May & June 2024 Newsletter
Pai Lum Masters Seminars
Join us for a special gathering of high ranking Pai Lum teachers from across the nation – right here at our school Rising Dragon Martial Arts on Friday May 31 and Saturday June 1, 2024! Confirmed attending are Sifu Milton Rivera from Washington DC and Sigung Coy and Sifu Shannon from Indiana. More teachers may still come from across the nation.
Learn from some awesome practitioners and teachers in the following Spring Seminars:
Friday
4:00 Sihing + Higher 8 Meridian Exercise (Sifu Milton)
5:30 All Ranks 5 Animal Short Set (Sifu Milton)
6:30 Sihing + Higher Tai Chi Lecture (Sifu Milton)
7:30 Late Meal Gathering
Saturday
9:00 All Ranks Beijing 10 Steps (Sifu Milton)
10:00 All Ranks Self Defense (Sigungs Coy & Shannon)
11:00 All Ranks Sparring Journey (Sifu Milton)
12:00 Lunch
2:00 Sihing + Higher 6 Man Tiger (Sigung Steve)
3:00 Sihing + Higher Internal Walking (Sigung Mel)
4:00 Sihing + Higher Twisted Snake (Sifu Milton)
White – Green Belts: $45 for 4 seminars
Sihings and Sifus are $75 for all 9 seminars
Teacher Cookout!
Saturday May 11 at Sigung Steve & Mel’s Backyard BBQ (See Sigungs for directions). Sihings, Sifus, Sigungs and adult Sidis participating in the ‘Teacher Path’ welcome. Highlighted will be Chef Elbert soon-to-be famous Milwaukee Al Fresca Chicken. Bring a side dish or a dessert to share. Cooking starts at 3 and eating starts at 4!
No Classes Memorial Weekend
There are no classes at Rising Dragon for Memorial Weekend Saturday May 25 & Monday May 27, 2024!
Teacher Seminar
All Sigungs, Sifus, Sihings and Blue-Green Belts who are interested in the Sifu “Teaching Path” are required to make at least 2 of the 3 Instructor Seminars each year (Spring / Fall / Winter). Learn from master teacher Sigung Steve on the topic of Instruction and Design. This seminar will be almost completely hands on this year. Teachers and soon-to-be teachers should purchase an Instructor Manual from Rising Dragon school and read the first 1/3 of the manual in preparation for the seminar (Thursday June 6 from 5-9p.m.) There will be a short Pai Lum lesson from 5-5:30 and then pizza/grub will be available. This is open to all adult and junior dragons who maybe turning at least Green rank or higher sometime this year.
Friendship Month
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. Must be used by the end of June!
Testing Block 3
Friday June 28 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 for your test invitation and time.
Upcoming Events
- Sigungs Backyard BBQ Sat. May 11 starting at 3 p.m.
- No Classes Sat. May 25 & Mon. May 27 for Memorial Weekend
- Pai Lum Master Seminars Fri. May 31 and Sat. June 1
- Testing Block 3 Friday June 28 at 5 p.m. Awards at 6 p.m.
- Instructors Seminar Thursday June 6 5-9 pm at Rising Dragon
- Friendship Month: All students may take 2 Buddy Passes that allow any 2 friends to train at Rising Dragon for 1 free week
Block 3 Focus
- Week 1 (May 1-4): Basics
- Week 2 (May 6-11): Forms
- Week 3 (May 13-18): Sparring
- Week 4 (May 23-27): Fist Sets
- Week 1 (June 3-8): Weapons
- Week 2 (June 10- 15): Form & Fist Sets
- Week 3 (June 17 – 22): Sparring and Info
- Week 4 (June 24 – 29): Bead Tests / Review
The Dragon Breath
There is an old Shaolin teaching: “A student needs a fist to win a fight; a teacher needs an open palm; a master needs
a finger; and a Grandmaster just a look.” The more skilled we get the ‘less’ we need to accomplish a goal. We all know this at anything we’ve spend a lot of time practicing. At work we pair it down to the essentials to accomplish our goals or in a video game we learn which are the best buttons to press. Sometimes it may be good to pair down the essentials of life. What makes living really valuable? While many can have different world views, most of us share ideas of God, family and friends. In all three cases it pairs down to having relationships which out weigh “doing” things such as work or travel or trophies. While the latter three are important, they are still temporary. They are things that are seen and therefore do not last past this world. Like our White Lotus code in Faith: “I will seek internal virtues above temporary values.” In pairing down the essentials for life I think most of us find they are of the realm of the unseen – as forementioned – relationships. Let us then put first our relationship with God, then our relationship with spouse and children, and then our friends. Let us all seek ‘grandmaster’ status with these.
Sigungs Steve and Melodie
Pai Xeung Lum/ Feng Huang
