At The Kung Fu Club of
Issaquah,
we are dedicated to providing
students with professional instruction
in an inspiring and motivating environment.
The Kung Fu
class begins with a brief, standing meditation,
done to promote the
present moment skills fundamental to both
the “external” exercises of the Kung Fu and
the “internal” exercises of the Qi Gong.
Next are easy warm ups followed
by exercises designed to strengthen
and stretch the body
in preparation for the harder training that
follows.
Rounds
Training on several types of striking bags
and various types of Kung Fu training equipment is next,
Punches,
elbow strikes, knee strikes, kicks and other moves are practiced for
the remainder of the warm ups.
New students are
encouraged to pace themselves and not burn out.
It takes a while to get used to this type of exercise and to develop
the
required endurance.
Most people find they enjoy
this type of training and make a lot of improvement in just the first
few
weeks of participation.
These exercises provide excellent
cardiovascular conditioning, aerobic recovery and overall physical
fitness.
Additional training in the Kung
Fu follows for the remainder of
class, Class ends with a brief seated meditation.
F.A.Q.
What should I wear?
We wear black Kung Fu pants and
either the School t-shirt or jacket,
both are available for purchase at the school.
We also wear shoes when we train, athletic shoes with no metal parts.
What equipment do I need?
We use bag gloves and forearm
guards.
When you enter the blue sash intermediate level after 3-5 months of
training
additional equipment includes;
16 oz leather boxing gloves, shin, knee, elbow foot and head pads and
groin protection
We train very realistically, because that is truley the only way to
learn how to use this Martial Art.
We train on the equipment, we train with each other.
Cooperative training skills, Common sense and Padding are required.
How often may I attend ?
The average student comes to
class two or three times a week,
there are training times and classes available six days a week.
It is possible to learn these skills training only one day a week,
if you are dedicated enough to practice daily on your own.
When may I start training?
I'm halfway
across the world living in China. I've
been here as a university professor for six months now,
and I'll be here
another year at least. I am teaching english and learning chinese.
I was one of your first batches of
students, back in, I believe,
1994-1995.
I couldn't seem to get those straight
front kicks down on
account of my lack of flexibility,
but you were nice enough to let me
move on
to blue belt all the same.
When I came to china summer vacation
for my school quickly approached,
and for
my 3 month break a bought a motorcycle and drove it 11,000km for 92
days all
over the whole country on back roads.
At one point, a local chinese in
Yunnan province spotted my tatoo on my back.
In my haste of fitfull
decision making of youth I had got a tatoo of the chinese characters of
"Wing Chun Fist" on my back when I was 18.
I have never
regretted it, because I really believe that the style you taught me is
one of
the best, if not THE best,
but now I feel that I don't deserve
the tatoo
because I never went on to master the style.
When the local chinese man
pointed it out, he asked me what it meant. (Chinese characters
vary a bit
for a number of reasons.)
This encounter made me think about
Tsun Jo Wing
Chun.
A few details of back story.
After I went to college and stopped going to
your classes,
I ended up getting degrees in
businesss and neurobiology from the
UW and the UofO.
When at the U of O getting my
neurobiology degree,
there
were many times when what I was learning made me think about the kung
fu you
had taught me, and how it all made sense.
My physiology classes about the
body in general,
and my neurobiology classes about how
the brain functions both
taught me things that confirmed what you had been teaching in
class.
After college, I moved to california
near my father. He had been taking
shaolin 5 animals style for a while, and urged me to take it.
I took
lessons for a few months. I quickly moved up the ranks.
they let
you test for any belt whenever you like,
and I tested past 3 belts in one
session.
After this, my father had the idea of investing in opening a school if
I could
attain black belt in a year or two.
He sent me to pose as a prospective
student at all the different martial arts schools in town to do market
research
on the competition.
What I found was very
interesting. Most people
that do a martial art just choose a school at random or by what they
have heard
from a friend or seen on TV.
Then they apply themselves and stick
to the
belief that their style is the best. I have never been one for
this kind
of conformity.
I always question everything, as you
may remember.
After training in the shaolin 5 animals style,
and doing the one month
introductory courses for MANY other styles, I found that none of them
could
match up to Tsun Jo Wing Chun in the least.
I was very lucky to be where
I was, when I was.
So, back to the present day. I
am living in China.
-George Bourassa
11/9/2005 7:28 AM
Dear Sifu
I had wanted to express my thanks for the various things you taught me over the years:
1. It is possible to learn martial arts and still have fun.
2. Learn what you are supposed to do. Do it slowly and correctly. Then do it faster and with more power.
3. A cooperative atmosphere helps everyone feel part of the group and helps everyone to get better. This seems obvious, but such an atmosphere is absent from many classrooms and martial arts schools, where the competitive urge takes over. On behalf of the Seattle Chinese Garden Society, thank you for
everything you did to make the Midsummer Festival and Bazaar a
success.................. Your Kung Fu demonstration was a big hit! I
am especially grateful to you for being so flexible with our difficult
weather conditions and adapting the performance to a less than ideal
space. Even with these difficult problems to deal with, I heard lots of
enthusiatic comments about the Kung Fu presentation.
Your efforts were a great help to our Garden project
..........................
Sincerly,
Judy Koenig
Chair - Seattle Chinese Garden Society
August 2nd 2002
Visit the Chinese Garden at - http://www.seattle-chinese-garden.org/
to see the Peento (Chinese Flat) Peaches donated by the Kung Fu Club
2001
To: johtzu@mindspring.com
Hi Sifu,
It is so good to be back in class. Last night was very fun,
although you
know I don't remember all the specifics of the exercises. Thank
goodness
you are a patient teacher. I checked and don't have a meeting
this Friday
so will come out to practice. I appreciate your encouragement.
Thanks, Diane
From: Diane Bixler
Tue, 08 Jan 2002 16:55:12 -0800
Thank you for all that you have taught me, and I too hope that
our
paths
will cross again.
Please do keep me on the mailing list for coming events, as I would
like to
stay in touch as much as possible...The Kung Fu Club of Issaquah has
been
like a second family to me for several years.
Sincerely,
Jason Lovgren
Tue, 9 Apr 2002 13:22:14 –0700
BTW, Last Saturday night down in Pioneer square, we were at Doc
Maynards
and some guy grabbed my buddy's wife's ass. They got into it and I
jumped in to break it up. Then the ass grabber's buddy came at me. I
trapped both these clowns down at the same time pinning both to the
wall. That's as far as it went before the bouncers were on them like
stink on shit. Not a whole lot of action but the look on the guys face
when he was trapped was one of total dismay and confusion. He was off
balance before he knew it and totally vulnerable.....
From: "Mark Smith"
Mon, 1 Oct 2001 10:15:14 –0700
The Qi
Gong
classes are non-strenuous exercises done to promote health, longevity
and the resolution of illness. Some of theses exercises are
incorporated into the Kung Fu warm up exercises, but the forms and sets
of these exercises are taught
in a separate class, currently taught Monday and Wednesday evenings at
7:00 PM, or during quarterly seminars.
Membership Rates
There are different types of memberships available. Costs range from
$50 to $125 per month.
We will be happy to go over the details when you visit the school.
Any questions call (425) 392-4712 or email mail to: Johtzu@Mindspring.com
We look forward to meeting you!
Sincerely,
Sifu Johann
Sasynuik
Xiong Jiang Joh
Tzu
PRIVATE LESSONS: By appointment only; 10am to 3pm Monday- Saturday
Mook Jong Training Area: This area is available to all
Intermediate and Advanced level students during all school hours unless
needed for instruction of Advanced students etc.