Hello AMAI Family!
In this blog series, we will post reminders of what the students worked on during the previous week. This gives you or your child ideas for how to practice at home between classes. If you need extra help on any movements or sections of the form, talk to your instructor about adding a Virtual Membership onto your current membership to unlock videos that break down every section of your form and every technique!
Last week was the third week of our Fall 2021 Quarter. Don't forget that this week, 9/12-9/17, is Stripe Testing for Lil' Dragons, Kids BASIC, and Kids BBC!
Lil' Dragons: The Lil' Dragons continued working on their Nan Quan form this week. They learned the techniques "Block Block Punch" and "Thunder Step." To practice Block Block Punch, practice blocking first with your right arm by itself five times, then practice with your left arm. Then, put it together! Practice it five times with both arms, and make sure your punch at the end is super strong! To practice Thunder Step at home, check with your parents to make sure it is OK to make a super loud stomping noise. Then, stomp as loud as you can as you go through your Thunder Step! You can warm up by trying out a different Animal Walk every day--seal, crab, tiger, alligator, and rabbit are all good options.
BASIC Program: Students in BASIC Classes began learning Section Three of the Five Stances Form. At home, work on making your stances super steady, starting with a bow stance. Make sure your front knee is bent and your back knee is straight. Work on getting your cat stance steady and strong, and try lifting your front foot off the ground as you hold a cat stance. Start each day of practice with 10 of each of the line kicks you learned in class.
Kids BBC Program: This week, the Kids BBC students continued practicing Section One and Section Two of the Golden Crested Crane form. In your warmups, work on your horse stance: challenge yourself to see how long you can hold it! Make yourself a "record board" and write down your Horse Stance record and see if you can beat it next week. Try to knock out 20 flat palm push-ups every day. Challenge yourself to practice Section One 10 times and Section Two 15 times before you come in for your next class! Since this form is shorter than usual, you can be more specific when you practice; look for your Crane Style hand tools during your form practice. Focus on practicing your Inside Crescent Kick this week and try to swing your leg out straight before bringing it back in to the Crane Stance.
Adult/Teen BBC Program: This week, the Adult and Teen BBC students learned Section Two of our Golden Crested Crane form. In your warmups, work on your endurance and shadowboxing. Practice your techniques individually to prepare yourself for shadowboxing--build your "toolbox" of Crane Style movements. Don't forget to practice your line kicks and work toward beautiful posture in the kicks and in the form itself.
Foundation Weapons: In Foundation Weapons class this week, students practiced Sections One and Two of their 16-Step Straight Sword Form. When practicing, remind yourself of the anatomy of your sword before you begin. When you stretch, don't forget to stretch out your wrists! As you practice the form, remember to watch for your targets and keep your sword fingers and stances solid. Practice your forward flowers and reverse flowers until they are clean. Begin practicing shadowboxing and try creating a different 3-move combo every time you practice.
Advanced Weapons: In Advanced Weapons class this week, students continued studying Sections One and Two of their Yin Shao Staff Form. When practicing, make sure you hold your weapon correctly at all times. Begin to practice shadowboxing, and start by isolating different Staff techniques and strikes to build your toolbox of movements.
