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Free Kung Fu Classes at the Union
Exercise for mind and body
By Cesar Rojas
For those of you who are looking for something to do that costs NOTHING, I highly encourage you to check out the free Kung Fu classes offered at the Union every Monday night from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
The Kung Fu club is open to all UWM students and alumni. You can receive instruction on the basics of Kung Fu from the Shao Lin Boxing Methods, a school that teaches Southern Hung Gar, the style of Kung Fu from the southern territories that focuses on stance and balance essential to combat in close quarters, as well as other styles.
Mitch Rasque, a UWM alumnus, is a junior instructor at Shao Lin Boxing Methods and teaches classes whether or not school is in session, which means in the summer and winter you can stay in shape.
Getting a great work-out is also a great reason to drop in. The training emphasizes low stances and strengthening techniques for bone and muscle development.
Many of the stances in class require great coordination and lots of concentration, especially when someone cracks a joke that makes everyone lose balance.
If you’ve never done any martial arts, don’t fret. The two hour sessions allow for one-on-one instruction and are further broken up by rank. The more often you go, the higher your rank in the club becomes.
Much of what is covered in the club revolves around five main animal sets. They include the tiger, crane, snake, leopard, and dragon. As he names off the animals, Mitch performs their acrobatic stance.
Then I learned the Dragon Tiger Show, the school symbol that Kung Fu practitioners display before engaging in combat taught by Shao Lin Boxing Methods. Again, here coordination and mental focus was the key. When you are done, you bow, with one palm open and the other hand in a fist. These represent the book and fist respectively, and also highlight the fact that you are exercising the body as well as the mind.
If the stress of midterms is getting to you and you want to join, go to the front desk at the concourse here at the union to find out which room classes are held, since the room changes every week.
A sure bet is to get on the class e-mail list and learn more information by e-mailing the Shao Lin Boxing Methods group at slbmkfc@gmail.com.
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