Seeing Is Believing

By Sheppard Ferguson 
Shep is a Tai Chi student at Wu Dao

  
I have hung-in at Wu Dao because there is a visually compelling aura to the movements of Shi-Fu Tim Hartman and some of the more advanced students of Wu Dao and because Shi-Fu Tim’s disciplined, patient and frequently light-hearted teaching style has energized me to believe I could connect with Tai Chi and enjoy the process.

The add-on to this is the good story that goes with it: 1500 years of history at the Shaolin Temple in China where Tai Chi was developed. Bits and pieces of this story are strewn through our training and accompanying conversations; they flavor the whole stew of yin and yang, parry and strike, tighten and release, concentrate and relax at Wu Dao. Certainly, for a Eurocentric person like myself, who has never done Yoga, Asian martial arts are foreign; so, a good story has helped validate the weird stuff I’m doing, lubricated the process, helped me understand the peculiar intensity and beauty of Shi-Fu Tim’s coiling movements. And kept me involved, progressing millimeter by millimeter. For me, Wu Dao has become entirely credible, if a slightly lesser version of mythical martial arts on mountain-tops in China.

Then along comes Shifu Shi De Cheng.

In seconds the placidly calm man explodes into movements one barely sees though they  seem to shake the building’s foundation, then instantly he returns to his friendly, affable pose. Anyone watching asks, “What the … was that? How did he do that?” Next door to Burger King, 1500 years of Shaolin become very real, a definitive explanation of  everything I’ve been struggling with in my years at Wu Dao: Shifu Shi De Cheng made the vision into the here and now, the tradition become reality. 

I had thought that being in a workshop or at a talk with Shifu Shi De Cheng would be like witnessing the extraordinary athleticism and artistry of a brilliant forth generation  Eastern European circus acrobat in an unapproachable, ethereal world. But, I was surprised to find that I walk on the same earth with the Shifu. And, inspired to keep walking

Kung Fu Applications: Lessons From An Unusual Arena

By Dave Mandeix

Dave is a fifth level student at Wu Dao

In a previous article, I talked about the application of kung fu techniques in a typical stand up fight. I went in to each match with the intent to try and apply specific techniques to see what kind of results I could get. Recently, I found myself applying kung fu in a situation where I never thought I would: a grappling match. A few Saturdays ago I was staying with a friend of mine (Nathaniel) with whom I shared previous training in Tang Soo Do and Brazilian Jujitsu. It had been a long day – I arrived home, parched and underfed (having eaten nothing more than a protein bar for breakfast) and my friend opined that a little pre-dinner grappling might hit the spot, what with his basement being recently refitted as a martial arts gym and all. Never one to back down from a challenge, I gamely agreed. I chugged some water, threw on my old Judo uniform (a heavy 6 pound double weave cotton monster) and headed for the mats. On my way down the stairs, I began frantically cudgeling my brains for a game winning strategy.

Nate is an experienced BJJ grappler with a number of techniques in his toolbox. We've rolled together before, and in the past we were about even. However, I felt that even in my somewhat disadvantaged state, I now had the advantage of training on him. Make no bones about it – we train hard at Wu Dao, and hard training pays off in the heat of battle. I knew I would have to bring the pressure, hit him hard and fast and not let up.

After a brief warm up, we squared off and began to go at it. The first thing that struck me as we struggled for position was that I was aware of his body in a different way than I had ever been before, even with my familiarity with grappling. I found myself going beyond the rote positions I had learned in my youth, and found myself thinking of his movements in the same concepts we see in kung fu – like being opened or closed, full or empty, tense or relaxed. My awareness of Nate's body and posture made me more mindful of my own (yes, even on the ground posture is important). For the first time there were new elements at my command to use for solving the physical Rubik’s cube that is applying a submission. I feel my kung fu training has added to my understanding of the body and its mechanics, and my own body in particular.

The second thing that struck me was that kung fu has really taught me to stick my techniques. When I found myself in a position to sink a choke or arm bar, I would mentally and physically execute the move in the same way I would a punch or a kick – aiming for correct body posture, utilizing my whole body in the technique rather than (for example) just hauling like hell on an arm or a leg with my limbs. I felt myself commit the whole of my being to each submission. It was a novel, and surprisingly natural, application of what we train.

Another advantage of my training was that it taught me to fight while I was tired. I could not match my opponent in a prolonged test of strength, nor rely on bullying my way into techniques. My plan, then, was to launch a rapid series of light attacks and pick the one that got through Nate's defenses to apply my strength to. When I did get a window to apply a choke or an arm bar though, I found that I was often still tired, and here is where our training really paid off; kung fu has helped me cultivate the ability to dig deep, even when I think nothing is left, simply because I have to.

The final aspect of my training that I feel impacted my fighting that night was my attitude. Even though I was tired and at a serious disadvantage, I kept my focus and didn't allow myself to give up. I knew what I needed to do strategically to win, and I did just that. It may seem simple, but think about the number of times you have known what needed to be done, but for whatever reason, that thing does not get done. Kung fu has sharpened my ability to do what is necessary, especially when it is not the easiest thing to do.

At the end of the night- after about an hour of grappling, I had three victories under my belt (two arm bars and a choke) and no losses. It was an exhausting ordeal, but I am glad I did it. There is no better feeling in the world than understanding that what you have put your time and energy (and blood, and sweat, and tears...) into has paid off.

Train, Drink, Eat. (Repeat)

By Liesbeth Van Den Berg

Liesbeth is a third level student at Wu Dao

Our taxi driver whisks us from the grey and depressing train station of Zhengzhou to the dusty outskirts of Dengfeng. We pass by a good number of temples, and admire the Songshan Mountains, before turning left into a gated driveway, onto the sprawling grounds of Xiao Long Wushu School. Boys of all sizes (and the odd girl) litter the square, all wearing the red and black school uniforms. The only adults in sight are the occasional tourists who stay in the hotel by the same name, the same hotel that Shifu Shi de Cheng calls headquarters for his own semi-independent shaolin kung fu school.

Xiao Long Wushu School has about 4000 students, ranging from about 5 to maybe 14 years old. The boys all live here. During training, the kids are subjected to military-style discipline. Can't quite do that split? No problem, the instructor will push you down into one until you start crying (Not all of them, of course, but we happened to train next to a particularly mean and grumpy instructor. It was hard to watch). In contrast, in between training hours, the kids just roam around the premises completely unsupervised. They pee everywhere, also in buildings, litter the grounds, crowd and elbow their way into the dining hall and totally trash it, tossing food they do not like on the floor. When one of the younger ones is crying, there is no adult around to check on him, he just has to tough it out. Only the physical aspects of kung fu are taught, it appears. On checking the school's website, I read the children are taught Buddhology as part of their academic curriculum, but applying this to everyday life is too big a leap for the kids (and staff!).

Shifu travels a lot, but during the summer months he teaches, mostly (if not solely) his European and American students. Some are from schools he visits every year, some are his disciples, and others flock here because of Shifu’s reputation as an excellent martial artist and teacher.

We receive a warm welcome in Shifu’s personal quarters, where he pours us tea, and brings us up-to-date on training-related issues. Classes are two hours each, twice a day, from 8:30 to 10:30 AM, then again from 4 to 6 PM. The training is rigorous and fast-paced, but we manage to keep up, mostly. Classes are held outside on the square in front of the hotel. It's been around 90 and humid, so we are usually drenched within 5 minutes. We start with stationary warm-up, go for a run, do some more warm-ups, stretch. Then it's ALL ji ben gong, all 20 drills (there are 18 official ones, but Shifu added two of his own) for the last half hour. I am an orange belt at Wu Dao, and my 8-year-old son is also a student there. We are only familiar with a couple of the “easier” drills. Then there is my husband, who has never practiced kung fu at all! The inevitable fumbling and panting aside, we learn incredibly fast. Shifu’s instructors Kai Li and Wei Chong are very patient with us.

The second hour is reserved for open training. Most students practice their forms, but we do ji ben gong only, for obvious reasons. We decide to try and tackle one to three ji ben gong drills every day, depending on the degree of complexity, doing them over and over again. At first we have trouble just to remember so many new moves, but after about three days, the choreography becomes familiar, and we start to work on implementing each drill correctly. We feel pretty good about ourselves after day one, not being too sore or out of breath. Another day later, however, sore muscles have us vegetating in our hotel room all day, alternating between taking naps and watching the Olympics on tv. The many sightseeing trips we had planned on taking in between morning and afternoon classes never happen: our minds and bodies beg for rest and relaxation, and apart from that, all we can think and talk about is our next training session. In speaking with our fellow students, we hear they all spend their days the same way. When the soreness finally subsides after about three days, torn ligaments in our thighs start rearing their ugly heads. Flying kicks and sweeps, anyone?

Shifu usually teaches the t’ai chi students the first hour, then comes around to instruct everyone during open training. Most of our fellow students practice their staff, sword, double-sword, and fan forms. A good number of people return here regularly, sometimes staying for six months or longer. It’s a fun group of people, very motivated and inspiring. Of course it’s easy to find things to talk about, as we are all here because we love kung fu!

Three days into our training, Shifu decides to take us on a trip to the Shaolin Monastery, where he lived for many years. A fellow student describes the monastery as “Chinese Disneyland” because of the large amounts of tourists it attracts. It also has gift shops, and a theater where Shaolin “shows” are being performed, a mix of martial arts and acrobatics. When we arrive at the monastery at 5 in the morning, we are lucky enough to see only monks on their morning run. I had heard and read many negative recommendations about the monastery (too busy, many new-ish buildings), but I have to say: standing in the deserted courtyard at sunrise, in the company of Shifu, listening to the drums and chanting of the morning prayers, I feel very much at peace, and grateful for this experience.

Afterwards we hike through the forest, up the many steep steps to the top of one of the beautifully green mountains, where Bodhidharma meditated for nine years in a remote cave. Shifu tells us he used to have to run up these steps (about a 45-minute climb) every morning as part of his training! It’s a rare blue-sky day, and the only thought that manages to get through the songs of the cicadas, is that there is no place I would rather be.

Kung Fu Reflections

By Scott Cranton
Scott is a fourth level student at Wu Dao

I've been at Wu Dao for a little more than three years mostly doing Shaolin Kung Fu. I previously studied Praying Mantis / Wah Lum for 5 years, and Shotokan Karate for 2-3 years. When I was young, I also did some Kempo Karate and Judo. I stopped doing martial arts for a long gap (15+ years), but when I signed my three kids up for classes at Wu Dao, it only took watching a few of their classes for me to realize I needed to sign myself up too...

I fell in love with Kung Fu as a kid watching Bruce Lee and other Kung Fu movies on TV. I loved the animal forms, and the power and grace of the movements; I wanted to do that. My parents signed me up for the nearby martial arts schools - Kempo Karate and Judo - and I got more serious in my late teenage years, and early twenties. I enjoyed the other styles I tried, always finding challenges and no shortage of hard work, but, until I found Kung Fu, it always felt like just exercise; punching and kicking and such. Kung Fu felt like the martial arts I knew from the movies with its grace and power.

Classes at Wu Dao are great as they combine physical and mental challenges in a welcoming environment that is accepting of all physical abilities while challenging each individual to push themselves for more. Every class has just enough structure to help you shake off a stressful work day with challenging strength and flexibility training. Most classes have flex time, with instructors available, to let you dig into what's going to help you get to the next level, be that a new technique, form, weapon, sparring, etc. It's also fun to train with so many others who share my same interest and passion. After finishing a grueling couple hours of class, it's not unusual for a peer to say "wow, that was a tough class; how about we run through that a couple more time or wrap the day with 300 sit-ups.” It’s fun to work with others who are equally "crazy" about Kung Fu.

At most other martial arts schools I've gone too, I've seen a focus on quantity over quality. I've learned dozens of forms and weapons, and gotten belt promotions because I put my time in. It was fun for a while to learn all these different things, but eventually I realized I didn't know how to use the forms and weapons I learned in real life situations; I could only go through the motions. What's the point of learning a fighting art if you can’t actually fight with it? At Wu Dao, the focus is on quality where we go deep into fewer things to help students really understand, and apply, a technique. That helps me understand how to get my body to move the way I want it too.

Even though I want a martial arts style to teach me how to fight, I hope to never have to really use it. I've only been in one real street fight in my life, and hope to never have another. That said, I do enjoy sparring with my peers, and if I'm going to spend many, many hours working on a technique or form, I want to actually be able to use it while sparring. For me it's about doing something that helps push me to do things I never thought I could do, and through that to learn more about myself. I gain health, a deeper connection with myself, and a sense of well being. This has many practical benefits such as being able to do more physical activities with my kids, and helping in my sales job by my having more confidence when I’m engaging with others. The training has also helped me correct a number of issues I've had with a trick knee, and some other strength issues, and it has improved my overall quality of life. Plus, there is nothing better than, after a hard day at work struggling to remain professional with customers and peers, having the stress release of a hard work out (i.e. hitting things).

The most memorable part of Wu Dao has been the rare opportunities to work with Shifu Shi De Cheng, a real Shaolin Monk! He's the nicest, most talented, and deadliest person I've ever met. Always smiling, he patiently trains us in Kung Fu that feels like it's been taught for a thousand years at the Shaolin Temple. When he shows us the applications of the techniques, you know you're learning a real fighting art. But when Shifu demonstrates a technique on me, I realize that this smiling little monk can completely and effortlessly wipe the floor with me despite the 6 inches and 60 pounds I have over him.

Wu Dao continues to be a great school for my kids and myself. I really enjoy the hard, practical workouts, learning skills that could help me fight, and more importantly help me understand myself better. You can't ask for more than great teachers, a great facility, and great people.

Internal Arts Workshops with Master Huang (Part 2)

By Walther Chen

Walther is an advanced student and an assistant instructor at Wu Dao

In June, Wu Dao was fortunate to have Master Wei-Lun Wang visit for a series of weekend seminars. He is accomplished in all the internal styles (tai chi, xing yi, and bagua zhang), as well as the art of Liuhebafa which brings all the internal styles into one elegant practice. 

In the first part of the story, I recounted how Master Huang was teaching the Yang 108 form. This time, I will continue with the second part of the weekend’s workshop. In this part, we were treated to an overview of qigong and all three internal arts. Master Huang began with some basic Qigong, including sections of Golden Lotus Qigong. It was quite difficult for most, as it required the strength and structure to be able to hold positions for many minutes at a time. We were once again treated to some excellent imagery, as Master Huang encouraged us to imagine putting our thumbs up our nostrils during one exercise.

Master Huang introduced Tai Chi as “like water.” While its force can come out like a whip, the essential character of Tai Chi is of flowing through, penetrating through the opponent’s defenses through whatever weaknesses are detected. To illustrate his point, students paired up to practice a drill: the boat in water. One partner crossed arms over the chest (forming a “boat”), and then the other partner would try to tip the boat over. To do so in a tai chi manner was to be extremely sensitive to the weaknesses in the boat’s balance. When Master Huang demonstrated, he followed so well it was as if he didn’t use force at all. After the drill was over, he asked “What does the boat need to do in order to fight back?” Of course, the answer was to become water.

In the Xingyi and Bagua sections, we were introduced to one basic movement for each style. Through his explanations, we were able to grasp the essential feel of each style. Xingyi strikes like lightning. In Xingyi, all attacks move straight forward in a straight line, and attacks are generated from the centerline of the body. The idea is to crush through the opponent, whether there is a weakness at the point of contact or not. Bagua twists and turns around the opponent like a tornado. Much of the footwork is a circular step first to evade, and then a linear step to close on the opponent and deliver an attack.

It was interesting that in the two hours of xingyi and bagua, we learned very few movements, but practiced each movement multiple times to get the feel of the style. The focus was clearly on depth and not breadth. And even while teaching choreography, Master Huang didn’t miss a chance to remind us about the very basic connections and structure that must be felt within the body.

".. Knowing is not enough; we must apply."

By David Mandeix 
Dave is a Level 5(Blue) student at Wu Dao

If you know me, then you know I enjoy a good scrap. Mind you, it was not always this way- when I slunk through the doors of the Wu Guan 4 years ago I had loads of other martial arts experience under my belt (haha), but I was terrified of fighting. This is because I was bad at fighting. Despite years of training, my sparring did not resemble any of the traditional styles I had studied so much as it did a very timid, frantic form of kickboxing.

Last Friday, I was allowed to spar with the MMA group at another training facility, and I was very eager to try out some traditional Shaolin and Choy Lay Fut to see how it stacked up against a more modern (and arguably more popular at the moment) martial arts system.

While I like the mobility imparted by the MMA stance, I found myself returning to Leaning Stance (Gong Bu) for its solid base. I do not think people expect their opponent to fight forward like you do in Leaning Stance, and it imparts a decided advantage by really committing you to the fight. Let me just say, though, that if you are going to use Leaning Stance, it has to be SPOT ON. It’s a fantastically stable stance, but the knee has to be over the shoelace (where have we heard that before?) otherwise your front foot will get swept and you will get dumped on the mat. A couple of false starts in Leaning Stance helped me recognize flaws in my technique I thought I had previously polished out. You don’t make those mistakes twice.

Awesome news—I found opportunities to apply most of the Shi-Bah-Shi Ji Ben Gong in some form or another while I was fighting with a number of people. Moreover, the endless repetition of these moves we endure at Wu Dao meant that they were just as fast to execute as the oft-drilled 1-2-3-4 boxing combo.

One of the big winners that night was the hooking foot sweep that we see in a lot of the 18 basic exercises. Frequently, I could just stop or counter an attack using that. The Gong Bu Shei Xing clearing hand motion followed by a punch also seemed to catch a lot of people off guard, and was great for clearing out an opponent’s guard and following right up with a strike.

Another big winner was Shaolin’s side kick, which when chambered properly can be thrown from quite close in, and with loads of power from the coiled leg. This one seemed to surprise folks a lot, and it got a lot of use when I had to fight tall people who wanted to punch my face.

A really nice surprise was Pi Tui. A lot of times people don’t expect the rear arm uppercut, and if you can land that then the descending backfist afterwards is almost a sure thing. At this point most people aren't really paying attention to what your feet are doing, and so the outside crescent kick is almost always a big surprise. Bonus- when it got caught, my weight was coming down on the kick, and I was able to use it to help secure a grapple to counter an attempted throw. The emphasis we place on retracting a kick clearly has a very real and important application.

I don’t want to give the impression that I dished out Enter the Dragon Shaolin Master Style punishment here, though. I’ve still got a long way to go. I’m just happy that a lot of practice hours paid off for me in a very real way, and as a result I find that the emphasis of my training has shifted as well. Really, how often are we focusing on something seemingly insignificant (opening the foot, retracting the kick, etc.) and asking ourselves- “am I really going to use this?” or “will that really matter in a fight”? As it turns out: yes, and yes.

Keep training guys. It will pay off.

Internal Arts Workshops with Master Huang (Part 1)

By Walther Chen
Walther is an advanced student and an assistant instructor at Wu Dao

In June, Wu Dao was fortunate to have Master Wei-Lun Wang visit for a series of weekend seminars. He is accomplished in all the internal styles (Tai Ji Quan, Xing Yi, and Bagua Zhang), as well as the art of Liu He Ba Fa which brings all the internal styles into one elegant practice.

The weekend was divided into two parts. In the first, attendees had the opportunity to learn in-depth the choreography of the first two sections of the Yang 108 form. Master Huang had great emphasis on finding connection within the body and understanding the structure, intent, and feel of each movement. Some interesting connections he mentioned were elbows-kidney and palms-feet. Connecting the elbows and kidneys together helps to engage the elbow, allowing it to hang correctly. And connecting the palms to the feet can help to feel a connection and line of energy running all the way through the body. Not all of the theory was quite as esoteric. Master Huang reminded us that many Tai Ji Quan movements (like Wave Hands Like Clouds) are powered from inside to outside, and that the action of one hand may power the following action of other hand like in the movement “Turn and Chop.”

Master Huang was very expressive and very interested in trying to transmit the depth of Tai Ji. If you are interested in learning more about the deep connections of the body, and how those connections can improve your Tai Ji or Kung Fu, please join us next year when Master Huang returns for another set of workshops. (More on the second part of the workshop in next month’s newsletter).  

Featured Student of the Month - Tabea

September 2011

Tabea studied Kung Fu at Wu Dao for one year. During that time, Tabea was promoted to Level 2 (Yellow Belt) in Adult Kung Fu. Having just completed a year-long internship at Novartis in Cambridge, she recently returned to her native Switzerland. Wu Dao staff followed up with Tabea to learn about what she thought of her one year’s time spent in Boston and training at Wu Dao:

Wu Dao: Where are you from and what brought you to Boston?

Tabea: I am from the Swiss-German speaking part of Switzerland. After an apprenticeship as a lab technician, I got the opportunity for a one-year internship at Novartis Institute for Biomedical Research in Cambridge.

Wu Dao: What initially attracted you to Kung Fu? How long had you been training in Kung Fu before you came to Boston?

Tabea: From my youth I was interested in martial arts: I did judo for a short period of time as a child, and later I was playing with the thought of starting karate. I found shaolin Kung Fu two and a half years ago, and I was impressed. There was something about it. I loved going to Kung Fu classes. During the lesson, I would not think about anything else. I had been training in Shaolin Kung Fu for one and a half years before I came to Boston.

Wu Dao: Why did you decide to train at

Wu Dao versus other schools?

Tabea: In my first week in Boston I did a lot of research on the internet and found a couple schools. Some of them promised to teach traditional Kung Fu. I decided to try Wu Dao first because it was pretty convenient to get there. Wu Dao was the first and only school I visited for a free lesson. The school looked well organized and I felt welcome, so I signed up for the whole year.

Wu Dao: What was your perception of Kung Fu before you started at Wu Dao? What was your expectation when you came to Wu Dao?

Tabea: Kung Fu meant to me: hard training or hard work and great moves. To be honest I was a little disappointed in my first two months, when I just did the hard work, meaning only basics, but no great moves. But that changed after I started having fun learning the basics because I could actually feel the progress I was making. And Shifu told me around that time that my basics got a lot better than in the beginning.

Wu Dao: Has training at Wu Dao changed any of your perceptions of Kung Fu? What have you learned through training at Wu Dao?

Tabea: That’s how I realized that there is no good Kung Fu with poor and sloppy basics. I also learned to question the background of every move, so that I could understand what is important about each move. You can only be great if you break down every single move and actually study and practice it.

Wu Dao: What is your favorite thing in your Kung Fu training? What is your least favorite?

Tabea: My favorite thing is to practice a floor drill or self-defense move till I get the A-Ha effect, which means I start understanding and feeling better and better about doing this particular move. My least favorite thing is the opposite, practicing something that Shifu maybe considers as easy, and me having the feeling that I would never get it.

Wu Dao: What is the most memorable event or anecdote from your training at Wu Dao?

Tabea: One of them is when I attended a class with Shifu Shi De Cheng: we were only four students and I was the only white belt. It was great to meet such an interesting, wise and happy person.

Wu Dao: Do you plan to continue to train in Kung Fu when you return home? What are some elements from your Wu Dao training that you plan to keep with you for your future training?

Tabea: Yes, I am planning on continuing my Kung Fu training. I will go back to my old school and I might try to get our school here in Basel a little more organized. I will talk about the classes with my Shifu and hope that he will pay more attention to correcting moves and basics. I will try to keep as much of what I have learned at Wu Dao in mind.

Wu Dao: What are some parting thoughts that you wish to share with the community?

Tabea: I just wanted to thank everyone I met during this year. It was a pleasure to train and suffer with you during classes. It was hard for me to leave the school behind. I wanted to thank Shifu, Sissi, Melvin and Julius for teaching me and believing in me. ☺ Keep it up, you have a great school! And finally I want thank Robyn, because we spent so many hours training together during this year. We motivated each other over and over again. And I am really impressed about her progress during this year. I am going to miss you all!

Kung Fu Haiku

By David Mandeix
Dave is a Level 4(Green) student at Wu Dao

One for each of the Ji Ben Gong:

1)Oh! So many forms
My limbs will not stop aching
We must go again

2)Classes every night
Floor Drills, Forms, and Self Defense
These make up my life

3)Kungfu means hard work
Repetition is the key
We refine ourselves

4)Kungfu on the brain
What did I do before this?
Probably ached less

5)No Kungfu tonight
Instead- dinner and laundry
Life gets in the way

6)I can kick the bag
But I can not re-chamber
Bad habits die hard

7)Yesterday I ate
A heaping plate of bitter
Same again today

8) Shi-fu grunts “Not bad”
It’s the highest form of praise
Don’t get used to it

9)I am dripping sweat
And the warm-up is not done
Its one of those nights

10)My hips do not stretch
As far as I’d like them to
What’s a guy to do?

11)I have bruises from
Star blocking with a partner
Curse my tender bones

12)Eighteen Ji-Ben-Gong
The monk makes them look easy
We still stumble through

13) How does the form go?
What’s that move for anyway?
These things escape me

14) I must learn the staff
I thought it would be easy
Now it makes me weep

15) Kicking high is fun
Sometimes we overreach, though
Then we pay the price

16) Sitting in horse stance
The way it makes my legs feel-
How much longer now?

17) Muscles sore again-
A feeling that has become
Like a dear old friend

18) At the end of class
Some water and a lie down
What more could you want?

No Greater Excuse

By Sissi Liu

Sissi Liu is the Yoga instructor and a Level 5 (Blue) student at Wu Dao

For my practice in asana-oriented yoga, primarily Ashtanga Yoga, I have taken classes at different studios and with various teachers. While I find inspiration in regular practice, through reading, and learning from my teachers, sometimes other students of a variety of types (see my categorization of the Western, modern "yogis" at the end of the blog) have served as my inspiration as well. When I hit a plateau in my practice, watching others with fascinated admiration helps me to believe that one day, with practice, I could do “that,” too.

One such moment came recently during a Mysore style Ashtanga Yoga class (practitioners do their own practice with the teacher coming around to make individual adjustments). While focused in the performance of a Sun Salutation, I heard the footsteps of someone passing in front of me—soft steps interrupted by low thump

s. I wondered if the person had a bad hip issue. Noticing my thoughts wandering, I tried to concentrate. The woman laid down her mat next to mine, near the corner of the studio room and proceeded to begin her practice.

It did not take me long to realize with unfeigned shock that a prosthetic foot peaked out of one of her pant legs, the foot flexing with her movements into upward dog and downward dog. Again, I tried to concentrate, but I could not help peering over from time to time. During some portions of the practice, she unbound the entire leg just so she could perform the postures. Each vinyasa (the flows that connect each posture) was performed by jumping back from a posture and then jumping through from downward dog into the next posture, without shortcuts. Towards the end of the series, she practiced her backbends just as the series prescribed. With the aid of the instructor who treated her no differently than any other student, she reached back to the floor from standing and came back up to standing again. She was by no means young or a natural. She did not have the typical yogi physique. And she did not use practice straps, blocks, or training implements.

Witnessing this and reflecting afterwards, I felt ashamed of my lack of consistency over the years. For a couple of years at a time since I began exploring yoga, I allowed myself to skip practice with excuses such as I’ve got too much to do, I’m tired, or my back’s sore, etc. My progress therefore suffered. If someone with only one leg could achieve what she has with the potential of achieving much more in the future, what better excuse could I come up with for not practicing?

We all tend to find rationale to let go of our training—in yoga, Kung Fu, Tai Chi, or fill in the blank—and blame the pressures of life, family, or work. We watch with awe at someone else's advancement and lament that given our lack of natural ability or hours in the day that we could never get there. Ultimately, for whatever reason we choose a practice, there is only one thing that will stop our progress—lack of consistency. We make a choice when we start something new and we have to commit to making the choice to stay with it. So, the formula is simple: to be good at anything, you just need to have faith in yourself and not let the next great excuse, even if you only have one leg, stop you!

Be The Technique

By Julius Anastasio

Julius is a Level 5 (Blue) student at Wu Dao

I used to have this one Aikido teacher - a really insightful guy - who threw out all the superfluous moves and had me practicing only a few essential, blatantly practical moves and throws. His theory behind stripping everything bare was that you shouldn't have to train for 20 years to finally have a style’s effective techniques revealed and taught to you. Why read War and Peace when you can just skim the CliffsNotes?

At the time it made sense, and it's a very tempting approach, but it forgets to consider the concept that, as Shi-fu (and Kung Fu Panda) says, in martial arts "there are no secrets."

Lately, a lot of us have been attempting to apply some of the Shaolin techniques into sparring (while simultaneously tweaking them to avoid the limb-braking parts). One of the main problems I've come across is that it's just so darn hard. It’s very tempting to consider trashing all but a choice few Shaolin techniques that obviously show promise in the ring. You know, like the straight punch.

This is a terrible idea.

Having only a few moves at your disposal would have an extremely negative impact on how much of a style you actually internalize. Like many styles, Shaolin is explicitly made up of movements and forms that are designed to train your body to optimally execute effective fighting techniques. There’s not a single wasted movement in what we learn. The trick is figuring out what each (seemingly) superfluous section of a technique actually does. If you don't DO those sections, then you run the risk of severely limiting that technique's range of application. But, how do we figure out what those sections and techniques do?

We’ve all heard it a thousand times: "Do a technique 1,000 times, you know the technique. Do it 10,000 times, you ARE the technique."

While I might feel like I "know" how to do many of the techniques in Shaolin (at least passably), I certainly have not gotten to the stage where I feel like they're internalized.

I better go get training.

My First Tournament

By Hana C.
Hana is Youth Level 3 (Orange) student at Wu Dao and won first place in her division

About a month ago, I attended my first Kung Fu tournament, which took place in Boston, on a Saturday. I was signed up to compete in the forms division, and was working on Xiao Hong Quan at the time. The day of the tournament, I woke up at 9AM, which for me is an extremely early time to get up on a Saturday morning. After having a filling breakfast, I spent about an hour or so practicing the form on the porch, along with Shira, who was also entered in the same division. There were still a few moves that were far from perfect, and which I tended to trip up on. However, we didn't spend too much time going over the form that morning, because we had already been working on it for at least half a year, had already tested for the next belt, and did not want to get too tired of it before the actual tournament. After a quick lunch, we were lucky enough to get a ride to Boston.

The facility where the tournament held was surprisingly small. It was the first Kung Fu studio I had been in other than Wu Dao, and the small space emphasized how big and accommodating Wu Dao's training area is. I had been warned before hand that my form might move me outside the boundaries that had been set, and was prepared to have to take an awkward step back if that was the case. After filling out the required paperwork, we had a good amount of time before the teens were scheduled to perform the forms for the judges, and so we watched the two ongoing events, which at the time were push hands and the forms of the younger students. Many of the students there were from Wu Dao, and although I might be biased, I honestly thought that their forms and their performance were amazing. Our uniform also seemed to be the most "official", as a lot of other schools had the same pants, but required only a T-shirt. I was also proud to see Rom win his entire division with a very martial performance.

I had expected there not to be many people in our division, but it turned out that there were enough to split us into a boys group, and two girls groups based on experience. Three boys from other schools went first. Their forms were very sharp and quick, and I was impressed by their power and clean performance. Next, the three girls who had been training the longest went first. One of them performed a Karate-style form that involved a lot of hissing and not very much movement, as opposed to many of the other forms I had observed.

In my division, Shira and I were both performing the same form, and she went first. In my opinion, her form was almost perfect: it was executed cleanly and with more power than usual. Luckily, when I performed the form, there was enough room that I did not have to shuffle. I did mess up in a few places, but the momentum of the form made it easy to play off the mistakes and keep going with relative fluidity.

Overall, I learned a lot from this first tournament. It definitely confirmed that repetition is key; because of how many times I had done the form before, I wasn't completely thrown off when I made a mistake. I also felt that if I had practiced just a bit more, those mistakes could have been avoided. Hopefully, this experience will help me in future tournaments, which I definitely plan on attending.

My Experience at Wu Dao

By Omer Bartov
Omer Bartov is a Level 3 (Orange) Student at Wu Dao

I joined the Wu Dao School about two-and-a-half years ago. At the time I felt that although I was in pretty good physical shape for my age I was loosing flexibility, suffering from occasional backaches, and had at best deteriorating posture. Since walking through the doors of the school I have frankly become hooked. I cannot say that my progress was as rapid as some of my younger classmates. But I can say that the school has become a major part of my life, part of a routine that I do my best to maintain and a tremendous physical and mental addition to what is by all accounts a rather crowded schedule.

I have been training regularly, several times a week most of year. Initially I trained also in tai-chi, but for reasons of time I now focus on yoga and kung fu. Although I do yoga with Sissi only an hour per week, her careful guidance has been of considerable benefit. I have taken to doing yoga every morning at home, and now begin my long days much better prepared. My back pains have greatly diminished, my posture has improved, and I have regained flexibility that I have not enjoyed since my youth. In kung fu, shifu Tim has been an extraordinary teacher, combining strict discipline and insistence on detail with a sense of humor and a feeling of teamwork and camaraderie. Working hard, I have gradually advanced from white to yellow, and recently from yellow to orange belt. I will admit that I take pride in being (most of the time at least) the oldest member of our group of students but still keeping up. But beyond the sense of accomplishment, which is at least as satisfying and very different from anything in my own profession, I find the intense training sessions psychologically absolutely fantastic and for that reason also quite addictive. When I go to class, for the next 90 minutes I think of nothing else but kung fu (or yoga). I am entirely liberated from the pressures and worries of my work, and come out physically exhausted perhaps but also completely refreshed and mentally recharged. I am now 56 and feel better than I have in years. I hope that Wu Dao and I will continue working together for many years to come!

Fall Workshops with Shi De Cheng

Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Liesbeth is Level 2 (Yellow) Student at Wu Dao Kung Fu and Tai Chi

Anyone who has read up on the life and reputation of Shifu Shi de Cheng could surely understand the excitement I felt hearing that he would be back for the second time this year to teach us.

Before registering for the workshops, I fondly reminisced about Shifu's Chin Na (joint locking) workshop in spring—with ease, I was able to free myself from powerful grips of shovel-sized hands. Even though it was tempting to do only that one session again, I made a mental comparison with learning to paint—to be a good abstract painter, you would still need to study and master the basics of anatomy and perspective first. The decision to take the Ji ben Gong workshop was thus made. For dessert, I signed up for the Chin Na and Shui Jiao (throwing and falling) workshops as well.

As a quite flexible and somewhat "floppy" person, I felt very self-conscious about displaying myself to the graceful and skillful Shifu Shi De Cheng. When the moment came during the Ji Ben Gong class, that same grace was applied to painstakingly adjust and tweak my stances, posture, arms, or usually all of the aforementioned plus more. The Shuai Jiao class was a blast! The techniques were quite complicated. Through practice, I found my momentum and structure, and really enjoyed the apparent ease with which I could apply the throwing techniques on my more experienced, bigger and stronger opponent. In fact, I found falling and controlling my partner's fall to be the hardest part.

Not wanting him to miss out on the experience, I signed up my 6-year old son for the children's class with Shifu, too. I had been telling him a little bit about Shifu's background and had shown him some inspirational videos of Shifu performing forms on YouTube.
Logically, he felt somewhat intimidated at first, but Shifu's easygoing manner and perhaps the twinkle in his eyes made for a very fun session. As a spectator, I found myself paying very close attention to the slow-paced, step-by-step instructions the kids received, wondering if maybe I could try and sign myself up for the kids' classes next time. On asking my son for his opinion on the class afterwards, he answered, almost surprised, "He is just such a very, very nice person!"

My husband, lucky to be a native Mandarin speaker, found inspiration in talking to Shifu Shi De Cheng about the history of the Shaolin monastery and the hardships it went through during and after the Cultural Revolution. When asked about his impression of Shifu and the workshops, he made a surprising announcement: He is planning to visit Shifu's school in Deng Feng and enroll our son in classes there! In the meantime, he would explore the area and do some soul searching.

Martial Root

Saturday, September 18th, 2010
Walther Chen is a Level 3 (Orange) Student at Wu Dao Kung Fu and Tai Chi

Martial arts practitioners often talk about root. In particular, root is one of the foundations of internal martial arts like tai chi. At Wu Dao, I practice both tai chi and kung fu. During tai chi, we often participate in partner exercises in order to find our root while being pushed. (Imagine a less intense version of a dozen men trying to topple a single rooted tai chi master). So, I thought that I had a decent idea of what root was, and how to use it. For example, in push hands practice, I tried to make sure that my opponent's push would be redirected back into my root.

However, recently I had an experience which caused me to revise my theory/practice of root. During the tai chi movement "part the wild horse's mane," Shifu pushed against my shoulder right as I was beginning the movement. I was somewhat perplexed as I was unable to move forward at all, even though I had started out balanced and fairly structured. Shifu showed me that with more intent forward, and something of an expansion during the movement, he was able to defeat the resistance. When I tried to imitate Shifu, I realized that what I was trying to do was root from my shoulder to my back foot. Even though I had been balanced during tai chi, I was not rooted, and I would not have been able to execute a technique against resistance. During the rest of my tai chi practice, I tried to stay rooted during every moment, and as a result, I felt more connected and smoother. This was a lot more difficult than maintaining the static root that I try to keep during push hands.

I was pretty happy with the improvement in my tai chi, but I forgot about rooting until my next class, kung fu, when Shifu did the same resistance to me during my short xiao hong quan form. Somehow, I had never applied the concept of root to my kung fu, but it made complete sense. Any technique that transmits force through the body to the ground would be much more effective when completely rooted, whether receiving a push or giving a punch.

And, it's not just an issue of being rooted at the completion of technique so the impact can be routed to the earth. The root is used to generate force from the very beginning of the technique. Starting and maintaining a root is also much more efficient, since otherwise the body wastes energy and force bringing its structure from unrooted to rooted. While trying to keep always rooted, I could feel much more clearly the power being transmitted from my feet all the way up my body and into my fists. I think that before, I was only partially rooted, and so I couldn't put full force from my body into the ground.

Anyways, I feel like I made some small breakthrough in my tai chi and kung fu, and hopefully some of my ideas may be interesting to you too.

Shi-Shong Orlando's Shaolin Diary - 2010 - Part 6

Thursday, April 22, 2010
Orlando Cela is an instructor at Wu Dao Kung Fu and Tai Chi

Today was a total “Tiger head, snake tail” kind of day. First, a fabulous 6 am run with the whole group to the Immortals Park; a crisp climb with almost everyone to the top, then back down to the half way landing; two races to the top! Back down to rejoin the rest of the group. On our way back we alternated between some walking and some sprinting – remember that the way back to the school is up hill! We arrived at the school and saw couple of inflatable arches with banners on them. I asked Li Xiang what they were. He told me there was a grand opening for a hotel across the road from the school. That’s another thing about the Chinese I’m amazed about: banners. There are banners, mostly red with white characters, everywhere. I think some of them might say “I’m required to post this banner even when I have nothing to say,” because you see them in the most unlikely places. After breakfast, 9 am class. We started with our usual short run. Immediately after our return from the run, we went on to do a sort of “capture the tree” game of strategy, running, guarding... Very cool! But when it was time for me to be guard, trying to keep a member of the opposing team I kicked too hard and pulled something on my left leg. Really badly! I tried to tough it out until stretching time, when I tried to stretch, massage, you name it. Then the stretching kicks and the 18 Ji Ben Gong showed me that some movements really would be very painful. I did stick to the rest of the training, which was particularly nice because I got to do the forms I know, including Mei Hua Dao, with different groups of students. That was very, very inspiring! The experience of doing the forms you learn at home with the most advanced students and trying to keep up, whilst hearing the others scream “jia you!” (“let’s go!”) and “good!” is indescribable! It was also nice to see Lily use me as example for the younger students once or twice! As a closing for the morning session, we went through the most grueling core session yet. I thought I was in good shape until then. One leg and two leg jack-knives, their variations of sit-ups, jumping push-ups, spinning jumps, Ma Bu squats, and more, more... Needless to say, the afternoon session was a bit challenging, and by the end of the second half of the afternoon class I was absolutely spent, in utter pain and extremely frustrated because my injuries wouldn’t let me do decent stances. At least nobody here can say I didn’t give it my all.

Shi-Shong Orlando's Shaolin Diary - 2010 - Part 5

Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Orlando Cela is an instructor at Wu Dao Kung Fu and Tai Chi

Today it rained the whole day. Early in the morning at 6 am, there was just a lot of fog, but then it started to pick up. Li Xiang and I were the only ones awake at 6 am, so we went running. We ran for a long time until we arrived at a place called Ying Xian Park. There is a huge pagoda at the top of a very, very, VERY steep hill, with stairs going up. It is Dengfeng’s stairmaster! I could see from afar the uniforms of at least three other martial arts schools. I couldn’t resist the challenge: I was wearing the Shi De Cheng’s school workout jacket, and I am white... this was going to be cool. I went upstairs by myself since Li Xiang was recovering from a calf injury. So I mustered all my energy and ran all the way to... half way there, and then panted the rest of the way up. Too bad the weather was so foggy, because the view must have been amazing. I looked around a little bit, and then I ran downstairs. As I was taking my first steps, I hear from behind “Welcome to China!” When I made it down stairs, one of the students from the other schools, came to me, shook my hand and said in English “Hello! Nice to meet you!” To which I replied, in Chinese “Nice to meet you too!” I bowed to the rest of his group saying in Chinese “Good Morning!” and someone from their replied in English “Good Morning!” Li Xiang and I ran back a little bit, but he was too tired. He told me his story: he had been an art student in college for a year and had just returned to Dengfeng, and he was still trying to gain his stamina back. He also happens to be the caretaker when Ma Hong is not there: he pays for the suppliers, makes phone calls, etc. So I ran back to school where I found out that coach Lily had taken the rest of the students for a run elsewhere a few minutes later. She had me join the class, which obviously was much more torturous than yesterday’s because she was running it. Thank goodness it’s just one hour. Breakfast. Then morning class, when Lily took her short stick, and ran us through some pretty intense “corrections.” After lunch I went to my room to see that it leaking a little bit. Since I saw there was some water damage from the night before, I decided that it was probably a common occurrence, so I didn’t tell anyone. Afternoon class was a little disappointing: I thought I was doing so well, when my leg really started to hurt. A little at first, but then at the end, it really was getting bad. So I decided to just force my way through the pain. I had survived revisions of tong bei quan, xiao hong quan and zhen shan gun, I was now learning new mei hua dao material, I just had to put up with it. It finally gave up! At a gong bu, my leg cramped up so bad that I fell to the ground. I started to rub my leg, and coach Lily sayd “Pain?” I say “A little.” She says “The first day, no problem; second day, no problem; third day, a little pain; fourth day, very difficult. Get up. Again.” Form again. “Again. This time, lower xu bu.” Form again. “Again.” Again. “Again. And hand over the head in this move.” Again. “Again!” And so it went for what seemed quite a long while. Finally the class ended, and I went to massage my thigh for a while. But after a few minutes, the other students – who were doing math at the time of my second class – came down to work out with Di Guo Bo, the other Shifu at the school and friend of Shi De Cheng. Di Guo Bo is always, always, dressed semi casual, with jacket, nice shirt, nice pants, nice shoes, and he demonstrates better than any of the students there with workout clothes. The next hour I saw a class on another staff form that was quite impressive. Di Guo Bo really pushed these guys, but he would demonstrate, with his nice clothes, the most amazing techniques at the most incredible speed. It was extremely inspiring. We talked for a while about the students: he wants them to try for the touring Shaolin monk troupe, but he said they are not good enough. I also asked him about his clothes, and he said that yes, his shoes are not the best for landing after a jump. After dinner, I went to my room, to find out water had spread all over the floor, under my suitcase. Luckily, nothing got wet. But Li Xiang did come to my room after I told him during dinner that there was a leak, and he panicked when he saw it! We brought buckets in, he mopped the floor, he wanted to change my room. But I decided to stay: the water hasn’t gotten to the bed... yet... (Chinese test: what does “ben dan” mean in English?)

Shi-Shong Orlando's Shaolin Diary - 2010 - Part 4

Monday, April 19, 2010
Orlando Cela is an instructor at Wu Dao Kung Fu and Tai Chi

Today started at 6 am with the early class. Luckily enough is only one hour long. Starts with a long run around one of the huge city blocks, goes uphill the mountain then downhill, then flat, then all the way uphill to the school. Pretty grueling! Thank goodness we haven’t had any breakfast yet! Running for me has never been a problem, so I always tried to remain with the leader, which would change – some of the students would walk, others would keep running, then switch roles, etc., but there was always someone running ahead. We made it back to school, and then the fun begin. I was able to keep my own, and even do something unexpected that made some very surprised, and one say “see? ji ben gong! ji ben gong!” (In order to keep the legendary perception of the early class, I shall say no more.) Breakfast, then 9 am class. Jiao Liang (coach) Lily was there after dropping her kid off at school. (FYI: they give ID cards to the parents with their kids photos for them to be able to retrieve them later without taking some other kid!) The class, as usual, started with a run, but this was a race. So we race uphill, and some lag behind, but I manage to keep always ahead of he group, with another student. The last section, which is downhill, was a pretty fast sprint between one student and I. We arrived at the school first together. Then we did the usual warm-ups, and stretching, etc., but we did some new stance work besides the usual ma bu - gong bu: pu bu – ma bu – gong bu, pu bu – pu bu (swinging arms and slapping the floor in between); straight punch, dan tui, straight punch; palm strike, deng tui, palm strike; and then some extraordinary stationary variations on the 18 ji ben gong. Each of them has their own “yibai.” The only ji ben gong we didn’t do stationary, but all single count and together, were xuan feng jiao and wai bai lien. Rest. Coach Lily started me on the form mei hua dao (“you are getting the sword ji ben gong quickly. More practice, but let’s begin the form”). Lunch time. Ever since they found out that I love spicy food, they keep bringing all sort of different homemade concoctions. I consider this as much part of my training as the gong fu itself, so I take all. Nothing has burned me yet. Yet... But this one was close: a reddish paste (in a bottle that once was liquid yogurt) that watered my eyes after smelling it. They put it in my rice. I eat two bowls with the usual side dishes. Not good. After a short nap I had such heartburn I thought I was going to vomit trying the no-handed cartwheels (note: at 2 pm, the students do academics, so it was just Lily and me). And the fact that my muscles were absolutely sore by now didn’t help. I think I did overdid it in the morning because the afternoon was excruciatingly difficult, but it was this morning that told me that I am not so far behind the locals. I should mention that one of the students asked me to go in front of him today during warm ups because he had a cramp! (hee, hee...)