EVERYONE LOVES WEAPONS….

… But how does it translate into your everyday training?

One of the many things that I write about in the blog is the adaptability and completeness of the Fang Shen Do martial art system.  As previously reported, one of the FSF mantras is

Whatever your needs, whatever your goals – we can help. 

It must be noted in the above statement, that you will note we said “we can help”; the real responsibility, and therefore the pride in accomplishment, belongs to the individual student.  They are the ones who exhibit the discipline and dedication to train, they are the ones that push themselves in each training session – the real victory belongs to the person who emerges from each training session a little better than they were when they walked in….

As I noted before, our goal as an instructor is to help the student achieve this feeling of success.  Students will come to us for many different reasons. 

Some may be looking for the best self-defence system to make sure that both they and their loved ones are protected in an unpredictable society;
 … others will be looking to compete in either the ring or the octagon and have heard about the incredible success of our training program and fight team;
….others may be looking to get into better shape to improve the quality of their lives and have read about our award winning workouts and are looking to challenge themselves physically in a fun atmosphere;
…. still others may be aware of the incredible benefits that martial art gives to young students and how the training will benefit them in the years to come as they develop the skills of respect, dedication, perseverance and confidence.

It would be easy to continue the above, but I think you get the point – whatever your reasons, whatever your goals – we can help. 

One of the reasons that Fang Shen Do can offer this ability to assist some many others in reaching their goals is the way that we (as school owners) were/are trained.  Both Sijo and Sibok go to great lengths to ensure that the Fang Shen Do system is taught properly and that all instructors are fully trained in all aspects of the system, be it trapping, closing, grappling or …weapons. Which, in a roundabout way, has brought me to my title.  As we currently do not live in feudal Japan in the 16^th century, how will training with weapons benefit you today?

I am glad you asked that question, my friend….

If we look at the four scenarios provided above (and there are many more), I can report with certainly that weapons training can help all of them:

For the people looking for self defense - understanding and learning to use the weapons will familiarize themselves on how the weapon may be applied.  This will be critical in learning how to defend themselves against it as well as the familiarity will reduce the fear / hesitation that could be deadly in a self defense scenario. 

For the people looking to enter competition, training with the weapons will develop the critical attributes of speed, distancing and footwork.  As the weapon moves faster than the hand, by training with weapons (in conjunction with the fighter training) the fighters start to see and react faster.  In addition, the coordination drills help them develop their off side (right or left) as well as their dominate side, making them more of a threat.   

For the people looking to get into shape, training with the weapons will help develop focus, coordination and speed.  These attributes provide a foundation and become critical when undertaking the advance workouts.

For the junior students, training with the weapons provides focus, control and respect.  In addition, the weapons training is also a symbol of achievement as the students have to reach a certain level at the school before they are allowed to train with the weapons. 

I am especially excited for our next testing day as, in addition to all the sash tests, we will be testing our first junior student for Level One Weapons Certification.

If you have any questions about our Fang Shen Do school or how we can help you, feel free to contact me personally at sifuscotthill@icloud.com

Stay Solid,  

Sifu Scott

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Everything is hard….

… Before it’s easy

These are the words of the Germen philosopher, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.  I would just add that, in my experience, anything worthwhile is hard before it becomes easy.  How this relates to us today is the form of discipline.

 

We have spent considerable time in the past week talking about discipline in the junior class and every student is now clear on the three different types of discipline.  Now, our next step, for both Junior and Adult students is to apply this discipline in our martial art training and other aspects of our daily life.  We are going to start that this week with the mini home workout / pre-class routine.   

One statement that I truly believe is:

With knowledge, many things are possible

Without discipline, nothing is possible

As I have mentioned before, I do a considerable amount of driving in the average week.  In order to avoid unnecessary down time, I take this opportunity to listen to audio books in the car.  This way I am learning something during my drive.  The books chosen are usually those of an educational nature so that I come away from the ride with new knowledge or different ideas.  I learned this many, many years ago from Sijo as I remember driving with him in a car as he listened to cassettes (which shows how long ago this was). 

Last week’s audio book was on self-discipline.  I thought to myself that as I am teaching discipline in class, I should use my drive to review.  This thinking lead me to analyse my own discipline - while I consider myself disciplined, is there more that I could be accomplishing?

Without a word of exaggeration, the author stated in the introduction that when he was asked to write the book, he suffered the same momentary self-doubt.  As he continued to research the book, he found that all people with above-average discipline feel that they could accomplish more.  It is the people that never self-analysis that need the boost in the self-discipline department. 

When it comes to self-discipline, obviously, there are two people that I look to for motivation.

One thing that Sijo has taught me is to “develop a sense of urgency”. 

I am often amazed in both the business and personal world on how long it takes to get things done.  At first, I thought it was because it is everyone is so busy – now I realize that it is because most employees maintain the same slow work pace, no matter what the schedule and do not believe in working extra.  I have seen this with engineers, lawyers, contractors, trades, etc.  One of the things that sets the entrepreneur apart from the masses is that the entrepreneur gets his/her tasks done right away – no excuses.  A martial artist applies self-discipline to their tasks and “ gets ‘er done”.

I remember sitting in a Fang Shen Do owners meeting many years ago and hearing Sibok saying that he borrowed a mantra from a sports-clothing line “just do it”.

    

As I mentioned in a previous blog, there are many good excuses for not getting a project done, but not one good reason. It is amazing to see the number of people that consider themselves entrepreneurs, yet are more concerned with taking time off or social matters than working hard to set their future.  Time management concepts instructs us to do the thing that we hate the most first thing in the morning – this sets a tone of accomplishment for the rest of the day and allows you to accomplish much, much more.  So, when you look at that to do list and see something that you are dreading – just start repeating “do it… do it… do it” in your head and “get ‘er done”.

To wrap up this longer-than-usual blog with our take-aways:
Incorporate self-discipline into your routine; it will get easier with time
Develop a sense of (self-imposed) urgency for your tasks
Just do it
And …. Of course…. Stay Solid

Sifu Scott

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It is a game of inches…. But….

Sometimes, you make huge strides…. Or at least, your martial art growth is recognized as such.

I often write about the benefits of consistency, especially when it relates to martial arts. One of the many lessons that I learned from Sijo is that “by the yard it is hard, but the inch it is a cinch”. As many of you have heard, success comes from doing the right things often enough. For martial arts – that begins with training consistently.

I truly believe that perseverance is one of the many traits, which the martial arts develop and deliver – at least for those that stay with the training. The lessons teach that nothing worth-while is easy, but that success is a reward.  I also believe that persistence is a reward in and of itself – I make sure that I live this principle myself.  Many of you know that I drive a considerable distance every week, sometimes to teach a small class.  If I had a nickel for every time someone told me I was crazy for doing this, I could buy a lot of fancy equipment for the school.

Let me tell you why I do it - 2 promises. One, a promise to Sijo to run a Fang Shen Do school in Toronto. When I committed to being a part of something, especially to someone who I admire and respect, I am not one to cut and run when things get tough.  I am with Fang Shen Do for the long haul and I need my actions (not just my words) to reflect that.

The second was a promise to a friend that invested a considerable amount of money to get things going.  At the time, there were three people involved, but this friend wanted me involved because he knew that my word meant something (this was all done in 2007 and was based solely on a handshake).  That third person has left, and people will come and go at our school, but I am also there for the long haul.

But this writing is not about me – I just mentioned the above to illustrate that I try to live by what Fang Shen Do teaches.  

The topic sentence is about one of our students named Hari. Hari has been with us for years and is one of the students that lives by the constancy principle.   He is not a student that trains one month and then takes the next month off.  We will see him every week in class.  He is a very well-behaved and disciplined student who is always respectful of the instructors and his training partners.

I always knew that Hari was a martial artist, but it took one class to show me how much he has improved over the last year.  This class was late last June. It was a smaller class, as some of the non-martial artist types thought it was too hot to train (joke).  Because of the number of students, I had some time to go one-on-one with Hari.

We were concentrating on power and endurance.  Hard core drill after drill (some of them from the adults class), we took on, with only 30 second breaks between rounds.  

Halfway thought the class, I was amazed.  Not only was Hari not asking for a break, he was completing the rounds without pause.  As an example, one of the drills that we did was on the heavy bag.  It was 20 full power punches, followed by 5 push-ups (3min).  Not only did Hari complete the three minutes without stopping for a rest, he continued throughout the whole round to punch as hard as he could when on the punching bag.

It was warrior training at its best – no break, no complaining - just results.

Our junior classes start up again in September (Registration on September 11th) and I can’t wait to see Hari back on the mats again – Just imagine the progress he will make this year!

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What A Great Weekend!!

The last weekend was the Annual Fang Shen Do Training Day / Kids Olympics.  The day was broken down for the younger students to train in the morning, and then the adults to train in the afternoon.  I had the opportunity to talk to Sijo about the students and we both commented on the level of commitment this year’s student showed.  Many travelled for hours for the opportunity to receive amazing instruction and train with fellow students who are similarly committed to martial art excellence.  

As I have also heard Sijo say...“we can come up with many excuses not to train, but no good excuses”  

This goes very nicely into our Yellow Sash concept of Consistency and Effort.

I have written about this before, as I feel that this concept is a core success principle in anything.  Remember, if you never quit, you can never fail.  As Sifu Stephane talked about in the opening comments – Thomas Edison failed 10,000 times before he successfully invented the light bulb.  But he refused to give up……sounds a little bit like the Fang Shen Do instructors when they train – they never, ever give up.  The training that we have received has taught us that anything worthwhile is worth working hard to perfect.  

This type of Consistency and Effort is perhaps easier to discuss than it is to put in practice.  Of particular importance is to teach these core values to our younger students.  One thing that occurs with some students of the junior class, is spotty training.  Students will train for a month, take a month off, train for 2 months, then take the summer off – and they wonder why they are not getting better or why they cannot test for their next rank….?  

I think one quick glance at the attendance card will answer that question for them.  Fang Shen Do means the way of survival – besides teaching the most completed martial art, it also helps the students prepare for success.  You cannot be a part-time successful person – either you strive for excellence or settle for mediocrity.  

Back to the training day – I had the opportunity to work with a man that embodies the concept above – Sibok.  For the adult training portion, I was Sibok’s secondary as he taught almost 3 hours of energy drills to every rank (White to Black sash).  For those who have heard me teach before, you know that I feel that it is the energy drills, from palm phon sao to contact drill, which produces a superior martial artist and sets Fang Shen Do above other training.  Anytime that I get to touch hands with the other Sifu’s  - I learn a lot.  To get to spend that much time with Sibok was pure pleasure – I got to pick up many details that will help me strive for that excellence that I have been discussing.  You can always learn something, no matter what level you are.  

For those that chose not to attend, the following is what was taught:
Sijo  – Speed and Power drills (with special equipment that measured reaction speed and pounds per square inch-power)
Sibok - Energy Drills
Sifu Stephane - MMA Drills for speed and flow
Sifu Pat  - Grappling
Sifu Silvain  - Kicking drills

I would like to express my appreciation to everyone that was involved in the day – from the instructors who taught, to the organizers who made the day possible, and to the students who attended who made the day fun.  We all embodied the effort factor of Fang Shen Do and all got better because of it !!

Stay Solid,
Sifu Scott

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Punctuality and Focus

Punctuality and Focus 

One of the many things that I have appreciated in my 24 years in Fang Shen Do, is the completeness of the system.  This appreciation no more apparent than when we are able to have guests from other systems training with us.  As you are all no doubt aware; there are 6 ranges that students of Fang Shen Do are taught to master
1.       Weapons
2.       Kicking
3.       Punching
4.       Trapping
5.       Grappling
6.       Physiological

Many times, we have had student come to us because they felt that they were lacking something in their training.  As I have heard Sijo say many times,

"Whatever your dreams, whatever your goals

We can help!" 

This becomes obvious when the student starts progressing and experiencing the blending of the ranges.  For instance, a martial artist proficient and comfortable in the grappling range will make two happy discoveries when training with in the trapping range:

1.       They are learning and mastering a new skill
2.       Their grappling skill will also get better because of the energy drills learned with trapping

One more example would be the kick boxer that discovers the value of training with weapons:
1.        They are learning and mastering a new skill
2.       Their kicks and punches get faster as they get use to the speed of using weapons

All the above to illustrate that Fang Shen DO prepares the student completely.   When I say completely – I mean both physical and mental.  One of the areas that I enjoy reviewing with the students is the Sash Concepts.  It is my personal belief that these concepts can be translated into many other aspects of your life- and that is what makes a complete martial artist.The sash concept for white sash is Punctuality and Focus.

In regards to punctuality, a good friend of mine often says…..
“If you are not 10 minutes early – you are late”.  

Unfortunately, there are a lot of people that do not abide by this maxim – part of the respect for the person or people that you are meeting is to ensure that you are focused when you get there and that you arrive on time.  

In our 16 week character training that we teach our Junior (kids) students – one of the life lessons is:

Wherever you are – Be there 

We talked to them about not daydreaming in class at school or fooling around when the coach of a team is talking or interrupting the martial art class to talk about other topics.  What we are looking for is to help the student hone their attention so that for short period of times, they are completely focused on the task at hand.  

Sijo often talks and teaches the concept of the `mini-day`.  When you start putting this into practice, your productivity and quality of your work will sky-rocket.  I am speaking from personal experience in this matter, as I put this theory into action on a daily basis.  Whenever I meet new people and we start talking about schedules, training in Martial Arts, running a Fang Shen Do school, real estate investments, condominium management, raising kids, etc. I am often asked `where do you find the time`.

My answer is the same - through training in Fang Shen Do – it teaches you how to succeed.

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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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Numbers Don't Lie

I was looking over the last few blogs, and I just wanted to say that I am very grateful to all the people that read them.  From what Diana tells me, we have people in Europe and Russia reading these blogs and I just wanted to say Hello to all our friends overseas.

One common thread I have noticed in the blogs is the fact that they center on personal development.  Of course, there is a reason for this – Fang Shen Do.  As any student of the art will tell you, the DO part of it means “the way”.  Fang Shen Do is more than just a superior combat system; I truly believe that it teaches students the path to success in any field that they choose to follow.  How? By ingraining in the student the perseverance, confidence and focus that they learn in their training and applying it to any other path they decide - to success. 

With your indulgence, I would like to use a physical example of this, although there are many personal development examples I can use. The Experiment;For fun, 6 weeks ago, I decided to take the FSD mental training & Focus and incorporate that into the strength training that you would find in a gym.   Towards that end, I picked 12 exercises that I would monitor.  I was looking for increases in strength (weight being lifted) and endurance (number of reps per set).  In order to not interfere with my FSD Training, I performed this workout twice a week for 4 weeks, a total of 8 workouts in a one month period.  My martial art workouts (DFA, Triangle of Fun, Armageddon, etc) remained the same during this period.

Among the many things I have learned is that numbers do not lie…..it doesn’t matter if you are talking finances, workouts, or anything else.  If you want absolute proof, look at the numbers.  This is one of the reasons that counting your reps in class is important.  I am often a little skeptical when I ask an advanced student how many reps he/she got and they tell me they never count…. If you don’t count, how do you know if you are improving?  Perhaps they are not as happy with the numbers as they might have liked, and do not want to share them for that reason….? The ResultsComing back to the experiment, I will share the results with you for the first exercise – bicep curls.  
Keeping with the above, that numbers tell the truth, I examined the total weight moved in each exercise.  To determine this, I took the number of reps x the amount of the weight x the number of sets to give a total amount moved.  On the first workout, I moved 2,850 lbs. during bicep curls.  On the eight workouts, I moved 3,120 lbs. or an increase of just over 9% Analysis.

So, what caused this increase in strength and muscle endurance?  It was not the number of workouts (I only did 8), it was not the gym or a trainer (I was by myself and spoke to no one) it was not technique or fancy equipment….. At the end of the day, it was the FSD training, the little voice that our FSD training has imbedded in us that says ”don’t stop, keep going…”. 

As a personal reflection, this is why I see the gym as only a supplement to martial art training. With Fang Shen Do, you never plateau, because you have been trained for growth and success.  I would wager that if I had done the same experiment without focussing on the FSD concepts, I would have been lucky to show half the gains that I did. 

Recently, I had a student try a class in Toronto, but he was not convinced he could join because he had just entered into a gym membership.  I told him that he should join, so he could make the most out of his membership, and that growth will translate into every other aspect of his life as well…..

Our Takeaways….?  Remember to keep track of your workouts and strive for betterment. 

I have heard Sijo describe this many times as CNEI – Constant-Never-Ending-Improvement.  As a good friend of mine always says “ we are all works in progress”  I would just add that it is our personal responsibility to ensure that our progress is forward….

Note: If you have attended one of Sijo’s Focus on Results seminars, I would be happy to share the workout with you, as I know that you will be able to mentally apply the training and maximize your growth. 

Stay Solid
Sifu Scott

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They Won because they Dared.....

As many of you know, Fang Shen Do held one of their fight nights last weekend...

I would have to honestly say that this was one of the best events that we have ever held.  It was in the JR Brisson arena with a big screen monitor that the spectators were able to watch all the action on, and what action there was !!

To go in order, before the matches, both Sibok and Sifu Pat conducted a private class in the octagon with some of the students from the fight team.  I think everyone that was watching thoroughly enjoyed watching Sibok teach Focus Pad drills and Sifu Pat go over some Grappling.
There were 22 fights on the card.

For those that have never entered the octagon,  we would all agree that it takes a lot of courage to go into an event like this, in front of family and compete in all out combat.  As the title says, all the fighters won because they dared to push their limits.  As I was watching the fights, it reminded me of something that Sijo had said to me on March 14th 2003, hours before I was to fight in the WECF octagon.  Both Sifu Pat and I were to fight that night and we stopped by Sijo's house on our way to Laval.  He shook our hands and said with utter conviction " you have already won".  It turns out that he was 100% correct, as we both won our matches before the half way mark of the first round...

But that moment always stuck with me.  When I walked into the octagon and they brought us to the center to give instructions, it was that one phrase that was running through my head.  When I looked into the eyes of my opponent, I unequivocally believed what Sijo had told me - I knew that there was no way that the other fighter wanted to win as badly as I did and that he did not have the same motivation that I had.  Amazingly, that one phrase was my absolute focus point.
Coming back to the fight night, the fights were some of the best that we have ever displayed.  Everyone fought tough, fought fair and represented their school and instructor with pride.  It was a great night for all of them.

A take-away from these fighters would be to dare to be great.  Too often, I am amazed at the number of excuses that I hear to not take action.  An often repeated statement, whether discussing training or business:
There are many good excuses not to take action; but no good reasons

I swear that some people put more effort into avoiding something, than the actual endeavour would take.  One of the ones that I have heard over many years is:  I would love to train in martial arts, but I am too old, too out of shape, don't have the time, etc... yet I would wager these are the same people that watch 15 hours of TV a week and focus on making sure they get their full 8.75 hours of sleep every night.

To conclude; take a lesson from the fighter from the Fang Shen Do Fight night - you win every time you dare to accomplish a goal.  Don't let doubt and fear paralyze you.   Some of the fighters did better than others, but they all won, because they tested themselves.  You don't have to walk into an octagon, but take that same attitude of perseverance and determination and apply to your goals.  You may do better on some than others, but you always win when you try.

Stay Solid,
Sifu Scott

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Learning From Failure

Last month we had the annual Fang Shen Do training day / Kung Fu Olympics.  For those of you that have not participated in this event, it is a very inspiring event, with two double gyms being used for all the training.

One gym is used by the adults – and the students are exposed to some high level training by the best that Fang Shen Do has to offer – More about that later....

The other half of the gym is used by the junior students and it is overseen by Sifu Stephane, who puts an incredible amount of energy, planning and time into this event.    His stated goal is that all the young students have the best day of their year that day.  For those that don’t know, Sifu Stephane has previously won international awards for the energy and teaching that he puts into these classes.

 

This year, we had a record-breaking number of over 250 students attending from the 25 different schools.  You may imagine the level of energy that would be present in the gym with that many students training and having a great time.  I think we would be hard pressed to decide who had more fun:  the students participating or the parents watching.

. 

As always, there was an important lesson to be learned.

In our pre-day meeting, Sifu Stephane was addressing all the instructors to ensure that everyone was clear on their assignments and was ready to make this the best day possible.  He was very adamant that fun and safety be stressed in equal measures.  A large portion of the day revolves around competition and there are prizes and trophies given to the students that do well in the competitions.

What struck me was when Sifu Stephane made the point that a lot of kids do not know how to lose a competition gracefully.  He went on to say that part of the lessons of the day is to try your best, and to learn from your mistakes, so you can get better next time.

We have seen this many times in the past; where we seem to shy away from declaring a winner because we are afraid of hurting the other persons feelings.  Instead we use the phrase it is an “all-way-tie” .  I feel that this stigmatism is further compounded in the younger sports (soccer, baseball, etc) where they don’t keep score and everyone gets a trophy.   We have even seen this in our classes where students will walk off the floor, in tears, if they do not win the games.

 

As instructors and parents it is our responsibility to help our young warriors realize that failure is an important part of the learning cycle and that without it, you are not pushing yourself to your full potential.  As CS Lewis said: 

“Failures are finger posts on the road to achievement.”

As with everyone, I have also experienced this.  It was one of these experiences that was partly responsible for me wanting to teach the martial arts, when I did not do well on my written Green Sash test.  It was then, that  I realized that Fang Shen Do was more than a having a killer right hook or a crushing blood choke.  This “failure” caused me to study harder, ask more questions, take notes – which then lead for me to join the Master Program and learn how to teach from Sijo.

 

It could have easily gone the other way.....

About 7 years ago, we had a high school student in our school in Richmond, who wanted to test for his green sash.  He had been with me for many years, but he shy-ed away from the harder training and did not train with the Black Belt Club students.  Both he and his parents were adamant that he was ready for the test.  Looking back with the aid of experience, I realize now that it was ego that was driving him rather than the burning desire to excel at Fang Shen Do.  Basically, he wanted a higher rank than his friend.

To make a sad story short, he failed the written test and never came back. 

After the test, I went over all his answers with him and showed him where he had made mistakes.  I brought up practical examples of things we had done in class and explained to him how that related to the theory.  As I was doing this, I could see that I was not-getting through to him; he was so focussed on the failure, that he could not see it as an opportunity for growth.

 

As a physical example of this, when you spar, you are going to get hit.  If you see this as a failure, then you should not spar.... if you see this as an opportunity to grow and get better (and not get hit in the same manner) then you have succeeded– even by being hit.

In 1999, my brother Greg and I used to drive to Winchester every Tuesday to teach a class in a school gym.  During this time, Greg was also getting ready for his green sash and used to use the hour drive to pump me for information on the test.  We were discussiong Lin Sil Die Dar closing one time and he mentioned that what he liked about it was that it did not allow you to dwell on your mistakes.  As the techniques are being called out in rapid succession, you have to “let go”  of the last one and concentrate on the next one.

 

To wrap up -  This is what we need to do – let go of, by always learning from our errors and coming back better and better.  Basic life lesson is that we will learn 10 times more from our failures than we will from our successes. 

Train hard and don’t be afraid to fail.

Stay Solid!!

Sifu Scott

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What a great weekend!!

For those that don't know, the Fang Shen Do team trains once a month as a group.  All the Sifus (and other serious students - by invite only) gather at Sijo Patenaude’s flagship school and Sijo teaches a class.  Due to the depth of his knowledge on many, many different topics, we are never sure if it is going to be a physical class, a motivational class, a theory class, or a combination of these items - the anticipation is half the thrill.  The other half is being taught by the founder of Fang Shen Do.

One of the things that I noticed as I took part in this class was the discipline of the students.  As you may see from the picture, everyone is in full uniform with their sashes.  One of our challenges that we have started addressing in the junior (kids) class is trying to have them show up and train with the proper T-shirt and sash.  The second follow up challenge is try to keep the sash on them the entire class.

Now that I think of it - I think our adult's class could use the same lesson.....

I can guarantee you one thing - no one in Sijo's class took of their sash or uniform top because it was too warm or they wanted more freedom.  Just like the Spartan warriors did not take off their greaves so they could move faster, the uniform is part of the discipline.   The exception to this is the MMA / Sanshou class, where shorts, Fang Shen Do T-shirt and gloves are the required uniform.

Coming back to Sijo's class, the main focus on Sunday was energy....We did many exercises including Sil Lim Tao, LSDD, Chi Sao and Sijo shared a test for health that I would like to share with you (he has given me permission): Take the index finger of your left and apply inward pressure to the right nostril, so that you seal it (no air can go in or out).  Breath in deeply, fill your lungs and once filled, start the clock and hold your breath.  If you can hold your breath for 45 seconds in this position (kneeling or lotus), with the nostril closed - according to ancient holistic knowledge, you are in good health.  The ancient monks used to do this for 2-3 minutes at a time.  Once you have done the right side, use your left thumb to close the left nostril and repeat the exercise.

One concept that I continually reference, from Sijo's teaching, is that of "modeling"- not the type of modeling where you walk down a catwalk - but the type where you emulate someone who has the skills that you want.  Sijo talked about in Sunday's class where he said everyone is superior in some way.  The smart student learns from that person.  In regards to Chi Sao, this applied to Sunday class as we got a chance to pair up with higher ranked instructors and work on our skills.  I was lucky (?) enough to pair up with Sibok for Chi Sao.  What an experience!!

It was an amazing class, with great energy and awesome training partners.  I would like to thank Sijo for taking the time and energy he invested in the class and for our benefit.  I am also grateful that he has allowed me to share some of it with you today and look forward to the next one.

Our take-away for this week? ...Try to train regularly with someone better than you at to get better.... Model the best.... Wear your darn sash during Fang Shen Do class...test yourself (more than once) with Sijo's breathing test.....

Stay Solid,

Sifu Scott

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FSD Fight Team

I had the opportunity to spend time with the Fang Shen Do fight team last weekend and I was compelled to write about it in this blog.  First of all, I have to give pass on my sincere admiration to Sibok, Sifu Pat and the other instructors who have been working with the Fang Shen Do fight team.   There is a reason that FSD holds three championship belts in the Hybrid Fight league – and they are it.  In addition to the individual fighter’s dedication and commitment to training in our system, it is the FSD fighting spirit that has been passed on through these instructors. 

I have been fortunate over the years to work out with all the instructors in Fang Shen Do and I have to tell you that to hold the focus pads for Sibok, Sifu Steph, Sifu Pat, Sifu Sil and others – it is a workout in itself.  What has always impressed me is the fact that they do not pace themselves.  The first hit has the same power as the last hit.  It doesn’t matter if it is a simple jab…. They are doing their best to rip the focus pad right off of your hand… from start to finish, full power, no give up….

Sifu Pat made a very good point during the training session.  He said that EVERYONE has to work for cardio.  There is no point saying that so-and-so is lucky because they have good cardio – they worked for it and they have earned it.

Sijo makes that point in his fire walk – one of my favorite seminars – where he says “imagine what you could do, if you had no fear or limitations”.

Translated into training, what could you do – if you never got tired?   Like anything worthwhile, it is not easy, but everyone can do it.  Or perhaps, it would be more accurate to state that everyone can improve from where they are….

What we have to do is eliminate excuses from our vocabulary.  {Not enough time to train, too busy, kids have a crocket tournament, etc} and make an honest effort to get better.  Busy-ness is relative – we can always find time to train, and we can always find an excuse not to…. It is the discipline of the mind that overcomes the inherent laziness of the body.

Coming back to the fight team and last Sunday, I would like to let them know that they are true warriors in my eye.  I was impressed with the respect and discipline that they portrayed – something that is not always present in the MMA world – as well as their work effort.  At the end, Sifu Pat ran them through a 5 min “burnout drill”  and what struck me  was the intensity in which they attacked it.  As I watched them train, I could not help but think that if I did that drill in class, almost everyone could do it – but most people would slow down before they were exhausted or pace themselves.  At one point, a fighter was actually crawling to keep moving forward – but he 100%, absolutely, positively, refused to give up or to rest.  It spoke so highly of his team, his instructors and of the dedication of the fighters.

On May 24th 2013 – 3 of the fighters from the Fang Shen Do fight team will be fighting in their first professional match (having dominated the semi-pro league)  - I will be there supporting them.  They have the right instructors, are training in the right system and have the right dedication.  They are true winners already.

Our take-away from this blog? Train hard… train like a champion…. Learn from the right people and don’t accept excuses from yourself.

Now that I have written this blog – I am off to train !!

Stay Solid,

Sifu Scott

 

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Respect Starts With You

Two of the keys in Fang Shen Do success, or perhaps success in any endeavor, is Accountability and Self Discipline. Too often we see that these important attributes are not present or are not being taught to people in general. I could pick several examples that I have seen where people seem to spend more time and energy to shirk the responsibility, than the actual effort the endeavor would take. As we teach our students in the Junior FSD class, there are three types of discipline: there is self-discipline, there is good discipline, and there is bad discipline. The most important discipline is self-discipline.

Self-Discipline: the ability and will to ensure that you are doing what you're supposed to be doing when you are supposed to be doing it, without any outside influence or guidance.
(this is critical for adults as well as our junior students)

Unfortunately, our mind is very quick to come up with reasons why we should not do what we know we should do. For example, we know that we should go to class and work out because that is what is necessary for a healthy lifestyle. We look out the window, and it's snowing...(or even worse… they are calling for bad weather).  As Sijo often tells us: our mind, in,stinctively runs towards pleasure and runs away from pain, so it (the lazy part of our mind) pipes up and says

"The weather is too bad to drive today... I should not go to class"

The disciplined, driven mind is quick to override this lazy talk and says :

"That is not true!! All we have to do is leave a little earlier, and drive a little bit more careful, but there's no reason not to work out because of the weather. After all - the white sash concept is punctuality and focus, so I should be there early anyways."

Coming back to Accountability, this is one of the key ingredients for success in Fang Shen Do and many other professional efforts. As professional winners in life, who use the martial arts as a vehicle to success both physically and mentally, we must resist the temptation to blame our temporary lack of success on anything else, but our actions.  To do this would be giving into the victim mindset and almost gives ourselves permission to give up!!

Someone once said that a person may fail many times, but they are not a failure until they blame it on someone (or something) else.

When I heard this quote, I completely agreed with the sentiment.  It is a true Fang Shen Do (way of survival) student who chooses to accept responsibility, hold themselves accountable and then take positive steps to resolve any issues.

As I have often told the students, I truly enjoy testing them for their next rank. It is a real pleasure to see your students growing in the system and obtaining all the benefits that Fang Shen Do has to offer. What I do not enjoy, is when I ask a question and the first thing that the student says is "You never taught that to me."

When I hear this, I ask them "Did you read your student outline?".... “Do you have Sijo's book?" ...." Did you practice a little bit each day before your test?"

Usually the answer is no to at least two of these questions. That one realization, if it is corrected, is a critical part of the testing.  I'm not trying to be overly-critical or not accept MY responsibility as a teacher: what I am trying to do is show the students that they have responsibility with their own success. The earlier a student understand this, the more successful that they will be at many different things.

One of my favorite examples of this is the wearing the sash. Often I will ask a (younger) student "Where's your sash?"

On occasion the response I get is "My mother could not find it..."

To which I reply " Is it your mother's sash? "

To conclude, I encourage all students to evaluate their words and thoughts when they find themselves blaming outside sources or circumstances on their current situation or predicament. What you do today, will make a difference. Always remember, you are the architect of your own success through your efforts, actions, thoughts and deeds.

This topic and everything I have learned and applied from it has come from Sijo.  I highly recommend, if you want to make an immediate change in your life, that you attend Sijo' Focus on Results seminar.

Train hard!!

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Preparing To Move Up The Ranks... Belt Testing

The Martial Arts are known for many things - effective self defense, focus, discipline, healthy lifestyle are just a few...

One of the benefits that I have realized and what keeps me enthusiastic about my training is the MENTAL training in a martial art such as Fang Shen Do.

As hard as is it is to believe, many people (Martial Artists included) spend 1000's of dollars per year on the outside of their head (hair styles, shampoo and other products) but less than 50 a year on the inside of their head - good books, motivational audios, seminars, etc.).

We have two great products to help you kick 2013 off with a great start.
The first is Sijo's book - 10 Secrets to Rock Solid Martial Art Foundation.  This book will ensure that you ace every test right up to Blue Sash.  In addition, there is a section about Sijo's early years called "my roots" that is very popular and is in the process of being expanded upon in both written and film format.

If you (or you want to help your child) do well on every test - this book is a must-have!!  Frequently we have parents helping their child get ready for a test, but they are not sure what a Phon Sao (or another technique) is...with this book as a reference guide, you can quickly look up the technique and help your young warrior practice it.

I have been testing students since 1994.  Since we introduced the book, I have noticed that student’s comprehension of the material is more complete, the test marks are higher and the foundation of knowledge is much stronger.

This is especially critical for later, more advanced tests. I would strongly recommend that you pick up a copy today (February Special is $19.95 per copy).

Stay Solid,

Sifu Scott


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It all starts with one step….

After as many years as we have been in Martial Arts, we hear some funny things over the years…. One that we hear all the time is “I am not in good enough shape to take classes” or “ as soon as I am in shape, I will come in and take classes”. What these people sometimes miss is that the physical and healthy body comes from taking part in classes.

Anyone can start any time – I firmly believe that….

One of the things that we teach in the Junior Class is that a “black sash is a white sash that never gave up”. I further go on to tell them what we think a martial artist is… 

In my mind, a martial artist is someone who edifies what Sijo calls CNEI – constant, never ending improvement. As an example, if person A walks into the club and is able to do 100 pushups and then after 5 years of training, he is able to do 110 pushups and Person B walks into the club and cannot do one single push up, but after 5 years of training can do 20 pushups. who is a better martial artist?

This can be heatedly debated, but to me Person B has shown stronger mental focus and work ethic. They started out by not having any skill (in pushups) and have grown by being capable of performing twenty times more after 5 years of training. So, although Person A is able to do more pushups, my thoughts are that person B has exemplified the training because they had no skill and overcame it. Sometimes this is too hard for some people to take on.
I like to think that procrastination is your brain looking for an excuse for your body….. 

A line from a movie goes something like this: “Don’t be a why Guy…. Be a why not Guy”. Although the movie was a comedy (anyone know which one?) – I always thought that was a great saying. Don’t look for reasons not to do something (in our case it is Martial Arts, but this could apply to anything), look for reasons to do it successfully.

One of the funny things about our industry (Martial Arts) is that people love to talk about it. As recently as last month, I had someone come into the school to discuss memberships – or so I thought – what he wanted to do was to talk about his Martial Arts training. This person assured me that he was a serious Martial Arts student who trained really hard and, once committed, nothing was going to stop him.

Experience has taught me how to deal with this issue – I just changed the tone of the conversation from words to action. I said “Are you ready to start right now?” All of sudden, a change came over him…. He had to check with his wife and then look into his schedule, work was crazy right now and he wanted to make sure he could dedicate himself to the training… and he left 5 minutes later.

If I had not asked that question, he would have happily spent the next hour talking about training, but not actually training.

Sijo often tells us that a strong person is one whose actions control his thoughts. This person lets their actions, and results, speak for themselves, rather than trying to convince people how successful they will be…. It all begins with a single step – decide what you want to accomplish and then think of ways to do it successfully – don’t waste your time on negative thoughts on why you should not even bother – that is your (and mine) lazy mind, trying to give you an excuse….

NO EXCUSES – JUST RESULTS

Stay Solid,
Sifu Scott

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Make 2013 Your Best Year Ever – Set proper Goals

Training in Fang Shen Do has a lot to offer to the martial art student  – fitness, self defence, focus, respect, discipline are just few of the many benefits.
One of the attributes that has benefited myself the most is the goal setting (part of the Blue Sash concept) and is one that translates to my everyday life.  I am a strong advocate and believe that everyone should set goals, no matter who you are or how old you may be.
Two hints for your goal setting (in the Spirit of the New Year):

Hint #1 – Write your goals down
By putting your goals on paper, you have created a contract with yourself – you will be more likely to accomplish them.

Hint #2 – Make sure your goals are SMART
Smart is an acronym for:

• Specific
• Measurable
• Achievable
• Realistic
• Time-bound

Specific:
Ensure that the end result of your goal is defined properly – for example not only what the goal is, but what actions you will undertake to accomplish it.  I.e.:  My ideal weight is XXX pounds and I will achieve this by attending 2 classes per week and working out twice on my own” .

Measurable:
Ensure that the end result of your goal has exactly that – an end.  Instead of saying I will save more money this year, state the amount that you will save by the end of the year.  That number, properly monitored will give you a benchmark of your achievement.

Achievable:
Your goals should be achievable.  If you are 5 foot 3, have never played basket ball before and have set a goal to play for the Toronto Raptors by the end of the year; you will have an uphill battle in 2013.  Set the goals that you have the means and will to accomplish and work towards them at a steady pace.

Realistic:
When preparing your goals – it is critical to ensure that you are both willing and able to work towards the goals.  In my experience, this is where people sometime suffer from “excuse-itis” by saying that they do not have enough time and give up before they begin.  It is a matter of setting priorities and working systematically towards their successful completion.  Remember – success is 90% horsepower.

Time-bound:
Put yourself on the clock – in a matter of speaking.  Try to assign target dates of completion for your goals and where possible, break your goals down into smaller goals.  Think of the Black Sash – one does not go from basic ranking to Black Sash in one jump.  That goal is broken down into the different ranks to provide feedback and allow for correction along the way.  Use the Sash Concept in preparing your other goals as well.
Setting Goals at the beginning of the year is only one step….
Remember that you must write them down and review them regularly.  How many goals you decide to set for 2013 is up to you.  The more that you do this exercise, the more comfortable you get with Success.

Remember:  Sijo is teaching the Focus on Results seminar on February 7^th 2013 at 7:30 (early bird registration for this seminar ends on January 7^th 2013).
 If you want to kick start you 2013, I would strongly suggest you take these 5 steps:

• Prepare goals for 2013 – Dream big !
• Write down your goals and try to read them every day in January
• Register for the Focus on Results seminar
• Bring your written goals to the seminar

Be prepared for great things this year

Train Hard, Live Strong
Sifu

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