shaolin news & inspiration

Advancement in rank is a significant achievement as a martial artist. Each rank signifies not only a new set of “moves,” but the ongoing development and improvement of the underlying skills that are fundamental to each move that we learn. While you may learn a set of moves at one rank (e.g. “White Belt kempos”), the expectation is that those moves improve at every new rank as you build skills and muscle memory through regular repetition.

As Bruce Lee famously said, “I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kick once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times.” Practice is essential to building improved focus, execution, and muscle development. Practicing with intention means we are recognizing areas where we can improve or build skills, and we are focusing our practice on that improvement.

As our practice advances, we may also begin to recognize that we need to improve other areas of our fitness in order to improve our fundamental skills. The warm-ups and strength exercises that we do in class are meant to help us improve cardio health to enhance our body’s ability to deliver oxygen and energy to our muscles. They also help us build overall strength and flexibility to improve balance and power while keeping our joints and muscles safe. As you advance in your martial arts practice, building a regular fitness practice outside of classes is important to improving your skills at higher levels.

Beyond the physical, our advancement in the martial arts also means that we are improving our confidence, our self-discipline, and our ability to focus in the face of challenges. We can practice the martial arts for life: literally, as a long-time practice, but importantly, as a way to improve our day-to-day living.

‍