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.

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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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BULLIES: The scrounge of society – Part I

There has been a lot of press recently regarding the issues of bullies and the challenges that are younger people face at school and in their social settings.  Five or six years ago, I was interviewed on Talk 640 (e-mail me if you would like sound clip from the show), a Toronto radio show regarding the issues of bullies.  Prior to that interview I had looked into the statistics and I would like to say that they are staggering!!!

As a professional Martial Art Instructor, we quite frequently have young students coming to us as a result of bullying.  It is ironic that we see both sides… We have parents they bring their children in because they are being bullied - we also have parents bringing in their young people to prevent them from becoming bullies.

As I discussed in my previous blogs, respect, discipline, and integrity to training in Martial Arts gives will allow a student to resolve most issues without resorting to bullying.   It further allows students (most times) to resolve the conflict without falling prey to bully tactic.

One issue that I sometimes struggle with is the current public schools policy of Zero-Tolerance.  In theory, it is a neat process that would eliminate bullying from the schoolyard.  Unfortunately (I believe)  the practical reality is that the bullies ignore the “policy”  and the policy actually handicaps victims of bullying.  Seven years ago I had a conversation with a  mother whose son was being bullied at school. She was told in no uncertain terms that if he ever defended himself he would be suspended.  She was told this by the principal of the school.

This is troubling because of the message I felt it was conveying to our young, impressionable children.  In principle, the lesson was don't do anything to resolve the situation, and trust that an authority figure will eventually resolve the situation.

…And if there is no authority figure then suffer in silence.

It is my firm belief that every parent must come up with a solution that suits their ideals or philosophy.  As a parent, I always told my daughters that they have my full permission to defend themselves.  I felt quite confident in saying this, because I knew that they would not be the instigators… But I most definitely wanted them to stand up for themselves and what they believe is right.

I told them that if there were repercussions because of them protecting themselves, then I, as their parent, would deal with it.  But I did not want the thought of retribution paralysis them from taking action.  There is an old fighter saying that is “I would rather be tried by 12 (jury) than carried by 6 (pall bears).

I consider myself extremely lucky that they did not suffer significant bullying as they went through elementary, middle and high school.  Both of them having studied martial arts from a very early age and I believe that had something to do with it.

Their confidence portrayed that they would not be an easy victim to a bully, and we all know the bullies look for the easy target.  In addition, they had too much confidence and self respect to need the attention gained by being a bully.

I would be interested in hearing your thoughts on bullies and experiences that you may have had either as a student or as a parent of a student.  Feel free to email me at torontofsd@gmail.com (if you wish to remain anonymous) or post your comments below this blog.

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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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