First Semester Ends with Good Progress

25 December 2008

Four months after the start of the first semester ever at the YMAA Retreat Center, the five disciples have exhibited significant steps forward on their 10-year journey to mastery. They have shown much potential for the coming years of the training.

The first semester consisted of hardcore body conditioning training as well as daily lessons in Taijiquan, Qigong, meditation, and Chinese. Month-by-month, the disciples have grown closer and stronger together, and they are now enjoying a much well-deserved break at home before the start of the second semester in January. Several of the disciples have been regularly updating their blogs, posting many pictures and videos of the Retreat Center's activities.

The training exercises that the disciples endured included stances, rooting training on bricks, brick-catching for finger and arm strength, joint-conditioning drills, jumping, rope-climbing, and basic reaction training. In one of the exercises, the disciples hiked down the mountain to gather rocks by the creek, which they would then carry back up the mountain. With the rocks they gathered, they have started building a gravel road from the cabin to the main training lodge. On some trips, they would carry as much as 50 pounds of rocks on their backs when they hiked back up the mountain.

The disciples maintained a strict and consistent training schedule. In the early morning, they meditated together. After breakfast, they trained Taijiquan and learned Chinese. In the afternoon, the group began training body conditioning for a solid 3-4 hours before winding down for the day. The disciples live in the cabin lodging facility by themselves while Dr. Yang stays in the main building. They have learned how to cook and also, to garden. One of the early projects during the summer was to build an organic garden, complete with a small greenhouse.

During the weekends, the disciples also trained, although a bit less intensely. At times, they took trips to the local town of Garberville or farther up north to Eureka, to relax and to shop for groceries and supplies. On one such trip, they came across a pickup truck where a man was giving away puppies, and it was in this way that Xiao Hu (Little Tiger) came into the family. After just 1 month, Xiao Hu has grown quite a bit, and he is an energetic and welcome addition to the YMAA Retreat Center.

Amidst all of the busy training, two of the disciples, Jonathan Chang and Patrick Manriquez, also found the time to prepare for and attend the 2008 World Cup Tai Chi Chuan Championship in Taipei, Taiwan in October. They returned with gold, silver, and bronze medals. The results of the competition are inspiring because they show how much progress can be made in just a few months of hard dedicated training.

Many thanks go to Rii Kanzaki and Craig Atkinson, who have been making regular trips to the YMAA Retreat Center to volunteer their time to teach the disciples about video production and editing. The Retreat Center was fortunate enough to acquire a MacPro editing station, with Final Cut Pro 2, a small HD camera, and a shotgun microphone. The disciples have been hard at work making a documentary clip of their experiences and training thus far. Craig has also been recording video footage and compiling a short promotional video montage as well. Look out for these videos some time during the start of 2009.

We've received much support for the 10-year training program, and we are happy that the first year is off to an excellent start. Thank you so much to our supporters! One of the main reasons that the Retreat Center has been successful is because of donations and sponsorship, and overall support of the Retreat Center from people all around the world. You can also get involved by contributing. Anything that you can give is much appreciated and will help in preserving Dr. Yang's vision of traditional Chinese martial arts in the 21st century. In 10 years, Dr. Yang is confident he will be able to foster the next generation of well-rounded, YMAA martial arts masters.

Dr. Yang is looking for 5 more exceptional individuals to become the second and final group of disciples accepted into the 10-year training program. If you or somebody you know fits this profile, we encourage you or your friends to apply ASAP and plan a visit to the Retreat Center.