NSKF News

Warmer weather means it's a perfect time to start Kung Fu. There's nothing like working out when our joints and muscles are free from New York's chilly weather. Summer is on the way, and Kung fu also helps us get in shape, get healthy, and build energy. As New York continues to return to normal, classes are getting busier -- but there's still plenty of room. So join us for Kung Fu or Tai Chi. Try a group or give yourself the total attention of a private class.

Whether it's because of pressure and anxiety in the world, or an effort to get healthy as Spring arrives, we notice there's a growing interest in Tai Chi. In response, we're adding an evening class, Wednesday  at 6:15. We offer several options now, both online and in the studio - take a look at our schedule. With our more advanced Tuesday class, we are working on Tai Chi Sword, a beautiful -- and challenging --form. Give us a call if you would like to start a journey into Tai Chi.

The season for belt or "sash" tests continues, and we took an entire Saturday afternoon to give tests to some of our most dedicated students. They worked hard for weeks reviewing forms and fighting techniques, and they all did great. The forms were among our most challenging with techniques like Butterfly kicks and two-person forms. Max, Ann, Felix and "Big Max" earned their red, blue, and green sash tests respectively. We congratulate them.

We have several great young students who have been with us for several years now, and they are getting ready to take their sash test, moving ever closer to black belt. Sam Lung took his red sash test before his peers, and he did great, surprising us with excellent sparring. We  congratulate him on earning his red sash.

As you can imagine, with what's going on in the world, it's a great time for Tai Chi & Qigong. These practices help you get centered in your body, by uniting body, mind and spirit in slow, relaxing movement. We find they really help relieve stress and anxiety. It's a different way of working on health; the depth and slowness of the movement lets us work on coordination and balance with low impact. And in our warmup, we pay attention to abs and core strength as well as posture. And the movements themselves are....interesting. So stop by and try a class for free. We have both online and in the studio classes. See our schedule, we just updated our offerings.

New York City is relaxing its regulations. We still require our students and visitors be vaccinated. But depending on the group, we find social distance, open windows, and a HEPA filter is security enough, and we do not require masks. We have been adding back classes -- check out our schedule. There are several new kids classes to choose from.  Note, we still wear masks for children's classes and for now, ask that children wear them. Have questions? Call us at (917)657-6104. Spring is coming and it's only going to get better.

We're being extra careful as New York City enters a critical phase of the latest pandemic. Like many New Yorkers, we're staying on top of the news, and doing what we have to do to stay safe. Here's a snapshot of our Sunday morning class. We're here for the holidays, and have a range of offerings. We're exploring new classes and options including private online classes. Call us to learn more. 

And before the end of the year, we held a few more sash tests. We congratulate Ari and Franklin who, respectively, earned their Blue and Green sashes. They worked hard and showed art and spirit in their performance. We congratulate them.

Students progress with ongoing practice, and they test themselves with periodic sash tests! This year, we've been doing small groups. Here's a photo of some of our students who recently took their test. Sam took his blue sash test, and brothers Danny and Amir who got their orange sashes, respectively. Our tests are not easy and our students demonstrated forms, techniques, and kung fu basics and self-defense.  We congratulate them!

We just added two weekly Tai Chi class.  You can join us Wednesdays at 5pm and Thursdays at 2pm. We're flexible, and are adjusting times as students request schedule changes, but this is where we are right now; the theme in 2021 is flexibility!  We'll have more pictures soon, but if you're always wanted to try Tai Chi or Qigong, join us! We're focused on balance, core strength, and relaxation, and getting centered and back to ourselves. Everyone is welcome, we're at 115 West 28th. And, yes, we're vaccinated, and we're keeping it safe!

Last weekend we held a sash tests so our hard working students can measure their accomplishments in Kung Fu and martial arts. Cleo and Val are now officially red sashes; they are truly on their way to black belt. Wally and Petra took their blue and green sash tests respectively. This is not easy. Each level requires students to show kung fu forms, techniques, and self defense moves. We congratulate our students on this accomplishment!

On another subject...SUMMER! Yes, it's just about time (and it feels like it, here in NYC, at 90 degrees). We are working on our summer schedule and some special programs. Call us if you'd like to put in time and effort to start your kung fu journey. Sifu Julie and SIfu Dario will help you get started. Email us or call (917)657-6104.

As of today, New York City is lifting almost all guidelines. We've managed to stay open during most of the pandemic, and we've done it by careful planning and attention to what works best for our students. In other words, we are open, we're teaching, and we will be slowly adapting new guidelines, but keeping classes small. We've got great ventilation, plenty of room, and time to accomodate various schedules and new students. We'll be enlarging our small group classes over the next weeks and  months. Take a look at our first steps!

We so enjoyed working out in the park every Thursday. In particular it was so great seeing the young people working out together. With the time change, it's dark at 5pm so we're now back in the studio. We're making Thursday at 5-7 pm a self-guided open house. Members can book time to come in and work on their forms. We are observing strict safety guidelines, and limiting attendance. With that, Sifu Dario and Sifu Julie are doing everything they can to create an opportunity for members to work  on their kung fu and stay healthy.

We had a great outdoor workout last week, in nearby Chelsea Park. We are now there every Thursday, 5-7pm. Look for our yellow banner; we are close to the 27th Street and 10th avenue corner of the park. Beginners and novices welcome. 

We brought a staffs and some sabers, and joined the other runners, boxers, and martial artists practicing outside. It's a huge park with plenty of space for group forms and long weapons. We highly recommend it, there's nothing like practicing under the big New York sky.

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