U.S.C.A. Award for Best Martial Arts School in Flagstaff
"Water Mountain... is a very supportive place to train. The instructors really understand how to work with you to achieve success, and to continually build upon and reinforce your successes. Everyone, students and instructors, work together to form an extremely positive environment. When I walked into the studio for the first time, I immediately felt at ease--sometimes I come in early just to relax in the calming environment. I feel sincerely respected by everyone I've met here. WMMS is like a supportive family, always encouraging me to new levels...."
--Alan Kaufmann, East Flag
"Water Mountain has improved my health so much-sometimes I can hardly believe it! When I first started coming here I was having so much pain, I was just about disabled. Now I'm energetic, feel younger, and I'm nearly pain free. Water Mountain has changed my life for the better....You can come here to handle stress, have a more balanced life and receive lots of positive support both from the staff and from all the friends you make here."
--Maureen White, West Flag
"Water Mountain Martial Arts has been a huge asset for my sons now ages 11 and 13. They not only benefit from the strength and skill building, but also are learning self-defense and discipline. They have learned that it takes a lot of hard work to accomplish some goals in life, but also that it is worth it all in the end."
--Judy Stratton, Upper Greenlaw
"Master Steenrod, I am writing you this letter to thank you and Water Mountain Martial Society for providing martial and lifestyle programs that have been part of my life for several years now. WMMS allowed me to achieve success, and continually build upon my successes, by reinforcing my positive frame of mind, and by cultivating the processes that move students toward imminent objectives using a clear agenda."
--Josh Edwards, East Flagstaff
"Water Mountain Martial Society is a great place to train. Besides the beautiful facility, every instructor is professional, respectful, easy to get along with, and concerned with your progress. The lessons are always very useful and practical, and techniques are demonstrated in a way that makes them quite easy to learn and do, often with surprising results.
A question I've often found myself asking after a class is: "Was I really just able to do that?".
Training at Water Mountain has also improved my health in a long-term and lasting way, both physically and mentally. After training there I find myself with much less stress, as well as an increased drive to do well in life, with the skills and confidence I need to do so.
I would encourage anyone interested in training to try it out. You won't be sorry!"
--James "Bolt Cutter" Patton, West Flagstaff
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Standing at The Gates
A lone student, huddled outside the compound’s gate, waits for admittance. He suffers through cold, fatigue, a lack of food, the blazing sun and the falling rain. If he tolerates it, he will be admitted. If he doesn’t, he will simply leave in shame, knowing that he didn’t have the bones for it.
He’s going to be left out there until his dream of skill and respect and honor fades, and he is only left with being cold. Until the reality of hardship sets in. If he has the grit to stay, then he’ll be let in.
This is a story told and retold in martial arts and qi gong training (of the two, advanced qi gong training is more rigorous). The image is popular enough to have been put into the Fight Club movie with Brad Pitt.
There are simple reasons why the story is fascinating to people. Everyone wants to have the skill to overcome hardship. Everyone wants to believe that if they wanted to do it, they could do it. The big prize that comes from overcoming hardship could be theirs if they wanted it.
The problem is in the wanting of it. When pressed against hardship, most people will give up. They will collapse into a cycle of addiction, saturation of the sense, and indulgence, anything to prevent them from facing the existence of the hardship.
In fact, they will never “want” anything badly enough. They don’t know how.
The test at the gate is a test of motivation, and self-motivating is a skill. It is a product of culture, of life’s hardships, and of deliberate cultivation.
I think we can universally agree that the luxury of the west has created a situation in which the culture does not favor motivation, most people are shielded from hardship, and knowledge of deliberate cultivation is weak. The test of the gate would have been failed by most that took it in ancient times; it would be failed by nearly all in modern times.
The good fortune for us is that the human power is in learning and in overcoming. The goal of kung fu and qi gong is to learn to become self-motivated. At Water
Mountain, it is regarded as a skill. It is focused upon as a skill. It is conditioned as a skill. There is no gate at Water
Mountain, because we teach people the thing they need to get through their life gates.
As a skill motivation combines:
- Emotion supporting an action. You want something because you will yourself to want something.
- The focus of the mind on positive parts of performance.
- The ability to visualize to have the total person move toward a goal.
- The ability to do repetition.
Unless these 4 factors are brought into play, a person will easily collapse before hardship. When these 4 factors are present, the person develops self-command and extreme resistance to suffering.
What is it that you want for yourself?
What is that you want for your child?
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