03/01/2025
Hello everyone!
This is long but important as an update to share regarding future classes.
As many of you know, I took a break from teaching for the last 2 years primarily due to the growth of both my family and my acupuncture practice. Last summer I was inspired by a few people reaching out to start training as well as the opportunity to go to New York and connect with Grandmaster Wai Hong and the rest of the Fu Jow Pai Federation. I decided to dip my toes back in and reopen the school to start teaching again.
In the last few months, it has been wonderful seeing old and new faces come out with enthusiasm for Fu Jow Pai, and our tai chi classes. I know many of you also have tried your best to make it work despite life and family commitments!
With all that being said, I am also faced with the logistic realities of balancing the various areas of my life, the first priority of which is my role in supporting my family. I have also recently been asked to deepen my involvement in our Church, which is as essential to me as anything.
It has become apparent that I do not have the time or financial resources at this stage to dedicate the energy required to growing into a commercial school or expanding classes.
As we are expecting a baby in June, it also seems I will not be able to offer classes twice weekly as I had initially tried to do. However, I remain dedicated to you all as students and practitioners of Fu Jow Pai, an art that has been deeply impactful in my life over the last 20+ years.
My plan, moving forwards, is to shift our school from a business to more of an inner door club with you as current students being my priority rather than getting new members. We will continue to have classes as usual through March, but after that classes will be offered as monthly seminars. These will be longer so that we can review basics and then go deeper into the forms and fighting applications. We may also meet outdoors in the summer as the weather improves, and can share food or jump in the lake after!
My apologies for not being able to offer more as a Sifu at this time as my life is clearly presenting another path. What I can say is that the path to mastery of Fu Jow Pai, or even to pass down the art yourself, is present here still and available to anyone who wants to seize the opportunity and dedicate themselves to personal training at home, or even in our school meeting up with each other - I always had a brother in the art to practice with.
If you also decide to train elsewhere for more frequent training and the comraderie of a bustling school, I would not only understand but even encourage you to do so!
With love and gratitude to you all,
Sifu Falko
