either too over-reaching, or too vague. When we have goals that are too over-reaching, we often set ourselves up for disappointment. An example of this is trying to make a basket from half court, without even trying to make a basket from up close! When we have goals that are too vague, then, we end up with vague results. An example of this is saying you want to be good at Kung-Fu. Well, what does that mean, exactly? What does that look like? 

The solution is simple:
Make it specific, make it simple, and make a lot of them!

It's a lot easier to reach a smaller, simpler goal. It is specific, and within grasp. After you achieve that goal, make the next goal to build on top of that. The key is to make them small and achievable so that you feel success! It is very important that you feel success, and keep building on those successes! In the world of Behaviorist Psychology, this is referred to as the "Law of Successive Approximations".

This is why we have all the different belt colors in martial arts! 

Dr. BJ Fogg, a professor of Experimental Psychology at Stanford University, said to have "mini celebrations" for these mini victories! He said that it is very important that you reward yourself for any achievement that you make towards developing more productive habits towards your end goal. These mini celebration can be as simple as doing a little fist pump and saying, "YES! I DID IT!" And then move into the next goal.

Anything is achievable when you break it into small pieces. Too much at one time can lead to disappointment. Goals that are vague don't allow for a clear path towards what you want.

At Austin Kung-Fu Academy, we are all about everyone feeling those mini victories, on their path to the big one! 

Focus on What is Right

...and then build from there.

This is not to say ignore the mistakes and errors. Certainly, one must be keenly aware of what those are.

But there is a difference between being keenly aware of one's mistakes/errors and dwelling on them.

It is very critical for success to acknowledge what is positive, what is right, and focus on building on that. 

Compare these two mindsets:

A. I messed up these parts. That was not good. *sigh* I guess I'll try again. I hope I don't mess up again.

B. That was pretty good - I got these things right! I just need to add these things next time. 

Which internal dialogue would you rather have? Which internal dialogue do you think is framed for success? 

To position yourself for success, it is important to look at what is right, and build from there.

This is how we teach at Austin Kung-Fu Academy, with children and adults. We are invested in everyone's success!

What Tai Chi Can Teach You

I'm guessing when I say Tai Chi, you probably picture elderly people moving slowly in a park in China/town. 

And, you're not wrong! That is probably the dominant image people have of Tai Chi. Going a little further, you might classify it in the category of yoga, pilates, meditation, holistic health healing.

You're not wrong about that either! Tai Chi very much has a meditation component to it. It is referred to as a 'moving meditation'. And I do not disparage that one bit! I think meditation is awesome, and a very necessary tool for life. The stress reduction component of it is one of its best benefits.

But....I'm not talking about that. 

For those of you who are already into the world of martial arts or even, Chinese martial arts, I can hear you breathing! I know you think I'm going to talk about Tai Chi as a martial art, and how it functions in combat.

Well.......you're not entirely wrong. But you're not entirely right, either. 

So, yes, if you did not know, Tai Chi was originally intended and used as a form of self defense. All of the slow, fluid movements you see have martial applications (generally done sped up).

But I'm not even referring to its combat principles, strategies, or techniques. Personally, I don't really prefer them. 

Well, except for one idea, and that is the principle of Peng energy. Peng energy means to ward off/uproot the assailant off of their balance. But....don't even worry about that.

It is more about the body structure you need to create that Peng energy is what I am most interested, find the most useful, and find the most scalable. 

The connected structure in Tai Chi movements are brilliant. You pay very close attention to the alignment of specific body parts in a given motion, to maximize your body's potential to generate force. The more you work on that alignment through training your awareness, the more robust your body structure becomes. You start feeling your body mechanics, especially when in contact with, say, a heavy door, or a grocery cart, as a connected whole! Everything from the bottom of your feet to the top of your head, there is a connection and an alignment that you practice and develop, so that your limbs don't isolate. All pieces are working together.

Pilates has a focus on developing your core. This is part of it. But in Tai Chi, there is so much more to add to the equation of putting pieces together for one really effectively connected motion! 

The more you train this, the more efficient your overall motions become. From a combative perspective, you can certainly use this connectedness to improve your relaxed power in strikes & kicks, and your ability to maneuver efficiently when transitioning positions in grappling.

So, Tai Chi is one of the best ways to get your body connected to itself! 
Contact us and try a class today!

Safety Tip - Train Today So You Can Train Tomorrow

Whenever we train in martial arts, we have this image in our minds to become super effective and super proficient.

But what happens many times is we go so hard that we either:
A. Injure ourselves
B. Injure our partners

None of that does anyone any good.

What is required is the ability to hold back and do enough to be effective, but not so much that it is damaging.

This is very much a mindset. It is not so much if you have the ability to do it. It is entirely based on if you are willing to do it.

The ability to control oneself is the greatest attributes that martial arts training can provide.

The true process of mastery involves slowing down and developing sharp awareness of what your body is doing, and self-correcting along the way.

Once you know how to give plenty of energy without damaging yourself or your partner, you are on the path to mastery.

The Mindset Can Change EVERYTHING!

I've always loved the Yin and Yang philosophy in Kung-Fu. It is all about understanding the mix of hard and soft energy, and being able to adapt to changing circumstances. 

In many ways, it is because of the Yin and Yang philosophy that has led me onto the path of expanding my studies to include Jiu Jitsu. After constantly seeing how effective of a self defense system it is, and how easily it can be learned, I decided to open my mind to it. 

One of the key philosophies of Jiu Jitsu that hits a strong chord with me is that to stay calm in worst case scenarios.

This is a mindset. It is a specific way of viewing the world. It is indeed a specific mental strategy. 
It is also extremely pragmatic.

So, how does one stay calm during worst case scenarios? Well first, we have to explore the physical realm. The way we do that is we are exposed to a common problematic situation. We then learn the technique to deal with that situation. Then we practice that until we become proficient with dealing with that common problematic situation. 

We do this with many, many different situations, so we are learning a lot of different techniques and principles to overcome those common problematic situations. After some time, you develop great proficiency in dealing with those common problematic situations.

You then find more problems and more solutions. You do this so much, your confidence in your ability to deal with these problematic situations becomes very high!

So there is a lot of discipline involved - you have to be in a regular practice of the techniques, of these problematic situations. This regular practice creates the mindset. I'll say that again: This regular practice creates the mindset.

And now, you're ready to extrapolate to every day life, with this developed mindset...

Keeping a cool head is the first step of solving a problem. Don't panic. That is the real trick: DO NOT PANIC. 

You have to believe there is a solution. You have to believe that, "Somehow, I'm going to figure out how to solve this." You have to have faith and not lose hope. 

You then get to a point where you say, "I know it's going to happen. I might not know how, but it will. Thus, don't panic, and stay relaxed."

You eventually get to a point where you become accustomed to trust that things will work right, that something good is going to happen.

What you don't do is worry. You find that worrying about things makes no difference, and does not help. Often times, it makes things worse.

Life will always be testing us. It doesn't matter how much you have, or how much you don't have. Life will present a lot of problems, and the difference in the outcome has everything to do with your mindset.

The Yin and Yang philosophy of adaptation in my Kung-Fu training led me to keep an open mind to Jiu Jitsu, which led to me to the philosophy of staying calm in worst case scenarios and always believing that there will be a solution. 

It's all in the mind! =)

How To Make Kung-Fu and Jiu Jitsu Work Together

By now, it is no secret. We have incorporated Jiu Jitsu into Austin Kung-Fu Academy. 

It's actually a thing of beauty.

Let's look at this a little closer by asking a few questions. The first one, being, WHY?

Good question. Jiu Jitsu (and specifically, Gracie Jiu Jitsu) has been proven to be the most effective self defense system on the planet. Time and time again. It is scalable. No requirements of strength or athletic physical attributes, no age restrictions, and very energy efficient, so you don't need to be in amazing cardiovascular shape to be able to properly defend yourself using Gracie Jiu Jitsu.
It is also a comparatively non-violent self defense system, where you don't need to rely on aggressive punches or kicks to debilitate the opponent. 

OK, fine, but we're a Kung-Fu school, so are we abandoning all things Kung-Fu, then?

ABSOLUTELY NOT!! We are very much still doing all the stuff we've been doing with our Choy Lay Fut Kung-Fu style. With our Kung-Fu, we are learning good body mechanic principles, and developing a SENSE of combat. What I mean by that, is that we are striking at things, and blocking incoming attacks. That very idea gets us in the mindframe of how to deal with combat. We do it with pads, so it is all very safe, cooperative, and most of all, super fun! 
Developing the SENSE for combat is very important, because it puts you in the mindset of self defense, but in a self-directed, calm way.

Ummm, OK, so then why not just stay with Kung-Fu and not bother with Jiu Jitsu at all?

Fair question. Jiu Jitsu has a BETTER STRATEGY for self defense than Kung-Fu. Kung-Fu's strategy is one that is on the aggressive side, with striking, Sure, there are joint locks and takedowns, but those are all underlined in the aggressive mindset. The Jiu Jitsu mindset is to NEUTRALIZE FIRST!! Then CONTROL, and if it calls for it, then you submit them with a joint lock or choke. The mindset of Jiu Jitsu is radically different than Kung-Fu, and it's technical execution and curriculum reflect it in a very pure way. 
So while we do our punches and kicks in Kung-Fu to get a SENSE of combat, we do Jiu Jitsu to have the perfect strategy for self defense.

OK, then let's flip this around - why do Kung-Fu at all, and just focus on Jiu Jitsu 100% of the time? 

Well, you could do that at our school, if you wanted to, nothing wrong with that. However, learning how to strike properly with Punches and Kicks gives you a well rounded knowledge base for combat. And in Jiu Jitsu, we partner up, and have to emulate a street attacker, who's main purpose is to strike at you. So in order to make the Jiu Jitsu techniques effective, it's good to know how to punch and kick properly so that you can be a great, controlled partner for someone, because you understand how striking works.

Additionally, the Kung-Fu training process teaches you to train your ability to visualize your application. The ability to visualize is an aspect of training that can enhance your overall skill and effectiveness.

So the two arts, Kung-Fu and Jiu Jitsu can really complement each other, particularly if you are clear with our objectives for both. Kung-Fu teaches you about the principles of how to strike properly and develop a sense of combat, and Jiu Jitsu gives us the mindset and strategy we need for virtually all street self defense situations. 

Why Bother?

Martial Arts first and foremost is a form of self defense. But if it is not very likely that you will ever get into a physical altercation, why bother learning it, and training in it?

First of all, you don't have as much control over that situation as you might think. It is an unfortunate daily occurrence - bad things happen to good people. 

You never know. It is insurance. You might not ever need it. But just in case, you have it, because you never know. Another way of saying it, in regards to self defense - it is better to know it and not need it, than it is to need it and not know it. 

One apprehension you might have is hearing stories that martial arts classes has you getting beaten up. Thus, it becomes a formalized way to receiving a beat down! This may very well be true at some martial arts schools. NOT OURS.

We work very cooperatively, slowly, and safely with each other. Our mantra is, "Just because we are learning to fight, doesn't mean we have to fight to learn." 

We are learning principles, concepts, strategies, positions of leverage that are universal and scalable to anybody of virtually any physical stature. The work has been done for us. Fighting situations have been studied, dissected, and analyzed. Technical curriculums have been developed based on the most common behaviors in altercations. 

Studying and training in this will give you the confidence to feel that regardless of who a potential opponent might be, you'll be okay. It is not a "get yourself all hyped up and be ready to explode" type of feeling. It's the opposite. It is a very calm and relaxed confidence, because what we teach is not aggressive. You learn to neutralize aggressive energy. You learn to gain control of aggressive energy without anyone getting hurt. And, you learn to defeat the opponent mentally, through a submission technique, where they are forced to give up.

So, why bother? Mainly because the more you do martial arts with us, you actually become even less inclined to get into an altercation than  you previously were!