Portsmouth, April 2, 2020:        Who knew? Kung Fu via FaceTime, or Zoom? Yes! It’s happening! Over the past week or so, we’ve been slowly getting a regular schedule in place for virtual lessons. So far, it seems to be working fairly well.

The lessons have been focused on material, with minimum, to no, extra drills or stretching. This results in shorter timeframes, with lower ranks, who have less material, meeting for anywhere between 10-20 minutes, and higher ranks going for up to a full 30 minutes. While this may seem like a shortened version of the students’ regular group classes, keep in mind that the Tigers (4-6 y/o) classes are usually 30 minutes, with the Dragons (7-12 y/o) normally last 40 minutes. But within those timeframes are warm-up exercises, stretching, and drills in addition to working their rank material. So the dedicated, focused one-on-one time with Master Cindy during the virtual classes actually allows for very specific student-centered coaching…..something that isn’t always possible in a larger group class. The end result? Better execution of the student’s material.

For the most part, we are scheduling once-a-week sessions. The expectation is that the students will practice their material on their own time, and be ready to demonstrate the tweaks and small corrections during their virtual session. Also….don’t forget to continue stretching and keeping that flexibility in a good place.

Is this whole environment challenging? Absolutely! And, it’s challenging to both the student and Master Cindy….to the student because they have less space, and it’s not as familiar when doing the material. It’s challenging for Master Cindy because of the different view (really a mirror image, now), and also the different environment. Giving cues by saying “you should be facing the chair” or… “turn towards the pillow” or…. “turn and face your ‘fridge” are now all common phrases for the lesson. Kinda funny, when you think about it. But, we’re persevering, and that’s what serious Kung Fu students do. Keep Training. Stay Strong.