Editors note: sorry for the giant text post in your dash.
There is a lot of information and history here and there are so many feels here that my heart is spinning in my chest;
and SORRY FOR THE BIGGEST (TUMBLR NOOB) TEXT POST SINCE THE UNIBOMBER’S MANIFESTO I couldn’t find the READ MORE BUTTON ON MY iPad..
THE SYSTEM | THE TRADITION | TAI CHI | THE 24 ELEMENTS | OTHER SCHOOLS What we have to say about training at the Harmonious Fist
It’s been a year since I joined Harmonious Fist.
Before, I never imagined that I would do martial arts. My life was nothing to do with martial arts, and I wasn’t that athletic either.One day, my friend asked me to come to a class and somehow I decided to start doing it. At that time, my main reason was to meet new people.And a few weeks passed by……I don’t know what it is, but it got me. I love it so much now. I love our style, Northern Shaolim Kung Fu. Also I love my classmates. We always have nice positive atmosphere in class. It motivates me to practice harder.A Kung Fu has changed my life alot. First of all, it helps me to gain my self-confidence. (I am still working on that.) Additionally, because of our style and hard training in class, I have lost weight and it allows me to have better self-image, and I can start seeing about myself in more positive way.I love doing forms, I love doing weapon sets. I am always excited to learn new moves. By learning and practicing basic stances and those forms, of course I am building new skills and knowledge. But more importantly, I like what I am gaining and building inside of me.It is still a big challenge for me to do Kung Fu physically and mentally: however, I know that Kung Fu is a big part of my life now and it will be forever.It’s always never to be late to start doing something new in your life. :-)Thank you Sifu! -Hatsumi
Dear Sifu and Classmates,I am writing you this email from India, where I have been spending the last 2 months celebrating my marriage with my Indian better half! If some of you don’t know about Indian marriage, they are a real life experience. Now that I went through it I can say it’s one of the most amazing and beautiful experience of my Life! I am sorry I have been MIA from the group email but between the festivities and the challenge to find a internet access it was hard to keep up with my electronic mail…I have just spent the last hour catching up with the differents postinfs. I found the email from Sifu asking to share our KF experience, I believe there is no better way to get back on the forum so here it is….One morning in 1999 I woke up with only one word in my mind : KUNG FU!As some of you might know I am French, which means I spent the first 30 years of my Life drinking wine, smoking 2 packs a day and eating long heavy meals without any phisycal exercises!It was a real shock for my friends when I told them I was looking for a Kung Fu school…I visited a few schools but when I entered the HF school I knew I found was I was looking for. Josh was the one who opened the door and it was before the starting time of the class. I was very intiminated and I sat in a corner watching the student arriving, warming up and going through class. As I was watching them I was thinking to myself “I want to know how to do this” and I was back the following day for my first class.As I told you I didn’t do any physical activities for the most part of my life. In the middle of my first class I found myself vomiting in the bathroom as my body was on shock and was trying to understand was was going on! I barely made it through limpo and tan tui. When I got back in my car my legs were hurting so bad I couldn’t even use the clutch! Kung Fu biggest teaching was to never give up, I watch my body and my life change as Sifu was pushing me and as I was pushing myself.Another teaching I learnt from practicing KF was to overcome painand frustations. after 3 years of practice I torn my right ACL for the second times. I went through a very painful surgery and recovery time but even when I couldn’t walk I never stop practicing in my head. Before practicing again I had to learn how to walk again but I did it and Sifu was there to show me the path. Thanks to KF my knee recovered and now is stronger than ever.KF has become part of my life and I use its teachings every moments. My goal is to spread the style and hopefully one day to have a KF school Sifu can be proud of!I feel KF is a gift of Life and I am thanking Sifu and all the Ancestors for keeping these teaching alive to pass them on to us.Thank you all of you for being there and you are with me every time I practice. I’ll see you soon…I should be back in LA at the end of January.May 2006 be full of Peace and Serenity, Daniel
David E. K-1 Japan. July 24/2005Hello everyone at HFist. These days I have had some really cool experiences with training. I have been seriously training Taichi for past few weeks. Through training and wrestling at the gym, something cool about taicni was revealed to me. Taichi has always been about energy training for me, but now I see as the supreme style for grappling and take downs. The movements in taichi mainly focus on fighting at the ranges were punches and kicks are not effective. Northern Shaolin is different. It has many take downs and china na techniques, but the main focus of the style is on boxing at the middle and long ranges. Taichi has many punches and kicks, but the main focus is fighting at short ranges or when your opponent grabs you. So, I have been trying to use taichi principles when grabbed.The second thing I realized is, if you practice the martial arts just to learn how to fight, you cannot practice at a high level. Since coming to Japan I have practicing for the soul purpose of fighting. My practiced changed from this peaceful search for the truth, to a very aggressive kind of energy that drained me instead of energizing me. When I trained I could feel this intense focus that lasted throughout the day. I begin to become restless and I constantly wanted to fight and use what I have been learning. All of that energy grew inside and it didn`t have a place to go. I asked myself, ” Why am I training like this, when the fight is not until a month away?” For a few days I could not find any reason to train. Well, to make a long story short. I realized that if you practice for fighting only, you may be a good fighter and win fights, but that alone is not enough to push you to practice at a high level for the rest of your life. After you become a champion, you will have no reason to train and stop. So, I still practice with fighting in mind, but I have returned to gaining understanding of principles and theory. Thanks for the post on stretching Matt. I’ve oftenconfused stretching vs. warming up.I want to add a quick testimonial to the practice ofN. Shaolin. Since infancy I’ve been plagued withillness…bronchitis, high fevers, flus, allergies,you name it. Even up to adulthood, I would get flusthat lasted 3 weeks or more. A few months intostudying the style (and of course practicing on aregular basis) I stopped getting sick! Nothing morethan a day or two during the worst seasons, and thatjust small symptomatic stuff—tender throat or runnynose. Not that I don’t get exhausted or mentally challenged, but I haven’t been “sick” in over 2 years! Yoga didn’t do it for me like that! Something tothink about…I liked the energy of the group last night.
John(((((O))))))on 4/16/05 3:35 AM,john k at vivacadadia@…..com wrote:
Sifu,just wanted to drop u a note from thailand…i still have been training frequently in tantui, limpo, # 6 and # 7 but not as much as i would like to as i have been busy adjusting to life in a foreign country which takes a lot of energy as one must overcome language barriers and many cultural differences just to get simple things done…even though my last seven or eight months in LA i was not in class because i was probably only in LA half that time as i was back and forth between thailand and LA trying to transition for my move here, i still trained whenever i could….however, this week was thai new years and most people are off the entire week from work so had a chance to train hard….it’s been a while since i’ve done this but on the first day this week i did ten sets of limpo in a row wearing a 35 pound weight vest. here’s basically what i went through….since i haven’t been able to train more than three times a week since i’ve been here, i am not in the best of shape…pretty good but not the best….by the time i finished the third set i was already breathing hard and the vest seemed to weigh a ton….after the fourth set, my lungs felt like they were on fire….halfway through i wanted to quit but knew that it was all mental and that i could make it through so pushed on…after set number six, i am still breathing hard and my legs sare starting to fatigue….they feel heavy but not rubbery at all…however, i could tell that my stance work was a lot better than six months ago because though my legs felt tired, my stances still felt solid…also because i was working on being smooth as one cannot move all that fast with 35 pounds on one’s chest, i had an epiphany during each set….i felt as though most of my set was solid except one part….each time i did the set, i felt that one strike in horse stance was weak and made a concerted effort to fix it on subsequent sets….set number 7….about halfway through the set, fatigue made me shorten one of the strikes (hammer fist to the temple)…i actually heard sifu kisu’s voice in my head (“what was that? who is that strike going to hurt?”)…i knew that though fatigued, my strike was not strong because my stance was not strong….i corrected the rest of my stances on the rest of my set and my strikes remained strong…set number eight…truly fatigued now…i’m waiting for my legs to feel rubbery because i remember that the last time i did 10 sets of limpo wearing my weight vest, my legs became rubbery and my stances faltered toward the end of the 10 sets…however fatigued, i concentrate on my stances, and still feel my legs are strong by the end of the eighth set…at the end, my legs are still ok but i am sucking wind…now have to take a longer breather, bending down, hands on my knees…i take the longest breather between any set until my breaths are no longer short and continue…at the end of set number 9 , my breathing is still short but i force myself to take three long breaths to force air deep into my lungs, i try to breath deep into the center of my chi and after maybe 15 seconds, go into the last and final 10th set…after i finish the 10th set, much to my amazement, i find that my legs never became rubbery which i attribute to my stances being stronger than the last time i did limpo with my weight vest…i remove my weight vest and do an eleventh set…i am flying…not because i am trying to go fast but because relatively speaking i feel light as a feather now…i fly through the set probably with my strongest strikes ever at the quickest speed ever…however, i am disappointed because at this speed i can feel that my stances are not strong…i am not nearly as strong, rooted to the earth and upright in my stances when wearing the vest and realize that i have much to work on still….i do a twelfth set concentrating on my stances…still flying because still feel light as a feather…stances are much better, not as sloppy as the 11th set, but still not as strong and rooted as when wearing the vest…the next day i return…i have realized from the previous day that i probably could have done twenty sets in a row with my vest (or maybe fifteen???) if my breathing rhythm was better…if i breathed deeper into the seat of my chi…my legs were not fatigued having proper stances yesterday but my lungs burned as if on fire from the third set on…i do only five sets of limpo with the weight vest this time concentrating on my breathing during the sets and in between sets…in between sets though i want to take shallow breaths i force myself to take long deep breaths in and out…. no short breaths…it is actually more difficult to breath deeply than to take short breaths but i recover much more quickly…i do basically all five sets only taking five very deep breaths in and out in between sets…much shorter resting times in between sets than yesterday because i am forcing oxygen deep into my lungs and thus need a shorter recovery time….i take off my vest, and finish with one set each of tan tui, #6, #7 and two section staff….after i finish i put my weight vest back on, and with 35 pounds on my chest i run 2 kilometers on the treadmill (i know not that far, but am not that young anymore, so still am fatigued at the end of my run)….day three, i remember sifu kisu saying you have not trained at all until you have trained until the point where you can not walk…as hard as i’ve trained the past two days and as fatigued as i was, i could still walk fine at the end of the day…on day three though i realize this saying as my legs are so fatigued and so tired i cannot train this day….my legs are super sore and i take a day offday four….i train for one hour straight, this time without the weight vest….though tired i feel good at the end of my training….i put the weight vest back on and hit the treadmill after a ten minute rest…at the end of 2 kilometers i want to quit….again though i know my fatigue is mental…i want to push my mental barrier…i told myself at the beginning of the run i would run 4 kilometers and i tell myself i will finish 4 kilometers….at 3.5 kilometers i am REALLY fatigued…i would really really like to quit running or at least take a rest but i do not…i have to force my legs to keep pumping…actually tell my brain to tell my legs to keep running…i try to lose my fatigue by taking my mind somewhere else…i close my eyes and run maybe for ten seconds with my eyes closed and almost fall off the treadmill! i guess with my eyes closed, i did not realize that i had slowed down my pace and the treadmill almost throws me off….i speed up my pace and for the last .20 kilometers i increase my pace so i am running at a full sprint….i finish 4.0 kilometers knowing that i would as long as i kept my mental focus….i wrote you this mini journal sifu because if u decide to post it i hope it helps your current students to train hard….when i was 25 (i am now 36), i probably trained twice as hard as above! now i’m too old to train as hard as i did back then because physically i can’t handle it but mentally i can still push myself harder than what i think i can physically do…train hard everyone!peace,john
From: Roger Date: Fri Mar 18, 2005 3:01 pmSubject: a not so simple thank you hello sifu and all my harmonious brothers and sisters-i just got back from my trip and i wanted to sharesomething inspiring and wonderful that happened whilei was there - all due to my joining harmonious fist.this is going to require a bit more sharing then i’mnormally accustomed to (and comfortable with usually),but since it has alot to do with the person i’mbecoming as a result of my time spent with you all -i’m going to jump in knowing that i’ve found a prettyoutstanding group of supportive people that will bearwith my corniness (and long winded nature when iwrite)so i was on vacation in hawai’i - and i lived up tomy promise that i would practice my kung fu everyday -i have a lot to work on - (my confidence mostly)- but still, i’d like to get out of my head and relyon my instincts more, feeling confident in what mybody already knows - try and rely less on my naturalstrengths (i’m earthy - grounded and strong - butstiff and inflexible)so every morning i got up and went down to the beach -i’d stretch and look out at the waves and see the flowof the water i’d breathe in the cleanest of air i’dfelt in quite awhile and felt this warm powerful sunon my back and i had an epiphany -(i’ve had a couple in class since i started - like thefirst time my body settled into forward stance rightor i gained some ground on my strikes in tan tui -each one teaching me something different - how my bodywas changing - getting stronger and more flexible orhow my persistence and commitment were paying off)in this case, in trying to tap into the energies ofthe universe and in myself, i realized how grateful iwas to you sifu and to all of you for sharing yourknowledge with me - for your support and guidance -both patient and full of humori’ve been told by some of you that i should expectmore moments like these and to just roll with them,and so i amgratefullyso thank you again sifu for creating a reallywelcoming communitythat’s not just making me fit in body (although i’mpretty grateful for that too)i’m looking forward to the long road aheadrog Be careful: if you let it, kung-fu will change yourlife. Please bear with me for a little bit of back story: In2002, I was a 24-year-old with a lot of potential, buta crappy low paying job in the entertainment industry.I made it through the days by taking frequent tripsto my possible future or my better days past. I hadbeen diabetic for 12 years, and I guess the milestonehadn‚t sunk in yet; I was about to have spent more ofmy life diabetic, than not. I was healthy, in that Iwas not overweight. I would even say in shape. Myblood sugars were consistent. They were justconsistently high. It is now December of 2004. I am producing a seriesfor national geographic. It has taken me to some coolplaces in the world (which is great, except I do missthe Fist when I am gone). January 1, 2002 I was taking an insulin basal rate of19.6 units per day. An insulin basal rate is how muchbase line insulin you must give yourself in a day offasting. If I didn‚t take in any extra sugar, howmuch insulin my body needs is my basal rate. Inconnection with how consistent and ideal my bloodsugars are, it is a great indicator of how healthy orefficient my body is. When I do kung-fu every day, for more than a month ata time, my basal rate is 14.7 units per day. Onecould say that my body needs 25 percent less insulin,because I am using that energy. This change is muchmore drastic than just an increase in activity. I amnot only using less insulin, my blood sugars areconsistently in the ideal range. But I am not evendoing hours of kung-fu every day. An hour committedto good kung-fu every day is enough to keep me healthyand in excellent shape. Even when I am unable to dokung-fu consistently for weeks at a time, my basalrate is 17.3 units per day. Kung-fu has made me likewine, getting healthier with age. And I have beendoing kung-fu for only 18 months.People often ask me what I do to stay in shape, and Isay, „I do kung-fu.‰ „I know that you do kung-fu, buthow do you keep such a good body. Do you work out?‰ „Yes, I do kung-fu.‰ I wouldn‚t only say I am inshape, but I also make pretty shapes with my body.Kung-fu means bitter work. I have also heard ittranslated as „the bitter work needed to become amaster.‰ I don‚t know if that is the poetic essenceof the words, or a bad transliteration, but the reasonwhy kung-fu has changed my life is that it has taughtme to commit. Why? If someone is attacking you, nomatter how big or how many, you have to commit to theshape you are making with your body to effectivelyhave a chance at leaving the situation harmed lessthan your opponent. It increases your whoop-assfactor if you are committed to well-formed shapes. But here is the trick. Once you understand how tocommit yourself to what you are doing it is hard notto commit to everything. Commit yourself to what youare doing. Commit yourself to who you are. Commityourself to what is happening right now. In essence,commit yourself to the life you are living. I won‚t be 26 forever. One day, I will reach an agewhere the likelihood of dying from a diabetic-relatedreason is greater than dying of anything else. So Ican talk about being healthier, being happier, beingmore loving and more loved, experiencing the world,accomplishing whatever it is that you create foryourself as a possible future for yourself to help youcope with the present state. Or you can make yourpossible future your present state.Kung-fu is hard work. Sifu says you can bullshit yourway through a lot of things, but you can‚t bullshityour way through kung-fu. I would add to that, thatonce you stop bullshitting your way through kung-fu,it is hard to continue bullshitting everything else. Once you commit to the awesome feeling of presence andpower you feel when you start to gain control of yourbody, it is hard not to change your life. I have seen plenty of people come for a month orthree. Hell, if it were easy, everybody would do it. But I feel like flying for experiencing the changes Ihave accomplished with kung-fu. Thank you Sifu.My name is Elijah. I’ve been studying martial arts since Feb ‘02 when I started at H-Fist. I value learning NSL because it pushes me both physically and also on the “insides”. I’ve noticed too that I feel different when I train in class and when I train solo. I was telling Mary the other night, that for me I like to train solo because after working in the office all day, training is like a moving meditation. I like training in class because there’s a lot of good people and Sifu always adds another piece to the NSL puzzle, though I don’t feel as much of the moving meditation in group training. Ok, the forms I’ve learned so far:LimpoTan TuiHoy Moon (#1)Tun Da (#6)Moi Fa (#7)Bot Bo (#8)Bung Bo (Mantis1)Tonfas (double clubs) Cern Guai2section staffcanepek kwar broadsword What I’m learning now:Double broadswordStaff What I want to gain from the class:Solid basics. These days I spend a lot more time practicing: Iron Cage/Meteor Fists, NSL Leg attacks, Stance sequences. I’ve been studying with Sifu at the fist since - wellI’m not really sure. My first 2 or three classes wereat the Lindenhurst school and I came at the same timeas Shin and several months after Michael, Felicia andDee. So if anyone who’s been around know s how longthat’s been please tell me.Anyway I’m from Washington D.C. originally but havebeen in LA for about 5 years now. I’ve always beeninterested in the martial arts and was curiousspecifically about Chinese MA which is what brought meto Sifu.I’ve learned and can perform on my own:Lim PoTan TuiTun DaMoi FaBot BoBong Bo (Mantis 1)2 section staffDouble ClubsCaneBroadswordWhat I’m working on still:StaffDouble BroadswordsMantis 2Hoy MoonHope to see you all in class soon.James Hello Kung Fu Brothers and Sistas! I’m originally from London and have been in LA for 7 yrs. I’ve been studying with Sifu Kisu for 4 months now. I have studied other styles before…Wing Chun for 4yrs, Arashi Ryu Karate Do 1yr. So far it is the Northern Shoalin style Sifu Kisu teaches that makes my spirit sing the most! Not only the system, but the passion by which it being taught…thank you Sifu:) In the 4 months I’ve practiced I’ve learned: Limpo Tan Tui Tun Da (#6) I’m working on: All my basic sets above and other basics such as stances, kicks etc… Other forms: Cha Kuen(sp?) Tai Chi straight sword NS Straight sword Fan Two sectioned staff I’ve learned patience due to old injuries and gain comfort in the knowledge that I will study for life, so there’s no hurry… it will come. I’ve learned a lot about my weaknesses and also of my strengths. I hope to learn a lot more over the rest of my life:) I’ve learned a lot about you all too and respect you all very much and appreciate everything you bring to class. You are all an inspiration in your unique style! I learn a lot from each of you, whether I’m being taught or I am the one teaching. Thank you! Mayumi C. Hello everyone. I am David E. and I have been sifu’s student for a year and a half. I started around January 02. I from Compton Ca and i am a student at Cal state Long Beach. Currently, i am in Taiwan learning Chinese at Feng Jia University in Tai Chung city, Taiwan. So, many of you will not see me in class for a while (about a year). I truly enjoy practicing Northern Shaolin. It is the style i have been searching for. I like northern Shaolin so much, that even though there are many martial arts styles in Taiwan, i don’t even care to learn them. I just want to practice on my own and see where the practice leads me.the forms i know and still working on are:Lim poTan tui#6 Tun da#7 Moi fa#8 But bo#1 Hoy men#4 Chum samBung bo MantisTai Chi Short FromBa guaTiger & crane set Weaponspak kar staffKing of nine province staffpak kar broadswordtwo section staffdouble broadswordscanegwan daotaichi sword i dont have any weapons to practice with except the two section staff, been using imagination, practicing my forms as if i had weapons in my hands. I wonder how it will feel when use my weapons at home? well, ill see you all when i get back. Take care Oh! and welcome to all the newcomers. Hi All, My name is Alex V. and I started the last week of October. I think it is really interesting to read how many people have looked for Shaolim training all of their lives, as I really feel the same way. I studied a little aikido and Hapkido when I was younger as well as a little Tae Kwon Do and Jujitsu. I also studied Tang soo Do for about two years. None of the styles really held me, especially as I got older and busier. Finding Shaolim is incredible… finally a style that values your opponents well being! What a goal to set! I love the long forms and I love how precise Kung Fu is. Of course, I feel totally overwhelmed with how much there is to learn, but I took it upon myself as a challenge when Sifu said most people don’t stick around. I also saw it as an oportunity when many of you seemed to have so much ability, knowledge, strength, and compassion for the learning process. For me, I hope in a year, two years, etc. I have the same passion I feel right now. For me, learning this style is a marathon, not a sprint. Right now, I can pretty well make it through Lim Po and Tan Tui sets one through three, although I often have to hold a form to remember where I am within the set for Lim Po. Repetition. Repetition. Repetition. See you all at class.AlexMy name is Chris B. and I’ve been studying with Sifu since March of ’02. I teach French at a local junior college which I’ve been doing now for about 10 years. Being a teacher myself, I truly appreciate Sifu’s teaching style and appreciate the sense of solidarity and fellowship that he fosters among his students. I find the style extremely challenging both mentally and physically. The more I learn, the more I realize I truly need to work on refining my basics. What I’ve learned so far (and am continually working on!):Lim PoTan Tui# 6 – (Tun Da)# 7 – (Moi Fa)# 8 – (Bot Bo) 2 section staffWhat I’m currently learning: # 1 ( Hoy Moon)Bong Bo (Mantis 1)Zham Ma Do (Horsecutter)ClubsStaffSteel FanBroadsword Hi all,I’m Ondraus J. I started studying with Sifu in 2000. However, Iwent MIA after only a few months and had to beg—and yes—cry my wayback into the fold a few months ago. So I, in reality, I have only beenstudying for 8 months or so. I am the much reviled entertainmentlawyer, and I’ve been practicing law since 1997.I have learned and continue to train: Lim Po, Tan Tui, and #6(TunDa).And I’m trying to learn: #7, Clubs, Staff, Fan.OJ Hello hello,I began in Apr 2000, a time where I couldn’t touch mytoes or stand on one leg for longer than 2 seconds. Ibelieve Felicia and I started roughly the same time. Since then, there have been many changes, new faces,and lots of sweat. I learned most of my basics fromMui, Josh, and Jon. Soon thereafter, I began to beoverwhelmed with information, and to this day I amstill trying to figure out how to balance everything. Sometimes I think this is the hardest part - not theactual practice. If you don’t manage your time andmotivation wisely, you won’t even get to practice. I’ve learned a lot, including limpo, tantui,#1,4,5,6,7,8. We are lucky to have this styleavailable to us, and to have a Sifu that trusts uswith it.I just started the PhD program in Chinese Lit & Langat UCI, so I am quite busy. Most likely you’ll catchme on sundays…mike Hi, everyone, my name is Misako. I came to the class since last Nov. I learned Limpo and Tan Tui. I ‘m still working on # 6. It’s not easy to remember the form for me. I think I take a much more time to stay in one form. Sorry Sifu I’m a slow learner. I started to learn Tai Chi since when I was in Japan 25 years ago. Then I studied Yang long form since I moved to U.S. 22 years ago. But I could not continue because my knee pain. So I studied Alexander Tech. for body awareness and changing my bad use of myself since 17 years ago. And I became a teacher of Alexander Tech. That helped me to go back to Martial Arts since I dreamed about since kid. I feel terrible sometimes not to remember the form. But I love body movement. I teach Tai Chi short form and Qi Gong for mostly senior citizens and also people in down town skid row area for 5 years. Sifu Kisu was a first person to encourage me to teach Tai Chi long time ago (if he remembered). I came to larrn from Kisu was that I love his spirit and dedication. I wanted to improve my Tai Chi also. I enjoy learning Kung Fu with my classmates. I appreciate everybody to teach me and practice with me. Thank you. Hi everybody,I’m Josh; i joined the hfist in october of ‘97, so i’ve been studying Northern Shaolin for about 6 years now. since last fall, i have been living in philadelphia where i’m working on my Ph.D.as for what i’ve learned…hand forms: limpo, tantui, NSL 1,2,4,5,6,7,8, chaquan, 24 taiji, bagua, bengbu, plum blossom hand, plum blossom falling, drunken arhatweapons: dragon walking sword, eight immortal sword, taiji sword, pigua broadsword, spear, 5th son pole, 9 provinces pole, cane, 9-section whip, double daggers, horse-cutting knifeplus i’ve learned bits & pieces of: iron fan, tiger & crane, 2-section staff, double broadsword, xingyiit’s good to hear that there are so many people in class these days, you all should feel very lucky to be learning such a great style under such a great teacher!josh Ok, i’m bryan , i’m 26. originally from cleveland, oh, then outside atlanta, ga, then louisville, ky, then back to the suburbs of atlanta, then up to cincinnati for a year at a small art school, then over to the rhode island school of design, in providence, for the remaining three years. i studied illustration and animation, focused on oil painting and narrative works.after college i lived briefly in manhattan before making the move to los angeles to ride the booming t.v. animation wave in 1998. in the past four years i’ve worked on a variety of animated shows in a variety of positions (storyboard, art director, etc.).for the past ten months my friend and i have been developing our own series with nickelodeon. it is a martial arts epic set in a fictional asia in a lost age. i wanted to do the kung fu in the show justice, rather than copying moves from movies, so that’s why i sought out sifu kisu. he and the northern shaolin tradition have been an immense inspiration for the project from the day i met him. the concepts and philosophies sifu passes on to us are an integral theme of the story. maybe in a year or two you will all be able to tune in and say, “i know that style!!!”other than that… i’m the youngest of five kids, i have seven nephews, i attempt to record music in my spare time and i don’t practice my kung fu enough. but i’m getting better about that:) I guess I’ll join the fray tooMy name is Frank and I’m 20 years old, almost legal. I grew up in LA but somehow ended up going to New York for college on a whim. I was young and dumb and didn‚t know what „below zero‰ meant. Now I‚m a junior at the Stern school of business at New York University. I‚m double majoring in finance and accounting (sexy and glamorous it is not), in hopes that I‚ll pay off my college loans before I die. One day, I hope to have the privilege of working 90-hour weeks on Wall Street. I first came to the Harmonious Fist when I was 17, with my mom at my side. Now I‚m 20, and my mom lets me come by myself, which is progress. At the time, I was by far the youngest person in class. Because of this, I often felt a little intimidated in class. It made my adjustment to class a little more difficult than it should have been. Plus, Josh and John never smiled once. Hence, I socialized more with people in my age group˜namely, Arjuna. But now I guess I‚ve grown up and I love coming to class and meeting people. It‚s been about 3 years in the making and I‚ve learned a few things. I know Sifu, I‚m shocked too! I‚ll be the first one to admit that practicing and keeping the self-motivation at a high level is difficult when you live 3000 miles away. But Sifu‚s great and I find myself scurrying to class, wherever it may be, whenever I‚m in town. When I first came to class I couldn‚t even touch my toes. Now, I still can‚t touch my toes, but I‚ve learned a hell of a lot more than that. The Fu‚s become a big part of my life, thanks to Sifu. I hope my Kung Fu journey continues, until the day I‚m too old to walk, or just not welcome to class anymore. This is my last week: Bye everybody. ~Frank Hi everybody!!My name is Linda and I’m the most inconsistent student, but the most loyal! (no comments from the peanut gallery please!) I first joined almost 2 yrs. ago. I’m out here to act and sing. I’m from Florida and anytime anyone wants to get together and practice outside of class or just get together and do a H-Fist outing I’m so down!! just give me a call I live in Hollywood!! LindaHi Fist! I’m MaryI decided to take kung fu after my friend Greg lent me a bunch of Jademan “Blood Sword” comics. I’ve never been a big kung fu movie freak or had any urges to beat anyone up, but the talk of “inner kung fu” in those comics got me interested. I would say my primary motivation for taking kung fu is rooted in self-discipline (of which I have always had very little), physical health, and hopefully spirituality. I personally don’t ever intend to fight another human being. I’m hoping that “Avoid rather than check” will probably get me through life, but if it doesn’t, maybe with practice I’ll be prepared to “Check rather than hurt.” But I don’t begrudge anyone else their view of the martial arts as more physical and fight-oriented. To each his own. I’ve never stuck with any sort of physical regimen for this long; I did a lot of somewhat intense ballet as a kid but that stopped when I was about 13. I was horrifically out of shape when I started class with Sifu (not quite one year ago), and now I’m only terribly out of shape. I think kung fu appeals to me because there is always some small detail -and- some larger picture left to discover. I tried yoga, which seems like it would have the same quality, but somehow the motivation didn’t gel. I think I like the fact that kung fu is both a solitary and a group activity; I get a lot out of taking class with my brothers and sisters, but of course the work to be done always rests solely in me. I’m also more-than-interested in the ties between kung fu and Chan buddhism. Lately I’m interested in the premise of the forms being meditations and the ‘opponents’ being mental rather than physical. I also chose Harmonious Fist because the other local schools whose websites I could find didn’t really appeal to me at all. I knew I wanted a teacher who would address more than just fighting techniques and belt requirements, and who wouldn’t push me so hard I’d get annoyed and give up, and I feel very fortunate to have found Sifu and this school. I like the easy-going-yet-respectful-and-dedicated nature of the class. I like the fact that Sifu talked about preparing for the upcoming competitions as personal explorations rather than focusing on them as chances to dominate. I also like Sifu’s humility and his general teaching style. I really like that I never seem to have to talk myself into going to class, because I always want to. I’m really heartened by the type of students Sifu seems to attract and retain, too. I feel like we’ve got a great group and that every new student who stays just keeps making it greater. Longwinded enough? I’m enjoying reading everyone’s bios, keep ‘em coming!See you in class.Mary You very sly Sifu. Who doesn’t like to talk about themselves? More importantly, the group is strengthened when we know more about one another. OK. I’ll bite.Linda said she was your most inconsistent student. I might give her a run for her money. Then again, I might take the prize as most consistent. Most consistently absent. I dunno. I go through fits and spurts of daily practice then I get overwhelmed by my life and that slinks down to a few then a couple of times a week. I’m getting to it most days these days. It’s so unsettling when I can’t chisel out the time for it. I feel so much better about everything when I do. I think I also have the distinction of being the only student Sifu has taught for going on 2 years who still knows no fu. Took up tai chi at the tender young age of somewhere between 35 and 40. All I really wanted was tai chi to be taught as a martial art. That’s how I first learned it when I was a young college pup like most of you are now. The teacher was in Dallas where I was attending school. I find it interesting how many of you `find’ this art at exactly the same time I `found’ it the first time around. Anyway, it’s alarming how difficult it is to find a teacher who can relay all the many facets of the art ˆincluding the practical and the martial ones. But I found Sifu and, with my post-two-baby body and screeching toward the 40 year mark —never looked back.So I know now a very scant few things but I enjoy practicing them very much. They are:Short tai chi set, tai chi straight sword, 7 of the 8 bagua palm changes. I can muddle through long tai chi set and would welcome any help with that from anyone. I have also been handed a staff in the last few weeks and, well, that’s got me very excited as it would any red-blooded American-or-otherwise girl.I’m just a mess with everything right now. I’m constantly falling over during the bagua and have many new bruises from my fine new staff. But I have become stronger and more flexible. I treated myself to a good used piano over the holidays and am loving the juxtaposition of practicing music and martial art. They are both maddening and thrilling. It’s very cool.As for the bio: grew up in rural Arkansas. Chris, where in Arkansas? And who are you? You see, I’m the one leaving when you’re all arriving because if I don’t get home in time to tuck the kids in they explode all over my husband. So I have placed faces on a handful of your names but not all of you.Anyway˜Arkansas. I played in the woods most days until I heard my mama calling me to supper. Loved to read. Fertile imagination. Strong tendencies toward theatre and acting but also with a strong talent for (you wouldn’t know it from reading this posting) writing. So I decided to major in journalism in college. That lasted about three months and I switched majors to acting. So that’s what my undergraduate degree is in.That degree has served me well. For an actress, I am an extremely good information systems manager. I love to cook and do crafty things and I never have time for either. I make the best flan you’ll ever put in your mouth. I’m the only So Cal gal I know who can’t snow ski but can water ski. Hoping to get to some mountain some time with my kids and learn with them.I have been concentrating on my writing since I had the kids and that is really what I’m hoping to transition to here soon. Recently optioned my first script and, if I ever get the time (!), I have more stories to tell. In the meantime, I have a great job managing the info for an investment management firm (Frank: bring that sexy and glamorous degree around when you’re done with it. I’d love to see us add a kung fu trader/analyst to our desk. And nobody works 90 hour weeks at my firm.) I also have two fabulous kids, ages 7 and almost 5; a fabulous husband, even older than me; and two fat, stinky cats. The two kids and the two careers make me a walking stress case. But what I have realized, of course, is that the demands that even the few forms I know make on my mind and body really fortify me.All good things on all y’all’s heads.Keri Fitzgerald Damn, it has been a great thing opening my yahooaccount and learning so much abt. kung fu/taichi/bagua and their influences on each of your livesand each of your individual takes on them. Thank youfor sharing….OKWhat have you learned so far? I am learning Limpo, tantui, #6, #7, # 8 I am copying Sifu’s and your guys’ moves in #1I have been guided through the 2 section staff tillthe 1st sequence. I have also completed the 1st poleset, but have not even tried doing it on my own.What have you learned from practicing this style? Uhmmm…let me see. I have learned that you canachieve much more than you give yourself a chance toif you just practise and don’t worry about theresults, that to hit is to hit through the target withyour weight being multiplied by your hips and strikingwith a tight fist or palm, to practice with all heartor not practice at all, that I need to quit smokingASAP if I ever want to reach the levels you peoplewill (I don’t think any of you smoke), your defeseshould be like an iron cage, practicing sets can be amoving meditation, you will get surprised by your ownprogress and you will be disappointed at your ownstruggle to practice, yet you come to realize thatthis is not a short term thing, to hold your headhigh like a string pulls you from the heavens, tuckyour chin slightly, root your feet and imagen them asroots digging deeper, you are pulled from the heavensand the earth and you feel a beautiful tension in yourmid-section, you are ready to do your sets/yourfu/your practise…remember you should be breathinglike a dragon throughout all this and be objectivelydetached from emotions …What do you want to learn?I feel like I do not know enough to answer thisquestion. Whatever was taught to studentstraditionally would be my answer.My favorites:I have always been attracted to the two section staffor ninechuks sp? ever since I saw Bruce Lee movies…I love the pole…something about being able tocontrol a stick at whim…any of you seen the chinesecartoon with the “Monkey King” damn that monkey wasawesome with his red staff with gold tips…I love to watch and would love to learn bagua,something mysterioius about it.Something different than the Northern Shaolin movementthat I am trying to hone down…makes me think it willintroduce me to a different element of thinking aboutmovement and expand my current horizons.Would want to practice the short strikes and traps ofthe Mantis…I feel like I need to gain an understanding ofdistancing and closing in, counter attacking andstriking long or low or short and with an instep intothe opponent with strategy and style. How to respondto various moves of an opponent? Maybe I need to juststart competing in competitions.I would love to be competent in the whole essence ofthe style and also small tricks that could help me insituations where 1 or 2 second practised moves couldmake a difference of getting away or gettingthrashed…Since I am a small guy, I would like to learn placingmy body to uproot bigger opponents gravity withoutharming myself. What will be your specialty? I feel like I am in no position to answer thisquestions since it is to early for me. I have notrealized the essence of all sets or practices.Thanks for listening…SEE U TODAY!Nishan first of all, have really enjoyed reading everyone’s postings although i have only made it through bryan’s, nishan’s, mary’s and frank’s so far….as far as myself, i have learned limpo and am still learning tantui (spelling?)…so i practice limpo and tantui whenever i can…i probably know about up to set #7 or #8 in tantui and then things get fuzzy for me when i practice on my own….i try to do limpo over and over again until exhaustion like sifu has recommended but am disappointed in how easily tired i get….i don’t think i am breathing properly so i try to focus more on that…i remember the days when i could spar and get all prideful about the fact that i would not be breathing hard at all when others would be dying…those days are long gone but am striving to get there again…i am too much of a neophyte in northern shaolim to know what will be my specialty but as far as weapons i would like to learn staff…don’t know why but i always thought the staff was a bad ass weapon….as far as why i joined hfist…i had a very similar ordeal to nishan’s…when i first moved to LA i searched hi and lo for a martial arts dojo that felt like home…i probably visited 10 or more different schools and none did…i looked at hapkido, aikido, jui-jutsu schools, but so many talked about the arts for about all of half a minute before telling me how much i would have to pay for a “trial” evaluatory session and for gear….the pollution of the true spirits of the arts for money kind of disgusted me and for the first three years, sadly, i relegated myself to training on my own…i feel blessed to have found sifu and hfist because i was searching for a dojo where i could extend the training that had been given me by prior sifu’s and sensei’s….i know it probably doesn’t show, but i trained under a navy SEAL in philly for three years first in kyokushinkai karate, then in aiki-jutsu…interestingly enough my first sensei/sifu went through an evolution of mindset from kyokushinkai to aiki-jitsu after sparring with his sensei one day and having a moment of enlightenment….so the weapons he trained us in were primarily the bokken and tanto….from there i moved to SF were i continued training in aiki-jutsu and then had a lull in my training after moving to LA….the reason i FIRST became involved in the martial arts was because way back when , in Philly i was a pissed off kid most of the time….i knew that if i didn’t learn to control, and eventually squash my anger that it would get me in serious trouble one day….my sensei taught me that anger would cripple my speed during confrontations and that anger would cloud my judgement and that anger would make me tense, disallowing true power to flow from my movements….he also taught me that to let go of my ego would allow me to let go of all fear…even fear of dying….i still strive to get to that point but am nowhere close to that yet…that is where my crossing with sifu kisu was so much of a blessing…i wanted to find someone that could serve as an extension of my first sifu/ sensei’s teachings…no one came close to that in LA until i met sifu kisu…in fact, seeing the dispositions and dedication of his students at the first class i attended, i immediately could see sifu kisu’s connection with his students and i knew that i had found my new “home”…i also knew that because martial arts was the single most important facet in my life that helped me to become a better person that i needed to have it be an integral part of my life again…currently i am a financial advisor and just starting out in this position, it is a thankless job in the beginning…you work extremely long hours and you only get paid by the business you bring in…it is a truly entrepreneurial job…more money flowing out then coming in ever since i’ve been at this job as i try to build a respectable business….at times i have been stressed thinking what will happen if i don’t make it in the next several months…i’ve put myself more in debt at this job, tapping my credit cards, than the ridiculous loads of debt i’ve already racked up in grad school…but martial arts, as well as buddhist philosophy that i’ve managed to embrace, keeps me mindful, my worries about the future in check, and allows me to live in the present and enjoy the present as much as it is possible…also one of the reasons that i know i ABSOLUTELY must have martial arts in my life…it keeps me on an even keel and raises my quality of life…hopefully one day, it will also allow me to keep my ROAD RAGE in check…but LA drivers…damn! what other city has cab drivers who can’t f*cking drive?? LA cab drivers would get murdered in NY….not to mention that LA drivers act like it’s snowing when it’s RAINING! one of my true loves is writing…i’ve written a couple novels that i am trying to get published…and oddly enough, my second novel kinda sounds like your experience nishan…i started writing it three yrs ago when i traveled through thailand and burma…because i experienced a lot of things that made me think for days if not weeks on end…if i didn’t have so much debt to pay off, i’d probably try to write for a living…alright enough rambling…peace.-John i’m Dave S, and you probably haven’t seen me for a while….i came to the school in january of 2001. i attended class 4-5 times a week and soaked up as much as i could. i was finishing my third year of law school, and was desperately trying to do something to get into shape and get active in something that didn’t involve beer or the law. although, to be honest with you, there was a little of both in my fu experience. in may of 2001, i moved to boston for a while, and practiced wushu with yao li, and in fact taught him number 6 (with sifu’s permission, of course). wushu was a bit flowery for my taste, but it gave me a different perspective on fu. one thing i learned while sparring in boston, however, was that as long as i kept my opponent at a distance, i could close the gap and attack and keep him from attacking. but if he got inside my perimeter, i had a tough time. so when i moved to oakland and couldn’t find a good shaolin school i liked, i went to a wing chun school taught by hoover chan. it’s a great deal different from shaolin, and is very effective is close quarters. but it’s a bit esoteric, mastering tiny and subtle moves, and didn’t give me the same spark as northern shaolin, so i kind of drifted away. i came back to h.fist late last year, wildly overweight and out of shape, and got busy trying to get back into the swing of it. i hope to get back to the fu soon. i’m pretty disappointed, but i’ve got about another month or so before i can consider training again.so far, i’ve learned lim po, tan tui, 6 and 7, and started learning staff and clubs. i’ve also learned the wushu form nan quan, and the wing chun form siu lim tau. personally, i’m an attorney starting my own civil rights practice in santa monica. i’m also a recovering journalist.Hey All, I’m Felicia L. and have been studying with Sifu for 3 years. I came to learn about Sifu the way most you have via the internet. I stopped by his school and met John( who is now oversees in Iraq with the Army,) he convinced me to come back and on my second visit I met Mike L. We both sat in a corner of the school watching Sifu train his students. I was simply blown away at the emphasis of proper form, technique, and strong foundation that was taught. I didn’t look for another school and have been with the school ever since. I had studied Tae Kwon Do briefly in college but it just was not what I was looking for. I do not believe that one can learn a form then take a belt test and say that they “KNOW” a form. That is what I love about Northern Shaolin, you never really know a form even when you learned it completely. You are constantly presented with a new perpesctive every time you practice. This is a life-long journey for me and I truly get excited when performing Lim Po I see a move that I done hundred times in a new fresh way. The greatest change that I can attribute to studying martial arts is that it has spurned my thirst to learn more about the Chinese culture, literature, and language. The thought that each form was developed for a specific reason fascinates me. It is great to see so many new students and see their dedication to learning the style. Let’s see the bio. I was born and raised in Texas in a small town south of Houston and went to college in Louisiana(yes this means I am country hick.) I moved to LA 6 years to work in the movies and am currently an assistant editor on “Dragnet.” About 3 years ago I decided that I wanted to persue a lifelong goal of studying martial arts and found HFist. I am currently learning Spanish and playing the guitar - the learning never stops. The forms I have learned: limpo, tantui, cha kuen,6, 7, 8, 1, 4mantis1, 2,3staff1, 2, pek kwar broadsword, 2sectionstaff, hookswords,straight sword what I am learning as of now:5, cane, tonfas, bagua I am trying to specialize in the straight sword and #7. Felicia What I’ve learned: Lim Po, Tan Tui, #6, #7, #8Working on: #1, two-section staff, staff, clubsI’d like to focus on learning #1 and two-section staff right now Eventually: mantis forms & kwan-do look really cool… I took a couple of years of TaeKwonDo back when I was 18 or 19, loved it but started doing theatre and loved doing plays more. My instructor would get mad and yell at me when I missed a month or two at a time in order to do a play, so I eventually stopped going… I started taking kung fu classes a couple of years ago at UCIrvine (Northern Shaolin, but different forms than what Sifu teaches), and when I moved to LA my teacher from UCI recommended Sifu Kisu. I also grew up in Arkansas (Little Rock and then Fayetteville - who knew we had such a large Arkansas contingent at Harmonious Fist?) and went to undergrad at University of Arkansas where I got degrees in both Drama and Computer Science. After 5 months mountain-biking and hitchhiking across Europe, I moved to San Francisco, where I worked on computer games with a few different companies and job titles - ranging from a software tester at Electronic Arts to Project Manager/Co-Director/Casting Director/Writer/Game Designer/Art Director (it was a small company!) for a PC/Mac CD-ROM title called “Mummy: Tomb of the Pharaoh” for which we cast Malcolm McDowell as the main bad guy. I also started my own theatre company and directed a few things there as well as acted in quite a few plays (lots of Shakespeare) and some independent films. Then I went to grad school at UCIrvine and eventually got a Master’s degree in Theatre Directing. I still teach classes there in Web Design twice a week, but live in Los Feliz (yes, it’s a long commute!) I have a fifteen-minute martial arts/fantasy DV short called “Dream of the Lizard” which I wrote and directed that’s in post-production (we have a rough cut done, but still working on sound editing and music), plus wrote a feature-length vampire screenplay this past summer with the goal of directing it someday! I also occasionally do some lighting design, oil painting and fight choreography… ————————————————————————————————————Jeff Name: JohnLas Vegas, NevadaGraduated Rutgers College Class of ‘92Current Assignment: Elementary School Teacher—Watts area of LA;also involved in cartoon illustration, digital video manipulation, and soulseeking.Am extremely excited about finding this martial arts group! Been searching for ??? years. Thank you Sifu Kisu! I have been studying with you all since the first week of January of this year — most of the time i am still the newest student, and if you don’t know who i am from that, i’m also apparently the only guy who doesn’t own a black shirt. i’m working on that one.I am originally from Kansas City, MO. I was an athletic kid until i spent most of about 3 years in a series of hospitals trying to kick a rare kidney disease. after i came out of that period, i just wanted to live hard and so i did a lot of drugs and almost failed out of high school, and was most definitely not in my body.during that time, i also got into this idea of ‘paratheatrics’, and started to host bizarre performance art ritual/parties in my parents basement — that led somehow to getting into the NYU Theatre school where i studied at the Experimental Theatre Wing and had my ass kicked for the first time physically. I studied many dance forms there, as well as other systems of theatre performance training which share at least some basic principles of control and balance with martial arts. i also began to seriously study yoga. i was unsatisfied with the rigor of the classes at NYU, always feeling like we moved on to something else just when it was starting to make sense — and because i didn’t know where to find teachers in the other forms we were studying (these great theatre directors are all either dead or cloistered in tiny monastic-style centers in europe refusing to take new students) I dropped out of school and went on a trip to Asia where i spent several months studying Balinese Dance with a master in Bali and then Yoga at an ashram in Rishikesh, India. At the ashram, the yogi took me aside after about 5 weeks and told me that i needed to go back to new york city and finish studying to be an artist because I was not settled enough in my yoga study — he said that i too clearly wanted to use the strength and clarity and flexibility to achieve something as an individual, and that although yoga could be an effective tool, my path of study was becoming monastic and that I would not be happy until i had tried to follow my ambitions and either achieve them or resolve them. i thought this was very wise and so i went back to new york, reenrolled at NYU and started lifting weights and jogging instead of doing yoga because i felt it was more ‘honest’. when i graduated from NYU, i joined a theatre which works in a very strict, physically rigorous tradition. we spent 3 hours every day training our bodies to be ‘expressive’ tools. it was an amazing experience, but the company had political problems and after a year it dissolved. Trying to deal with the shock of suddenly NOT training for hours every day, I began studying Northern Eagle Claw (Ying Jow Pai)with Leung Shum in New York, and i was totally hooked on Kung Fu. within a month after beginning to study, however, I had to leave New York in order to take advantage of an opportunity to begin directing my own theatre work.I spent about 2 years in Kansas City, where i took advantage of the cheap rent and arts-starved scene and began to develop my own way of making theatre — including a performer-training structure which is influenced by the many traditions to which i’ve been exposed. the company was critically (but not financially) successful, and i decided it was time to move on so i moved out to LA to begin some collaborations with my brother who is an LA-based writer and a friend from NYU. I’ve been here since May, 2002, and some exciting things are just starting to happen for me towards getting a company off the ground to continue my work from KC. Meanwhile, I’m applying to MFA and PHD programs in a number of different cities.Although I teach this performance-training structure as part of my directing work, I often drift from the priniciples in my own body and in my own life, and I know that i am in great need of a master and a discipline. I have been nervous about joining a Kung Fu school because my primary interest has never been in fighting, and i know that there is some disdain among Kung Fu masters for people who are interested in the ‘flower’ rather than the fist. I also know that my work will continue to move me around, so I am nervous about making a commitment to a school when i don’t know how long I’m going to be in one place.I have been amazed at the sense of community and commitment surrounding Sifu Kisu’s group, and at the focus on external form while retaining a respect for the implicit esoteric elements of the study. My life is chaotic and my ego is a great obstacle which resists allowing me to have a true beginner-mind — but i do hope that this study will become an integral and consistent part of my life. I already feel so much better.I know Lim Po, although I sometimes still get lost in the sequence.I am beginning to learn Tantuie.Thanks Sifu, and all of the senior students who have been so patient and helpful in getting me started.Peacerandall brothers and sisters-first of all, my apologies for not being in class over thepast 1.5 weeks. i just returned from hong kong where iattended my best friend’s wedding. i’ll be back tomorrowevening ready to practice.my name is ted chi. i am 31 years old and tend to work toomuch. i am striving to maintain greater balance in mylife.i am originally from shrewsbury, massachusetts and thenmoved to cupertino (northern california) and san diego. iwent to uc san diego and studied economics before moving tola to work as a corporate banker. after three yearsstructuring commercial loans for middle market companies, iworked at a start-up sporting goods company and then wentoff to business school at kellogg where i studiedmarketing. i finished my mba in ‘00 and moved back to losangeles to be close to my family. i worked at an internetstart-up for a year before moving over to activision -videogame company - where i am currently marketingsports-related games for next gen consoles. i launched abaskeball title last year and am in the midst of launchinga wakeboarding title this summer.i have been interested in kung fu since i was a kid…watching kung fu theater. i’ve always been interested inpushing myself/personal improvement. after running thel.a. marathon last year, i felt like i needed something tofocus on outside of work that wouldn’t demolish my knees. something to work towards to bring greater harmony in mylife that would also enable me to grow. i learned aboutharmonious fist from the internet. everyone i’ve met hasbeen so genuine… from my first encounter with sifu, iknew two things. first, this was no nonsense kung fu forpeople who really want to learn. second, sifu was going tomake m