gamble759

Hi Mallary! Just wanted to jump in here and say good luck! About a year ago I was in the same boat as you, jumping into wushu (kung fu) from Tae Kwon Do.. And let me tell you, just about EVERYTHING is different. Like others have posted, keep an open mind because it will be very different from what you are use to. It is SO much fun though. I now train in both Tae Kwon Do and Wushu. The only thing sort of bad that has happened is that my wushu seems to be crossing into my TKD forms.. My instructor has to constantly remind me that I am in TKD now. Oops! Good Luck! -Courtney

Thanks for your replies! I tried searching for more info about this and a poster above was absolutely correct in assuming it is a Chinese cultural tradition. I found this on wikipedia.. "As a sign of respect- In Chinese society, the younger generation always shows their respect to the older generation by offering a cup of tea. Inviting their elders to go to restaurants and having some tea is a traditional activity on holidays. In the past, people of lower rank served tea to higher-ranking people. Today, as Chinese society becomes more liberal, sometimes parents may pour a cup of tea for their children, or a boss may even pour tea for subordinates at restaurants. However, the lower-ranking person should not expect the higher-ranking person to serve him or her tea in formal occasions." There are also other reasons listed for serving tea but thought this was interesting.

Hello friends! I was told about a tradition where the student will pour tea for the sifu when they are out to eat at a restaurant, Im not sure if this is a sign of respect or what. Anyways, is it customary for the student to then pour tea for everyone else at the table.. students included or just the sifu? What if the Sigung is present, is he/she served first? What about situ's wife??? I am really into the tradition of it all. Are there other martial arts where tea ceremonies are involved? Have a good weekend!

I used to train and fly birds of prey for universal studios and was also a falconer for 6 years. Gamble was the name of my first hawk, he was a red tail and he taught me absolutely everything about training a BOP. So I use the name gamble on different sites.. 759 comes from my old phone number, now don't go lookin me up!

One of my instructors is a personal trainer and manager at an athletic store. My other instructor worked in IT. Both are extremely dedicated to martial arts and are very gracious in sharing their time with their students! aka me

Both my Tae Kwon Do school and Wushu school have websites and Facebook pages. As mentioned above, I really like having a place to post my own photos and to be able to see what is new with the school. Both aren't used a whole lot but there is one thing I know. I never would have found my wushu school without the website. I am sooo happy that he did have one because finding the school was the best thing to happen to me this year. I also think more people are turning to the web to find a specific style and its a great idea to have your website up there. I think it would be very good for business.

What part of AZ are you in?? I would love to stop in if I am nearby! Thanks

My 2014 goals will be to compete at a big tournament in Las Vegas in August (and do my personal best). I want to learn how to do an aerial. Ive been really trying to improve my flexibility and another one of my main goals is to be able to touch the top of my head to my toe in a straddle.

Thanks everyone for the nice welcome! I have found Tae Kwon Do and Wushu to be extremely different in the techniques and delivery. Ive had quite a time trying to remember to keep my leg straight when bringing my leg down from a kick. I feel like Wushu suits me pretty well since when I am in Tae Kwon Do I am always being told to tone my movements down.. and Im not sure theres such a thing as being too big/dramatic in Wushu I went to a small tournament last weekend and got first place in taolu (forms) in a beginner division which was pretty cool. There is still so much to learn though.. and after watching the video of my form I can see that there is still a lot to improve on in the form. Does anyone weight train to help improve their martial art?? My sifu and I have been hitting the gym to try and prepare me for some of the difficulties in wushu that I will begin learning next year. Everyone enjoy your week

Hello everybody! I wanted to introduce myself and here seems like the place to do it. Ive already seen a ton of great topics on the forum.. It is so great to see that there are people as passionate about MA as I am. Heres a little about me: 24 y/o lady from Arizona. 1st dan in Tae Kwon Do though Ive trained about 9 years! I started when I was 8 years old and reached up to a deputy black belt (belt before black) and stopped. I started again before I turned 20 and decided to start back at white belt so that I could get up to speed with what was happening in TKD then. Things evolve so much! I began Wushu in July and it has been an amazing journey so far. The best thing about it is the wonderful people Ive met just in the short amount of time. There is no shortage of amazing people in martial arts. I can't wait to meet you all and I'll see you out in the forums. Im open to any questions if you have them. Have a great weekend everyone!