Heading Back to "Normal"?

by Sijeh Anne Dysinger

In March of 2020, our Academy was shut down, and like most everyone, we initially thought it would be for a few weeks. Within a week, we were up and running with Zoom, holding classes online. At the time, we had the free version of Zoom, which limited the classes to 40 minutes or less. We found the adults, teens and students that were intermediate or advanced in their studies did well over Zoom. Some of our students even got promoted over Zoom and it was so exciting to see.

In June 2020, we were able to reopen to in-person classes and our students were more than ready to come back in person to train. We had sent out a Google Form to poll our students as to their availability. We had a limit of 9-10 students per class and we only wanted to have 2, maybe 3 instructors. Everyone had to be masked. When we returned to classes, we split them even more by belt level and did not worry about the age of the student. When we reopened, there were several students that still required Zoom, so we were running both in-person and Zoom classes that lined up at the same time for the same belt level.

About a year later, with many students already vaccinated, we sent out another Google Form for our students or their parents to fill out. In the form, we asked students if they were comfortable with vaccinated instructors approaching them, if we could touch their limbs, hold pads, and use appropriate martial arts training in class. Also in that survey, we asked if students were comfortable with eliminating social distancing between instructor/student, between students and to allow more freedom for movement in our classes. We also asked if the student was vaccinated, planning to be or ineligible for vaccination.

89 out of 94 students filled out that survey. Most everyone was OK with instructor contact, eliminating some of the distance between students, and allowing vaccinated individuals to be mask-free during class. We are trying to accommodate students’ needs if they are not OK with any of the above policies. We had one family decide to not have their child continue their Kung Fu studies. It's unfortunate, and we believe the child is the one being penalized for their parents’ actions. While we did not want to lose any students, we knew it was a possibility when we sent out the Google form.

As of this writing, according to NPR, 58.2% of the population of Connecticut is fully vaccinated and 65.6% of the population has had one vaccination. 46 of our current students are 12+ with the remaining students of ages between 4 and 11. Most of our students over the age of 12 are in the process of being vaccinated or are fully vaccinated already. Over half of our students are ineligible for the vaccine and in those classes, all students will have to wear masks. With their parent’s permission, we can perform self-defense practice with attacks, joint-locks and takedowns.

As of July 1, any fully vaccinated student does not have to wear a mask during class; we have separated our students again by age; 4-6 “Tiger Team”, 6-11 “Juniors” and 12+ “Adult/Teen.” We have started to hold pads for students to punch and kick. We have started to learn or relearn our joint locks and takedowns, which we have not been able to do since March 2020. We have started to allow a bit more freedom of movement, to allow students to be able to do kicking sequences, blocking sequences and forms at their own speed and not worrying if they are standing in their “box.”

We are hoping that soon our Brown and Black belts will also be able to return to sparring. We will observe and see how things go with them, and soon, add in any Intermediate Teens and Adults who are vaccinated to spar. This is something else that we have not done since March 2020.

So, yes, in some ways we are heading back to “normal” - although it may look a bit different than it used to.

Sijeh Anne Dysinger, a past AWMAI Events Director, is Program Manager

at Tat Wong Kung Fu Academy in Middletown, Connecticut.

Register the whole place!

 by Sijeh Sarah Sponzo

The senior women instructors at Tat Wong Kung Fu Academy love attending the AWMAI Conference! It’s a fun getaway and a great opportunity to connect with our martial sisters from near and far. We always encourage other instructors to attend, but many can’t get away. Some are younger and can’t afford the time or costs. This may be the case at your school too.

So, here’s to a hidden benefit of the virtual platform – eight of our female instructors and assistants were able to attend in 2021!

Our school was already a bubble, so we decided that it was safe to make the weekend an in-person event for ourselves. The school was decorated for Lunar New Year, which made the weekend feel a bit festive. We ordered food in on Friday night and did a potluck on Saturday. We had plenty of food, drinks and snacks to get us through the weekend.

We all settled in with comfy chairs, blankets and slippers. With multiple devices, it was easy for everyone to choose the classes and sessions they wanted to attend.

The Whole School registration cost was offset by a donation from our Sifu, and we split the rest between us, making the weekend a really good deal for all the knowledge, friendship and fun we experienced.

If you are looking for a great way to expose your assistant instructors and your new or younger instructors to AWMAI, the upcoming virtual Conference is the perfect opportunity.

Check it out now on our website, and look for "Register your whole school" on the registration form. Plan a gathering and make a weekend of it!

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