Kimball Area Young American Schools of Self Defense students Amber Froehling, Mark Dockery, Robin Dockery and Kimball instructors Ron and Travis Pinney attended a week-long Wushu training camp in Hastings, Minn., from Aug. 18-22. Four Wushu masters from China – Grandmaster Wu Bin (head of the Wushu training program in China), coach Kong Xiandong (World Champion in Tai Chi), coach Jiang Bangjun (World Champion in Long Fist), and master Li Qiang (All China Grand Champion in Broad-sword) – were the instructors for the camp and trained nearly 90 Minnesota students in Wushu, Chinese martial arts and techniques. Grandmaster Wu Bin has coached Hollywood favorites Jackie Chan, Jet Li and Russel Wong. Wushu is the style used in movies such as The Matrix, Shanghai Noon and Shanghai Knights. Students at the week-long camp trained from 9:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. each day. They learned fan, broadsword, spear and forms (no weapons) techniques. Each day ended with a 45-minute Tai Chi session. Younger students had the opportunity to learn cultural ribbon and lion dances, including the accompanying lion dance percussion. The first and last day of the camp, students were treated to a live demonstration by three of the masters in their areas of expertise. The Young Americans program is dedicated to teaching young children to defend themselves, learn respect for others, remain physically fit, and be leaders in their community. The program accepts students age 4-adult and, unlike other martial arts programs, will not turn students away because of inability to pay. The program has more than 100,000 active participants in 17 states, making it the largest martial arts program in the country. Grandmaster Wu Bin will invite the top students from each of the eight states in which Wushu camps were held to train in China. This is a goodwill gesture and a way to promote the sport in the United States. The Young Americans Schools of Self Defense is the only martial arts group in the United States to receive such an honor. The opportunity to train with the most highly regarded instructors in the field will give athletes an extraordinary edge. The masters were impressed with the Minnesota students – they have agreed to come back each year for the next four years to continue the training programs. Locally, Mark, Robin and Amber hope to bring the Wushu style to Kimball and offer training programs for local residents in addition to continuing the Young Americans program. Regular classes for children and adults will begin Monday, Oct. 6, and continue through Dec. 22. Registration will be taken Monday, Sept. 29, from 5:30-6:30 p.m. at the elementary school. The registration fee is $3 and weekly fees are $5. Wushu style martial arts will be an Olympic sport for the first time when Beijing hosts the games in 2008. Submitted by
