What is the I Ho chuan

I figured I would share my speech from the banquet as a windup to the year of the monkey.


What is the I Ho Chuan

• Silent River Kung Fu's I Ho Chuan is a year-long mentorship program based upon the Ultimate Black Belt Test - designed by Tom Callos of California.

There are general requirements set by Silent River Kung Fu's Black Belt Examination Board and personal requirements set by yourself.

General I Ho Chuan Requirements
• No quitting.
• Log 50,000 pushups and 50,000 situps.
• Master two forms with a minimum of 1000 repetitions one of which is a weapon form.
• Log 1000 rounds of sparring.
• 1609 kilometers running/walking/biking/rollerblading or equivalent. "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step”
• Record 1000 Acts of Kindness.
• Mend a relationship.
• Maintain a public journal that is updated at least once a week.
• Maintain an online presence.
• Qualify for and perform in at least three public performances.
• Learn to Lion Dance.
• Compete in the Tiger Challenge.
• Zero unexcused absences from I Ho Chuan classes or meetings.
• Excel with your core class curriculum.
• Organize, lead, and participate in important SRKF projects.
• Memorize and recite Mastery by Stuart Emery.

As a team you will:

• Organize and lead SRKF’s Adopt-A-Driveway Program.
• Organize and lead SRKF’s Annual Kwoon Maintenance Project.
• Organize and lead the school to raise $20,000 for SRBF’s Pandamonium fundraiser.
• Be active participants in all school projects and initiatives.
• Complete a public four-board break. (Sihings)
• Create five personal applications. (Sihings)
• Complete grading day. (Sifus & Sihings)
• Qualify to teach at the forms seminar. (Sifus)
• Set your personal requirements.

Everyone’s journey is different. hence the need for personal requirements.. These personal requirements should be something that you are passionate about, something that will help you achieve mastery and something that will push your personal boundaries.

These are the requirements but what does being a member of the I Ho Chuan do for you. For every person it is different but this year I finally figured out what it has done for me.

1. The physical benefits are the easiest to see. This year I lost some weight and improved my physical conditioning. How did this happen? By just doing the physical requirements, they motivated me to push harder and take that next step.

2. It not only improves your life but the lives of the people around you. thousand acts of kindness makes you aware of the people around you and how your actions can affect them. This has made me more aware of how any action, no matter how small can have a monumental effect on another person.
3. My kung Fu knowledge and skill has improved. By doing over 1000 reps of 2 forms, you are able to fix the small things and improve your eye for detail.

4. It is a process and takes time to start showing benefits. Some things come more quickly but you are building habits that make you a better martial artist and a better person. This is my fourth year in a row being on the team and my fifth year overall. I have struggled with the process in the first 3 years but I was making changes and this year I finally was able to see those changes.

For the first few years of my training at Silent River Kung Fu I was just in Kung Fu to improve my physical condition, but something changed in my mindset this last year. I met with Sifu Brinker about a month ago to discuss grading for my second degree and we also discussed my struggles in the past and what made this year different. It was at that point the words to describe what was different came to me. I was someone who was just doing Kung Fu and now I am someone who is actually in Kung Fu. The reason for this change has been having a successful year in the I Ho Chuan. When you are surrounded by like minded people with the goal of improving themselves and the world around them, it makes it an easier transition and a lot more fun.

The Time is Now.

Our banquet is tomorrow and I have been thinking a lot about what has transpired this year. It has been a year with a lot of ups and downs but mostly ups.

I was going to talk about what the I Ho Chuan is about and what it has done for me but I will wait until after the banquet for this to truly put the year in perspective.

Time to enjoy the moment and prepare for tomorrow and beyond.

Bad Timing

Injuries always seem to show at the worst time. Last Thursday, I pulled a muscle in my back. What a horrible time to happen with the demo and lion dance practices both happening that night. I took it fairly easy and felt a little worse after but not as bad as I thought.

Then Saturday came and after Lion Dance practice it was way worse. From there, we had our meeting and sitting around it started to tighten up quite a bit. Right after the meeting, I had my grading but beard down and pushed through.

This blog started about injuries but ended by being appreciative of what Kung Fu has done for me and for the people who have helped me along my journey. Thank you all.

Excitement is building.

Our Chinese New Years banquet is coming up fast. This time of year the nerves start to get frazzled. There is the demo to practice and the Lion/ Dragon dance as well.

We just started building the lion dance and we only have 2 Saturdays to go so it should be some exciting times coming. The demo is mostly there, but again there are things to fix and areas we can improve on.

So many things and yet my favourite time of the year. We are completing our year in the I Ho Chuan and it feels great. The year has had many ups and downs but now is the time to focus on what you have done and all that you have accomplished. Nervous for the 28th but can't wait for it to be here.