Académie Shaolin White Crane Kung Fu Newsletter Un mot du Shifu ...

Académie Shaolin White Crane Kung Fu Newsletter
Un mot du Shifu / A word from Shifu
Programme assistant-instructeur /
Assistant-instructor program
Programme élite / Elite program
Summary of Lei Tai tournament 2009
Évènements / events
Octobre 2009

Académie Shaolin White Crane Kung Fu Newsletter
Un mot du Shifu A word from Shifu
Cher élèves,
J’aimerais vous remercier pour votre intérêt dans le kung fu de
la grue blanche. J’aimerais également vous offrir quelques
conseils et encouragements :
Pour ceux et celles qui éprouvent de la difficulté, ne vous
découragez pas! Il ne faut pas abandonner. Lorsque j’étais un
jeune homme je n’avais aucune habilité sportive particulière et
pourtant, maintenant, j’ai un certain succès. Ce succès est venu
puisque je m’obstinais à réussir. Je suggère de se créer une
routine d’entraînement et de la suivre strictement. Suivre un
horaire vous aidera beaucoup. Devenir passionné du kung fu
de la grue blanche devrait être facile. Avec la pratique
régulière, votre corps devient plus fort et plus sain. Vous fixez
des objectifs et vous les accomplissez. Vous augmentez votre
confiance et vous pouvez vous exprimer à travers un art qui se
pratique seul. Voici un dernier conseil : utilisez bien votre
possession la plus précieuse; votre temps. Fumer, boire,
prendre de la drogue, abuser de la nourriture sont toutes des
habitudes qui consomment énormément d’énergie et offrent
peu de récompenses. Pensez plutôt de rejoindre vos camarades
au Wushu Guan (Gymnase)!
Lorne Bernard
Académie White Crane kung fu
Programme d’assistant-instructeur
Durant les dernières 27 années, Shifu Bernard a consacré la
majorité de son temps à l’étude, la pratique et l’enseignement
du style de la grue blanche. Il explique : « Je suis tombé en
amour avec cet art sophistiqué qui conservait encore beaucoup
d’aspects quasi disparus dans les arts martiaux. Le style de la
grue volante avait toujours les 18 armes traditionnelles, le
travail interne, les formes à mains nues ainsi que les formes
avec partenaires. De plus, les élèves pratiquaient régulièrement
le combat et ce, de façon réaliste. L’enseignement de la médecine
chinoise et de la danse de lion faisaient également l’étude
de cet art d’avantage intéressante. Finalement, le fait d’étudier
en Orient de la vieille façon traditionnelle donna vraiment le
sens d’appartenance à une famille ou un clan ».
Désormais, Shifu Bernard est le représentant officiel du
grand-maitre Lee Joo-Chian en Amérique du nord et
l’académie Montréalaise est le bureau-chef. Nos objectifs sont
de préserver et de partager cet art précieux.
Octobre 2009
1
Dear students,
It is my great pleasure to thank you for your interest in our
precious white crane kung fu. I would also like to offer some
advice and encouragement:
To those who have difficulty never give up. As a child, I was
never very athletic yet I endured, trained, and now have some
success. I would recommend to everyone to make a training
schedule and follow it religiously. This will really help you
progress. Also falling in love with kung fu is easy, your body
gets stronger and healthier, you have objectives, you gain
confidence and you express yourself through an art form that
can be practiced alone. Please consider not wasting your most
valuable possession: your time. Smoking, drinking, taking
drugs, overeating are all unhealthy, wasteful habits that
consume a great amount of energy and offer little in return.
Why not go to the Wushu Guan and train instead!
Lorne Bernard
Académie White Crane kung fu
Pour réussir, nous devons impliquer d’avantage les gens, et
créer la prochaine génération d’instructeurs. Une base solide
est déjà en place maintenant la grue blanche va ouvrir ses ailes
et disséminer l’art! Nous recherchons des candidats qui désireraient
devenir instructeurs. Le programme est difficile, mais il
en vaut la peine. Pour ceux et celles qui sont intéressés, veuillez
prendre un rendez-vous avec Shifu Bernard afin de faire votre
application pour participer dans le programme
d’assistant-instructeur. Ce programme spécial est la première
étape dans le processus pour devenir un instructeur certifié. Les
programmes sont ouverts à tous ceux et celles qui sont prêt à
travailler fort et ont le désir d’enseigner le kung fu de la grue
blanche.

Académie Shaolin White Crane Kung Fu Newsletter
Assistant-instructor program
During the last 27 years, Shifu Bernard has dedicated most of
his time to the study, practice and dissemination of the extremely
rare flying crane branch of Fujian white crane kung fu.
He explains that “I fell in love with this incredibly sophisticated
art as it still retained many facets of traditional martial arts
that had already disappeared from other systems. It still had all
the traditional weapons (over 18), internal breathing exercises,
hand sets and two person sets. Furthermore, actual fighting
was a regular part of the curriculum and the fighters were
fierce. Traditional medicine and lion dance were also taught
which definitely made learning martial arts a more complete
and interesting endeavour. Finally, studying in the Orient the
old fashioned way really gave that fulfilling sense of being part
of a larger entity or clan.”
Programme élite / Elite program
Ce programme est disponible à tout élève qui à terminer ses
mouvements de bases (niveau 3). Son objectif est de mieux
aider les gens à améliorer leurs habilitées en formes, armes, et
en combat libre. Les membres de l’équipe elite représenterons
l’école lors de démonstrations et à des compétitions. Pour
devenir membre, parler à Shifu ou à un des assistants instructeurs.
Pour être éligible, il faut venir aux cours 3 fois par
semaine et participer aux entraînements spéciaux.
Tous les assistants-instructeurs sont automatiquement dans le
programme élite.
This program is available to students who have successfully
finished the basic moves and who are interested in specialized
training in forms, weapon sets and free fighting. Members of
the elite team will represent the school in demonstrations and
tournaments. To apply, talk to shifu or one of the assistant
instructors. To be part of the team students must train a
minimum of 3 classes per week and participate in the special
elite team classes.
All assistant instructors are automatically in the elite program.
Octobre 2009
2
Shifu Bernard is now the official representative of Grand-Master
Lee Joo-Chian and the Academy is the North-American
headquarters of the flying crane style. Its objective remains to
preserve and disseminate this great art. To do so, however, we
need to involve people more and create develop the next
generation of instructors. A solid foundation has been laid in
Canada, now it is time to spread our wings. We are looking for
people interested in becoming instructors in the white crane
style. The process is difficult yet the rewards are great. Anyone
seriously interested should make an appointment with Shifu
Bernard and apply to the assistant-instructor program. This
special program is the first step to becoming a full-fledged
instructor. The program is open to all who work hard, have a
desire to excel in kung fu and want to teach this rare art.
PROGRAMME D’AIDE FINANCIÈRE / FINANCIAL
ASSISTANCE PROGRAM
Si vous avez des difficultés qui font en sorte que vous avez de
la difficulté à payer les frais de scolarité et que vous êtes prêts
à travailler pour aider l’école, demandez à Shifu à propos du
programme d’aide financière pour les élèves.
If you or a friend desperately want to study kung fu but cannot
afford it, inquire with Shifu about our financial assistance
program.

Académie Shaolin White Crane Kung Fu Newsletter
Octobre 2009
Summary of the Lei Tai tournament 2009
Warm up, forms, set-fighting, some applications, and finish
with the some push hands or sparring. That is the routine you
go through in a typical training session at the White Crane
Kung Fu Academy in Montreal. If you are or have been a
student there, you're most likely very familiar with this kind of
traditional training. I've been familiar with it for over six years
now. And after years of such training, a question inevitably
creeps up: how well can I use what I learned in class? You
might say: you just told us you spar in class; shouldn't that be
a good indication of your self-defense abilities? The answer is:
yes you do spar, but in a very friendly environment. It is a
completely different business when you have to defend
yourself from an opponent who wants to knock your head off:
the blows are full power, the stress level usually shoots up, and
your opponent resembles a bull who is in full charge. Luckily,
there is an alternative to bar fights for testing your kung fu
skills in a realistic situation: full contact lei tai competitions.
The lei tai tournament is held during the annual U.S.
International Kuoshu Championship Tournament in Baltimore.
The lei tai competition takes place on a platform about two feet
above the ground (called the lei tai). There are four ways to
win a match: knock-out (count to ten), 3 knockdowns in a
round, getting the opponent three times off the lei tai in a
round, or winning two out of three rounds in terms of points.
Rounds last a minute and a half for elimination matches (two
minutes for the final match) with 30 second breaks between
rounds (45 seconds for final fights). Because of these short
rounds, the fights are very high intensity and end up in knock
outs fairly often.
It is a Friday afternoon in the end of July. I just had an
11 hour drive from Montreal to Baltimore. In total we're 7
people who drove down in order to assist fujiao lien Etienne
Métayer and Mathew MacLean’s in their lei tai competition.
Etienne has been studying white crane kung fu for over 10
years. He hits like a ton of bricks, is deceivingly fast, and is a
skilled counter fighter. I speak of experience, since I was one
of his sparring partners and have been on the receiving end of
some of his hits, which were quite the stunners considering
they weren't full power. He won gold in his division in the
3
previous year's lei tai tournament. This year, he lost about 20 lbs,
is faster and hits equally hard. Thus he is a good contender for first
place. Our second fighter, Mathew, has about the same experience
level as I do in white crane kung fu. He has good power, good
speed, good kicks, and is good at rushing you with blows. Since it
is his first year, I asked him what his goals were. The answer was:
“I don't care if I don't get first place, I just don't want to fall off the
lei tai. It's so embarrassing to crawl back up onto it.” I first
laughed about it, but soon realized he was serious.
Saturday, 1pm. For two hours, the staff at the competition
has been thoroughly checking the gloves, shoes, and headgear of
the fighters and all this waiting is making even me, the assistant
corner man, nervous and anxious. I can't imagine what it's like for
the fighters. What's more, the first fight of the day is Etienne's
(he's up against a praying mantis fighter from France) and he
sprained his back during the warm-up practice. We get to the lei
tai, the whistle sounds, and the fight's on. Since both fighters are
nervous, the fight quickly turns into a feat of strength in a hit for
hit battle. As stated before, Etienne hits fast and very hard. This
provides him with en edge over his adversary, and he wins the first
two rounds by split decisions. We're off with a victory, even
though it will cost him a couple of bruises later. Mathew’s up soon
against an experienced fighter from Germany. Surprisingly, he
doesn't seem nervous. It's another hit for hit battle and he holds his
ground against the German. Mathew succeeds in throwing him off
the lei tai and wins the first round by points. But in the middle of
the second round, he walks into a hard punch and is knocked
down. This dazes him and turns the favor to the German, who
wins the next two rounds and thus the match. But, even dazed,
Mathew managed to stay on the lei tai (his main objective) and not
get knocked out for the rest of the match, which is in itself a great
display of determination. Soon enough, Etienne's second fight is
up. He's far less nervous. He is up against a Brazilian who rushes
him right away, but now that the stress is gone, the white crane
techniques start to show. It was one clean jo bu da (side step with
straight punch) after another, so every time his opponent charges
Etienne, he finds him out of the way and is dazed an instant later
by a solid reverse from the side. Soon enough, Etienne starts
attacking more frequently and knocks the guy several times off the
lei tai. He easily wins the first two rounds and the match. Two

Académie Shaolin White Crane Kung Fu Newsletter
hours later, Etienne has defeated yet another fighter, a hard
hitting hung gar practitioner, and qualified for the final. Once
again, he dominated the fight by using his technique and speed.
By now, he has already acquired a fierce reputation among the
other fighters and trainers. But the other finalist, the son of the
president of the World Kuoshu Federation (grandmaster
Huang), has also acquired quite a reputation: he knocked out
his previous opponent in about ten seconds and his knock-out
punch shattered his opponent's face protector into pieces. So
Etienne bruised up after three fights in as many hours and with
his back sprain worse than before steps up the lei tai against the
fighter who no one in the tournament wanted to face. The fight
begins well for Etienne. Even though his opponent is of a much
higher caliber than the previous ones, Etienne is still the faster
fighter. None of them charge because they each know they are
facing considerable opponents. The closest way I can describe
it is two cats watching each other and occasionally getting into
short but highly intense attacks. To the surprise of the
audience, Etienne, being faster, has the upper hand. That is
until he gets hit by a full power reverse punch which put him to
the ground and the official decides that he's too dazed to
continue even though Etienne insists to do so. The fight is
called to and end, but Etienne's demand to continue the fight,
bruised up and tired, against an opponent who has just hit him
with the hardest punch he has ever received, speaks in itself for
the determination I admire in Etienne. It is also here that we
realize that in full contact competitions power over speed can
win, which is not necessarily true in real life.
Even if we didn't bring back the gold this year,
Etienne still earned a fierce reputation (the US lei tai team
coach, who had never talked to us, later approached him and
told him how impressed he was), Mathew got a taste of the lei
tai experience (and even managed to stay on the lei tai for the
whole match), and the rest of us got to socialize with many
skilled masters, watch kung fu demos and forms (the lei tai is
only one of the many events of the entire tournament) and have
a well deserved toast to our fighters after the fights. At the end
of the day, the lei tai competition is an experience which allows
you to bond with your sifu, and your kung fu brothers and
sisters, and is likely to be an experience you won't regret or
Octobre 2009
Summary of the Lei Tai tournament 2009
4
forget. I have had that experience twice and would highly
recommend it to any kung fu enthusiast.
Tigran Atoyan

Académie Shaolin White Crane Kung Fu Newsletter
Évènements / Events
Octobre 2009
Octobre 2009 Novembre 2009
Une opportunité unique
de s’entraîner avec un
des plus grands combattants
de Buck Sing Choy Lay Fut
venant de Hong Kong,
vivant maintenant
au Canada
White Crane Kung Fu
Académie Laval
1545 Le Corbusier
(Galeries Laval), Laval
H7S 2K6
Tél: 450-681-0546
Sans frais: 1-888-687-0546
$69.99
pour les membres
de l’ECCMAF
$88.99
pour les
non-membres
5
Le séminaire de bâton avec Shifu Lorne Bernard est prévu pour
Mardi le 17 Novembre 2009 de 29h30 à 22h30 au YMCA du 5550
Avenue du Parc. Coût: 50$ en inscription avancée, 70$ à la porte.
Les personnes doivent avoir passé le niveau 1 et être familier avec
les mouvements de base du bâton de la Grue Blanche. Amenez
votre propre bâton. Enregistrez-vous tôt, les places sont limitées!
Staff Seminar with Shifu Lorne Bernard is confirmed for Tuesday,
November 17th, 20h30-22h30 at the YMCA of 5550 Avenue du
Parc. $50 in advance, 70$ at the door. Must have passed Level 1 and
be familiar with White Crane Seven Star Staff basics. Bring/Buy
your own Staff. Register early, Spaces are very Limited.
Décembre 2009
Christmas Party
Party de Noël
Joignez-vous à nous/ Come celebrate!
2009-12-11 21h30
Restaurant Tao (374 Victoria, westmount: 514-369-
1122)
Ouvert à tous/ All welcome