Occasionally we have had some parents show up at the Academy with their children and before they’ve taken their first class their parents have informed them if they don’t like the classes that they can quit anytime! This is the exactly the opposite of what we teach here and what the arts philosophy is all about.
Our philosophy
We train our students to persevere, not to be quit as soon as anything gets remotely difficult. Life is hard enough without training your children to be drop outs. Thomas Edison failed at making a light bulb over 2000 times, talk about perseverance! Some Chinese teachers would say, “He understands how to eat bitter”. Martial art training has a long history of challenging students; “learning to eat bitter” is very difficult and time consuming journey which at times will also be confusing. This is a necessary part of the process especially in martial art instruction to be able to handle stress and “go with the flow” in life.
What sets us apart from other martial art schools? All aspects of the art are embraced helping students to develop a more balanced education which can enhance our everyday lifestyle. Ethics and behavior are addressed first, without learning control and empathy we are not doing a service to our students and ultimately the community, both the local and world.
Authentic traditional martial art training has always strived to help students to check their ego and improve behavior. The lack of control of these personal issues can of course be a life long problem restricting a student’s growth while travelling on their life path. Learning to be more open minded will help to eliminate prejudice, the likes and dislikes that can hold us back in our quest to improve. These changes can improve the learning curve and help students to have a clearer interpretation of whatever the subject matter you are trying to learn.
This is a martial art school where you will receive a complete martial art education; it cannot be confused or compared with any other activity or sport. Traditional martial art instruction helps to guide students in a more well-rounded education. In the beginning the physical and mental are use as the catalyst to gain the ability to develop the life skills we use each day and as a student progresses can choose to work on the personal issues they wish to change.
Martial arts means military arts whereby there is a particular method to achieve the desired results. Martial science is taught first, punching, kicking, blocking, footwork, grappling and eventually weapons developing the confidence and coordination necessary as you are able to make a better mind and body connection. With the right guidance a student could advance to develop the higher levels of the art which will include philosophy, behavior, psychological, ethical, and historical elements which will help a student on their path in becoming a scholar warrior.
In Chinese the translation for martial arts truly means “not to clash weapons”, to learn how not to fight. This is quite different from the interpretation most Americans have about this ancient art. Most people are led to believe that it’s all about the fighting; this mis-information has come from movies and mis-guided instructors that only possess the physical level of the art. You will learn about combat tactics but it’s about much, much more than what meets the eye. The self defense techniques and tactics are the vehicle used to develop skills that you can use on a day to day basis that will not have any physical contact whatsoever.
From the very beginning you will want to have an open mind, put your trust in your teacher’s ability and enjoy the journey.
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