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Tea With
Simu
I am in the process of assembling material
that will be organized into a ten I hope to give the students the big picture right from the get go. Upon completion of the program the student should have a clear understanding of his strengths and weaknesses and a cursory knowledge of all the uses of the art and its limitations. It is my goal to dispel any misconceptions regarding what the art does and does not do. Some of the elements that I will be breaking the art into are: Flow (my personal favorite), Unification of the Body for Power (another personal favorite), Fitness through Stretching, Strengthening and Footwork (my personal favorite when I was in my 20's), Economy of Motion (my son's personal favorite), Physical and Mental Self Defense (great for work and family), Extending the Vital Force (weapons), Mental Acuity through Sequence Forms (helps in the war against brain cell damage from partying, diaper fumes, or senility, depending which stage your are at), Basics of the Fighting Art, using kicks, blocks, and punches (this will probably come early on), and Utilization of the Breath. One of my goals is to demonstrate in a short period of time as many applications of the art as possible, while opening the student's mind to the numerous everyday applications and avoiding going off in only one narrow-minded direction. I am, in a sense, trying to keep the art from being reduced to the "Tai Bo Barbie Path" or the "Swaggering bar fighter, go ahead and make my day, I just learned a new technique and have no place to go with it Path."
I think of each and every one of you, and myself, and ask, "What is it that the art has of offer?" I don't think of you as a group of people who are in physical danger on a daily basis, although we all are vulnerable at times. I think that self understanding, mental focus when work gets out of control, preservation of individuality, self knowledge and acceptance, strategic thinking, enhancing self-identity, union, identifying something you trust and believe in, cultivation of your fitness level at whatever stage of life you are in, as issues that are extremely important. I plan to share with you my personal reasons for involvement in the arts. I am at a turning point in my life. I have spent much time over the past several years applying my creativity to my children and the children of Newington. I have, over a period of many years, accumulated a lot of techniques, experiences and thoughts regarding the application of the martial arts. I have a need to give, and in giving I will continue to learn. As well, you will all lead me into areas that I might have little appreciation for until I require them in order to put the art across to you. I will keep you on track but you will pull me off in directions that I may not have investigated on my own. My job as a teacher is to give openly, know my stuff, and be able, at 45, to teach you things that you can do better than me. I hope to be a guide, accepting and sometimes demanding, but keep my ego out of it all. Your role as a student is to trust me and be open like a child. Because the type of class I give you is informational you will have to be self motivated and disciplined, as I am not able to provide you with drill classes for enhancing your fitness level. You will need to be creative and put these techniques into a sort of mini-fitness program for yourself. All of you have busy lives and I want to teach people with rich and active lives, so how you go about fitting things in is your challenge, and a lot of you are pretty creative in finding ways. I don't care how you practice or apply the art. Train daily in you mind, train with your body and apply it to your life. I have seen a lot of students get real intense but have no staying power and that is not what I want to see. Development over time is the best. Don't worry, there will be many peaks and valleys. Well, I hope you enjoyed your cyber tea with me and that you were able to fill-in between the lines with your part of the dialogue. I will be interested in your feedback from the real world. Anyway, in the real world I never drink tea, only decaf and wine. If you would like to write, merely click on my symbol, below. |
week
course. It will serve as an introduction to the art, as I know it. Elements
of Shaolin Kung Fu and other external Chinese arts, Tai Chi, and Filipino
Kali, will be the primary roots. Each lesson will focus on a conceptual
aspect of the art. The class will consist of techniques and exercises
that best illustrate that particular concept. 
To
all of you who are already my students, I would like you to think deeply
about defining your own path in the art. One of the most appealing aspects
of the art to me (especially, coming to the art from dance) was that it
meet you half-way. So, you first have to analyze your strengths and
weakness, your desires, and what you find repellant, at times not picking
and choosing. You must be willing to rearrange yourself, while at the
same time, pulling the art to you. This is a different view than the study
of a classic or desirable body morph or being even tempered. A hot head,
well-channeled, can be a asset; but if poorly channeled can cause much
trouble and strife. I know this first hand. It is all about how to study
on your own, obtain self acceptance, and opening your mind to trust and
change so that you enhance your situation. This art does not crush you
into a mold like the health spas. This concept is especially important
in counteracting society's tendency to always dictate your morph and your
looks. This idea is great for young people who want to be able to counter
the MTV slickness formula that makes them
feel so inadequate. At every stage of life we are confined by commercialism
coercing us to buy into things that we really don't need. 