Adult Kung Fu

Adult Benefits

Our adult programs are structured with the busy schedule of todays proffessional in mind. We have a variety of classes throughout the day. Because we are a full time proffessional school we can offer a variety of classes to meet even the tightest schedule.

Because so many martial arts schools these days have focussed only on children's programs, the idea that martial arts is a childrens activity has proliferated our society. Training in Shou' Shu' Kung Fu has a myriad of benefits for all ages. Benefits for adults include;

Self Defense

There are a lot of reasons for adults to train in Shou' shu' Kung Fu. Obviously self defense is a primary objective, but there are many more beyond this. If you never have to use your Shou' Shu' skills in a self defense situation, the other incredible benefits will greatly enhance your life.

Physical Fitness

Physical fitness is a secondary benefit that many people come to us for. Training in Shou' Shu' is a great way to get in shape. The art works the entire body. Especially the larger muscle groups. There really isn't a better exercise for getting the gluteus and leg muscles in shape. Shou' Shu' uses all of the bodies muscles coordinated together. This makes for a full body workout. You'll get into great shape at your own pace. This is extremely important for long term success.

The other reason Shou' Shu' will get you into great shape is that it's just plain fun. You'll be having so much fun you'll hardly recognize that your working out, but you'll feel it. Sure beats a treadmill.

Stress Relief

Americans are suffering from stress related problems in epidemic proportions. Stress is a primary problem in todays workforce. Stress reduction has become a necessity that if not taken care of future problems are almost certain to occur. You'll also find Shou' Shu' to be a fantastic stress relief. Exercise in general burns off stress but Shou' Shu' does it better. What could be healthier than taking out your aggressions in the studio. You'll feel wonderful when you leave.

Self Confidence

You'd be amazed at the confidence you'll build throught the study of Shou' Shu'. Self confidence is built through several channels. As you achieve control of your body through more and more difficult motions you'll develop confidence in your ability to achieve. Acheivements are the building blocks of confidence. You'll constantly be working on greater and greater achievements, building confidence as you go. The great thing about these achievements is that they are internal. Yes there is an external reward system in the studio, but true acheivement is internal. This is our focus.

External achievement is far less fulfilling than internal acheivement and leaves a person wanting. Internal acheivement is fulfilling and leads to

Self Esteem

Self esteem is related to self confidence but different. It is said that self confidence roots from your belief in what you can achieve. Self esteem roots in your own estimation of your self worth. From self confidence, self esteem is developed. High levels of self esteem lead to success in life. People with high self esteem always find success easier than those without.

One of the most gratifying experiences for our instructors is the advances in self esteem of their students and their acheivements that follow. Hearing about these experiences of success due to higher self esteem from business men and women who are students of Shou' Shu' is pretty common.

Mind Body Awareness

You probably won't realize what this means until you find it. The fact is that without training in Shou' Shu' most people have very little mind body connection. The experience of learning Shou' shu' is very strange at first as a person first realizes how very little mind body awareness they have. We commonly hear comments such as "It makes my brain hurt".

As a person develops this mind body awareness they also develop:

Coordination and Balance

While different people are born with different levels of coordination and balance, it doesn't have to stay this way. Both can be taught with proper instruction. As a matter of fact, the strange truth is that those that come in with less coordination tend to develop it faster than those who were born with it. This is because those people who are not terribly coordinated tend to develop the ability to concentrate on the motion better than those who things come easy to.

Balance is a product of three parts of the body; the inner ear, the eyes, and the feet. The inner ear senses balance. The eyes sense the horizon. The feet feel for it. In most people the weakest sense of balance is the feet. They really should be the strongest. The feet are highly complex, with a complex skeletal structure, a complex muscular structure, and a highly developed nerve structure. When properly trained these systems work together to form a fantastic balance system. The problem is that this is underdeveloped in most people because of the hard soled shoes most of us wear. Shoes inhibit the training of the feet. Training in Shou' shu' Kung Fu will greatly enhance balance due to the intense training that the feet will go through.

A healthy Social Environment

Adults will find that everyone in the quan works to help each other learn. This atmosphere develops a lot of comraderie among students. It's truly a fun healthy place to be. A social environment structured around a very healthy activity.

Adults of all ages and fitness levels will realize fantastic benefits from studying Shou' Shu' at the Sheng Chi Training Center. Come in for a free private lesson to try it out. Call us now and schedule a lesson with one of our professional instructors .

Adult program Testimonials

Cardio Kickboxing

Our Cardio program is a unique form of martial
arts aerobics. Being based on the soft circular
motions of Shou' Shu' Kung Fu, it is completely
non-impact. But don't let the fact that it is
non-impact fool you, it's a fantastic workout.

Because Shou' Shu' Kung Fu uses the leg muscles to
develop power, so does our cardio program. Because the
leg muscles demand a lot of energy due to being the
larger muscles in the body, a large amount of demand is
put on the cardio vascular system. This burns calories
fast.

Our cardio program is a great way to get in shape
without the typical risks associated with most cardio
kickboxing programs. The soft circular motions make
it easy on the joints and back but give an intense
workout.

The program is great for those just starting their
fitness journey and also those already in great
shape. The exercises are very easy to modify
either way.

Drop by and try out one of our great classes.

Cardio in Sonora

Cardio in Valley Springs

Children's Kung Fu

Give your kids an advantage!

• Improved Concentration will help them in school
• Improved Coordination will help them in all other activities
• Improved self esteem will help them make proper choices

These skills are not innate, they are taught. Training in Kung Fu is one of the only physical activities which teaches coordination rather than demands it.

We offer two Children's Programs, the
Little Dragons Program,
designed for kids 5 to 7
years old, and a highly structured program for kids 8 and older.

All of our Children's
Programs utilize positive
reinforcement of proper
behavior to develop
self discipline.

Self discipline can only be developed through a positive approach. While the classes are highly regimented, a militaristic approach is not used. Positive reinforcement develops the desire to exhibit positive behavior.

Check out these articles on why kids should study martial arts

Little Dragons Program
Our little Dragons program is structured around the needs of children
ages 5-7. This is a highly critical age for the development of:

• Mental Skills
• Attention Span
• Mental Focus
• Learning Ability
• Self Discipline
• Self Esteem
• Goal Setting

Physical Skills

• Balance
• Coordination
• Development of gross
• and fine motor skills
• physical fitness

At this age only the very basic martial arts motions are taught. These motions are used a vehicle to develop the skills necessary to learning the Martial Arts. Once the student attains the necessary maturity level, the parents and instructors will decide together when it is time to advance them into the next program. At this point, they will be ready to excel at learning the martial arts.

Children's Program Testimonials

Sheng Chi Foundation

What is the Sheng Chi Foundation?

Early on as Kung Fu instructors we realized the impact our school and it’s training had on it’s younger students. On a regular basis we saw children and adults transformed in various ways. Introverts became more outgoing. Children with low self-confidence grew into confident individuals allowing their personalities to blossom. Bullies learned respect and rid themselves of the self-esteem issues, which caused them to lash out as bullies. Children with learning disabilities learned focus and learned how to excel in their scholastic studies.

As instructors this was incredibly gratifying. Although the training had incredible benefits for all, we learned to spot the type of kids that benefited the most from it. When we were able to, we sponsored these kids and gave them free memberships to our training center. We usually made them “mirror cleaners” or something along those lines so that they felt they contributed to their own training. We found these kids to be extremely hard working and very appreciative.

Unfortunately, as a business, costs prohibited us from sponsoring these “at risk” children in the numbers we would have liked to. It just wasn’t feasible.

A few individuals and businesses that had witnessed the benefits came to us and asked if they could sponsor a few kids themselves. Of course we said yes and since we already had a list of deserving children it was an immediate success. Those sponsored kids have been remarkable. We’ve seen tremendous growth in them and know it will have a long-term effect on their lives.

Obviously there is a need. The Valley Springs area is full of youth’s without direction. As our community grows it is unlikely that this need will diminish. The goal of the Sheng Chi Foundation will be to meet these needs. “To teach a child is to touch the future”. Changing the life direction of just one child is a very worthwhile endeavor.

Recently we have had an influx of these youths. They seem to find us knowing somehow that what we have to offer is their way out of the cycle. This is very likely due to the growth of our community and the socio-economic boundaries that are quickly being drawn.

Check out our article

Are the Train Tracks Really Gone?

Help Support the Sheng Chi Foundation and ensure the success of our youth and our communities. It's tax deductable. Please contact us for information. Various Sponsorship levels available.

Tai Chi / Chi Kung

T'ai Chi / Chi Kung is a great addition to the normal Shou' Shu' Curriculum or as a stand alone exercise program. As a stand alone program the practitioner will realize tremendous health benefits. Chi or "life force" is developed through breathing exercises combined with physical exercises. Our classses are more than just a great workout.

Benefits for non-martial artists include:

• oxygenating the blood stream
• Developing balance
• Developing coordination
• Developing incredible lower body strength
• Relaxation
• General sense of health

Benefits for martial artists also include:

Footwork development

• Development of soft fluid motion
• Flowing Focussed Chi

Our approach to T'ai Chi / Chi Kung is very different than most. We do not teach a form, we teach exercises which are put into looping patterns. Because the mind is not trying to follow a form but instead a repetitive motion, greater degrees of perfection in the motion are acheived. Additionally this allows students to enter the class at any time. The classes are ongoing. Students of all skill levels can drop in at any time and begin their training. This allows advanced students to constantly perfect the motion.

Chi Kung Practice is said to be the fountain of youth. Proper development of chi and oxygenation of the blood ensure proper functioning of the organs. The belief is that as we age the diaphragm stiffens. This stiffening of the diaphragm causes us to breath shallow. This shallow breathing causes a slow, long term oxygenation deprivation which eventually effects the brain. This is said to be the cause of age related illness such as memory loss. Keeping up on a regimen of Chi Kung training prevents this.

Additionally, the deep breathing massages the organs below the diaphragm. This movement in the organs causes proper fluid flow and keeps the organs healthy. This is especially helpful in avoiding lower back problems which are often caused or excacerbated by lack of fluid flow which leads to poor toxin elimination in the disks between the vertebrae.

Studies have shown T'ai Chi ' Chi Kung to have amazing health benefits.

Classes are offered both for adults and for the elderly. Although the curriculums are similiar the pace is different. Come in and try one out today. The classes designed for the elderly are easy to jump into. However I reccomend a little time in orientation classes before braving our regular Chi Kung Classes.