Find Out What You Were Born To Do

One of my favorite nights to teach class is Friday.  I know that this isn't the same for everybody… some people like to take Friday evening to relax and not do anything. But for me it is a very liberating day where you really get to do what you love to do. 

Sijo describes this in his seminar entitled - “FIND OUT WHAT YOU WERE BORN TO DO” - as your Friday night Essence.  He tells us that this goes back to when we are younger and in school, on Friday evenings. When we are free from doing what you had to do (i.e. school, work etc.]- What you did first was what you love to do - for me that is teaching Fang Shen Do.

This is a related reason that I enjoy teaching Friday night classes as well.    Imagine you’re an instructor, and all the people that show up in your class on Friday night, are the ones that are just dying to get to class, dying to get better, dying to get work harder....

You can imagine the energy and enthusiasm in the class which makes it a pure pleasure to teach.  Teaching in Richmond, we used to do Friday night fight classes for the black belt club members... This was a extra class that they could choose to attend and we worked 45 minutes on conditioning and then 45 minutes on grappling.  As I said before the enthusiasm and the energy in the class really helped push the students to reach new levels.

In Toronto, we started the Friday class in April.  I'm hoping to see the number of participants in this class grow, but I have to tell you that the people that do show up (Hassan, Diana and now Adam) work incredibly hard in that class.  Also due to that enthusiasm, I'm able to pair up with all of them for multiple rounds and give them individual attention to help them get better.

Personally, I think it is a great way to start the weekend. 

Our takeaways this week…?

What you are doing on Friday nights, is what you love to do.... however a disciplined person will ensure that what they are doing is productive and not self-destructive.

 Stay Solid,

Sifu Scott

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Everyone Has Something To Teach

As I have already written, I am lucky and grateful to take part in Sijo's

special monthly class.  Besides having the opportunity to train with the

best partners that Fang Shen Do has to offer. We also get to learn from the

experience from Sijo

One topic that he spoke to a few months ago was the fact that you can learn

from everyone.

Sijo was talking about his mentors and people who have achieved a high level

of success in their respective fields.  These are the people that he looks

to for motivation and teaching.  He went on to discuss that everyone has

something to teach you; that everyone has something that they can do better.

It is the astute student of life that watches for such opportunities and

implements them.

I have noticed that many students do not always seize the opportunity to put

this into practice.  The Fang Shen Do handbook states that you should train

with as many different people as you can

The obvious reason for this is to better prepare yourself for a real self

defence situation.  If you are a female student who only trains with other

females,  you are serious limiting yourself to prepare against a real live

attack.  Prepare yourself against heavy opponents, stronger opponents,

faster opponents, taller opponents, shorter opponents, aggressive opponents,

etc.... or as I have heard Sijo mention... a clumsy opponent (they can be

extremely dangerous)

Coming back to Everyone has something to teach you...

Where I notice this the most is when a new student comes in to try a class.

When it is time to select a partner, you can see who has internalized this

lesson.  It is these people that welcome the new student and offer to help

them through there first class. Our MMA fighter, Danny, was always great at

this - he realized that you get better when you help others get better.

On the other side of the coin, I have observed "experts" of three months who

seem to feel that their training would be held back by training with someone

not as "advanced" as them.

Just this week, I took the opportunity to train with a very nice man who

came into our school for the first time.  He had a great attitude and I

enjoyed teaching him.  Although he had done a martial art sport before, this

was the his first introduction to a reality based system and he kept an open

mind.  While I was teaching  him, I was watching how he moved and was

planning strategies to help him get better.  Because I took the time with

him, I got a little bit better at teaching that type of student.  I do hope

he comes back for another class, as he has good potential.

Our takeaways?

Train with as many people as you can to get better; learn from everyone; you

get better when you help someone else get better

Stay solid

Sifu Scott

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