March & April 2025 Newsletter

Teacher’s Seminar (Part 3)

Thursday March 29 teachers will go through the last part of their teacher manual Business – Impacting and Maintaining Excellence. Learn how to build, run and maintain a school. Please read this section prior to the class.

Then partake in the Potluck of Yum (every teacher brings something – main, side dish or dessert) prior to having fun and learning together with teaching seminars and hands-on training!

5 p.m. Unique Training offered

5:45 Potluck of Yum

6:15 Seminars on Impacting and Maintaining Excellence

The Dragon’s Breath (Protocol Series Continuing)

“The Fourth Protocol is Proper Dress. Remembering that ‘protocols’ are our servants to get us to places safely and efficiently” (check out the July-August Dragon’s Breath) clothes make a lot of sense. In some cases proper clothes keep us warm when cold or cool when hot. No one should wear a suit and dress into a swimming pool! Some clothes preserve our modesty. Some clothes bring style and fashion. Some clothes designate culture, rank or standing in various groups. In martial arts we need both functionality and designation with our clothes.

Regarding functionality we need something lose for movement but also strong that won’t tear with simple contact, pulling, or wrestling with partners. In some schools this is enough – wear clothes, even street clothes, that allow you to move in all the exotic ways of their martial art.

But in our school and many others we also require a uniform that helps designate status. “Martial” means war and wars need to differentiate members from generals to sergeants to front line troops. Some martial schools do this with different colored belts, patches or screens and/or embroidered insignia. Thus students know the higher ranks and who to copy, or to follow our earlier protocols of respect of bowing, breaking and titles. When all wear similar uniforms or outfits it also helps the process of learning (many studies have shown normal schools exceed in student test scores when students are not distracted by a myriad of dress but all must wear uniforms).

In normal classes at Rising Dragon full uniforms can be worn but we also allow simply loose pants, one of our school shirts and a belt or sash – more of a focus on functionality. However for testing, reviews, seminars, demonstrations and tournaments we wear all our colors – full uniform, patches, belts, insignias to display our pride in our art, teachers and ourselves and to designate martial art meanings. Remember the old saying, “clothes make the man?” But in reality man makes the clothes and clothes are our servants for protection, utility and meaning.

No Classes

There will be no classes held at Rising Dragon for Easter Weekend: No classes on Saturday April 19. Happy Resurrection Day!

Testing

Friday April 26 at 5 p.m. Awards Ceremony 6:00 p.m. Higher rank testing will start earlier usually around 3 p.m. but check with your teacher or your test invitation.

White Lotus Spring Tournament

Stay tuned for the upcoming date for our annual local tournament – most likely in April or May!

Friendship Month

During the month of April each student can receive up to two Buddy Passes that lets two different friends come train for a whole week for free at Rising Dragon! Get your buddy passes from the Sigungs at the school. These certificates must be used by the end of May 2025!

Save on Classes!

Purchasing 3, 6, or 12 months in advance can save you up to $300/year. See Sigungs on how to make your training an even better value! Also for more savings check out the Electric Color Display in the Pro Shop – each month find a special discount on items!

Upcoming Events

• White Lotus Teacher Seminar  Thursday March 29  5-8:30
• Testing Block 2    Friday April 25 at 5 p.m.  Awards 6

Block 2 Focus

• Week 1 (March 3-8): Basics
• Week 2 (March 10-15): Forms
• Week 3 (March 17-22): Sparring
• Week 4 (March 24-29): Fist Sets
• Week 1  (April 1-5): Weapons
• Week 2  (April 7-12): Forms and Fist Sets
• Week 3  (April 14-19): Sparring
• Week 4 (April 22-27): Review and Testing

– Sigungs Steve and Melodie

Pai Xeung Lum/ Feng Huang