Etiquette at class

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Etiquette at class

Postby khags » Wed Mar 19, 2008 11:54 pm

Hi all,

Not sure if this is the right sub-forum to ask this question on, however...

I've been interested in Kung Fu for some time and have a spent some quality time with Dr. Yangs beginner-oriented DVDs. I have never been to a class. I've recently become more interested in actually starting to go to classes and was suprised to find I'm just blocks from the Boston school. It looks like the adult classes are 6-8 pm.

Unfortunately, because of work, I would be unlikely to make it any given weeknight until 6:30 pm (weekends are not a problem). Is there any dignified way to join a class in session when one is 30 minutes late? Is this frowned upon? Would I be doomed to Saturdays only, if that was the only day I could make it on time?

Any other advice for a relatively new person is more than welcome!

Thanks,
Karl
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Postby yat_chum » Thu Mar 20, 2008 3:03 am

If I were you, I would go to a Saturday class meet the instructor and talk to him/her about your work situation. One of the major problems is that you will be missing the warm-up section of the class which could lead to injury.

By the way due to my work situation (care assistant) I am very pleased if I make it to one class a week.
yijing zhidong

use stillness to overcome movement
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Postby khags » Fri Mar 21, 2008 12:14 pm

Thanks for your insight. You make an excellent point about the warm-up. This had not occurred to me. I will check in with the school on a Saturday sometime soon. I may have to try to bust out of work early -- I am feeling the need for an outlet and some focus after work. This is why I started thinking about taking live p.m. classes instead of my usual morning home exercise.

I was curious to hear that you feel lucky to go once a week because of work. Would most people, do you speculate, go 5-6 times a week if their schedule allowed -- or would that be underestimating the demands (physiological and otherwise) of the class?

Thanks a million,
Karl
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Postby Inga » Sat Mar 22, 2008 9:57 pm

Hello Karl,

I am at the Andover Branch of YMAA, and if it suits your schedule better, our adult classes are M, W & Thu from 7.15 to 8.30. Warming up is essential, and missing 30 minutes of class just does not make much sense I don't think. If you can reorder your day in someway, get to work earlier or such, then I would go for it. We have at least one student who lives in Cambridge who attends regularly, and some come down from New Hampshire, so you would not be alone in traveling to get to class.

You asked how many nights a week people attend class? We have people who attend 5 nights a week (at the moment Tuesday nights are seminars, which you are welcome to sign up for, and Fridays are sparring, which is by invitation once one is ready) and some who come about 2 a month. It all depends on what you wish to get out of your training. You already have good habits training at home, there will be no need to give that up once you start a class, in fact, you may find that your time training outside of class increases once you have an instructor's input and you want to practice. I found that once I started to practice, I realised I was not strong or flexible enough, so I started working out, doing speed drills and endurance training, I bought a heavy bag, got a second hand rowing machine and I started reading like mad. Only you will know what suits you best once you get started.

Cheers Inga
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Postby Dvivid » Sun Mar 23, 2008 8:09 am

Dr. Yang recommends in the training manual that all new YMAA students are given that you attend class at least twice weekly.

Of course, once is better than none, and he does not kick anyone out for less attendance.
"Avoid Prejudice, Be Objective in Your Judgement, Be Scientific, Be Logical and Make Sense, Do Not Ignore Prior Experience." - Dr. Yang

http://www.ymaa.com/publishing
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Postby khags » Mon Mar 31, 2008 2:00 pm

Hi Inga and Dvivid,

Thanks much for both of your input. It seems I need to try to rework my workday a bit, but I may take a drive up to Andover one random day after work to see how the drive goes. It's nice to know that that may be a possible way to work things out.

It's also good to hear that many people do seem to go several times a week. I am 38 and don't want to injure myself, but I do (as I mentioned) need an evening stress release. Even if I end up finding that I have to work up from 2 x a week to 3X, 4X, or whatever, knowing that it's not completely out of the question to go 3-5 times a week makes this much more appealing to me. Even if I find that 2x/week (with some home a.m. exercise) is all my bones can handle, as long as I get that stress release, some exercise, and learn something doing it, I'll be happy!

Time to make some calls, I guess!

Thanks again for your help and input,
Karl
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