Sat 10-30-10 Youth Karate- Thomas

The class started with everyone working their way through the ten exercises on their own. It was interesting to see that most of the eyes in the room were on Riley, who was having no problem remembering the exercises. I think letting them choose which basic they wanted to work on was a good choice, it gave them the opportunity to look at all their basics and decide on which one needed the most attention.

I later got to spend more time working with Luke on sparring. We worked on forward and backwards lunges, and I tried to get him to focus on where he was in relation to me. We've been focusing on critical distance, and so I thought it'd be good to try to get Luke to apply it to his sparring. It's difficult to get before having a good stance, which I think is part of the problem for most people who are practicing proper sparring. I think we should continue to work on this, and it would be constructive to do some more exercises with sparring stance. Some type of drill with a lot of movement, but really trying to focus on the footwork.

Tai Chi class notes Sat. 10.30.10 - Sandy

Saturday's class was fun.  There were six of us.  (Marty and Dale assisting) We started with our warm ups, from there we did a nice meditation.  I have incorporated the Bagua position in the meditation (the one you have been doing lately). After that we paired up and worked on the dance.  Wes and Dale had angle questions in part 5, your Mom and Karen worked up into part 5 and Pat & I worked a review of part 1 and went into the beginning of part 2.  There was a lot of good discussion.  It was a fun class.  Thank you for the opportunity. 
Sandy



Note from Sifu:
The Baguazhang standing position I've been doing lately is from Wang Shujin - his Baguazhang Guard Posture, the one that is on the front cover of his book

Thomas working on Spring Step Kicking

Student Leader Thomas in action....looking good;>)

Saturday 10.30.10 class notes - Jason

Sat. 10/30/10  -----   0930 hours, Ouch, energy was quiet good. About 9 little ones with some great helpers including Colleen, Lily and Thomas. I observed most of the class with first half of class focusing on individual practice that was great inspiration for the young folk. Worked on sparring second half with the spring step. 


NOTE: Just a note about an observation I had while observing Thursday youth class. I noticed once again when students asked to take a partner. One student was standing next to another student, boy - girl, boy made eye contact with girl, then turned away during the transition. Maybe a discussion about tolerance of others and that the closest person at time of partner work, accept them as a partner. I know its a boy/girl thing but should be addressed. Also brother/brother partners, brother/sister partners, same partners on a regular basis, I try and switch partners as much as I feel is needed, I keep a close eye on all those dynamics. We all know we have favorites but it should be watched so that some students do not feel dismissed.


 It was awesome to have Ms. Mcguiness in the room with baby Aiden. It brought an energy to the room. 


Second class 10:30-11:30 hours- Big group of 13 including myself. Ten exercises and then into sparring. Overall went well. I focused some on staying on a mat with my sparring partners, which made you work a little harder. At times we attempted to take the partner off the mat which changed the dynamics into some grappling, sweeps/takedowns and catching of kicks as you shoot in so as not to get knocked off the mat. Ooh boy! Made me work. My chicken legs are tender.  Peace Officer Kratz 

Saturday 10.30.10 class notes - Sifu

Tai Chi - small class 6-8 - Sandy led the class, Marty assisting - I came in late for a 'Round' to the music with Master Liang counting - after the round I talked a bit about the last part of the count...say from 4 to 4 1/2 on Push posture, that's when issue occurs.

Youth Karate 1st class - med size class 8-10 - Jason, Colleen, Lily, Thomas assisting - I led the class - First, I asked the beginner students to show the 10 exercises, then talked about the purpose of education...to become independent thinkers and doers - I asked the group to do the 10 exercises individually without watching anyone else...independently...I used the same format for basics and kata review - they then suited up for sparring drills - worked on critical distancing again

Youth Karate 2nd class - started small but grew into a med size class of 12-14 - Jason led the class - Colleen, Teryn, Lily, Thomas and Jack F. assisting - Jason led the 10 - then the group suited up for free sparring - started with spring step kicking drills first off the front leg Roundhouse and then with the rear leg Roundhouse, emphasizing the timing aspect of the drill and the distancing - See Jason and/or his assistants posts for more detail.

Note: I saw some excellent work being done on the floor!! Great job Jason and crew;>)
I had a nice visit with Sharon McGuinness and baby Aiden.....Great to see you both in the Dojo!!

MMA Club workout

Friday 10/29/10 SUNY Mixed Martial Arts workout featured yours truly doing Arnis basics with the 17 club members. 12 angles of attack, striking styles into freestyle twirling, blocking drill from 12 angles, and a basic knife defense. A good time was had by all. This was preceded by the usual Friday Aerobic Kickboxing class, today was a circuit class with 90 second intervals of kickboxing combos interspersed with stations of 90 seconds of various weight training and core exercises. 30 students will be too tired to party much tonight.

Sifu Tom....Great to have you on the Staff Blog....Welcome!!

Sifu

Tai Chi Ethics and Standards

I've been struggling lately with some close scrutiny and attempts to tweak the format of my Tai Chi classes from the SUNY Non-Credit office through which I teach these classes. The issue is low enrollment (Advanced class down to 6 from a high of 15 and average Beginner class of 4-5) and what we might do to boost enrollment. The non-practitioner director, in good faith, had suggested a children or teen class, cutting a session down to just 6 classes, changing the description of the class to something that might have more "mass appeal" (taking the words "martial art" out of the description) were just some of the more prominent ones. I have already added a short form to my Tai Chi canon to make the beginner classes more appealing (1956 Standardized 24 Unique posture Yang style, 41 postures total), the theory being that a one semester commitment in which a person can learn a form in it's entirety is more palatable than having to commit a year to learning the long form. This has also allowed me to offer Tai Chi as an under-graduate course that can be taught in a 14 week, 2 class per week, semester format. I have given a lot of thought to these suggestions and rejected all of them as pandering to the typical, whiz-bang American marketing that appeals to the quick fix, flashy, instant gratification sort of culture that we seem to have evolved (devolved?) into. Fortunately, I have reached a meeting of the minds with the director and the classes, as they stand, are safe until next Fall at least. I will be doing some aggressive targeted marketing to the area Physical Therapy and Chiropractic clinics and sending them copies of the most recent, very exciting, research on the positive affects of Tai Chi on a host of physical ailments (check out Medicine and Sport Science Vol. 52 Tai Chi Chuan: State of the Art in International Research; Y Hong ed.; Published by Karger) and hope to get some referrals from that mailing. I have, in case of emergency, developed some alternate marketing plans however. With tongue placed firmly in cheek I offer these options. Tai Chi Hockey Camp for Kids, where your child can learn to apply Tai Chi principles for enhanced stick-handling and checking power. Free hot wings at every class. Titanium weapons with flashing LEDs and iPod-based techno soundtrack built in for forms practice. I think you will agree that my classes would be full if I were to implement these changes. Seriously though, with all the extravagant claims made for many other energy based practices and therapies, Tai Chi would be easy to market if we were willing to advertise all of the anecdotal and apocryphal benefits, however valid our direct experience might be, but that would not be ethical in my mind. So it remains to try and guide people to those discoveries and let them make them their own, despite pressure to capitalize from outside agencies.

First unique Posting from Sensei/Sifu Tom

I'll try this out before posting anything more complicated. I will try and share items and commentary that come from my perspective as a JRRMAS instructor whose primary venue is not the home school. This is an important way for me to stay connected with all of you and to continue to elicit support and validation from my dear teacher Sifu Roy. I will always be grateful for the encouragement and support that Richard has shown me throughout the years as I have been away for far longer than I was in regular attendance. His encouragement tto find my own truth in my art has inspired me. I am not a cookie-cutter version of him and have tried to innovate and add to my art and teaching in the spirit that I think honors him and our teachers that went before. I try to pass this on to my students and am always amazed at the wonderful things that come from the students when they are encouraged to let their art flourish. I must admit that my focus shifts from time to time so that I am not always as current with all the arts as I may have been in times past, but that ebb and flow is something Richard prepared me to expect as well. So I hope that my contributions in the future are something that as Bruce Lee would have said are "something useful" that will be a positive for you all.

Thursday 10.28.10 afternoon/evening class notes - Sifu

Little Dragons - small class 4 - Marcia, Dennis and Colleen assisting - Marcia led the 10 - we split up one on one giving each student a private lesson - Taylor and I worked on remembering the 10, basic punching, blocking, kicking and a review of the first 1/4 of Nihanchi -  (other staff can post what they worked on with the other 3 students)

Youth Karate - small class 6 - Marcia, Dennis and Colleen assisting - Colleen led the 10 - did the round the room running routine - went on to partner work with one of the assistance supervising each pair - started with the Wallace Roundhouse kick drill - went on to pad work using the roundhouse - went on to SD and Kata review

Staff Meeting - Dennis, Colleen, Teryn, Norm, Marcia - worked on part one of the tai chi form repeatedly - then we reviewed the Lo Family Staff and Tai Chi Staff - I invited Peter D. to participate on learning the Lo Family Staff intro

Adult Karate - Dennis, Marcia, Colleen, Teryn, Lily assisting - I led the 10 - worked basic jab/cross with forward/back stance work, added the front thrust kick, added a follow up after the kick - went on to a critical distancing drill using jab, cross, rear leg thrust kick - went on to free style critical distance exercise emphasizing proper hand position when covering and blocking - trapping hands - finished with working on rank Kata's

Thursday 10.28.10 morning class notes - Sifu

Baguazhang - small class 5-6 - all Staff - talked about the Staff Blog the first part of class - I led the 10, talked about the feet position before, during and after the single squat (Yoshin) - Standing Meditation in Wang Shujins guard position, talked about the correct turning of the body and how that is one of most important difference in Baguazhang practices.
Note: The trained twisting/turning of all parts of the body with correct alignment, relaxation, breathing and mind intent/spirit, along with deep single leg squats and the circle walking are intrinsic to the practice of Baguazhang.
The class then went on to practice the Rooster to the mirror - concentrating on the first move in towards the center of the circle and the next move coming back out, along with discussion on the Unicorn stance

Tai Chi - med size class of 12-13 - Read, Sandy, Marty assisting - Marty led the first half of the qigong warm ups I led the last half, concentrating on the single leg squat at the end of the warm ups - I read an excerpt from Sifu Marks book on breathing with the lower belly - went on to 10-12min of Standing Meditation including Wang Shujins Baguazhang guard posture - broke into groups to review the Dance or work on the solo form sequence - ended with a Round to the music with Master Liang counting

Wed. 10.27.10 class notes - Sifu

Youth Karate - med size class 10-12 - Teryn, Lily and Thomas assisting - Thomas led the stretching, starting some of the 10 and the yoga stretches on the floor (nice job and explanations), including a set for the core/stomach - see Lily's post for more detail....

Tai Chi - small class 5-6 - no assistance - I led the qigong warm ups - went to hamstring stretch on the bar - read an excerpt from Sifu Marks book on Standing Meditation - then we did about 10 min. of Standing Meditation using the four most basic postures - then we reviewed part 1, three times starting with holding the postures, then progressing to a smooth, fluid round at a  medium pace

Modern Arnis - small class 6 - Luke and Justing assisting - did the warm ups while walking around the room - went on to work the sinawalli's and redonda - went on the block check counter, first basic single counter to head, then with banda y banda, then abanico double action, worked the abanico sequence to the mirror, blocking on both sides, working the ball bearing feeling in the wrist and arm - went on to review stick anyos and then empty hand anyos - forms were looking good -  went back to single stick disarms 1-12 - finished with trapping hands adding it as a platform for locks

Note: I talked to Scott M. about his low back - the basic recipe (once it gets chilled out enough to work on) is:
Ice, that's real ice, not blue ice, real ice (I use Dixie cups in the freezer) and press ups - Ice the area after every exercise session - and a set of 10 press ups done slowly with awareness of the even bending of the spine, especially the middle, relax at the top, lower down a long spine, relax again at the bottom, both the ice and press ups can be done every two hours - but even a couple times a day will help - be careful of any flexion (bending forward at the waist), especially early in the morning when the disks are full from lying down all night, once we are up in the field of gravity the disks get re-compressed, but early in the morning is when the disks are the fattest and are the most likely to "slip" (rupture)
This is such important information for everyone to know....it's likely that most folks will encounter a low back problem at some point in their life!! It's nice to know what to do....otherwise the bozo's will tell you to put heat on it (further swelling the already swollen disk) and to bend forward to stretch your hamstrings! Really???

Wednesday Youth Karate Class 10/27/10 Lily

A good sized class tonight with a mixed group of ranks. Thomas was leading through mostly leg stretches instead of the ten. That was really good. It was good for the kids to get some little corrections with their stretching. Then we did a set of crunches. The younger kids seemed to have a harder time with that. I think it was a combination of not being used to crunches and not having the strength just yet. We moved on and went through the first two katas and worked on snap vs. thrust kicks. We finished up with a distancing drill and self defense. They did pretty good with the distancing. Lastly we did some quiai (sp?) practice. Some need a little work on that, but it comes with time I think.

Nice job leading Thomas! Good voice and great tips as we went through.

Adult Karate class notes - Monday 10.25.10 - Dennis

My goal was to help people incorporate the rear leg thrust kick into a useful combination.  It's been my experience that throwing it will almost always cause an opponent to move backward in a straight line (out of range).  An effective way for the kicker to take advantage of the situation is to immediately pursue and follow up with hand techniques.  However, I noticed that after an offensive kick, people have a tendency to lose their stance (leaning over the forward leg and reaching to punch, rather than moving the whole body forward to punch.)  We worked on some drills that I thought might help.

After warming up with some stretching and basic exercises, we worked on some blitz drills.  This included line work and pad work.  We focused on using momentum to keep moving forward.  Then we tried doing the same thing with an added thrust kick at the beginning.  The object was to get people to reset their stance as soon as the kick was finished. 

Everyone seemed to be having fun and the energy level was high.  Also, Peter was in class.  He's a purple belt.

(Sifu's note: That's Peter D. from the youth karate program...that was his first Adult class....I spoke with him yesterday at the youth karate class and he said it was a really good experience for the first time....he felt 'ready' and accepted by the group .....now that's the rights of passage in action for you!)

Dennis

Hi just a short not to let you know that i made it on and will try to use this form of communication

Luke

Tuesday 10.26.10 afternoon/evening class notes - Sifu

Youth Karate - small class 5 - no assistance (Colleen called said she couldn't make it) - I led the 10 and a comprehensive Yoga floor stretch including a set for the stomach / back (core) - finished with a critical distance exercise - FYI this was very weak with everyone in class except Peter D. - the class needs more two person line work with 'staying in the critical distance while blocking'

Tai Chi - small class of 6-7 - Sandy and Andy assisting, Wayne came in late to assist to - I led a brief qigong warm up and Standing Meditation - during the Standing I did the 'Sitting Palm' Dragons Back type exercise and also did the Wang Shujin Baguazhang palm position - went on to the 180% stance work and then added the Single Whip arm tech. concentrating on #4 - went on to a Round with the music and counting - broke into groups to review and work on the 'Dance' - I did both sides with Sandy and we reviewed the changes to the end of part 3

Baguazhang - small class of 7 - Wayne assisting - I led the 10, talked about the stance work in #9 - we reviewed and worked the Phoenix extensively - worked on the stance work in the low single leg squat, and the arm work coming out of that first position - went on to an application drill with a partner to help understand the 'jin' of the arm techniques

Tuesday 10.26.10 morning class notes - Sifu

Staff Training - med size class, Bob, Wayne, Read, Marty, Phil, Luke, Lenny and I  - reviewed the dance with Wayne - active step single arm pushing, talked about the optimal width of the stance in order to facilitate neutralizing on the front side - worked on the intro to part 3 with Lenny and Luke - went on to free style push hands, practicing non-resistance - ended with watch Sifu Hayward performing the solo set to the count and music

Tai Chi - med size class of 7-10 - Lenny, Read, Marty assisting - started with watching the last 1/3 of Sifu Hayward's solo form - brief warm up - 180 degree stance work concentrating on closing and opening the hip/kua area, added the upper body and then practiced the Single Whip posture on both sides as a basic, concentrating on count #4 - went on to the Willow Drill, first just body, then added the hands/arms (20% arms) then for stretch then finally to listen then feel for the 'trigger point" - then we tried to add that feeling/concept to the Tai Chi Dance - I worked the foot work after the second shoulder stroke with Dan
and Lenny - we ended with a round to the music with Master T. T. Liang counting

Modern Arnis Class Notes 10.25.2010

Small to medium class. Luke, Jess, Dennis, Angus, Colleen and Dave. Started with basic warmups, moved to sinawali work with emphasis on moving feet and stance work. A few minutes on angles of attack with the twelve and a partner standing still for targets. Moved on to the 6 count, 8 count, 8 count with fanning, and started on the 10 count. Finished the class with a quick review of the stick anyos.

Dennis and Luke worked a variation of the count drills, with one partner focusing on block check counter to the stick, and the other working controlled strikes to the body. I like this as an additional skill building drill once the other drills are developed more.

Dave, when relaxed, is starting to have better body alignment and control.

Good class with everyone very receptive to detail adjustments.

Saturday 10.23.10 class notes - Sifu

Tai Chi class - small class 4-6 - Read led the class - I came in late to join the group for a round - before the solo round, I did a round of the Two Person Dance with Read. Excellent round Read! It takes so long to get a student to a level where the Dance becomes so productive.....How long has it been Read?

Youth Karate -  med size class of 6 - Jason, Colleen, Lily and Thomas assisting - I led the 10 - worked Seisan stance with crescent stepping, added the reverse punch, emphasized the sweet spot for the forward knee (this is a very difficult concept for some students to stay mentally focused on - They don't yet have the 'feeling' of being in balance in stance - without this principle present the student is not properly aligned and every single tech with the upper body will be downgraded.....it's that  important!

Advanced Youth Karate - good size class 12-15 - Jason, Colleen, Lily, Thomas assisting - Jason led the class -Jason led the 10 - reviewed the Kata's, broke into groups to work on sequence and detail - John G. led the brown belts in a Kusanku marathon...Great job John!! The group worked on the butterfly kicks....again excellent leadership from John and Thomas;>) See Jason, Lily and Thomas' notes for more details

Sat-10-23-10- Thomas

Today's class had the regular group of white and yellow belts. I think that the focus on correct placement of the knee is an important thing to be working on, and that many of the white/yellow belts need to work on this more. I got to work with Luke on his basics, he's a quick learner and pays attention well, but still has quite a bit of work to go on basics (as it should be). Next class I would like to get some linework going once we've gone over knee position, pivoting, etc.

Saturday Youth Karate 10/23/10 Lily

We had a good sized first class today. We started with the ten and emphasized bending the front knee. It's like you can't drive it into their head's enough! Then we broke up by rank and worked on basics. I worked with Christian (he's so cute!) and did some work on punches, palm heals, high, low and middle blocks, and chicken neck blocks. Then I took both white belts and ran through the kata a couple of times. Luke only has the first half, but he can get all the way through with someone leading. I think we should try to get him doing the whole thing on his own, I think he's ready. Then we did some self defense drills. We got the first seven going, but they weren't as familiar with the last two. Luke and Christian were great partners, they were very polite and trying to help each other. I had to remind them to bow to me too, not just to each other at the end, but that was all right.

Second class was a smaller group. We worked on katas which was especially helpful for me since I'm still struggling with the end of my form. Then we worked on butterfly kicks since I haven't been able to practice those a lot on my own. We finished with some joint lock practice.

Sifu has been talking a lot about habits and how to break bad ones and make good ones. I have a couple goals for myself: watch less TV and meditate every night before I go to bed. So far, I still need to work on it, but I'm trying.

Thursday 10.21.10 afternoon/evening class notes - Sifu

Little Dragons - med size class of 9 - Marcia and Colleen assisting - I led the 10 - basics - stance work - beginning of Nihanchi - Lying Meditation

Youth Karate - small class of 6 yellow belts - Colleen assisting - forward/back stance work with Jab/Cross - line work with Jab, Cross, rear leg front thrust kick - stet up side kick - first 5 SD tech - Nihanchi Kata review and worked on Seisan Kate emphasizing bending the forward leg so that the knee is in the 'sweet spot'

Staff Meeting - Ron,  Tyren and Colleen - worked on joint locks - taught the counter for counter joint lock series

Adult Karate - med sise class of 9 - Norm, Ron, Marcia, Angus, Jesse, Colleen assisting - I led the 10, stretching and calisthenics - free sparring - talked about checking with listening and comprehending skills - finished with a checking the forward hand drill, following up with Cross

Thursday 10-21-10 Adult karate-Thomas

I thought that today's focus on stretching and conditioning was a nice change of pace. I enjoy having a class like this every once and a while because not only do I get to work on my own stretching, but I get the chance to look at how other people are going about it. I'm always interested in finding out what works best for me, and this type of class helps with that. I'm also enjoying the opportunity to work on transferring energy throughout the body, something that we've worked on in class lately.

Thursday 10.21.10 morning class notes - Sifu

Baguazhang - teeny tiny class of 3-4 - I led the 10, talked about the seated wrist and the detail in #9 - worked on the Animal Form up thru the Phoenix - talked about the small square step circle walking and the open and close in the Hide the Flowers and the Wild Goose Leaves the Flock sequence

Note: The Baguazhang classes are closed to new students - It is now a 'closed door' class - Not available to the general public, except with my permission.
All JRRMAS Staff members, current and past and all inactive Baguazhang students are still invited to participate in these classes. The material will remain primarily Baguazhang.....however, I do plan to include more push hands, trapping hands, joint locks and the Baguazhang version of push hands, rou shou, into the curriculum. So if your reading this ...and have the time and the dedication it takes to 'get' this truly profound martial art, the "Eight Trigram Boxing"....come and join Wayne, Bob, Lenny Sandy, Read, Janee, Marcia, Andy and me, on Tuesday evenings 7-8pm and Thursday mornings 7-8am. Breakthroughs and laughter guaranteed!

Tai Chi - med size class of 8-10 - Read, Sandy, Marty and Janee assisting - Marty led the qigong warm ups - we all started with holding the postures in part one - I talked about the seated wrist idea - we eventually broke off into small groups to work on the sequence for those learning the form and detail for those that have it already

Wed. 10.20.10 class notes - Sifu

Youth Karate - Small class 6-8 - Teryn, Lily and Thomas assisting - Teryn led the 10 - Please read Teryn and Lily's posts on this class for more details

Tai Chi - Small class 6-8 - Marcia assisting - I led the qigong warm ups - whole group worked on the first section of the form up to raise hands and step up, holding each posture as Standing Meditation - Then we broke down into groups to work on specific postures and sequences

Arnis - Small class 6 - Marcia, Justin and Jeff assisting - Jeff led the warm ups (excellent job!) - worked on the unfriendly handshake joint lock sequence - then the counter for counter joint lock sequence - went on to free style tapi tapi

NOTE: I read some excerpts from the "Your brain on banjo" article that I received from Wes G. to classes again today - talked about consolidation  and nueroplasticity ...the changeability of the brain.....and altered states of consciousness...love that stuff!!

Youth Karate Wednesday 10/20/10 Teryn

Nice small class today. Sifu demonstrated the proper internal and external relationship in the number 8 exercise (something I must work on). Practiced the revised beginning of the the self defense list. I really enjoy the article read by Sifu on the topics of neurology and alternate consciousness (which happen to be my current interests). Sparring went well but I think some of the kids would benefit from breaking down sparring into drills such as partner line-work and practicing how to recognize the critical distance.

Wednesday Youth Karate Class 10/20/10 Lily

A smaller class today, but it was good to get some individual attention. We did the ten, then went quickly through the first ten or so self defense drills. Sifu read an interesting article about how the brain can rewire itself, even when your an adult and it's constantly reforming. I thought that was pretty cool. We moved on to go through the katas and finished with some sparring. I tried working with the yellow belts on moving back and forth and not just standing or going forward. I also got to try out my new sparring gear, and it felt pretty good!

Tuesday 10.19.10 class notes - Sifu

Staff Meeting - continued our conversation on the yin, non mind directed aspect of the arts - talked about the 1', 1", 100th", 1,000" standard in training - talked about neuroplasticity and consolidation (love that stuff!) - worked on the Dragons Back variations

Tai Chi - small class 6-8 - Read assisting - I led the qigong warm ups  and Standing Meditation, added the Dragons Back variations - worked the Yin aspect in the form - worked on several discreet movements in the form for detail; Single Whip concentrating on count #4, the step after the turn, stance work in Wave Hands and Cross Hands

Youth Karate - small class 6 - Colleen assisting - started right in with the Kata's - broke into groups as we progressed on - worked on Seiuchin and Wansu - free sparring for the last half of class - ended with Horse Stance Sparring

Tai Chi - small class of 6 - Read, Sandy and Janee assisting - started with Feeding the Root - single hand stationary push hands - two hand push hands - 4 direction push hands (Cheng Man-Ching) - vertical push hands (traditional Yang style) - we started with 5 minutes in each position, then went down to 3...legs were getting tired!

Bagua - small class of 4 - Wayne assisting - started with the Dragons Back variations that I've been working on - talked again about the Yin aspect of the art - worked on the Animal Form (Cheng T'ing Hwa) #1,2,3,4 - worked on discreet basics unique to each change

Note: I read a excerpt from the articles that Wes G. brought in from the Banjo Newsletter that he get's - Your brain on Banjo - the excerpt that I read had to do with the neuroplasticity and consolidation of the brain in adults and the importance of the quality of ones practice

Arnis - Monday, October 18, 2010

There were no ranked students in Arnis tonight, so we just went over some basics as a group.

We started out with the Sinawali, going through single, double, reverse, and one more drill. We couldn't remember the exact numbers, but we decided on 4/4/4 of the single, double, and reverse - to get the transitions smoother.

Then we went on to block, check, counter and disarms. David and I tried the disarms on the left side as well.

Next we did the joint lock series. Angus and Ron seemed like they were having a good time with it. I got David a few moves further than he was. By the end it was flowing nicely for him.

Before the Karate class started, David and I also went through the first stick and empty hand Arnis forms.

Saturday 10.16.10 T'ai Chi class notes - Janee

 As we began the warm-ups, I spoke of the 4 conditions of the Tai Chi principles which are, the Root (feeling connected to the earth), the Spine (correct postural alignment), the TanTien (focusing energy to our center of balance, our core) and the Breath ( breathe to the TanTien and circulate the Chi).  We shared a wonderful presence of energy in the circle throughout these exercises as well as during the standing meditation.  We Included the 5 palm changes and ended with the Tai Chi Chi Gong 21's.  There was such a calm peaceful air that descended upon us that we continued with the Solo form.  I had planned to finish class with some two person drills based on double push hands emphasizing listening skills, practicing the Sung feeling yet being aware of centerline (sensitive to partner), moving whole body while maintaining our root. The class seemed to have a very good feeling of the TaiChi spirit. 


Janee

Saturday 10.16.10 class notes - Sifu

Tai Chi - Janee led the class - small 5-6 students - I came in late for the round - talked about the turn to the left after the first two kicks in the form, and the concept of less shape during the Yin portion of the transition allowing the Chi to form the next 'shape' or gesture....I'm still formulating and contemplating the Yin ideas in the form that Sam Masich talked about during my private lesson this past week.

First Youth Class - small class of 6 - Jason, Colleen, Teryn, Lily and Thomas assisting - I led the 10, introduced the concept of the 'sitting wrist' for #3, #4, #8 and #9 exercises - worked on the punching position i.e. where to punch to and what to punch with - talked about proper knee position while doing the front snap kick - ended with Kata review

Second Youth Class - good size class of 9-12 - Jason leading, assisted by Ron, Teryn, Thomas, Lily - See Lily's notes for more detail

Saturday Youth Karate 10/16/10 Lily

A small-ish class today, only about six kids. We worked on basics mostly, forward punch, middle, low and high blocks, and snap kick. We finished with some kata work. We also talked about finding the sweet spot with the knee. I think some kids think they're bending their knee, and they are, but not enough. Some of them were starting to get it. I think we need to drill in the punching position, kids seemed confused about which knuckles and where in relation to their body they should be punching.

The second class was larger. We did the ten, following by jogging around the room. Then we did the middle block, punch, punch, kick, punch sequence in a circle. That was different. Then we did some partner work with trapping hands and working with variations of that. I think we did some kata work too at the end.

I apologize if I didn't seem very focused today. School, college, and some other things have really been getting to me lately. Also, next week, I'm going to try and do the lunch thing again. Let me know if you can come.

Message from Sifu

It is really great for me to see your comments on classes....I've been really enjoying learning more about your thoughts on class curriculum and individual students....Keep up the good work!

Our newest white belts from the Little Dragons program

Thursday 10.14.10 afternoon and evening class notes - Sifu

Little Dragons - med size class 7-8 - Marcia and Colleen assisting - talked about the 'bully' situation with Taylor and the group - I led the first few of the 10 exc. interspersed with basics - introduced the sitting wrist and taught the palm heel strike from a horse stance, vertical punching, chicken neck blocks, angle kicks - ended with a review of the first part of Nihanchi Kata

Youth Karate - small class 4-5 - Dennis and Colleen assisting - Colleen led the 10 - worked on basics and kata

Open Class - two students, Dennie and Colleen - talked about the information from Sam Masich - "one foot, one inch, one hundredth of an inch and on thousandth of an inch" - talked about the sitting wrist - reviewed the tai chi jian sword form and worked on a particular section

Adult Karate class - good size class of 9 - Angus, Dennis, Marcia and Colleen assisting - I led the 10 after talking about the one inch - one hundredth of an inch theory - worked that concept through a number of drills, talked about the sitting wrist - taught a number of Fa Jin exercises concentrating on ground propagated force through a relaxed, connected body, worked basics in place, then line work, ended with a review of the first four kata's - Dennis stayed to spar with several students (EXCELLENT job Dennis!!)

Thursday 10.14.10 morning class notes - Sifu

Baguazhang - teeny tiny class of 3 - Wayne, Bob and Read - talked about the lesson I had on Tuesday with Sam Masich - went over changes to the T'ai Chi form - talked about the yin side of training

Tai Chi - med size class of 6-8 - Read assisting - I led the qigong warm ups and the standing meditation - added a yin/yang drill from holding the moon - talked about the sitting wrist concept - talked about 'go to sleep/wake up' idea from William Chen - did a round with emphasis on ripening the yang energy and letting it change into yin

Wed 10/13/10-Thomas

Wednesday's youth Karate class had a good amount of students there. I thought the idea of changing habits (and the difficulty of doing that) was very relevant to the work on side kicks that we were doing. I enjoy working on basics, because it gives me a chance to check out my basics and adjust. I would like to return to this idea of changing habits, because I thought that it helped everyone in attendance to adjust their basics.

Wed. 10.13.10 Class Notes - Sifu

Youth Karate - good size class 9-13 - Teryn, Thomas and Lily assisting - read Lily's post for more details

T'ai Chi - teeny tiny class of 3 - I led the 30 qigong warm ups - talked about 'go to sleep/wake up' and some other yin principles - worked the principles in part one of the form

Arnis - small class 5 - Justin and Phil assisting - I led the warm ups - worked on the first stick anyo, reviewed the rest and then worked on the tai chi stick form parts one and two - went on to the empty hand anyo - worked on first one, reviewed the rest - went on to block check counters, added striking styles - went on to the twelve stick to stick disarms - worked on the 6/8/10 and 12 count drills

Wednesday Youth Karate Class 10/13/10 Teryn Citino

We had a great sized class today. Started with a discussion of the steps for correct martial arts (with touch as a necessity prerequisite). Most of class was devoted to side kicks and the various steps of the kick (while thinking about the difficulties of changing habits). We ended by running through the forms with homework to try to change any aspect of life (big or small) in some way (hopefully a positive one).

Wednesday Youth Karate Class 10/13/10 Lily

Good sized class today, with a mix of ranks. We did the ten and then focused on working on our side kicks. We concentrated on pivots and getting the leg "over the hump" so to speak. We tried it to the air first, then with a bag, and to the air again. I'd say that by the end most of the kids were getting it. It was a pretty advanced drill, but the yellow and blue belts put the effort in. We finished off with some katas.

A note for Sifu, I'd really like to get some kind of lineage for our art. You know, your teacher, his teacher, where our style of karate came from, etc. We could talk after class on Saturday if you wanted.

A summary of classes this week
10/5 Tuesday AM Tai Chi class we did lines of empty stepping transitioning into single arm movement then to double arm movement in brush knee.. We broke off to do 2 person work and I had Read work individually with Shira

10/5 Evening tai chi class covering for Sandy... We held postures in part 1 and I went around feeding the root in the postures , answered questions and then we broke off to polish and get as many reps concentrating on 1 part of the dance that each chose to work on.

10/7 Ba Gua AM class we warmed up with a round of old 8 palms around the dojo tree and then Read shared with us some fundamental exercises that he learned in twin cities. We took the chung ting wa lion and worked both side in the mirror, feeding the posture root and line. Very interesting feed back. I find doing this seems to calibrate everyone and tunes them into there structure.

10/12 AM tai chi...did lines of empty stepping,and repulse monkey stepping after our warm up exercises. I had the group brake off to do 2 person and I worked with Shira on the form. She is doing very well. Read broke off with her to continue when we did our round.

See

Modern Arnis Class Notes 10.11.2010

Small class. Jess, Angus, Colleen, Scott, Denis & Myself. Warmed up with the unfriendly handshake right and left sides(Ron joined us for this). Broke into small groups and worked on tapi-tapi left right basic entering/exiting and punyo passing. Right/right techniques and punyo passing. Jess and Angus worked on the ice-pick to slashing knife drill. I worked with Denis on empty hando anyo 6. Good energy and approach by all.

Saturday Tai Chi Class October 9, 2010

There were three of us including Pat, Karen and myself. We started with the 25 Exercises for a complete warm-up. I asked if there was anything in particular they wanted to work on, which elicited a request to work on some of the details of the Tai Chi Form. We spent the rest of the class working on the Form. We started from the beginning and went quite slowly stopping to examine and work on certain parts where there were questions or confusion. I included different perspectives on some movements as well as an emphasis on the principles.

Both Karen and Pat appeared to enjoy it and thanked me afterward for the review.

Bagua Class October 5 2010

There were 3 in attendance including Janee, Andy and myself. We started with the Ten Exercises for a warm-up. After asking for suggestions we started a review of the Chung Ting Hua Set. We repeated some of the changes with a focus on clarifying any questions. We spent additional time on the Rooster and the Chi-Ling in an attempt to work on those two changes.

Saturday Youth Karate 10/9/10 Lily

Not a bad class. Had a relatively large group today, mostly yellow belts and a few white belts. We did the ten, followed by some stretching with a partner. Then we worked on thrust kicks. I think they're starting to get the pushing idea, but it's taking a little longer with the foot position. We finished off with some sparring. We tried to keep them moving around, not walking and not staying in a straight line. I find coming straight at them with techniques and keep coming at them helps with reminding them to turn the corner when you're getting overwhelmed. I worked with Giana last and she seemed a little overwhelmed by the end. I tried slowing it down and when we did the final stretch with our partners I tried to talk to her about how sparring is not easy and you have to get used to it. One kid did cry today, but I think he just got kicked a little hard (he was a white belt with a yellow). He was fine and was pretty embarrassed afterward. I told him and his mom it happens to everyone.

I liked the second class too. Again, a good sized group. We did the ten with the staff, and worked the new self defense list. Mr. Kratz was talking about how they can be boring to practice, but I always enjoy self-defense practice. One way I keep it exciting as an upper rank is to improvise.

Message from Sifu Saturday Oct. 9th from Austin TX

Morning all,
Many thanks to Lily and Bob for the posts....it's really great to be able to read about what's been happening at the Studio ......If you've been teaching ...Please write up some notes....it doesn't have to be a dissertation....just a short note about attendance, helpers, general curriculum, special stuff, etc.
I won't be able to check the Staff Blog again until I get back late on Tuesday....but I will definitely be checking back then to see what's been happening while I was away.....If you still can't log on yourself, please email me your notes and I'll post them for you...ok?

Thanks again from everything!!

Sifu

Wednesday Youth Karate Class 10/6/10 Lily

Thomas and I were teaching today, with a little help from Colleen and Scott, thanks guys! We went through the ten with a little extra leg stretching. I tried to review the snap and thrust kick positions as we were sitting as a reminder of what we worked on last week. I continued with that and let them work in pairs on snap and thrust kicks, trying to focus on foot position and direction of power. They were starting to get it a little better I think. Thomas worked a little on roundhouse too. We finished off by breaking up by rank and working on katas. All and all, a good class, pretty well focused.

One thing to note: we should probably be looking for "cliquiness" within the group; who tends to work with who when we break into pairs. The twins tend to work together a lot, which we've been working on. I've also noticed the two yellow belt girls end up together pretty often too. I tried to keep that from happening by switching the pairs after every technique. Just something to keep an eye out for.

Youth Class - Tuesday, October 5

Forgot to post this up yesterday.

There were six students in class today. The energy was a bit silly, but everyone kept safe and generally attentive. We went over the new self-defense list and got through the first ten. We took a couple breaks during that to discuss the philosophy of not agressing first. Those techniques really do take up a lot of time, because we only had about 15 minutes after that to work on take downs.

We started out with the backwards throw from a punch, and I helped the yellow belts work through that. I wanted the higher ranks to try the progressive step backwards throw, but needed to stay with the yellow belts, so I was unable to help them. One of the purple belts had noticed that mobility throw would be a smooth add-on to the #8 SD technique, so we went really slowly through that as a group. I was really impressed by how well the yellow belts did with the take downs.

Saturday Youth Karate 10/2/10 Lily

A good sized class today, but not too big. We did the ten and did a lot of basic kicking practice. Kids are definitely still learning the difference between trust and snap kick. Mostly where the direction of the power is going and the foot position. I think one thing that would help with foot position is when we're doing the sitting stretch with the feet in front if we took a moment to show the different foot positions. It's a little easier for them to see the difference if we're still rather than doing the kick. Just an idea. We finished with some kata work.

Second class was also a good size. Did the ten, stretched and worked mainly on katas. That was good, I definitely got some things to work on.

Sat AM Tai Chi

Very nice Saturday morning practice

We did a round of the form as our warm up, slow, easy and holding some of the postures to get ourselves calibrated. Went around the room feeding the root of several of the postures. We then broke off and did 2 person work and then Sifu joined us for a round to the music.

Bob

Thursday 9.30.10 Class Notes - Sifu

Baguazhang - small class 4-6 - Wayne and Bob assisting - I led the 10, talked about the waist movement in the Cheng T'ing Hwa version of #9 - used the guard posture for standing meditation - reviewed the first few changes - worked on the Rooster and Chiling with basics

Tai Chi - med size class 6-8 - Marty and Janee assisting - I led the qigong warm ups - Standing Meditation - the 21 - some worked on the Dance others the form - ended with a round to the music

Little Dragons - med size class 9 - Jason, Marcia, Dennis, Colleen assisting - we talked about a bully situation:Two boys against one girl, acted out what happened, talked about helpful ideas to deal with the situation -  I led the 10 with variations and aux. exercises - basics - kata - lying meditation

Youth Karate - med size class 9 - Jason, Dennis, Colleen assisting - Jason led the 10 - line work in rows - Kata - SD - lying meditation

Open Class - I worked the new tapi tapi (counter for counter) locking drill with folks - Jason and I worked on the double knife form

Adult Karate - nice size class 10-12 - Jason and Norm assisting - Norm led the 10 and the Ba Ji stance work ....Excellent!!! - went on to review and work on kata - ended with the first 5 SD tech. and variations

NOTE: Let's all keep working those first 15 SD off of Jasons list...ok?? A little bit in every class?

Dennis and Angus stayed after class to spar....anyone else??