Kung Fu Workshop
Day Eight of our Chinese Culture J-Term had us participating in a martial arts workshop with American Shaolin Kung Fu. To begin class, we were put through a series of physical exercises, including the standard range of laps around the room, sit ups, and different footwork exercises. Following this, we went into physical exercises such as front rolls and then learned punching form for straight punches, hooks, and uppercuts, working on chaining them together into a six-punch combo. After the practice of these punches, we moved to another room of American Shaolin Kung Fu's dojo, where we had a discussion about the mindset and methods behind learning and practicing martial arts, including respect for those around you and humility in your abilities, providing not only tenets to practice martial arts by but a way to live one's life.