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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Sweeping the Floor,
Punching, Same thing
Is there any difference between a sweeping the floor and mopping up the greasy kitchen, and teaching somebody how to punch. If you talk to most martial arts teachers, you’d say, “NO!”
One of the big problems with martial arts in America is the perception that martial arts is a low status occupation, requiring little education and deserving little compensation. This thought is especially true in Flagstaff, where martial arts have mostly been seen in small clubs.
When people ask what I do, I usually just say I teach martial arts. Their response is, “What else do you do?” Because, of course, such a thing can’t be a livelihood—it’s a kid’s activity for the Y. They are quite amazed when they find out that it’s all I do. The people that are most often amazed are OTHER MARTIAL ARTISTS.
Now, I’m not even mentioning qi gong here, because it’s so low status in America, it’s barely worth talking about.
The real problem is that American martial artists created this problem. I won’t go about the history that lead to it, but they did. Not only did they create the problem, but they continue to sustain the low status perception. Here are the questions that I put to other martial artists to show them how little value they put on their own training:
- Do you regard yourself as professional, like a doctor, lawyer, or engineer? “No.”
- How many years of education did it take for you to get your skills? “12 years” is probably the average that I hear. Many are decades more.
- How long is the average education of a Western professional? “6-8 years.”
- Doesn’t that make your education more extensive or intensive? At this point, the hums and haws start. I bet some of you are humming and hawing as you read this. You see, either it is or it isn’t. It’s at least equal isn’t it? This statement, all by itself, challenges ideas of status, and so that humming and hawing motor starts up. Hum a Hum a Haw. Haw Haw Hum a Haw. Haw Hum Haw Hum Haw Hum!
- If your educational requirement is the same or more, shouldn’t you be charging the same amount? Shouldn’t your cost be at least more than a movie ticket?
Now, I am well aware of two basic factors:
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Market forces determine revenue flow, not education. However, this does not change the fact of that what exists within a martial artists head shapes how he or she deals with market forces.
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The effort that goes into a Western education, in contrast to the belief being that I don’t know what I am talking about when it comes to becoming a professional. For those of you that don’t know me, I earned 3 bachelors in 4 years. I stopped from getting my fourth (Computer Science), because it would have compromised my standing in Phi Beta Kappa (the oldest, most prestigious honor society). 10-20% of my available time went into my academic studies. The rest went into martial and spiritual training. I also earned a Master’s degree. I could, with minimal effort, earn a bachelors degree every single year, for the rest of my life. So, I know what I’m talking about.
In Asia, martial arts is regarded as a profession. There are doctorates based around it. Most Asian martial artists I know will not teach in the U.S. for a basic reason, “I don’t want to be a janitor.” The status loss is tremendous.
I am not complaining about my own position. I am, in fact, pointing out one of the reasons Water
Mountain was designed as it is. I am very thankful to our members and alumni. You all are great people. Be proud of what you do, because you are studying another profession in addition to your first occupation.
Remember, money attracts talent. It also raises the expectation of performance. That’s not a bad thing.
Who ABSOLUTELY Shouldn’t
Take Qi Gong
Qi gong. For those of you that haven’t heard the words before, qi gong is kind of like Yoga, but with a great emphasis on building health and energy rather than flexibility. Without you actually doing it, that’s about as good I can get with a nutshell description.
There are problems to qi gong, and people that absolutely should not do it! Do you know what they are, and WHO SHOULDN’T take it?
I enjoy watching people go through the qi gong training process. I can tell you the biggest problem is that qi gong works. Let’s take a made up student, Francine. In the back of a Francine’s head is the expectation that it’ll probably add something cool to her life. It may make her feel a little better. She might not be as stiff in the morning. She may have some more energy. If that’s all it did, Francine wouldn’t have a problem with Qi Gong, ever.
REALITY ALERT!
Qi Gong doubles Francine’s energy level. It makes her more confident, and willing to address problems in her life. It makes her look at the relationships that are sucking the energy out of her, because she can easily feel when being around a particular person is sucking the energy out. She loses weight.
How can that be a problem? Those are all good things! BUT---Francine wasn’t expecting anything like that to happen. Francine’s habits and behaviors, the way she coped with her world before, are now being thrown into direct competition with the behaviors that she is getting from practicing qi gong. That’s scary. You see, if qi gong didn’t work, or worked only a little bit, her old behaviors could go side-by-side with qi gong. Qi gong is bossy, though. It’s successful. It does things better. It doesn’t get along with the old crowd. It’s the new sheriff in town. That’s a problem.
Francine likes some of those old coping behaviors. There’s going to be a shootout at the Francine Corral, High Noon!
Francine will either go through the shootout, or magically disappear from qi gong class. She’ll be too busy. Things will come up. She’ll be too tired. Either the new Sheriff loses or the old, well-known coping behaviors do. One or the other. That’s the problem.
People that already have destructive coping behaviors really don’t belong in the qi gong class. They must first complete a stint in the qi gong clinic. The clinic will build them up enough to jump into the class, and really make major life improvements.
One coping behavior that conflicts directly with qi gong is drinking alcohol at the level of being a heavy social drinker or an alcoholic. Alcohol is a stress-coping behavior that is also addictive. It goes in direct physical contrast to qi gong. In the old days, when I first began teaching over a decade ago, and qi gong was outdoors and Saturday morning, I would tell my students, “Don’t come to qi gong Saturday if you went out drinking the night before.” This lead to a hill nearby being called “Puke Hill,” because it’s where the drinkers had to vomit their previous night’s consumption.
If you are drinker, you will reject qi gong. I have never seen a single person where the qi gong Sheriff won out over the alcohol bad guy. Not one. The change is too big.
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