Wishing all those that are serving and have served a very happy veteran’s day. Thank you for all you do for our country!

These wonderful paragraphs below are pieces of master buckley’s writing, “post world tournament thoughts”. enjoy!

“The drive to be the best creates emotions inside that you must be aware of.  Winning and losing are, in a superficial sense, results that are verified by those who were there to witness it.  It can be sweet and glorious to those declared the winner and harsh and final to those who are not. It pits one world class athlete against another and only one can win. It is a fleeting thing, to be better than the rest on a given day.  You may be the best in the world for one moment in time or you may not. You might give it your absolute greatest effort and come up just short or you might have a hot day and win it all. It’s not always fair or just, it simply is. Please realize, however, that being victorious is a term best measured by what we do in our efforts to be the best. What you are left with is what you have become during the process of getting to that moment, win or lose.

Consider these facts.  You trained harder than you ever have before in your life.  You put more into it than you thought possible. When you thought you’d done the most you did more.  Your effort was beyond extraordinary. Limitations were stretched until they snapped and still you pushed further.  Nobody in the world worked harder, put more into it day after day, moment by moment. Nobody in the world dripped more sweat, spilled more blood and paid a higher price.  Nobody in the world wanted it more than you. Without a shadow of a doubt, you knew you deserved to win. Perhaps that’s exactly what happened, perhaps not. is there a difference?

It all comes back to the process.  the process is what makes you, many times after it breaks you.  You have learned through the process the price of victory. Whether you got your hand raised in the end or not, nothing will ever change that.  The champion was born long before the tournament was won or lost. and while a trophy may fall apart, a medal may be forgotten, a certificate may fade, a victory achieved from within endures forever.  It goes with you wherever you go because it now lives inside of you.

The beauty of this system called bok-fu-do is that it will constantly guide you towards greater achievement.  Its ingredients call for a mix of honest effort, positive thinking and hard work. The richard lee black belt is like the master chef, adding a little of this and that with a perfectionists touch, knowing that too much or too little of any one ingredient could spoil the batch.  When finished, the chef presents a palate that provides nutrients essential to the body, much in the same way that these concepts are essential to your soul.

You must now shift your focus to the greater picture.  The world championships has altered your perspective and expanded your capabilities.  You now see through the eyes of a world class martial artist. its reward is a clearer vision of what you see inside yourself.  It has, for some of you, freed you from the chains of complacency and brought you to the gateway that will forever liberate you from the toughest foe of all – yourself.  all you have to do is step through.

Be proud of what you have accomplished.  you have represented your country in world competition.  You have carried on a tradition that grandmaster lee began in 1967 and fulfilled at the first ever world kung-fu championships in 1975.  You are now the sixth generation of students that has bravely gone forth into battle to prove that your teacher, your school and your system is the best.  It will forever be an honor that you will look back on with nothing but the fondest of memories. The lessons you have learned may not be fully realized but through the passing of time, but i promise you, they will be realized.  You are their rightful owner because you have paid in full the cost that we cannot put a value to.

Congratulations on your efforts.  May the rewards from within forever fill your heart with pride.”

BOK FU FITNESS

Warm Up:

10 inchworms

Straight leg kicks up and down mat

Broad jumps up and down mat

Drop stance/ hardbow/ crane stance up and down mat

10 pass through with staff

Workout:

400M Run (or 100 Mountain climbers)

50 Push ups / 10 Horse Stance Squats

400M Run

40 Push ups / 20 Horse Stance Squats

400M Run

30 Push ups / 30 Horse Stance Squats

400M Run

20 Push ups / 40 Horse Stance Squats

400M Run

10 Push ups / 50 Horse Stance Squats

400M Run

Warm Down:

5 minutes belt stretching