Students, Friends, Family - after much work, we are proud to announce the release of our first Tai Chi videos. There are 16 lessons to start with more on the way. You can watch these on your computer, and even smart phones, and tablets. Please spread the word, we appreciate your support.

Women's Self-Defense Workshop
"Simple, Easy to Remember, Efficient." - 100% of participants said they would recommend our course to a friend.

Learn to defend yourself in this top notch one day training program. Manage situations from mild affronts, to severe life-threatening attacks. You will be trained in some of the most efficient and effective self-defense training you can find.

This material has been tried and tested, and realistically works in situations you will hopefully never find yourself in. Simple, easy to remember, and efficient. You do not need weeks of practice, use of a weapon, or a dependence on strength.

This course will teach you to overpower a stronger and larger attacker. You will leave feeling confident and comfortable in your ability to defend yourself.

We provide a safe team oriented environment where you will build camaraderie with your peers, learn how to defend yourself, then test your skills on fully padded attackers in a series of real world scenarios.

You will walk away from this course feeling more confident, secure, and aware.

Date: Saturday, October 23rd

Time: 9:00am to 5:00pm (breaks provided)
Cost: $150.00

Click Here to Register

What to wear: Comfortable clothing that you can move around in. Bring a clean pair of sneakers to change into for the course.

* No prior physical conditioning required.
**Already taken this course? We recommend taking it once/year or every 1.5 years as a refresher.
***Have a friend or loved one you think could benefit from this? Simply forward this email to them.

Our 1st In-House Tournament was awesome! Nice job to all the competitors. I would like to add that everyone was extremely professional, controlled, and good sports today. Nice job to all the students and thank you to all the spectators that came to show their support. I am very happy with the outcome.

Shifu Brown

Fall Semester 2010

Students, Family Members, Friends,

Our Fall Semester is almost here. We've already had a bunch of sign-ups last week and this. Many new students are joining us for the Fall Semester and we're psyched to see this. It is an exciting and rejuvenating time for us after such a long recession. We apologize for the delay in getting information to you but we've been very busy this summer with camps and classes. Here's what is coming this semester:

In addition to our fully scheduled classes in Tai Chi, Praying Mantis Kung Fu, Fit-Kick, Kid's Kung Fu & Kids Anti-Bully programs; this fall we're excited to bring you some new events, as well as some old favorites. To highlight,

• Our popular Women's Self-Defense Course coming in October.
• We're hosting our first ever 'In-House Tournament' this October, for students to try their hand at competing in a friendly environment, and families to get a chance to see what everyone is working on. This is a great time for the school to come together for such an amazing event!
• We're also excited to have a Nutritionist Workshop in September on 'Eating for Performance' - how to eat right to get more out of your body for exercise and life in general. Eric Reardon is bringing his experience as a Certified Nutritionist to Plum Blossom Academy, to assist students and family members in getting the right information about what to eat. I have been working with Eric for a few months and have seen remarkable improvements. Eric will also be returning over the winter for another workshop on 'Eating for Weight Loss' - so you can throw away all those fad diets that don't work!
• Additionally, we're hosting our Annual Fall Retreat again this year over Columbus Day Weekend. Plan ahead as this is a great time to get away and do some fun training with your peers in the outdoors. Families are welcome as always. We're still in the process of getting the location of the retreat, and will announce this as soon as we have it.
• Graduation at the end of the semester will be a big event. We'll be bringing back the Lion Dance, and Demonstrations as part of this important event as well as some possible workshops to make the day even better.

We hope everyone is having a great summer and we look forward to seeing all of you for the fall semester!

Fall 2010 Class Schedule

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Shifu Brown and the PBA Team.

Looking for a full workout routine?

Did you know that you can get a complete workout routine right at Plum Blossom Academy?

Are you a Kung Fu student?

Your body gets a hard workout in your Kung Fu classes but, what do you do on your off days? Did you know that Tai Chi is a style of Kung Fu? Yes, and you can add Tai Chi, once or twice per week, and gain the benefit of a soft workout day(s) to help keep your muscles limber, and stay in the game. Tai Chi can help increase your balance and circulation, joint/muscle/bone strength, gain flexibility, relax muscles, fix posture, and develop power in your Mantis Kung Fu!

Are you a Tai Chi student?

You get a soft workout with Tai Chi on your class days but, you can get fit and help improve your Tai Chi! Just add Kung Fu one or two days per week and see muscles tone up, body fat shed, whole body strength increase, and endurance grow. All this while learning real self-defense skills and training in the ancient art of Traditional Praying Mantis Kung Fu!

It's easy, just upgrade your membership to a Grand Dragon and you'll soar!

Tai Chi Instructor Training Camps

This summer, Plum Blossom Academy is offering its first ever Instructor Certification Training Camps! That's right, campSSS! We're doing not only 1, but 2 of these over the summer in case you miss the first.

We're very excited about these intense focused forums for training willing and able would-be Instructors on how to teach Tai Chi in a simple and effective manner. We've spent the past few years refining these methods, taking into account the broad range of student abilities, interests, goals, learning types, and student psychology. We use adult learning concepts to make Tai Chi accessible to as many different people as possible, in a way that makes them comfortable and see their success.

You will learn the following while you are here:

• Tai Chi Postures - the larger part of your training will consist of the proper execution of the first 16 of the 35 Tai Chi postures in Yang style Tai Chi. Here you will learn not only the move, but the application behind the move.
• Tai Chi Principles and Theory - Tai Chi is one of the most documented martial arts in history, yet most of the information is cryptic, misleading, and hard to extract. We offer a clear explanation of the principles that are the backbone of Tai Chi, and show you how to use them through a series of training exercises.
• Qi Gong (breath work) - Qi Gong is one of the oldest forms of exercise in China. We incorporate Qi Gong into our warm-ups for Tai Chi and you will learn how to guide your students through this healthy practice.
• Tai Chi Anatomy - you will learn basic human anatomy and kinesiology, as well as which muscles and joints are important to Tai Chi.
• Stretching - teaching people effective and proper stretching strategies to increase their flexibility and ability to perform Tai Chi.
• Health Benefits - knowing exactly what Tai Chi can do to help people will allow you to better market your skills as an instructor, and open up your knowledge to a broader audience.
• Teaching Principles and Learning Concepts - learn how to teach and how to identify what type of student you are working with. We use a variety of techniques to identify and better assist students in the learning process.
• Rooting and Stances - balance is at the forefront of what Tai Chi can offer you and your future students. You will learn how to properly root by understanding the correct application of the stances that exist in Tai Chi, as well as how to teach that to others.

Prerequisites
Must have prior experience in Tai Chi or other Martial Arts. If no prior experience, or limited experience, we require two training camps, or preliminary training of your choosing before entry into the Instructor Training Camp.

Dates

July 26th - 30th

August 23rd - 27th

Times
Monday - Thursday
11:00 - 3:00pm Instructor Certification Training
3:00 - 6:00pm Personal Time (eat, rest, practice/review)
6:00 - 8:30pm Group Tai Chi classes
Friday morning Certification Test - (8 am to 11 am)

Plan to take notes and, practice practice practice! We can't wait to see you emerge from these camps with the ability to carry on the Tai Chi lifestyle!

If you are interested, contact us for more information and we'll be happy to send it to you.

Zai Jian!

Congratulations Graduates

Congratulations to everyone who graduated and/or had an anniversary.
Keep up the good work, your efforts are paying off. We're looking
forward to the new and improved programs and the streamlined
schedule. Enjoy the break and we'll see you in a week for the spring
semester.

Health Insurance to cover Tai Chi!

If you have Blue Cross you can now save money on your Tai Chi lessons as it falls under their 'Living Healthy Naturally' program. Here's a link to their website - http://ahealthymelhnsearch.wholehealthmd.com/

If you'd like to see Plum Blossom Academy added to their search list then please choose to 'nominate practioner' and fill in our information. Thanks and we look forward to helping you save some money on your choice of living healthier.

Common Defense Tactics 1

Join us this weekend for our Common Defense Tactics Workshop! In this
session, we will cover four escapes from common street fight attacks:

* The Ground Pin: You will learn to counter one of the most
vulnerable positions in a fight - being pinned on the ground by a
larger and stronger opponent. Fear no more once you know how to
escape.
* The Tackle: This is a common take-down maneuver in street
fights. You will learn to shut down the attack before it ever
happens.
* The Bear Hug: A simple escape once you know it, but if you don't
then you are helpless against a stronger opponent and likely to be the
victim of whatever they have in store for you.
* Grabbing and Seizing: Escape from the opponent that tries to
grab you by the wrist or shoulder. Learn what to do with a simple and
easy tactic.

This stuff is fun to learn and could save your life some day. Perfect
for men and women of all ages and fitness levels! No martial arts
experience required.

Location: Plum Blossom Academy, Littleton, MA
Date: Saturday, 2/6/10
Time: 12:30pm - 2:30pm
Price: $49 (Venerable Scholars and Grand Dragons get a discount!)

Register now by emailing Rebecca@PlumBlossomAcademy.com. This
workshop is open to the public, so you may also invite friends &
family!

Sparring Clinic

Excellent Sparring Clinic last night!!! Fun had by all as people got to test their skills. Good job everyone and hats off for putting yourselves out there like that - takes courage!

Martin Luther King Day

We are open and classes will be held as scheduled.

Mantis Staff Fighting - Update!

Staff Fighting Participants,

I have spent a large portion of the day and tonight putting the final touches on the Staff Fighting Workshop and I think all of you are going to really like it! I broke it down to make it simple and easy to understand. In your first class you'll be working on basic offense and defense to develop your foundation. From there we will move into moving and striking/blocking, parrying, piercing, whipping, and eventually free sparring.

It doesn't end there - later on in the semester when you have the basics down, we'll be moving on to the techniques straight out of our Mantis Staff Form such as circling, trapping, whirlwinds. This workshop is progressive training so you don't want to miss out on those early classes!!! See all of you on Wednesday!

Shifu Brown

Women's Self-Defense Course - January 16th

95% rated the techniques 5 out of 5. 100% said they would recommend this course to a friend.

Learn to defend yourself in this top notch one day training program. Manage situations from mild affronts to severe life-threatening attack. You will be trained in some of the most efficient and effective self-defense training you can find. We go the extra mile to bring you material that has been tried and tested and, realistically works in situations you may (but hopefully not) one day find yourself.

Our program is built on principles rather than a large number of techniques that you won't remember when your life is on the line. The principles you will learn and use are simple, easy to remember, and efficient. You do not need weeks of practice, use of a weapon, or a dependence on strength in order to overpower a stronger and larger male attacker.

Join other women interested in learning to protect themselves just like you. We provide a safe team oriented environment where you will build camaraderie with your peers, learn how to defend yourself, then test your skills on fully padded attackers in a series of real world scenarios. You will walk away from this course feeling more confident, secure, and aware.

Date: Saturday, January 16th

Time: 1:00pm to 7:00pm (break provided)

What to wear: comfortable clothing that you can move around in. Bring a clean pair of sneakers to change into for the course.

**No prior physical conditioning required.

Winter Semester Begins Monday January 11th

Classes resume Monday, January 11th. Register now to get in on some great classes and workshops we're offering. Don't forget, you can always sign up mid semester for most of our programs (note: some workshops will be closed once the semester begins).

We look forward to seeing you there!

Happy New Year!!!

Happy New Year from all of us at Plum Blossom Academy! Get ready for a great year in 2010!