Moi Fa Martial Arts Academy

1st January 2009 - Out with the old and in with the new.

Well I guess its time to reflect, it's been quite a year. We had Grandmaster Lee visit the North East for the first time and also my kung fu uncle, Malcolm came to visit in October. Sticking with Mantis we saw the departure of a few people such as Jan who moved to Vienna but we also saw the return of several old faces back into our group. 2009 will not be short of mantis events as we plan on bringing Grandmaster Lee back in May and also seeing senior students go for brown and black sashes.

From a Wing Chun perspective I caught up with my good friends David Peterson and Ged Kennerk earlier in the year which always provides me with food for thought. I also got a chance to visit my Wing Chun Sifu, Trevor in Majorca and got his latest thoughts on many aspects of Wing Chun. Another interesting Wing Chun encounter was with Ernie Barrios who's explosive Wing Chun fuelled my engine and has given the academy a platform of experimentation via Lap Sau. 2009 will not be quiet for chunners either as we have seminars with Trevor and David planned again and maybe a couple of new faces.

Several members of the academy have been having fun with Doce Pares Eskrima, We are starting to see the academy knowledge of Eskrima expand with several members graded in Guba Doce Pares. On the tai chi front we are moving forwards with many aspects of Yang style Tai Chi and also several systems of qigong. So much so that we a re planning a big trip to China & Hong Kong in 2010 to study Medical Qigong, Tai Chi, Wing Chun and obviously Seven Star Mantis.

21st December 2008 - Merry Christmas

As we are fast approaching Christmas, I hope you all have a happy and safe Christmas. Make sure you enjoy the time you have with the people you love.

Attendance at class is still on the rise and several students have recently passed grading in Mantis, Wing Chun and Eskrima. Congratulations to all those who graded. We have a few sessions that will run between Christmas and the New Year so come along and burn off some of the Christmas excess.

15th December 2008 - You can replace money but you can't replace time.

The above phrase was often used by the legendary Wong Shun Leung when teaching his Wing Chun students. In credit crunch times its hard for many to make ends meet. Pressures from family, friends and society can be huge deciding factors on where your spare cash goes. Meditate on the phrase and make sure you make the most of your most precious asset.

Use your money wisely, Academy Membership reduces your class fees. If your a member, why not take advantage of the Academy's monthly payment option which will save you money each month and motivate you to get to class when the weather and time are against you.

1st December 2008 - what happened to the blog?

Nice have a few people asking where the blogs' had gone recently. I had a few problems uploading files and life was so crazy that I never got time to fiddle. Anyway we should be back on track now although my life is crazier than ever...just the way I like it!

Classes have been a bit strange recently, busy one week and quiet the next. I hope that people can get some regularity into there practice as that's the only way to get a full benefit from the training. On the up side we have seen several old faces back at training which is nice and its good to have so many experienced people in the classes to help the newer members progress. Hopefully you are all enjoying being pushed a little more physically, I know I feel better for it.

3rd November 2008 - If it doesn't kill you, it will make you stronger.

My goddaughter (now that makes me feel old!) came along to a training session last week. A couple of days afterwards I got a text saying that she was in agony. All I could say was, keep going and the body will get used to it after a few sessions. This is a common problem with beginners or people who have not trained regularly. They ache after training so they want the pain to stop or are scared of more pain. In China they say to really learn or achieve anything you must "eat bitter". This means endure pain and hardship to overcome obstacles. Unfortunately its all to easy to make excuses like I am too old, don't have time or don't feel well so people never get past the initial barrier and get to the point where you can enjoy training and its rewards

The Chinese are not exempt from this and that's why the "eat bitter" saying was coined. Thousands of students go to the Shaolin temple schools to learn kung fu but only a handful can withstand the difficult lifestyle and brutal training methods to reap the benefits. It's very natural to take the easy option in life but the more difficult option is normally more rewarding.

Archive Blog September and October 2008