OTHER MEMBER COMMENTS
Thank you for
the newsletter. As someone who loves lists and descriptions, that is
very satisfying to have to hand and to check frequently and make sure I
am improving. 🙂 Thank you for sharing the Black Belt + Black Sash list.
I was emotional seeing my name on the Black Belt list, along with
people who have inspired me and motivated me to keep going over the
years. ❤️ It's very exciting to see that so many new members are
deciding to start sparring and grading. I can't wait to see them
progress and to help guide them in any way I can. 🙂 To everyone who is
starting now, it may seem like an unsurmountable goal to aim for Black
Belt, but it is not. It will take time, dedication, focus, commitment,
and the most important ingredient in this recipe: Kelly. But if you
really want to get there, you can and you will. Just remember to savour
each moment of the journey, because what matters in the end is not the
colour of the belt around your waist, but everything you learn, how much
you change and the person you become along the way. Look forward to
supporting the Kung Fu graders next week, and to welcoming the new group
of White Belts to your classes the week after. 🙂 Kelly Fiestas Navas, KB Administrator, KB Black Belt, KF Purple Sash
Thank you for all of the time you have spent preparing me for my orange
sash grading. I appreciate all the evenings you stayed late to give the
graders more training and advice. Thank you so much for all you have
poured into your school and students. Bess Cupo, KB Orange Belt, KF Orange Sash
Thanks for the update and newsletter. I really appreciate the list as it
serves as a good summary of all the things we've learned from attending
your school. 'Embracing the Learning Process' is one that stands out
for me. I try to remind myself that at no point do you know it all, and
the moment you think you do, you are no longer a martial artist in every
sense of the word. Whilst the key wisdom and guidance comes from the
instructors, I also believe that you can learn something from every
single person who enters the room, and I've always tried to avoid the
mindset that someone with a lower-ranked belt or less experience than me
is unable to teach me something new. Sharing knowledge is a big part of
the school for me, and thankfully something that occurs regularly as
people are always happy to part with their pearls of wisdom. This is
particularly welcoming from the active Black Belts, as it means they
weren't just focused on their own achievements, but also in helping
others achieve theirs too. When I'm assisting, I can sometimes get a
feel for who might embark further into the journey as they tend to ask
questions, listen, and then make efforts to improve. You can see that
they have a hunger to learn, and without this mindset it would be very
difficult to progress. It's very fulfilling to see this, so I can only
imagine how satisfying it is for you. Adam Goulding, KB Brown Belt, KF Purple Sash
Thank you for the email. Amazing list of black belts! Alice Delarue, KB Green Belt
Hope you’re well. Just realised I hadn’t replied to the newsletter last
week, so apologies for my tardiness. Thanks so much for putting together
the newsletter for us - it was great to read as always. It was good to
read about the principles guiding our journey, the importance of monthly
inspirations and a reminder that the dojo is such a sanctuary for all
of us. I loved seeing the list of all the Black Belts and Black Sashes
from through the years. I remember almost all of the others from my time
in the school :) Looking forward to the KF grading in a couple of weeks
and seeing the graders with their shiny new sashes and seeing how they
wear them in the pub afterwards! It’s been good to see them all
preparing for the big day. Great to read too the email about the history
of Lau Gar that got sent today - it’s good to know the roots of what we
do. Funnily enough I happened across an interview with Master Yau
online the other day, and that was really interesting to watch and hear
what he had to say. Looking forward to the rest of the KB week! :) Neil Edwards, KB Black Belt, KF Purple Sash
Thanks for the newsletter, Kel. Wow what a list! Brings back memories :)) xx Jane Hamilton, KB Black Belt, KF Black Sash
Thank you for the update and newsletter! All the principles you describe
feed into and reinforce each other. Consistency and commitment require
discipline. Embracing the learning process depends on respect and
humility. When we show up every week (consistency) we improve our skill
but also feel the warmth of our school's community. It's a wonderful,
challenging virtuous cycle! Absolutely loved reading more about the
history of our KF! I'd previously read a little about Lau Gar but some
of the detail and information you've given is totally new to me and so
interesting. Thank you! I've seen a few of Master Yau's interviews and
read about him before, but I especially didn't know that Kevin Brewerton
was taught by Master Yau! Cool to learn about our lineage. Even cooler
that it goes back quite literally thousands of years! I'm honoured to be
following in the footsteps of such an ancient tradition. Have a lovely
week and see you tomorrow! Nick Viljoen, KB Orange Belt, KF Orange Sash
Thank you for this month’s newsletter. I can't believe we are in
February already - where did January go?! I love your thoughts and
principles on achieving success in martial arts. The world would be such
a better place if everyone followed some of these. I am really looking
forward to training this evening. Chris Taylor, KB Purple Belt, KF Orange Sash
Thank you for the newsletter - it’s a nice reminder about the many
different aspects of training that come into play in martial arts. I’ve
looked over the list of Black Belts and Black Sashes to see how many
names belong to people that I know - all but one on the Black Sash list,
but so many people I’ve never met on the Black Belt list. With the
Black Belts I know from my years of training it almost feels like they
are 'permanent fixtures' at the school and it’s hard to imagine that
they might stop training at some point. I remember you saying that you
just had to accept that people come and go, but seeing a list of names
of people who had completed the long journey of training from beginner
to the highest grade and who are not training anymore puts into
perspective how long the history of the school is - and how many
generations of Black Belts there have been. Zuzanna Slonina, KB Purple Belt, KF Yellow Sash
Thank you as always for taking the time to write the newsletter. It's a
welcomed reminder of the pillars of the martial arts. I also read and
liked the members' comments (especially Sonya's one which seems quite
emotional).
Khoi Truong, KB Brown Belt, KF Brown Sash
Thank you for the newsletter this month! I really love how you've
phrased all of that wonderful advice, especially about realistic goal
setting. It's so easy to feel a bit discouraged when there's a setback
of some kind, but you're so right about the small victories that pave
the way and that's sometimes what we need to focus on (as well as the
opportunities for new belts and sashes!). There are so many
opportunities with KB to learn new things and to keep growing as a
martial artist. I also love the community engagement aspect, the KB
family is one of the things that keeps me coming back every week and I
think it's a rare and special thing. I'm very grateful for it! I
absolutely loved reading all the comments this month, especially from
Jess, Sonya and Sue reflecting on twenty years with KB.. We all learn so
much from them, and really benefit from the time that all of the senior
students give us in class - Sonya especially gives so much of her
training time to helping us all! It's a very special part of KB and I
really appreciate the ethos you've instilled in the school that makes it
happen.
Ruth MacLeod, KB Orange Belt, KF Blue Sash
Thank you for your patient teaching and refinement during this grading
cycle (and always). I’m so grateful for your investment in my training
and in my life.
Kim Cupo, KB Green Belt, KF Blue Sash
Thank you for the encouraging words! This week's lesson plan was perfect
for demonstrating that shuffling is not necessary for a KB class to be
an absolute cardio blast 😁I also wanted to thank you for writing the
note about the history of Kung Fu and the KB Kung Fu style - great to
have all this information in one place. I didn't know about the specific
characteristics that distinguish the different styles of Kung Fu and
really enjoyed reading about that.
Zuzanna Slonina, KB Purple Belt, KF Yellow Sash
Thanks for the KB Update. I will certainly try my best to be there to support the KF Graders on the 20th.
Sue Pindar, KB Purple Belt, KF Orange Sash
Why train if you’re not getting a black belt? I am sorry I did not
respond to your message. I don’t really read the group chat, but I will
prioritise reading at least your messages to I can contribute for the
lower grades. I definitely do want to become a black belt, it has been a
goal for me since I started taking belts and I am eager to do all I can
to achieve that goal. But if I could no longer take belts or if I could
no longer attend in person classes I would still want to be a part of
your school. To me KB is so much more than the belts we can achieve with
your help, it’s taught me so much about attitude, endurance, fortitude,
and confidence, even if taking belts was no longer possible for me
training would always be a priority for me the energy your school gives
is so vital, I cannot imagine life without kb. KB has always been such a
positive influence on my life even without belts I would never want to
lose that. I am so grateful for everything you do for us students and
the environment you have created in your school.
Bess Cupo, KB Orange Belt, KF Orange Sash
I've had a great past year in kickboxing and I'm so glad and thankful to
have achieved my green belt. My training in the past year has been
amazing and I have learned so much and I'm looking forward to learning
and training more.
Martha Sheldon, KB Green Belt
Thank you for the February newsletter and Kung Fu supplement. You give
wise words for crafting a life that surpasses surviving to thriving.
There are so many practical elements that one can implement for
improvement in every area of life. Thank you for caring so much about
the all around wellbeing of your students and community. Reading about
the history and symbolism of the Kung Fu lineage we are a part of was
really timely for me as I train to earn my next sash. Punch Blocks,
walking techniques and my form are never far from my mind right now and
it was a perfect time to appreciate the beauty of this martial art from a
different perspective. Thank you for taking the time to illuminate the
form in so much depth.
Kim Cupo, KB Green Belt, KF Blue Sash
Hope you’re well. Meant to reply yesterday and say thanks for the update
email. Great to see the grading list for June - lovely to see Bess and
Zuzanna are going for Purple and Brown, I know they’ll both smash it.
Great to see Sue will be there too mocking Brown - it’s always lovely to
have her in the dojo. Looking forward to it. Have a great weekend, and
see you next week :)
Neil Edwards, KB Black Belt, KF Purple Sash
Thank you for this month’s newsletter! 10,000 students through the
course of KB history is so impressive, it’s really awe-inspiring to see
how many of your students have made the commitment to go for black! I’m
looking forward to the March white belt grading and the next tournament,
so many exciting things this year! Thank you for sharing the history of
Kung Fu! Really interesting especially as we head to grading next week!
It’s really helpful to have all the Kung fu terminology listed here to
brush up on before grading!
Bess Cupo, KB Orange Belt, KF Orange Sash
Thank you for all your time and patience to get us up to standard. I’m really grateful.
Ruth MacLeod, KB Orange Belt, KF Blue Sash
Thank you for taking the time to send out
the newsletter and update. It’s very exciting that’s it’s Kung Fu
grading day, all the graders have worked hard and tuned into your
teaching and refining of their technique and are going to be super
sharp. The way your students are able to excel in their gradings is a
testament to the respect for martial arts and care to detail and
accuracy that you instil in them and speaks to how passionate you are
about KB Fitness. Unfortunately, I have lectures until 5pm tonight and
won’t be able to make it into London in time to be there in person, but I
will be joining on Facebook and look forward to virtually being a part
of the grading Dojo. I am looking forward to being in class in person
next week. Pearl Cupo, KB Green Belt, KF Blue Sash
Thank you very much for the update. I'm looking forward to the KF
grading on Tuesday and to celebrating the graders afterwards! Thanks for
sending the grading list for June - I’m really excited for it! It’s
fantastic to see that so many of the current Blues are going for Green
(and also to see myself going for Brown of course 😁) Zuzanna Slonina, KB Purple Belt, KF Yellow Sash
Thank you for tonight’s grading. I find Kung Fu gradings really mentally
challenging as well as physically demanding. Your intuition about how
far we could be pushed and your preparing us beforehand made all the
difference. I am definitely inspired to build on what I’ve accomplished
and refine my white and blue syllabus. I definitely need more practice
shadow boxing and sparring in my Kung Fu training. I also need to work
on hearing instructions with minimal time before acting. Thank you for
sharing this beautiful martial arts form with us. Kim Cupo, KB Green Belt, KF Blue Sash
Thank you for collating the Newsletter this month. It was lovely reading
everyone's thoughts and feelings regarding you, Dee, the school and
training. Also, thank you for the Kung Fu Information, it was really
informative and a great summary. Sonya Lynch, KB Black Belt, KF Black Sash
I wanted to message and say thank for Tuesday's grading! I'm really
grateful for the time and effort you put into preparing us for it and
for responding to how I was faring on the night. I'm very aware that it
was not my finest grading - it's frustrating to say the least to have
your body give out on you when you're really striving to do something. I
am delighted to have passed, and also to feel like aspects of Kung Fu
are starting to come together in my head, it felt like it took a long
time for that to happen! Your patience and passion for teaching make
such a difference to knowing we can all progress, I feel that many other
schools wouldn't have that, and it's one of the reasons I love KB so
much.I also wanted to mention a couple of the things about the school in
general which always make grading a special time - firstly, the
willingness of all the senior grades to give us their time and advice.
Sonya, Jess, Beth and Fredi all answered questions (most of which were
just over-thinking), corrected us, reassured us and gave us advice! The
second thing is that the whole school pulls together to encourage, from
wishing people luck to incredibly loud ki-ais when graders need that
collective boost. I know that stems from the ethos you've instilled
across the whole school, and I'm so grateful for it. I'm looking forward
to getting to wear my new sash next week! Ruth MacLeod, KB Orange Belt, KF Blue Sash
Thank you so much for grading yesterday! Getting a new belt or sash is
always such a high! I cannot wait to start learning all of my new orange
sash things! Thank you for all of the effort you put into every
grading, and for always pushing us to do our best. Bess Cupo, KB Orange Belt, KF Orange Sash