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| Martial Arts in the
News 01.21.2003 - York schools add kung fu to phys-ed 01.21.2003 - People are turning to the martial art as a great way to get fit 01.22.2002 - N.S. teen gives up smoking for martial arts
Yes, it's gym class, grasshopper TESS KALINOWSKI One of the world's oldest forms of physical conditioning has become the last word in gym class at the York Region District School Board. The board says it is the first in Canada to introduce Chinese martial arts into its physical education curriculum. While the kung fu program being introduced this week to some students in Grades 4 to 6 promotes physical conditioning and healthy lifestyle choices, it's also part of the board's effort to make its curriculum more inclusive. "We're trying to provide as many opportunities as possible for students to have variety in their health and physical education curriculum, but there's a rationale of making the curriculum as inclusive as possible," said Heather Sears, a curriculum consultant, who is one of six teachers trained in kung fu by the Canadian Chinese Martial Arts Federation. Census data released late last year shows that 18.77 per cent of Richmond Hill residents and 25.89 per cent of Markham's population have a Chinese language as a mother tongue, up 37 per cent and 43 per cent respectively since 1996. Kung fu is about refining a person's mind and character as well as the body, said Sears, who notes that the martial arts can also be incorporated into other aspects of the curriculum, including the study of ancient civilizations or the human body. The martial arts federation approached the board last year. Since then, six York teachers have been trained. They will be training 29 of their colleagues this week so that kung fu classes can begin in schools immediately, Sears said. As well, the federation has developed a training manual and video to support the teachers. Teachers who have taken the training "think that it's innovative. They see it as being a wonderful means to promoting a healthy, active lifestyle and they see it as being inclusive," said Sears. "It's so different. I've never done anything like that," said Michelle Lang, a 9-year-old student at W.J. Watson Public School in Keswick, who participated in a workshop last night. "It's supposed to help you build up your body and make you nice and strong and active," said Michelle, who lives in Newmarket. She has a friend who takes karate, but until now her gym classes have been routine games of basketball and volleyball. Kung fu master Lee Chi Wai of the martial arts federation, who designed the program, has been practising Chinese martial arts for 30 years. He stressed that it's a non-violent means of conditioning the body and mind. "If you want to fight, don't learn martial arts. Only a very small part is about self-defence. Everybody knows how to fight already. That's from nature," he said. Kung fu teaches how to avoid conflict. "There's no other sport that teaches that same discipline," he said. Students learn four aspects of kung fu: the history; the reasons behind the practice of martial arts; the ethical or philosophical aspect, and the foundations of body movement. Lee points out that the conditioning will help children in various sports, and there's an emphasis on proper stretching and avoiding injury. Lee says the exercise, which promotes self-esteem, is also an excellent means of keeping girls interested in how and why their bodies move, and encouraging them to stay active.
Not just for grasshoppers By SOL CHROM TORONTO -- Sweating and exhaling slowly, the students push imaginary fists away from their abdomens. They reach out and clutch the heads of imaginary opponents, bringing them forward to arcing elbows. They shout in unison and stare straight ahead as the kata -- a precisely choreographed series of techniques which can combine blocks, punches, kicks and stances -- comes to an end. It's a Wednesday-evening karate class at Toronto's Metro-Central YMCA and instructor Ken Sullivan -- addressed as sensei in Japanese -- is putting the group through the first kata students in the club learn: the 27 movements. As they progress and learn more complicated techniques, the katas become more demanding, but the 27 movements -- niju shichi waza in Japanese -- are the foundation for all the techniques they learn subsequently. It may look intimidating initially, but karate and other Japanese martial arts aren't new to Canada, nor are they limited to a small number of devotees. Sullivan, who holds a third-degree black belt and has practised martial arts for almost 30 years, notes several reasons why people become interested, in addition to the obvious self-defence aspects. While he allows it may be off-putting at first -- it looks violent, it's regimented, there's a specific uniform and structure of authority -- the difference is also intriguing for people who may be looking for a departure from more mainstream exercises such as aerobics, step classes, or weightlifting. The health benefits are all there: cardiovascular, co-ordination, balance, flexibility and what he describes as a sense of self -- a greater sense of connection and control over the way your body moves. What isn't immediately apparent, however, is the sense of confidence that martial-arts training can give a student. "The notion that you can defend yourself [in a threatening situation] is empowering," says Sullivan, a practising psychotherapist when he isn't teaching karate. Once students overcome their initial reluctance at the prospect of getting hit -- and of hitting other people -- they rise to the challenge of sparring. Frequently it can act as a form of stress reduction as well. Whether it's kata or sparring or simple repetition of techniques, Sullivan and a number of students say it helps them leave the worries of the day behind. Educational consultant Johanna Preston has been attending classes at the YMCA for less than two years, while Peter Suchanek, an industrial-relations mediator, has been at it for more than 17 years. Preston joined the club partly out of dissatisfaction with the monotony of cycling, jogging and swimming, which she said left her ruminating about catching up on work or rehashing the day's incidents. Oddly enough, she says she fell into it more or less by accident -- it was the only YMCA class that fit into her schedule. Suchanek's motivation was to gain an edge in competitive swimming. Both cite the intensity of martial-arts training, relative to other kinds of exercise, as an attraction. Both, moreover, point to karate's ability to help them set aside the stresses of the day. "For three hours a week," Preston says, "I do not think about work . . . or relive conversations or situations that occurred earlier in the day. My mind is fully engaged in what my body is doing." Similarly, Suchanek says: "I learned to clear my mind of . . . day-to-day mental encumbrances." Every class is prefaced by several minutes of meditation during which students relax, slow their breathing and get themselves centred and focused on their training. The class begins with 20 to 30 minutes of warmup exercises which can include stretching, calisthenics and a light aerobic workout. From there, the students move into various formations during which they practise basic karate techniques -- punches, kicks, blocks, either individually or in various combinations -- and then pair up to work on more complicated aspects such as self-defence or even sparring. As Suchanek points out, "some days it's like boot camp." Kata accounts for perhaps 25 per cent of what the class at the Y does, but that can vary from club to club. The benefits of practising kata, however, are numerous. Sullivan says they allow students to perfect their moves under controlled conditions and work on stances; during kata, students adopt lower and more powerful stances than are usually possible during sparring situations, so the practice helps develop strength. Repetition also works the student's speed, focus, power and judgment of distance -- bringing all the elements together in what the Japanese call kime. For those with competitive aspirations, there are numerous tournaments all over Canada open to entrants of all levels, but participation isn't necessarily required. Emphasis on competitions varies from club to club; Sullivan encourages his students to attend themas a way to test their skills, but allows that they're not for everyone. Some people like the idea of combat, he says, while for others karate is just another part of an overall fitness program. Both he and Suchanek note, though, that karate, as they practise it, is not about learning to beat people up. As Suchanek, who also teaches children's classes, says: "If anyone tells you that they're into karate to learn to kill or become a killing machine, they're full of BS -- and they probably wouldn't survive for long." Karate, he says, is all about humility and respect for oneself, other students and society. Those values become more and more important as students progress through the belt levels. (How long it takes a student to earn a black belt can take anywhere from three to six years, although some have done it more quickly. Progress depends on numerous things, including ability, style, frequency of training and level of commitment.) Either way, both experienced students and people new to the martial arts cite their ability to use what they learn in karate in day-to-day situations. Suchanek says the discipline he has learned from karate keeps him balanced -- "it keeps my highs from getting too high and my lows from getting too low," he says. He has also learned something about perseverance, he says, drawing a parallel between the commitment he has had to develop in karate and the commitment he brings to his field -- necessary for success in both contexts. Preston, too, says it has deepened her appreciation for the learning process. "I spend a lot of time marveling at just how difficult something as basic as walking forward can be when I have to think about how my feet are placed, how my body is positioned and what my arms are doing," she says. She adds that it has helped her become a better teacher: "I have a lot more energy and consequently more patience; and now, when my students struggle, I don't have to think too far back about how hard it is to learn something new." And even on a more mundane level, she notes a welcome change: "Since beginning karate six months ago, I am now far more diligent about eating two and even, occasionally, three meals a day. I feel more physically fit, and I sleep extremely well -- especially after class!"
N.S. teen gives up smoking for martial arts By CHAD LUCAS and SUSAN BRADLEY -- Halifax Chronicle-Herald Lynn Overland remembers her first cigarette. She was 12, preoccupied with being cool. "All my friends were smoking and I felt left out," she said. She sat on her top bunk and lit up a smoke she'd bummed from a friend. "I took a puff and it was like, 'Ewww, people smoke this?' " It took some time before she could inhale without the smoke burning her throat. But she kept at it. It was the cool thing to do. "I came to school and I said, 'Look! I can inhale!' " Four years later, Lynn, 16, recalls her last cigarette. It was 15 minutes before she rang in the new year. She'd tried to quit before in the previous year - "about 10 times" - but this time she just knew it would work. "As soon as I lasted three days, I knew I wasn't going back," Lynn said Monday in her Dartmouth home. Being active helped motivate her to quit, she said. In November 2000, she went to a friend's kindai bujitsu class. She fell in love with the martial art. "But it was so hard trying to keep up with everybody," she said. "My instructor kept on saying that if I quit smoking, I might be the youngest girl to get a black belt. So that's my goal." The Medical Society of Nova Scotia is hoping such positive messages will keep other youngsters from lighting up. "We have always said 'Don't smoke, don't smoke - it is bad for you.' Now we are putting a positive spin on the message," medical society president Dr. Bruce Wright said Monday. "We are emphasizing physical activity. We have data that show there is an 80 per cent chance that kids who are physically active won't start smoking." Young Nova Scotians who experiment with cigarettes are an average of 12.7 years old when they light up for the first time. "And unfortunately, that is when they get hooked on it," Dr. Wright said. The medical society has joined forces with Sport Nova Scotia and the Nova Scotia Dental Association to organize nine appearances by elite athletes from the province to speak to Grade 6 students. Olympians Karen Furneaux and Steve Giles, and Mike Scarola, a world-class athlete, are speaking to youngsters - hopefully before they are tempted to take their first puff, Dr. Wright said. The program was launched Monday at Shannon Park School in Dartmouth, marking the start of National Non-Smoking Week. "We had a wonderfully attentive group," Dr. Wright said. "They asked great questions, such as: 'If smoking is so bad, why is it still legal? What kinds of chemicals are in cigarettes? Why they are addictive?' " A Statistics Canada report shows the number of teens who smoke has dropped in the past two years. Lynn said about half of her friends have quit, though she still feels pressure to smoke at school. "People are like, 'Oh yeah, you're going to be smoking by the end of the week,' " she said. "Now that I'm not their cigarette supplier . . . they try to get me back into it." The habit ate up all her money, she said. Her parents, both truck drivers, would leave her $20 to last four days and she'd immediately spend it on smokes. "I'd have enough left for lunch the next day and that's all," she said. Mr. Scarola, a member of the senior Canadian canoe team and a Dalhousie University student, told the Shannon Park students that the best way to put tobacco companies out of business is by not buying their products, Dr. Wright said. "We also point out that Canadian tobacco companies kill off 46,000 of their best customers every year." Dr. Wright said he hopes the three-year campaign works. "One-third of Nova Scotians under the age of 24 smoke," he said. "The relationship between inactivity and poor health is established. If we can get kids off the sofa and doing something physical, we might be able to prevent them from becoming addicted to cigarettes, too." Lynn, who has her eye on a black belt in her chosen martial art and, eventually, a career in psychiatry, said she's glad to be finished with cigarettes. "I've got more energy," she said. "I'm not as lazy or tired. Now, I can't believe I used to smoke."
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