The Somerset West Kung Fu Academy will be hosting a free Shaolin Kung Fu training session this coming Saturday on Strand Beach.
The academy’s Shaolin Kung Fu master Andrè de Wit Krüger, from Gordon’s Bay, says the idea behind the free community session is to make people aware of their presence and introduce their new training programme for neurodiverse students.
The training sessions are in the Láng shì quán style.
“Saturday’s session will be a lot of fun. We have found that most people don’t know much about Shaolin Kung Fu, which is a non-aggressive, more holistic martial art form and with no-contact fighting, physical kicks or punching as a start, it’s perfect for young children,” he says.
“If you look at the Yin and Yang symbol the Tai Chi is the dark side and is more for older people and the other side represents Kung Fu, more suited for children,” says Andrè, who trained in Kung Fu from 2011 to 2016 and has been practising and training students for the past 14 years.
After seeing more than 1 000 students pass through his training programme, he is proud that their academy this year celebrates their 10th anniversary. It’s in this celebratory spirit that they wish to treat the public to a free session.
As Kung Fu is a holistic practice, he has roped in the skills of other experts to complement their training programme and this include the services of a medical doctor, yoga teacher and psychologist.
“We’ve incorporated these specialists into our programme because I’ve discovered as a teacher you don’t know everything and we can benefit from the skills and expertise of these professionals.”
He says the focus of Kung Fu is more on equipping young participants with a positive mindset and good mental and physical health. “The health aspect is very important in Kung Fu. If you look at the benefits and how this non-violent art form (which is often overlooked) develops children mentally and physically, you will see how it’s a whole different practice than karate and not only focused on teaching self-defence but unlocking children’s hidden talents and potential.”
An addition to their offering is the ADAPT programme catering for children with neurodiversity and one he wishes to highlight to parents on Saturday. “We have developed a programme for students with ADHD/ADD and autism as it’s very important for us to cater for neurodiverse children as we’ve seen a great need for this kind of programme.
“We have a few neurodiverse students attending our programme and when showcasing their progress to parents, the parents were totally amazed at their children’s talents, some were even in tears.”
The academy also works with children enrolled in NGO programmes and master Andrè does have a police clearance certificate to work with children, an important requirement in the NGO space.
Kung Fu he says, is a practice of self-discovery where children are nudged and nurtured into discovering and unlocking new talents. “The moment a student realises they can do something they’ve never done before, it goes into their sub-conscious that I’m talented and capable, igniting self-worth, confidence and giving them a sense of belonging.”
Another added benefit is the stress-relieving qualities, something that has proven to be hugely beneficial to pupils in dealing with exam stress.
Trained to particularly train children this master does so with passion and zeal. “I am trained to work with young students and it’s a unique experience requiring a lot of patience and one has to take into account that every child is different and work around that, but I must say I have been very successful in finding great talents among my students.”
Ages welcome to sign up for the session on Saturday January 11, are children 4 years and older. Parents are most welcome to join in on the two-hour session.
Saturday’s session will take place at the Strand Beach Lifesaving Club in Beach Road, Strand, from 10am to noon. For more information send a WhatsApp message to Andrè on 063 630 3308.
