A few shots from class

A few shots from class taken last week!

Keep up the hard work guys!

Jan's Tough Mudder Challenge

Back in November 2012 Jan approached me for private tuition. I remember him saying "Shifu I want to compete in Tough Mudder and I want you to train me". Tough Mudder had been brought to my attention before by my close friend Cem Sonmez who was preparing for the challenge until he decided to start a respectable medical career. For those of you who don't know Tough Mudder is probably one of the toughest events on the planet ......it comprises of a Military/SAS style training course and includes, ice baths, carrying people over distance, monkey bars and electrocution .......(www.toughmudder.co.uk). The course is approximately 13 miles in distance with 21 challenges along the way.   

Noticing that Jan had not trained in the last 20 years, was a heavy HEAVY drinker/smoker and weighed in at 21 Stone 7 pounds we both agreed this would be no easy task! Especially given since the event had been booked and we have around 7 months to whip him into shape. Previous wing tsun lessons had damaged his knees and one of his knuckles has been pushed back, he is also flat footed/been told by the doctor that he may have arthritis and shouldn't run. But he assured me it was his new life's goal and that he wanted to do it not only for his health but for his family and I will never stand in the way of a determined man/woman. I happily agreed. 

Cue Rocky training montage!!! - This mostly involved 7 months of puking, screaming in his garden, more puking, more screaming, quivering and i imaging nightmares of me forcing him to run up summer hill 6 times with squats at the bottom.....followed by more screaming and vomiting. Also dieting, self training and screaming.

Jan today now weighs 18 stone 8 (down from 21.7), he has quit smoking, quit drinking, his waist has dropped from 46-40. He regularly runs Orpington mini marathons every Sunday.He completed a Hastings Marathon a couple of months ago and runs almost every other day. His correct eating has also helped to the dramatic weight loss. He can lift heavier weights with higher reps and can now complete sets of push ups.  

It has been an absolute please training Jan and watching the dramatic impact it has had not only on his health but quality of life. I believe that I only really played a small part as this man really trained hard independently alongside our private lessons. He ate well and stuck to the training programme. 

Attached is a picture of Jan when i first met him (clutching those after eights like his life depended on them) and one we took yesterday of him pumping iron LIKE A REAL MAN (hehe) We have also attached a copy of the tough mudder course for you all to see. 

 SAN SHU UK wishes you all the luck in the world this weekend, enjoy it, you've worked hard for it. We are all very proud. 

If anyone would like to talk to Jan about his training he will be at class tonight. 

Amituofo 

Amituofo 

Amituofo 

Shifu 

www.sanshuuk.com

Exercise makes you happy!

Exercise Makes You Happy

Posted by: Brendon Nicholas

Pleasure-Inducing Chemicals in the Brain Increase During Exercise

Have you ever felt happier and more energized after a workout? You are not alone. Some individuals claim that fitness training can produce euphoric feelings, and it's not the exercise alone that people are responding to. During exercise the body experiences a release of chemicals in the brain that enhance happiness and delight while suppressing pain and discomfort. Researchers at Bryn Mawr College have concluded that these chemicals can be released as soon as 30 minutes within beginning focused physical activity and can have a major impact in both the enjoyment of fitness trainingand your disposition throughout the day. In fact, exercise has been touted as an effective way to prevent or lessen depression by the Better Health Channel. The key to enhancing joy and combating depression is in your brain's chemicals.

Endorphins
According to Bryan Mawr College, within 30 minutes of beginning physical activity endorphins start to be released from the brain. The endorphins function to bind to opioid receptors in your brain's neurons. This process hinders the discharge of a number of neurotransmitters, which reduces your central nervous system's ability to communicate the sensation of pain from your body to the brain. This development aids in the decline of feelings of discomfort and pain when completing fitness training. However, endorphins don't achieve all of this alone, without any assistance. The endorphins work in concert with serotonin and dopamine, the pleasure-inducing neurotransmitters of the brain.

Serotonin
Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that influences sensations of pleasure and affects a variety of standard bodily functions, including your sleeping and awake cycles, mood, libido, and appetite. Serotonin has also been directly linked to feelings of depression and sadness – heightened levels of serotonin promote feelings of joy, resulting in less frequent or severe depression. The Better Health Channel claims that the brain tends to increase serotonin production when you exercise, allowing people to feel more upbeat. Furthermore, individuals who engage in frequent physical activity are prone to have more serotonin present in their brains generally and, thus, tend to be happier than those that refrain from frequent exercise.

Dopamine
As stated by the Franklin Institute, the chemical dopamine aids in regulating fine-motor function. Dopamine also helps your brain discover the effects of various stimulus according to PsychologyToday.com. Thus, dopamine is a factor in developing and strengthening coordination and muscle memory. As your serotonin level increasing during your fitness training, dopamine facilitates the brain associating physical activity with the elevated sense of delight that accompanied the exercise. Your brain will recall the pleasant feelings associated with fitness training and be more likely to encourage the body to continue activities that replicate the sensation.

Thoughts on grading and congratulations

SANSHU UK would like to say ...

Congratulations to Emma, Daniel, Archie and Chloe for passing their grade 1 exam last night. 

Our grades are tough to pass and students will need to do some hard graft to progress not only in class but out. 

Also recognition goes to Rafferty whos flexibility  has dramatically improved. He almost managed full BOX SPLITS (hardest form of splits) last night in class. When I initially approached him he said that its the splits training in class that has given him the flexibility, so that's a positive!  

Also well done to Emma for improving your core strength, Emma when joining was unable to do a single pushup last night she managed 40 flying through the grade. 

Archie's focus is fantastic, last nights performance of wu bu quan was very accurate and it shows he has a general understanding of the stances and purpose of practise. 

Daniels squats last night were extremely good it was the first part of the grading that really pushed him through to a pass. Daniel has good grounding, now to work on his focus!!! 

Chloe performed a GRADE 1 RETAKE to improve on her last grade and she did so respectively, I would like to say that undoubtedly she has the best pu bu stance for her age group (due to practising at home) and i would like to see more of this focus directed towards her forms and general strength building exercises (pushups!) 

LETS TALK ABOUT GRADINGS 

Grades are pieces of paper. Grades will help you to reach higher levels if you wish to monitor your progress and eventually teach. Some students choose not to grade.

NEVER TRAIN FOR GRADES this is one of the biggest problems with martial arts today, students want the next grade, then the next, then the next .... eventually you get the highest grade ..... then what? You will have no aspirations to push further, to improve and you ability will stay capped. 

Training in shaolin is a way of life, to live a fitter more healthier lifestyle, for self defence, for confidence, discipline, to continually improve and push your limits. Be good to others as we are all brothers, kama is real believe me, be happy and live a good life. Do not stress over work, arguments or finance. Continually look for improvement.  

Skill is recognised through ability not pretty colours or paper

To be the best that you can be as an individual. 

Always train hard and used grades as a reference to what you have learnt and how you need to improve, if you wish to one day teach keep your grades as these will need to be submitted to the relevent governing bodies. 

See you all in class and well done 

Train Hard 

SANSHU UK 

www.sanshuuk.com

Workshop on the 14th July 2012

SAN SHOU workshop on     

Saturday 14^th  July 2012

Venue – The Big Hall!

Church Hall

Tudor Way

Pettswood

Orpington

Kent

BR2 1LH

2pm – 6pm     4 Hours Training

Includes more advanced sanshou techniques and sparring/ referee coaching (depending on your choice), conditioning using rice sacks and lots more.

Remember places are limited on the day so let us know if your attending asap.

Workshops are intense and packed with techniques that are more advanced giving you the opportunity to train more 1 on 1 with shifu and enable you to get a higher understanding of the skills required to improve.

Please bring gloves if you have them and your respective training equipment although this can be supplied to our students.

Pictures will also be taken on the day for the site and upcoming newsletters/ posters.

We will also be busting out the big body armour which will give you plenty of opportunities to work on your shovel hooks, lower body shots etc ....

We already have names on our list of people attending so if you wish to attend please let us know.

Students are encouraged to bring some light snacks on the day as we will break to get back some much needed energy.

Train Hard!

SANSHU UK

www.sanshuuk.com

More space, better training grounds!

SANSHU UK is always looking to improve the facilities we provide our students, so we make sure we get the biggest training halls available.

We are now training in the Sports Hall :) so much room to run and practise! We have superior crash mats and springboards, training mats and lots more.

We hope all new students enjoy your time with us.

Free equipment, Free pads, Big Spaces, We pay your tournament fees as long as you improve we are happy.
All working together to get the most from the time we have practising Kung Fu and Martial Arts!

Beware of schools with small halls packed with students, the smaller the hall the smaller the fee should be/ the more the instructors are taking (not that this is wrong) just make sure your not getting ripped off. Training should be affordable. 

How bad do you want it?

Hi Guys

We came across a brilliant motivational video for success in your chosen field.

This perfectly emphasises the fact that without hard training, dedication and commitment you will NEVER be successful, therefore its vitally important to put 100% into what you do in order to maximise potential. This is something we really push towards as SANSHU UK ... the effort we put into stretching, cardio, fitness and technique. Pushing through pain barriers and exceeding limits. Much like the motto

I fear not the man who has practised ten thousand kicks, but I fear the man who has practised one kick ten thousand times.

If you do not have the drive to be successful you cannot become a proficient martial artist.....

Please watch with sound and enjoy J