FMK Family Committed

   It is nothing new to the disciples who train regularly at FMK that I have truly become part of the Lee family. I wholeheartedly love them in so many ways. Shi zu has inspired me from the first day I met him and he continues to everyday since. I walked into the kwoon for the first time 5 months ago on a cold morning in late December; I was riddled with addictions, out of shape, and stuck in life. Although my heart was able to share love, I was not sharing it with myself. Sifu spoke to me about living the way and being a symbol for truth, honesty, beauty, and all that is good in this life. And I haven't looked back since. Yes I do have my occasional setbacks and discouraging moments but I know that I am loved and appreciated by my new family and that makes all the difference.

I want to be very clear, this post is NOT about how far I have come or anything to do with me at all. Rather my intention is to reveal to everyone how beautiful this family is and how equally amazing each individual within it is.

Sifu Freddie Lee- is my teacher, my adviser, and my friend. I can never repay him for what he has given me, but I promise to be there for him whenever, wherever, however, whatever he needs.

Jenny - has quickly become my close friend, we share ideas about nutrition, the community, health, relationships, and life. She is such a kind and generous woman. And she works full time while raising 4 kids with a 5th one on the way!

Brandon - is such a unique personality, he has a natural talent for comedy, art, and performance. He is also a very athletic and flexible little warrior. He will grow to be an amazing adult and bring smiles to everyone he meets.

Jet - is naturally gifted in the art of cinema and has an incredibly bright future in rock climbing and base jumping. Although he can pose a challenge on the entire family, there is no denying his beautiful spirit and his magnetic personality.

Angelina - she is my little kung fu panda, I grow more proud of her every moment I'm with her. She is the only girl in a family with 3 boys and its about to be 4. she has by far, the best kung fu skills that I have seen in a 4yr old. but it is her spirit and compassion that will make her a champion.

Keo - is the strongest 3 year old ever, the boy can do pull ups and chin ups! His kung fu is going to be very powerful and original. I enjoy seeing him grow stronger every day, especially because he loves the green dragon juice.

Ken - I have not had the privilege to meet him yet but in about 4 months I know he will be a cherished gift to this family.

Even tho as individuals these are incredibly loving, kind, and Compassionate humans. Their true strength lies in their functionality as a whole unit. And so it is because of the overflow of love that I receive from them that I am able to share my heart with all humans and all of life for that matter. I welcome you all to join us and become part of this beautiful family and continue to make this world a little better than we found it.

顺源

Sifu Lee: Spontaneous Thoughts

5/30/12
The more well known a sage becomes, the more those in power will try to destroy his reputation. The more the world is filled with corruption, the more that good people will be outcased & imprisoned.
6/26/12
"Listen to your body before you listen to your Sifu, your body holds the key to ultimate truth" Sifu Lee

Green Dragon Juice Tutorial

Here is the recipe and instructions on how to make the green juice that has been instrumental in bringing new health into the kwoon. Special thanks to Brandon, Angelina, Keo, and Jenny for their video help :)
Feedback and Comments on the Juice

Safe Sparring with Ju-long & Bai

Todai Bai started training in FMK over a year ago before the kwoon even opened.  He took a long break & went to train in TKD, now he is back!  He is a huge muscular monster that will give you valuable safe sparring experiences to help you survive on the streets. 

Everybody always says that Todai Ju-long moves very well for his size, yes he does!  He is very flexible & should take greater advantage of his long legs & ability to kick high.  I'm lucky that he was gentle on me when he caught my leg a few times, in return I was gentle as well, but I did poke the bear a few times with a few shin strikes. LOL

Two trucks colliding.  The two biggest fellows in FMK, we are lucky to have them in here.  It doesn't matter how much we small people train in combat, the fact of the matter is, there are so many people out there that are so much bigger than us, these two trucks will help us be prepared for what we may encounter on the streets.

FMK Wooden Dummy

Absoluately beautiful.  If you are a true Martial Artist, you will save for one of these high quality wooden dummies, few people in the world will own one of these.  This symbolizes a close connection to FMK, JKD, Wing Chun, Shaolin, & the Chinese Martial Arts.  With this, you don't even need a training partner, this wooden dummy is good enough.

The Way of Nutrition

When I first made the decision to lose weight and feel healthier, I realized I needed a fundamental change in my core ideals and morals. I had been eating with blinders on for too long. It was time to take them off, and to start choosing what I felt was best for me instead of listening to what I was being told to eat. I did extensive research into proper nutrition (both, western and eastern philosophies) I read books, I downloaded movies, recipes, articles, case studies etc. What I discovered was, In order to look great one must feel great, and In order to feel great one must "think" great. You see, your mind is essentially the fields in which your seeds of development grow and nourish your total being. It is essential however, for us to plant our "own" original seeds of ideas. If I plant a seed in your mind, the fruits of that plant will not be completed. But if you do your own planting, plowing and harvesting. Then those fruits in your mind will be plentiful and wholly good. In other words, if I just tell you what to eat, u might follow my instruction for some time and maybe see some changes. But it won't last, because it is not a product of your own mind. You see, this was the enlightening moment; when I took a direct interest in how MY body responds to different foods and what MY body needed to perform at an optimum level.
You have to become your very own doctor, nutritionist, trainer, and friend. The moment you decide what you want in your life, is the moment you start planting real seeds in you mind. It is then your personal responsibility to live up to "your" highest ideals and morals. And if you get lazy and don't, Well then your body will make you feel like complete shit, because you lost your mind-body connection. You might be able to tell yourself lies In order to gain immediate pleasures; junk food, drugs, sex whatever it is. But you can never lie to your body, it will always know when you don't live up to your highest morals and ideals. This won't be easy, there will be setbacks, temptations, tests, and loss. However if u live up to the promise you make yourself. I can promise you with my utmost certainty that you will feel calm, confident, powerful and able. Please remember you will always have to deal with temptations in life. Be it from friends, family, or strangers. You will know that you are changing when, it doesn't feel like a temptation when someone tries to get you to take part In something unhealthy, because what sounds tempting about damaging the sacred, loving, healthy relationship you have with your body? I had an experience even yesterday where I was with close friends and everyone else but me was eating fast food takeout. I could see everyone eating with blinders on but that was their choice. What struck me as interesting was how everyone repeatedly commented on how they "feel bad eating this in front of me" I realized then that they saw the junk food as a prize to enjoy, but I saw it as a poison to avoid. And why would they think I felt bad? cause I couldn't come to terms with choosing to poison myself?? I see now what was being communicated was that they felt bad because they compromised they're own morals and ideals for immediate pleasure and when exposed to someone who was not willing to compromise, then guilt set in. If you take nothing else from this article please know that this path I am encouraging; The path of living up to your own morals and ideals no matter what the temptations. Will not be easy, you will be tested, you will lose things in your life that you once thought were very important. You will be scared, lonely and confused. But be secure in wholeheartedly knowing that in the darkest corners of life the Spirit of Truth will always be with you saying "this is the way"

顺源

Dear Family

I am really trying to reach the red rank requirements and lose some weight. Do any of you know any good books and or websites that deal with nutrition and dieting? I have found one that I like so far www.scoobysworkshop.com would you guys that know more about this check it out for me and let me know what you think, is it legit? Many thanks in advance

Sidai Shunyuan Advaned Sparring

Round 1

This was a new experiment in FMK safe sparring.  Allowing the Todai to go hard contact while having the Sifu only block & evade.  This sparring places the Sifu at greater risk of injury.  It is a very good experience for all those involved, but it cannot be done too often, as it is hard on the body.  Even right now, my right wrist is very sore & it can set back my usual training.  Also, the more Todai's there are to train, the more wear & tear it will have on the body.  This is a very intense way to spar & the Sifu needs great awareness in order to decrease the chances of injury. 

Round 2

Philosophy on Inner Confidence

A very important video to watch.  If you truly wish to progress in this kwoon, you will need to work on developing inner confidence, without it, no matter how confident I am in you & your abilities, no matter what rank or title I give you, no matter how fit you are, no matter how great you perform, it all means nothing if you do not believe in yourself.

Sifu Lee: Forearm Training Progress

This captains of crusth forearm trainer is not a joke!  Level 1 is pretty damn hard.  I'm working on getting better at it in order to go up in levels, I'm very interested to see how far I can go with it.

Training your fingers

In Kung Fu, you have to train every part of the body, including the fingers.  Here is a device to help that training.

Private Lessons vs. Classes

Martial Arts can be an individual experience, a collective experience, or both.  The individual experience is yin, the collective experience is yang.  Martial Arts can be like golf, where you can play a pleasant game on your own.  Martial Arts can also be like basketball, where teams are organized & you have to work collectively towards a common goal.  Within the team there are individuals, but each individual cannot be greater than the whole, everybody has to play their part in order for the team to grow.  

It is like living alone or living with a partner.  There are benefits & disadvantages of living alone & there are benefits & disadvantages in living with a partner.  If you decide to live with your partner, things will not always be your way, you have to put in consideration the thoughts & feelings of your partner.  If you decide to live alone, things can be your way, but then you will lose the benefits of living with a partner. 

When you join a Martial Arts class, you are becoming a part of a team, things cannot be your way, you will be guided towards the development of the class as a whole, you will be a student, but you will also be a teacher for those who join after you.  When you decide to take private lessons in Martial Arts, then teachings can be adapted towards your own individual goals.  You will primarily be the student; you do not have to worry about anybody else’s growth other than your own. 

Obviously private lessons will cost more than classes, as you are asking for the undivided attention of the teacher.   Just like living alone opposed to living with a partner.  If you live alone, you are responsible for all living expenses.  If you live with a partner, you can split the expenses.   There are benefits to both paths, but you have to decide which path is right for you.  The teacher can help you decide, but ultimately, the decision is up to you. 

The importance of working together as a team

Todai’s, it is important that we work together as a team, as one.  Yes we all have our own individual talents & creativities; but what makes a family, what makes a business, what makes an organization grow, is individuals who come together collectively in which to achieve a common goal.  In this kwoon, our common goal is to achieve a balance of the body, mind, & spirit.  Through achieving this balance within ourselves, we will then be enabled to help others achieve a balance themselves. 

I wish to place less emphasis on combat & more emphasis on health & wellness.  The combative aspect is simply used as a marketing tool to gain a greater audience.  Yes there are practical purposes in training towards being proficient in combat, but as the founder of this kwoon & the creator of FMK, I am proud to say that ever since learning the Martial Arts, over 13 years ago, I have never had to physically fight anyone, I overcame all outer & inner conflict through my concentrated efforts in developing my spirit. 

We need to be patient with our journey in Zen Martial Arts.  Yes we may wish to progress rapidly, but you cannot force a plant to grow, it will grow when the time is right.  We have our whole lifetime to better ourselves in our Kung Fu, there is no rush.  The rush that you feel is the ego speaking.  We need to learn when to tame this ego & when to use it to our advantage. 

New Wing Chun Dummy & Help with Web

Our new Wing Chun Wooden Dummy is on the way to the kwoon, it is schduled to arrive this Friday!  This wooden dummy is a higher end model that should be a much better quality than the current one in the kwoon.  I look forward to its arrival.  It is another addition to the kwoon to take it to the next level.

A FMK supportor out of New Zealand had contacted me & offered to assist in a new web design for FMK.  I am very much excited to recieve his help in taking the website to the next level.  Maybe in a month or so will the new design be up & running, be on the look out.

Power Twister Progress

I progressed a little bit on the power twister, it's always nice to be able to do something that you were not able to do the day before, I thought it would be good to log my progress.  Another healthy way to better yourself as long as it does not slip out of your hands & give you stitches!

New FMK Blog!

Finally the new FMK Blog is up & running on the FMK website.  This is our home blog to meet, speak, express, educate, & grow together.  This is the time for us to get to know one another & to grow as a family outside of the kwoon.  FMK Todai's & supporters throughout the world can interact & work on developming a strong family bond. 

Beer Bellies & Martial Arts

At FMK it is about performance, not about the way you look.  We must not over emphasize our body image, we are not bodybuilders, we are Martial Artists.  It's not about how cut & defined your muscles are or about how large your muscles are.  We train to be stronger, faster, quicker, & more flexible.  We train in a healthy way.  Rather than focusing on how defined our muscles are, we simply aim for greater athletic performance.

FMK rank badges, designed to help put an end to fraudulant Martial Artists.  If you train in Kung Fu, you have two options, to either train with the mentality to have no rank, or to have rank.  Now if we are to train for rank, we need to place these measures in place in order to do it correctly. 

Congratulations to Simui Liang!

Congratulations to Simui Liang for passing her 2012 Zen Fitness test!  Keep up the good work!  Here is her Zen Fitness stats & certification video attached.

Simui Liang
Date of test: 5/21/12
Age: 18
Weight: 92.3 lbs
Body fat: 8.3%
Water: 71.9%
Muscle: 47.5%
Bone: 5.8 lbs
Handstand pushups: 3
L hold: 11 sec.
Pull ups: 7
Dips: 6
1 arm pushups: L5 R5
Pushups in 1 min.: 23
Squats in 1 min.: 61
Situps in 1 min.: 40
Front Kick hold: 15 sec. L&R
Side Kick hold: 15 sec. L&R
Jump Rope: 6 min.
Split: 4 in.
SBOR: Head to knees
IAS: 8 o'clock
2012 certification video

New FMK Blog!

I finally figured out how to make a blog for FMK!  No more facebook postings!  All my philosophy teachings will now be on the FMK blog.  All Todai's & FMK supporters can be authorized to publish postings on this blog, if interested, send me an email & I will send you an invite to be an author to this blog.  With this new FMK blog, it will help bring income to fund the kwoon.  Now all supporters, come to the FMK blog, no more Facebook for me!