Hello everyone,
For this month, the following classes will be focusing on:
Morning Taiji: TBD
We have not forgotten about you all! We're waiting on 2 more students to make the class viable. Once we have those numbers, past morning students will be alerted to restart these classes
Evening Taiji: Taiji 13
Beginner Gongfu: Fu Xing Quan Yi
Kid's Gongfu: Basics Review
Advanced Gongfu: Fu Xing Quan Yi & Fu Xing Quan Er
If you haven't been using the Student Portal, check it out now. For those who aren't aware, the easiest & best way to access your Student Portal on your phone is to make an "app," which is practically a website shortcut on your Home Screen that will look like this:
Directions:
Add this page to your Home Screen from your web browser on your phone: www.shaolongacademy.com/student-portal
Once you're logged into the mobile portal from your browser:
Safari: Click on the middle icon on the bottom, "Add to Home Screen", then "Add" on the top right
Chrome: Click on icon in the top right in the URL section, "Add to Home Screen", then "Add" on the top right
Firefox: Click on the 3 bars in bottom right, "Share", "Add to Home Screen", then "Add" on the top right
Depending on your version, you may have to do an alternate method. Be mindful you still need internet access for the Student Portal - none of the data will be saved on your phone for offline use. If you don't have access to the portal yet, let us know! We'll continue to update this and add new videos to the library. This is what the portal looks like:
The future of our gongfu
When I first started my training in martial arts as a kid, I can vividly remember my Master's approval whenever I did something right - it was always a simple head-nod, sometimes followed up with a quiet "good." However... if I did something that wasn't right, made a mistake, or didn't perform at his expectations, there was hell to pay. It was always harsh, stern, angry discipline followed up with his disappointment. His way of teaching obviously didn't work for everyone, but it worked for me, pushed me and toughened me for the military, China and life in general. I had to earn those praises, not just be given them.
The old ways of teaching are somewhat gone, and martial art schools in general have gotten soft. It's not easy being a coach now, especially in Western culture where people feel very entitled or need to be constantly rewarded & pampered. "I pay - you teach me... but only in the way I want." We've lost students before because we weren't nice enough. However, it's why we have a strict process now of who we admit in. We've learned the hard way that we need to teach only those who can handle the discipline, those who'd be willing to hear hard truths, allowed to be pushed beyond their comfort zone and overall toughen up for the hard world of gongfu. I truly feel we have an amazing crew now compared to when we were at our old location.
I had a hard chat with my Disciples that it's easy to get complacent or have a false sense of security of how great of a martial artist you are, especially when living in a bubble in Utah where the competition is slim. Trust me - I've had to experience it multiple times and humble myself the hard way.
With that said, toughening up, being honest with ourselves and staying humble is how we're going to get stronger. Yes, we recently won Best of State, but that's from a business perspective, and we can't allow it to get to our heads. We can't forget that gongfu is rooted in combat & competition, so it's naturally stressful, aggressive and very much do-or-die.
I'm not at all downplaying our achievements - we're really good at what we do here, and I'm incredibly proud of us; however, in the realm of what's expected from martial artists, we have a lot of work ahead of us. If anything, we now have a bigger target on our backs. The expectations are high now. I'd be doing you all a huge disservice if I filled your egos and pampered you, only for you to leave Utah one day and realize you might not be as skilled as you thought.
Our next big goals are to travel as a team to larger & gongfu specific tournaments. If we're to compete on the national/international stages with endless number of gongfu schools in California that have been doing it for decades (whereas we're one of 3 well-known gongfu schools in Utah that have been around just 4 years total), we need to increase our intensity, discipline and expectations of ourselves.
My job as your Shifu is to provide authentic, high-quality training, and we're going to keep pushing for just that. Students might hate me or my Disciples during class when we're going hard on them, but they'll either eventually thank us for pushing them to the next level or realize that this sport and way of life isn't for them.
As our quality & style of coaching gets tougher, more demanding, and disciplinary, don't take it as offensive. If we didn't care, we'd just be like any other black-belt factory that you can pay for "success". It is because we care, know you can handle it and can see the potential in all of you.
"Do not pray for an easy life, pray for the strength to endure a difficult one."
HOUSEKEEPING ITEMS
Policy for monthly memberships is still "Use it or Lose it." If you foresee being gone for an extended period of time longer than a month (especially with it being summertime), let us know & we can gladly put your dues on hold. The max we can hold a membership is 2 months before we give a warning of cancelling your membership altogether, with seldom exceptions for big life changes (like having a baby).
We can't prorate dues or do partial payments if you're partially gone in the month - that makes our process a logistical nightmare and opens up a can of worms for students to pick-and-choose days.
Kid students - no more wrinkly uniforms! Your uniforms will now be in the Dressing Room on the closet rack with your name on the collar and on the hanger.
All students - keep the locker room clean and stop leaving out water bottles, random items or trash
This includes the inside of your locker... so throw away those report cards sitting there all year
THIS MONTH'S SCHEDULE
コメント