Tuesday, 12/12/17.    The Studio is OPEN today.   If you’re coming in for class, be careful out there….the roads are challenging.

The Portsmouth studio is closed for the long Thanksgiving holiday.  There will be no classes November 22nd-26th.   The studio reopens for its regular class schedule on Monday, November 27th.   Have a safe and happy Thanksgiving!

Success means different things to different people. To some, success is defined as a good job, lots of money and possessions, and time to enjoy it all.   To others, success is defined as caring relationships, with a comfortable and adequate lifestyle. And still to others, success is as simple as winning a dollar on a scratch ticket, or getting the last bottle of available milk at the store. In other words, there’s no one definition of success, and the definition, itself, often changes to fit the current circumstances.   There is, however, a generally accepted understanding that, to reach success, no matter how it is defined, takes dedication, focus, and often hard work. Very often, failures of varying magnitude accompany that dedication, focus, and hard work. Even young toddlers figure this out as they perfect their standing and walking abilities. How a person defines success can often provide some insight into their character. Think about that. Use it as a guideline to set your own definition of success. But don’t be too quick to judge others, if their definition is different from yours. None of us can ever truly know what others have overcome when setting, reaching for, and (hopefully) ultimately achieving their definition of success. Just know that if you hope to succeed, you’ll need to devote yourself to making it happen. And that requires dedication, focus, hard work, and a willingness to experience a few failures along the way. Just ask any toddler!

The studio is closed Friday through Monday (9/1 – 9/4) for the Labor Day weekend.   Have a safe and fun weekend!   Regular schedule resumes on Tuesday the 5th.  Check our Facebook page for additional information.

Don’t you just love before & after pictures? They’re usually associated with some project that required a lot of work to complete, or perhaps used just to document changes in life.   The point is, that, after the fact, one can still go back and re-live the moment….feeling the pride of accomplishment, or simply marveling over the changes. Kung Fu training is rather like a before & after picture.   At the start, the task of learning many new things and training the body and mind to perform seems a little daunting. Often that mind/body connection just isn’t there. The brain says “do this”, and the body reacts like a Minion asking “what?!?!?!?”   Yet, by taking it one step at a time, using perseverance to continue on, and keeping the focus on the overall goal….it’s doable.   In fact, it’s really quite easier than initially perceived.   And, when each step in the journey is completed……. ahhhhh…. That Feeling!!!   Nothing like it. The interesting thing is that, often, people don’t realize how much change is happening. The instructors do. They see the refinements in the movements that the individual student might not fully appreciate, because the person is stuck on what they aren’t doing versus realizing how much they’ve already done. The acknowledgement of those refinements comes to the students in the form of advancing in rank.   And, all those pictures (and perhaps videos) of those rank advancements?   Why….they’re just part of the Before & After documentation that gets tucked away, only to be taken out again at some future date and re-lived through the memories of the day, or overall time in one’s life.   ….Part of that human experience that makes life so rewarding.   Go ahead….take those pictures! Show […]

Ask any martial arts practitioner that question and that person will probably answer that the style they are practicing is the best. And, if you ask enough people, in the end, all that leaves is continued confusion over which style is really the best. The better question might be …. “which martial arts style is the best for__________ (fill in the blank)”. In other words, what is the objective?   If the objective is to be able to perform impressively high, spinning kicks, then maybe Taekwondo might be the answer.   If the objective is to develop good falling skills and strong joint-lock maneuvers, then maybe Judo/Juijitsu could be the answer. Have other thoughts? There’s probably other, specific martial arts styles that address those thoughts. The point is, every style of martial arts has its strong points. But they also have some not-so-strong points. For instance, Taekwondo has very few punching techniques, and Judo/Juijitsu has very few actual kicking techniques. Our Shaolin Five-Fist Defense System has a good mix of most styles…..strong hand/punching techniques, strong, effective kicking techniques, some powerful joint-lock techniques, and a good amount of techniques that require a person to know how to fall in a manner to avoid (or at least lessen) further injury. As a bonus, our system teaches how to get in and stay in close, yet still deliver effective offensive (or defensive) techniques. Does it take a while to actually develop the skills to be effective? Of course. All styles of martial arts require some serious commitment and dedication to master the movements in a way that one can truly rely on the training for effective self-defense. But that’s the point behind martial arts in the first place…..its very nature and manner […]

Likely, you’re too busy, and have other commitments that demand more of your time that you can give to just one more activity, but honestly, you’re never too old for martial arts. Don’t even try to use that excuse!! Senior Master George (who trains in Concord) is in his 80s, and he still works at his material every day. Everybody studies the arts for different reasons. Some participate looking for a general increase in fitness. Some take it because they want to learn techniques that would be helpful if they, or someone they love was threatened, and an opportunity arose to assist in their defense. Some want to learn the movements to incorporate them into a “moving meditation” routine. Some feel that the stances and movements will really help their balance, and possibly their flexibility. Some believe that by studying the forms and movements, their focus and mental stamina will be increased. The truth? Every one of those benefits can be derived from taking martial arts! No matter the age, everyone can receive some benefit from studying.   A good instructor will scale the movements to the person’s ability and fitness level, yet still gently push the student to do just a little bit more next time, increase that stance just a little bit more, put just a little more power into the movement, stay just a little more upright…..all the while monitoring that the person is not put at risk for injury. Not into the gung-ho self-defense aspect of the arts? (it’s called martial arts for a reason) Fine. The traditional five-animal forms offer an excellent way to receive the benefits of studying the arts. And while there are certainly some very martial aspects in those forms, […]