On December 17th, Gabriel Sabloff & I were certified Sifus under Sifu Tei's Wing Chun association. We each received a spiffy pair of butterfly knives, a certificate, and embroidered sashes.
Yesterday, I was working with some of the kids on Leadership Training. Now, Rome wasn't built in a day, but we did explore the following:
1) The importance of speaking loudly and confidently when leading a class through a form.
2) The difference between saying something with uncertainty ("side kick???") and saying the same thing confidently ("side kick!").
Within ten or so minutes I could see most of the kids improving. It wasn't that the kids were no longer shy or uncertain, it was just that they understood the importance of acting and animating like leaders, and by acting with confidence they soon began to feel confidence.
Mini-mission accomplished.
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Sifu Nancy
Sifu Nancy. Sifu Nancy Tei. Sifu Tei. I am practicing, trying to make it sound natural in my head, because in less than two weeks I won't be just Nancy anymore.
How strange.
How strange.
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Remember to be Grateful
“Develop an attitude of gratitude, and give thanks for everything that happens to you, knowing that every step forward is a step toward achieving something bigger and better than your current situation.”
I saw this on a childhood friend’s Facebook and decided it was time to write another blog entry. This is one of those little nuggets of wisdom that is easy to say and very hard to follow. After all, how can a starving little boy be grateful for his hunger? I suppose you could say the hunger might motivate him to work for a better life… there’s also a number of religious arguments that can be made here… but you know what they say, if you want to lose all your friends, talk politics or religion.
However, because the subject of this blog is martial arts, I’ll take this quote and tell you what I thought of first when I read it. I thought of all the sit-ups I dole out to the kids, and how they groan when they have to do them. If only I could tell the kids to be glad that their parents are investing the time and money to enroll them in a quality extracurricular activity; that their parents (for the most part) see the value in all we teach – not just self-defense but compassion, discipline, focus, and perseverance…
I also thought of the adults whose excitement over a new technique often gives way to frustration over the effort required to learn it…
Maybe next time I’ll tell them: Remember to be grateful that you even have the opportunity to struggle.
I saw this on a childhood friend’s Facebook and decided it was time to write another blog entry. This is one of those little nuggets of wisdom that is easy to say and very hard to follow. After all, how can a starving little boy be grateful for his hunger? I suppose you could say the hunger might motivate him to work for a better life… there’s also a number of religious arguments that can be made here… but you know what they say, if you want to lose all your friends, talk politics or religion.
However, because the subject of this blog is martial arts, I’ll take this quote and tell you what I thought of first when I read it. I thought of all the sit-ups I dole out to the kids, and how they groan when they have to do them. If only I could tell the kids to be glad that their parents are investing the time and money to enroll them in a quality extracurricular activity; that their parents (for the most part) see the value in all we teach – not just self-defense but compassion, discipline, focus, and perseverance…
I also thought of the adults whose excitement over a new technique often gives way to frustration over the effort required to learn it…
Maybe next time I’ll tell them: Remember to be grateful that you even have the opportunity to struggle.
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