Children's Class Weekly Re-Cap, Week of April 15

All Classes

This week brought an extra special event; our annual clean-up at Rotary Park in Stony Plain.

We participate in this event, not only as part of our commitment to community projects, but also in recognition of Earth Day, which takes place today, April 22.

This year was probably the best participant turn out we have ever had, with the majority of participants being students from our children’s classes, along with their families. We are so proud of our students for taking their Kung Fu out of the Kwoon and into the world.

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Special Announcements for All Classes

The Tiger Challenge is fast approaching!! Please use the following link for more info.

Tiger Challenge

Children's Class Weekly Re-Cap, April 9-11

Lil’ Leopards & Tiny Tigers

In both the Lil’ Leopards and Tiny Tigers classes this week our main focus was on balance and agility. Using relays to the heavy bags, as well as obstacles along the way, we challenged the students to work on these skills while also developing their kicks and cardio!

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Young Dragons Level 1

In our Young Dragons classes this week we spent the majority of our time working on our shoulder rolls. We typically introduce shoulder rolls slowly, to ensure that we are doing them safely. We have also come to recognize that our students can differ greatly in how they are able to both mentally comprehend the mechanics and then perform the steps physically. To help the students with this, we introduced shoulder rolls in a few different ways so that the students can try them all and find a way that works for them.

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Young Dragons Level 2

In Young Dragons Level 2 we focused on sparring. For most students, this will have been their first exposure to sparring and so we made sure to move slow. Sparring is an excellent way to apply all of the things we learn in Kung Fu, but in a real-life scenario that is still monitored and safe. From the basic strikes and blocks…to staying calm and in control….it challenges us to utilize a wide variety of skills that we are constantly developing throughout our curriculum. Not only did they learn alot this week, but they all had a blast!

Special Announcements for All Classes

In recognition of Earth Day, we will be organizing a cleanup of Rotary Park in Stony Plain on Saturday April 20 from 10-noon. Please use the following link for more info.

Earth Day Clean Up Event

The Tiger Challenge is fast approaching!! Please use the following link for more info.

Tiger Challenge

Character Development in the Martial Arts

Kung Fu is about more than kicking or punching. Teaching empathy, respect and self discipline is key when it comes helping students develop into well rounded martial artists. These are the lessons that we strive to instil into all aspects of their lives, developing their character and ability to achieve their goals.

I would like to share an excerpt (with permission from his mom) from an email from a teacher of a Young Dragon. Joel has received a chih star on behalf of his teacher, his mother and his instructors, all of whom are proud of the kid he’s developing into.

“Joel is a crucial part to our classroom community. He is always willing to help in the classroom, especially with cleaning up and stacking chairs. His eagerness to assist his peers and his attention to keeping our classroom tidy is greatly appreciated.”

His mother let us know that Joel is the only child that stays at the school’s afterschool care program, and once the other kids leave for the day, he stays and helps his teacher cleanup.

It is not about the tasks a child completes, but about the spirit in which a child engages.

Information on our Chih Star program can be found here- https://www.silentriverkungfu.ca/childrens-badge-award-system

Children's Class Weekly Re-Cap, April 2-4

Lil’ Leopards

In the Lil’ Leopards class this week our main focus was on agility. Using an obstacle course, we challenged the students to maneuver around cones, jump over and crawl under bars, all while developing spacial awareness and control by not knocking anything over. These seemingly basic skills are essential in developing our Kung Fu and becoming successful martial artists in the future.

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Tiny Tigers

This week in Tiny Tigers we worked on our balance. By practicing things like walking on a balance beam, holding a crane stance on dots and “tightrope” walking along a belt, we challenged the students to maintain their balance throughout. Balance is something that requires constant attention for the span of our martial arts careers. As we grow physically, as our skill increases and we attempt new things, as we age and need to modify and as we deal with injury or physical limitations, our center is constantly changing and shifting and we must be able to adapt.

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Young Dragons Level 1&2

In our Young Dragons classes this week we had a special guest instructor, Sihing Lindstrom. Sihing Lindstrom is our resident expert in grappling, but typically teaches the adult classes. So having him come in to share some of his skill and experience with the kids was very cool and very valuable. He covered a variety of things like break falls, scoot, bridging, as well as many other ground exercises. One of the students asked an excellent question at the end of the week.

“Why are we learning this stuff on the ground when we are supposed to always stay on our feet?”

The answer,

“Yes, the goal is to stay on our feet. But we never know what might happen. And should we ever be taken down, we need to know how to both defend ourselves in that position and gain back our control.”

Our goal, as always, is to develop well rounded martial artists with a variety of skills to prepare them for anything life might throw at them…both on and off the mats.

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Special Announcements for All Classes

Our next opening training is Saturday, April 13 from 10-noon.

In recognition of Earth Day, we will be organizing a cleanup of Rotary Park in Stony Plain on Saturday April 20 from 10-noon. Please use the following link for more info.

Earth Day Clean Up Event

Children's Class Weekly Re-Cap, March 19-21

Lil’ Leopards

In the Lil’ Leopards class this week we got to do one of our favourite things! An obstacle course! Obstacle courses are a great way to keep the students moving, while also incorporating lots of Kung Fu. This particular week we focused on “protective” elements such as blocks and break falls, while also improving our agility.

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Tiny Tigers

This week in Tiny Tigers we got to do some pool noodle sword fighting! From the outside, this activity might seem a bit chaotic, but it is actually quite structured and there are many important skills that we develop with this activity. Not only are we working on Kung Fu techniques like punches, kicks and blocks…but there is also a major emphasis on reaction time, footwork, stamina, eye for detail, and of course, good sportsmanship.

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Young Dragons Level 1&2

In our Young Dragons classes this week, one of our main focusses was sparring. Our sparring drills can range from structured to free-sparring and they allow us to practice our skills in a very dynamic way. Over and above developing our technique, sparring is integral to our training in other ways. The number one rule in self defense is to stay calm. Our sparring curriculum allows us to practice this in real-time, while still providing a safe environment to do so.

Notice to Parents: In order to participate in more advanced sparring lessons, students with their yellow and orange belts will require sparring gear. To purchase sparring gear, please reach out to one of the instructors.

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Special Announcements for All Classes

Spring Break takes place this week, March 25-29. There are no formal classes during this time. But make sure you are still practicing your Kung Fu!

Children's Class Weekly Re-Cap, March 12-14

Lil’ Leopards

In the Lil’ Leopards class this week we played a running game that included various Kung Fu applications like “splats”, kicks, blocks, and our animal poses. At this level, we like to keep things fast paced and interesting while still working on all of the basic techniques that we will use as the students progress.

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Tiny Tigers

This week in Tiny Tigers we used a relay drill to practice our stances, kicks, punches and break falls. Not only are these drills important for developing our Kung Fu, but they are also integral to developing our ability to both remember and follow instructions as well as emphasizing respect and awareness for our instructors and fellow classmates.

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Young Dragons Level 1&2

In our Young Dragons classes this week we put much of our effort towards our forms. Specifically Lao Gar. Our forms are developed as a means to practice a variety of Kung Fu in a short period of time. They include kicks, punches, blocks and stances in a variety of combinations that challenge us to utilize all 6 harmonies. Forms have been used for thousands of years for Kung fu training and there is good reason why. If your child ever wonders what they should be practicing at home, it’s their forms.

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Special Announcements for All Classes

Spring Break takes place March 25-29. There are no formal classes during this time. But make sure you are still practicing your Kung Fu!

Children's Class Weekly Re-Cap, Feb 27-29

Lil’ Leopards

In the Lil’ Leopards class this week we had lots of fun with an obstacle course! Obstacle courses are a great way to keep the students laughing and moving while also sneaking in important Kung Fu skills that we want to cover. Speed, agility, stamina, strength, breakfalls, balance, blocks…each of these things could be found in this weeks obstacle course, making it feel like a game rather than work.

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Tiny Tigers

This week in Tiny Tigers we practiced many of our basics such as kicks and punches. The students were challenged to run to an instructor, where they would then kick or punch one of our “clacker” shields. These shields make a fun clacking” sound when you hit them just right, making them a fun way to get immediate feedback on our technique.

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Young Dragons Level 1&2

In our Young Dragons classes this week we put most of our time towards our stances. Although we practiced this in various ways, the primary goal was the same. Horse Stance, Bow Stance and Cat Stance were the ones we focused on. These particular stances are used over and over in many of the things we do. Proper stances are so important in all aspects of Kung Fu and are the number one thing that we really try to emphasize. If we cannot remain stable and balanced on our feet, there is no way we will be able to absorb a blow nor administer a strike effectively. Stances are both literally and figuratively the base foundation of our Kung Fu.

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Special Announcements for All Classes

Our next open training is Saturday, March 9 from 10-12noon.

Consistency and Engagement = Confidence

As instructors, we know that by practicing Kung Fu, our students will build confidence as they see that they are improving.  And as instructors, we have a front row seat to these results.  It’s inspiring to watch our students grow and become more confident in themselves, as they develop that “can do” attitude.

I have been having one on ones with both a student and their parent weekly for the past several months and the feedback I am getting is invaluable. I have watched this student in class become more confident in their abilities.  They have gone from being quiet, shy and reserved and not really talking to me, to a student who went up in front of a crowd of parents and peers at our banquet to perform and accept an award with confidence.

This student, in the past 6 months, has grown exponentially. Their parents have seen this improvement and comment about it all of the time.

However, a big part of this equation is the fact that this student attends every class.  Their parents see the benefits, and it’s only through their consistency in bringing their child to class and their engagement in their child’s training, that this confidence has been growing.  And as long as they continue to stay consistent with bringing their child to every class, this student will see improvement in every aspect of their life.

Tania Brinker

Children's Class Weekly Re-Cap, Feb 20-22

Lil’ Leopards

In the Lil’ Leopards class this week we had some fun with our parachute. Our parachute is a fantastic tool to develop many different skills. In this particular class we utilized it to work on our reaction time, following instructions and working together as a team. In addition, it also doubled as a secret hideout where we talked a little bit about what Kung Fu means and how it benefits us.

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Tiny Tigers

This week in Tiny Tigers we worked on many of our basics, while also improving our cardio and stamina. Using our “musical dots” drill, the students would run until the drumming stopped, at which point they needed to hustle to the nearest dot. Depending on what colour they landed on, they were then tasked with various things like kicks, punches and different Kung Fu animal poses. It was a great drill to burn off some energy while practicing our Kung Fu!

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Young Dragons Level 1&2

In our Young Dragons classes this week we spent much of our time working with our Stick. From various articulations to developing individual components of our Stick form, we used our time to really fine tune our skills. Besides the fact that it’s just super fun and makes us feel awesome to train with weapons, there are actually many other much more important reasons we include them in our training. Learning how to use one also teaches us how to defend, they tend to high-light the things that we need to work on in other areas of our Kung Fu and they are a tool to help build confidence, discipline and control. When we learn these things using weapons, we can easily transfer these skills to other areas of our life outside of Kung Fu.

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Special Announcements for All Classes

Nothing at this time.

Children's Class Weekly Re-Cap, Feb 13-Feb 15

All Classes

Congratulations and job well done to all students that were able to participate in the banquet. After all of the hard work we put in leading up to it, we took the time this week to play some games and be a little silly.

In addition, being that this week is National Acts of Kindness week, we also talked a lot about Acts of Kindness and how even smalls acts can make big impacts. We emphasized that by doing them mindfully we become more aware of these impacts and also more aware of the opportunities we might be missing. All of the children should have come home with a Kindness Bingo sheet that they were challenged to complete during this week. We encourage them to try and get a full line, an X, or even better, a full bingo blackout!

Initiatives such as this are our most important. Kung Fu isn’t just about kicking and punching. It’s not just about what we do in class, but what we do and how we impact the world beyond the Kwoon walls. We know this concept as Wude (pronounced Woo-dah), which translates to martial morality. It embodies what we try to teach our students and what we try to practice in our everyday lives. Because Wude is such a key concept in our school’s intelligent curriculum, initiatives like this are also opportunities for our students to earn their green stripe.

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Special Announcements for All Classes

Our next open training is Saturday February 24 from 10-12noon.

Children's Class Weekly Re-Cap, Jan 30 - Feb 1

Lil’ Leopards & Tiny Tigers

This week in both the Lil’ Leopards and Tiny Tigers classes we learned a little bit about drumming! Drumming is a very important aspect of our Traditional Tenets curriculum and is integral to both the lion and dragon dancing. Both of which we have been practicing alot in preparation for the banquet. Although many may not realize it, the drumming isn’t simply a beat for the lion and dragon to dance to. More importantly it is the heartbeat of these animals, bringing them to life.

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Young Dragons Level 1&2

In our Young Dragons classes this week we did some experimenting with movement. In Kung Fu, we continuously work on what is called the 6 harmonies, of which there are both external and internal. Our external harmonies are our feet-hands, elbows-knees and shoulders-hips. The concept is that by utilizing our body as a whole, we can maximize it’s efficiency and power. To re-iterate this to the students, we challenged them to jump up, jump forward, reach, punch, etc, by only using isolated parts of their bodies. For example, jumping with only our feet, no hips or knees, proved to be very difficult. But when we used our body as a whole, legs, arms and even our head/eyes by looking to where we wanted to go, we we able to jump the highest and the furthest every time.

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Special Announcements for All Classes

The Chinese New Year Banquet takes place Saturday, February 10 from 5:30-9:30 at the Holy Trinity Catholic Church. The event is now sold out.

Our annual Silent Auction is now live!! Check it out at SRKF Silent Auction. You can also find more details in the auction article here Auction Details Article

National Acts of Kindness week takes place Feb 11-17. We will have a special challenge for students of all levels. Info will be posted soon and challenge sheets will be sent home with the students this week.

Children's Class Weekly Re-Cap, Jan 16-18

Lil’ Leopards

In the Lil’ Leopards class this week we continued practicing our lion dancing and started to fine tune our banquet performance. We set up a practice “stage” and started to develop the finer details of our dance.

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Tiny Tigers

As many of you are aware, the Tiny Tigers will be performing a Dragon Dance at the Chinese New Year Banquet this year. On top of all of the practicing we’ve been doing, this week we started to decorate our Dragon! I won’t ruin the surprise, but he is going to be very cool and every single student will have added their touch! It’s very important that all of our students know and feel that that they are an important part of the school. By including the students in the creation of their dragon, it will help establish that connection and that sense of pride.

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Young Dragons Level 1&2

In our Young Dragons classes this week we worked on a wide variety of syllabus content. Lion dancing, kicks, sparring, wrist/choke escapes, Lao Gar…to name a few. As we work towards the banquet, we are challenging the students’ knowledge and skill to the highest level so we can hi-light the progression they’ve all made over the Year of the Rabbit.

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Special Announcements for All Classes

The Chinese New Year Banquet takes place Saturday, February 10 and there is currently only 1 ticket remaining (as of January 22). Hopefully you got tickets and we will see you there!

Children's Class Weekly Re-Cap, Jan 9-11

Lil’ Leopards

In the Lil’ Leopards class this week we read a book called “The Great Race - The Story of the Chinese Zodiac“. We followed the animals of the Chinese Zodiac through an exciting race and learned a little bit about each one.

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Tiny Tigers

In Tiny Tigers this week we got to do one of our favourite things and play with our parachute. To the students, the parachute is all kinds of fun. But within it are hidden various skills like hand-eye coordination, quick thinking, self control and listening; all while working together as a team. And all of these things transfer to every other area of our Kung Fu.

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Young Dragons Level 1&2

In our Young Dragons classes this week we started some preliminary work on our demo for the Chinese New Year banquet. We are working on a few different things that we hope will show off all the hard work the students put in all year long!

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Special Announcements for All Classes

The Chinese New Year Banquet takes place Saturday, February 10! Tickets are almost sold out so don’t wait! For more information, please refer to the following article,

https://www.silentriverkungfu.ca/blog/2023/12/18/chinese-new-year-banquet-tickets

Children's Class Weekly Re-Cap, Jan 2-4

Lil’ Leopards

As part of our Lion Dancing curriculum, the Lil’ Leopards got to learn a little bit more about our lions this week. They had the opportunity to interact with them and even go inside to see what it is like to be inside a full size lion.

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Tiny Tigers

In Tiny Tigers this week we continued to develop our Dragon Dancing. Using a long belt, the students were challenged to stay together as a team and navigate their way through various obstacles. One of the trickiest things in Dragon Dancing is making the dragon move in such a way that it appears alive. Rather than following the person at the very front of the Dragon (ie. the dragon head) we follow the person immediately in front of us. This creates a lifelike effect that simulates better how an animal like a dragon, would actually move. So if the person in front of you jumps, you jump. If they run, you run. And even if they fall, you fall!

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Young Dragons Level 1&2

In our Young Dragons classes this week we spent much of our time focused on Stick. The stick is our school’s base weapon and helps us develop many skills that we will go on to utilize with many other weapons. We worked on various techniques such as Single Articulation, Double Articulation, Nunchuks and more. Dynamic Control is a very important aspect of our Kung Fu training and teaches us many things. Incorporating weapons into our training emphasizes the importance of control and that we must always have control over not only a weapon, but our body and our mind as well. A weapon is also a valuable tool in recognizing our weaknesses. If there are flaws in our stances or technique, adding a weapon to the mix will show us exactly where those flaws are. And finally, by learning how to use a weapon, we are also learning how to defend against one. By learning how to fight, we hope we never have to.

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Special Announcements for All Classes

Our next open training takes place Saturday January 13 from 10-noon.

The Chinese New Year Banquet takes place Saturday, February 10! Tickets are 60% sold so don’t wait! For more information, please refer to the following article,

https://www.silentriverkungfu.ca/blog/2023/12/18/chinese-new-year-banquet-tickets

Children's Class Weekly Re-Cap, Dec 12-14

Lil’ Leopards

In Lil’ Leopards this week we continued to work with our lions. Oftentimes you will see some of the most talented lion dancers incorporate “stacks” into their dances. Stacking is when the tail will lift and support the head, up into the air, in various ways. It is a very advanced skill involving precise timing and perfect form. The Lil’ Leopards started to learn what is called a “single leg stack” working with an Instructor as their tail.

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Tiny Tigers

In our Tiny Tigers class we continued working on our Dragon Dancing and every week we are getting a little bit better! By working in teams, and utilizing pool noodles, we practiced staying connected to our team-mates, having to match the leaders’ speed, movements and direction. We also got to learn a little bit of Lion Dancing, and like the Lil’ Leopards, were introduced to “single leg stacking”.

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Young Dragons Level 1&2

In our Young Dragons classes this week, our main focus was on our 6 Harmonies curriculum, most specifically our Opening Bow. We use our Opening Bow to both start, and end our hand forms. It is the most important part of our forms in that it both sets our tempo and intensity for the form itself, and, no matter what happens in the middle, it allows us to finish strong.

Not only is it the most important piece of our form, it is often the hardest to master. In an attempt to approach it in a fun and different way, we came up with a “secret handshake” that included pieces of our opening bow. It was a little tricky, but we got the hang of it by the end!

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Special Announcements for All Classes

Christmas Break takes place from Dec 22-Jan 1 with classes resuming Tuesday January 2.

The Chinese New Year Banquet takes place Saturday, February 10! Tickets are now on sale. For more information, please refer to the following article,

https://www.silentriverkungfu.ca/blog/2023/12/18/chinese-new-year-banquet-tickets

Respect

Kung Fu transforms lives. A student can expect to achieve a full grade point improvement in their grades at school within a year of starting kung fu.  Everyone training with us  experiences an improvement in their ability to manage stress and conflict. These benefits are both byproducts of discipline and respect — the two main things we teach at Silent River Kung Fu.

From the first moment a student walks through our doors, their lessons on respect begin. We  create a level playing field by dressing uniformly and addressing every student by their last name. The students’ instructors do not demand the students’ respect, they work hard to earn it.  The power of example is the most powerful teaching tool available.

Parents, your positive engagement is a crucial component of your children’s education.  As parents, our influence through the example we set can help reinforce the lessons our children are learning or at their worst, they can undermine them. We must remain mindful that our actions influence our children.

Getting your children to class on time is an absolute necessity if you want to set a positive example. Respecting the value of other people’s time is one of the most important lessons a person learns in their lifetime. Your children rely upon you to get them to their classes and therefore they rely upon you to get them there on time. Late arrivals disrupt the entire class and publicly affect everyone by undermining a keystone value of Kung fu.

Something that has been happening outside of our school but within sight of all our students, is how our students’ parents and family are treating our planters in front of the school window. Sitting on the planters and/or placing your toddlers on them, trampling the plants, is damaging a project that our students built and managed themselves and which they have been trying to nurture. Ironically while we are busy on the mats teaching our students about discipline and respect, our lessons are being undermined in real time by the public disrespect being shown to the project so many of them worked so hard on over the summer.

Parents, please recognize the important role you play in helping us foster a positive and productive learning environment for your children. It does take a village to raise a child.

Children's Class Weekly Re-Cap, Dec 5-7

Lil’ Leopards

This week was our first Lion Dancing practice with our Lion heads! We spent the class learning how to navigate an obstacle course with our lion heads on, as well as how to maneuver our heads to make them look alive. Lion dancing is one of our best tools in becoming successful martial artists. And although we have always worked on preliminary skills that will help us when we finally learn to lion dance, this will be the first time in SRKF history where students at the Lil Leopards level will participate in a lion dance, in their own lions.

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Tiny Tigers

In our Tiny Tigers class we had some fun with a special clapping drill! Although this might seem to be just a fun game, it was also a creative way to solidify our lefts and rights while also practicing the cross body motions that will be integral to sparring. Being able to move our entire body with a punch, rather than just throwing that single fist out, is what will maximize our power.

Yes, we are already thinking about these things even at this level!! But as far as the kids are concerned, it’s just plain ol’ fun.

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Young Dragons Level 1&2

This week we utilized some of our time to focus on our 4 main kicks. Front thrust kick, Roundhouse, Side Heel and Spinning Back Kick. These are some of our Keystone Principles that act as the basis for all other kicks and combinations there-of. We worked on various things such as our body alignment, foot position and trajectory of power. Even at our higher levels we need to return to the basics in order to keep our foundation for everything else strong.

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Special Announcements for All Classes

Christmas Break takes place from Dec 22-Jan 1 with classes resuming Tuesday January 2.

Children's Class Weekly Re-Cap, Nov 28-30

Lil’ Leopards and Tiny Tigers

As we continue to prepare for the Chinese New Year banquet, both the Lil’ Leopards and the Tiny Tigers got to learn a bit about drumming. Drumming is an integral part of both dragon and lion dance. More than just providing a rhythm for the dance, the beat of the drum symbolizes the heartbeat of the lion and dragon. A heartbeat is needed for the lion or dragon to come alive and so when the drum stops, so does the lion or dragon.

With our own drum sticks and drum, we learned a 3-star drumming pattern as well as thunder drumming. Thunder drumming was, by far, the favourite.

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Young Dragons Level 1&2

This week in our Young Dragons classes we continued with our Lion Dancing. As a special addition, each student got an opportunity to do some lion dancing in one of our lions. Being inside a lion adds a whole different dimension of challenges to the dance. Your vision is extremely limited, you can easily become disoriented, sound becomes muffled and it can become very hot and uncomfortable. So not only does lion take an extreme amount of physical skill, but with these added challenges, any successful lion dancer needs to be very strong mentally as well. All of these things is what makes lion dancing such a valuable tool in developing our skills as martial artists.

In fact, it is known throughout the Kung Fu community that a traditional school is judged by the quality of their lion dance.

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Special Announcements for All Classes

The next Open Training takes place Saturday December 9 from 10-12noon.

As it gets colder, please remember that we do not open the doors until about 3-4 minutes prior to the start of class. If your child will be waiting outside, please remind them to dress appropriately for the weather.

Children's Class Weekly Re-Cap, Nov 21-23

Lil’ Leopards

Our last Lil’ Leopards class was an extra special one. Each student received their very own lion, crafted by the I Ho Chuan team, to take home and decorate. Moving forward we will be practicing our lion dancing each week in preparation for the upcoming Chinese New Year Banquet on February 10, 2024. Lion dancing is not only a traditional tenet of Kung Fu, but is an incredibly valuable tool to build on so many skills that make a successful martial artist. Strength, power, speed, timing, team work; all skills that are transferable to any other aspect of Kung Fu. And on top of all that, it’s just a whole lot of fun!!

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Tiny Tigers

We utilized our Tiny Tigers class this past week to start preparing for the banquet as well. The Tiny Tigers will be demonstrating their skills using our traditional Dragon Dance! Dragon Dancing is a challenging facet of Kung Fu. It takes a great amount of stamina, focus, strength, hand/eye coordination and a whole lot of teamwork. As a team of 9 dancers, the students have to work together flawlessly to make the dragon come alive. This week we started to work on some of the basic movements and even practiced some circle formations. The students did amazing and we are looking forward to working on this more!

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Young Dragons Level 1&2

For our Young Dragons classes this past week we were surprised with a special Master Instructor Class! Sifu Hayes led both classes, covering a variety of skills and techniques. Horse stance, bow stance, side heel kick, slide stepping and more…all basic, but very important skills that need to be mastered in order to support all of the more advanced Kung Fu we will end up learning. We are so fortunate to have 4 active Master Level Instructors at our school, including Sifu Hayes. And when one of them is able to participate in our classes to this degree, we are very grateful. The students were all very attentive and focussed and every one of them was able to take something away from this special class.

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Special Announcements for All Classes

The next Open Training takes place Saturday December 9 from 10-12noon.

Lil Leopard Lion Dance Classes

Hello Lil Leopard parents,

As part of our intelligent curriculum, we are focusing on our traditional tenets, the Lion Dance!  The Lion Dance will help introduce our youngest students to the significance of the dance, which is to bring good luck!  We will be learning how to Lion Dance while working towards a performance at our Chinese New Year banquet.

In order for us to prepare for the banquet, your engagement will be key. On November 22 we will be sending home a lion for you and your child to finish decorating and make their own.  Please make sure their name is on the inside!

We ask that starting December 6, that you bring your child’s lion to every class for us to start learning and practicing our lion dance.  Each week, we will post a short video with what we covered in class so that you can practice with your child.

Our Chinese New Year Banquet is on February 10, 2024 and we encourage you to attend with your child.  You and your child (and/or your whole family) will experience amazing Chinese food, lion dance and dragon dance performances (both from children and teen/ adults), performances from our I Ho Chuan team and a Black Belt ceremony where a select few students are promoted to the rank of black.  Tickets will be available soon!

If you have any questions please feel free to reach out to one of your children’s instructors.