Dear Friends,
If a picture is worth a thousand words, then a video must be worth ten thousand and this month’s newsletter is full of them. I’ve come across so many interesting things that I wanted to share with you all. Whether you practice Kungfu or Tai Chi, I think you’ll benefit from keeping an open mind and watching a few of these videos. And as always, from seminars, to competitions, demo’s and other activities, you won’t want to miss out on the action at CMAA!
School Closings Tai Chi at CMAA Internal Arts Seminars! Little Miss Kungfu Documentary WuDang Kungfu and Tai Chi Documentary"Why I Compete" - Brandon Liu Training with Martial Arts Masters From the Comfort of Your Own Home CMAA on Instagram Master Kung Fu, Master Yourself, Master Life Kungfu Sash Test
School Closings We will be closed Friday and Saturday August 11th and 12th.
Internal Arts Seminars! Sunday, August 20th. 10am-12:30pm Price: $50
CMAA is proud to host Mr. Allen Pittman, author of Walking the I Ching: The Linear Ba Gua of Gao Yi Sheng, and co-author of Pa-Kua: 8 Trigram Boxing and Hsing-I: Chinese Internal Boxing. Mr. Pittman is expert practitioner, teacher, scholar and therapist with more than 40 years experience in eastern and western martial arts, hoplology, physical systems, yoga’s and traditional therapies.
Mr. Pittman is a lineage holder in several Chinese boxing arts and discusses history, health, intent and physiology as well as teaching forms and applications.
Tai Chi at CMAA Tai Chi in the Capital District! For anyone interested in Tai Chi please check out CMAA’s Tai Chi dedicated page. I will be posting interviews, seminar info, articles and videos, etc. Remember to “Like” and “Follow”! https://www.facebook.com/TaiChiatCMAA/
Little Miss Kungfu Documentary Girl Power in a Shaolin Martial Arts School. Similar to Dragon Girls from last month, this is another look at a girl in a similar Kungfu school. It’s interesting again to see it from a girl’s perspective.
Quote: "Life in the school can be hard. In order to stay, the girls must pass every exam with flying colors, so they try their hardest to meet the required standard. The bar is set high and there are no allowances for those who fall behind. Nonetheless, despite the hurdles along the way and the unrelenting schedule, every girl soldiers on, determined to make her parents, teachers, and country proud."
WuDang Kungfu and Tai Chi Documentary Wudang Mountain is famous for its relationship to Daoism and Martial Arts. Check out another interesting documentary this month on the martial arts of WuDang!
Interested in watching more? Check out many more documentaries on our website! Kungfu Documentaries: http://www.martialartsalbany.com/807/ Tai Chi Documentaries: http://www.martialartsalbany.com/stretch-and-study-tai-chi/
Training with Martial Arts Masters From the Comfort of Your Own Home Dirt roads winding through wooded mountains. Hillsdale, NY is home to a mix of country locals, and city weekenders escaping to country solitude. With a population of 1,700 and miles from any kids my own age, growing up in Hillsdale felt like growing up isolation. It was quiet and time passed slowly.
As a teen, it felt like torture. I wanted action. However, when I rediscovered martial arts, that isolation became an important part of my journey. Isolation allowed for dedication. With no where to go and no one to socialize with, I was free to dedicate my entire being to Kungfu. Daily runs on winding dirt roads, and hours stretching against a tree. It must have been fate to discover Kungfu, and instructors that emphasized forms training above all else. I didn’t need sparring partners. Just an open space to jump, and leap around while punching, kicking and swinging weapons. I rented Kungfu movies from the blockbuster located 30 minutes away and fantasized myself as the main characters who typically trained in remote locations before venturing out in the world to become the hero.
Luckily, just around the same time I began training the internet became available. From Hillsdale I was instantly connected to the world of martial arts. I followed martial arts forums and read every detail about top Chinese competitors, who was who in the US. I poured over videos that were slowing becoming available. I felt like the character in a Kungfu movie spying on the shaolin monks secret training session. I read about the top kungfu teams strength and conditioning program and debates about styles and efficiency. Most of these original sites no longer exist or have changed their original format (beijingwushuteam, bilang, wushucentral, etc.). However, I did want to share Jiayo.com which is still available and hosts a lot of great content. Every Wushu practitioner should know about this page, bookmark it and visit frequently. Enjoy! www.Jiayo.comwww.Jiayoowushu.com
CMAA on Instagram Just like popular websites dedicated to Chinese Martial Arts, there are also quite a few social media sites that also share good content on the subject. Of course Youtube.com is home to many channels, videos and video bloggers but Instagram also has some people worth following! Check out some of my Instagram recommendations below!
https://instagram.com/p/BW7taJPF83v/
https://instagram.com/p/BW7kwfZlj0t/
https://instagram.com/p/BW7hYxulQBg/
https://instagram.com/p/BW-YI8Rl6qH/
For more check out CMAA on Instagram! https://www.instagram.com/chinesemartialartsacademy/
''Be stronger than your excuses. Maybe you'll have to sacrifice your social life, sleep, physical comfort, or something else you value. But if that's the price you pay to achieve success them so be it. Get after it.''
""Time flies. We all know that. Everybody agrees on that. Time flies. Take advantage of time flying. Do something where that's an advantage. Do something that makes you a badass and takes a lot of time to master, so that when time flies you're a master in no time. Whether its martial arts or medical school. It's the same." - Eddie Bravo. Solid life advice. This is essentially the definition of Kungfu, great skilled acquired through hard work over time. "
"Wenming qi jingshen, yeman qi tipo. “Civilize The Mind But Make Savage The Body.”- Mao Ze Dong. Traditional Chinese philosophy teaches us balance Yin and Yang. We should apply this philosophy to the balancing of mind and body. Balancing mind and body is essentially and inherently balancing man and animal. We should strive to educate ourselves, to become critical thinkers capable of navigating the complexities of our universe. Simultaneously, we must allow our bodies tap in to their true animal spirit. We must awaken our intuition, and discover and develop our abilities survive and protect ourselves and our loved ones. Like the Warrior-Scholars of the East and Renaissance men of the enlightenment, we must develop ourselves to the fullest capacity to actualize our potential. "
"Why I Compete" - Brandon Liu Congratulations to CMAA black belt Brandon Liu who qualified for the USA Traditional Kungfu Team. Brandon has joined CMAA Black Belts Zack and Schuyler as USA Team Members qualified to represent the United States at the 7th World Kungfu Championships in Emei, Sichuan China!
Why I Compete in Wushu I started my first competition at Hadley, MA after only 6 months of learning wushu at CMAA. I have gone every year since 2014. I started as a beginner and have moved though intermediate and now compete in advanced. Just 2 weeks ago, I competed in Hadley for my first time in Advanced. I did not expect to place or win, but it is important for me to preform under pressure and strive to do my best.
5th Annual Kungfu Wushu Tournament in Hadley,MA July 2017
Waiting for results.
1st place in eagle, staff and double-chainwhip
Another reason why I compete is because I meet so many other competitors, judges and new friends.
New friends I made at the tournament
Just last weekend, I attended the USA Wushu Kungfu Federation in Lubbock, TX July 2017. All the top US wushu athletes were there trying out for the team. Since this was the biggest tournament I've been to, I was really intimidated. However watching these top athletes made me realize what I have to work on and motivates me to improve.
Only person representing Michigan
Me and my dad
I made the US traditional team!
I really miss CMAA! Shifu Lucas is a great teacher who is positive and encouraging me to excel at my own pace. New York is like my second home so I will see you guys next time. Train hard and compete! -Brandon Liu (Bliu)
Thanks for sharing Bradon! Your teammates and I are all very proud of your efforts and success! Keep it up, we look forward to more exciting updates about all that you're doing! -Shifu
Master Kung Fu, Master Yourself, Master Life Beautifully filmed short video showcasing Chinese martial arts. You may even recognize the movements from our Qigong practice Ba Duan Jin (8 Sections Brocade) and others from the Kungfu classes.
KungFu Sash Test We will be holding our quarterly Sash Test on Sunday, Oct. 15th at 10:30am. If you are not sash testing you are still encouraged to come participate and support your teammates (no charge of course). You know exactly what we will be testing but if you have any questions, check the Sash Requirements page on the website and feel free to clarify things with me during class. http://www.martialartsalbany.com/kungfu-sash-requirements/
If you are unsure whether or not you (or your child) are ready to test, please speak with me before or during class, via email at AlbanyCMAA@gmail.com or by phone (518) 755-7512. Remember, you will not “get” your sash at CMAA – you will EARN it! There is a big difference. It’s important you (your child) learns the value of their sash- the value of hard work! Let’s stay focused and step up our training so we’re fully prepared for the test! White/Yellow/Green/Blue: $25, Red/Purple/Orange: $50, Light Brown/Dark Brown/Gold: $75 Black: $100
Summary As usual please stay tuned for more exciting action at CMAA!
Best,
Shifu
