RISE OF THE DRAGON 6 WEEKS TO GO

Countdown continues | Week 4 Chronicles

Join us on the journey as we build towards the grand event, the Rise of the Dragon, with intense training, thrilling demonstrations, and inspiring stories.

Week 4, Day 1:

Saturday, Day One, Week Four: It feels like summer has finally arrived. I woke up to sunlight streaming through my window and started the day with a 10k cycle in the backyard while catching up on comments from our community across various social media platforms. After a 20-minute stretch, I worked on single-arm ab wheels and spent over 10 minutes on finger tension holds. Then, I headed into the valley for a two-hour walk.

At the temple, I found TC, Cheng, Lan, and An finishing their morning session of advanced weaponry and two-man fighting sets. We sat down for breakfast, catching up and discussing plans for the day. At 12 p.m., as we've been doing for the last few weeks during summertime, we went live on Instagram, and boy was it a doozy. We hit an all-time record with 1,200 viewers at one point. The video is now live on our Instagram and has surpassed 50,000 views. It was absolutely fire, featuring live Kung Fu performances with an intense Kung Fu leg workout called Wu Bu Gong Fa. At the end of the live session, we even broke glass bottles with our hands. Many had called me out recently, claiming it was staged and fake, so I thought, what better way to respond than to do it live? Check out the video—I'll put the link below.

Class began. It was packed, despite the absence of Gareth, Nat, and Lenny. We welcomed many newcomers, including Xiao Long, the Little Dragon, and his five-year-old nephew, Aiden. Aiden did fantastically well, earning himself a hongbao, a special temple blue band, and a golden fan to start his kung fu fan journey.

In the late morning, we worked on more advanced weaponry before enjoying some delicious soup noodles for lunch. The afternoon was filled with content creation, bottle smashing, calligraphy, and Chinese language practice, focusing on how to ask for different fruits. We also volunteered for a couple of hours, giving the temple a deep clean and a fresh coat of paint on the chamber walls.

As the day wound down, I met up with ShiMu in the valley for another walk. We strolled for a couple of hours before heading home to cook a delicious Chinese meal, relax with Netflix, and prepare for Sunday Funday.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/C78__d5i8fr/?igsh=djU0cTljOXRzMzEw

Sunday, day two, week four. The countdown continues.

I started the day early, meeting LanLan at Monster Gym for a two-hour cardio session. We also worked on some edits and content creation. By 9 a.m., we arrived at the temple, where Thea and Cassy were waiting to begin their lessons. While I worked with Thea on various movements and challenges, including the neck hanging, senior student TC worked vigorously with Cassy on her Kung Fu staff form.

Later, we joined Cassy and TC in the training chamber, donned our new white Feiyue shoes, and practiced our rhythmic skills on the Chinese drum for the Lion Dance. Thea will help with this at the Rise of the Dragon event. We then settled for breakfast club, engaging in positive conversation about Kung Fu philosophy and its application to life. Lan and TC had many questions, and I hope I answered them satisfactorily. Lan is always left amazed after our discussions, as is TC.

At 11 a.m., we started our class. Jige from Coventry joined us, along with Kam and Lenny, who was absent on Saturday. Niyyat couldn't make it, being away, and An was on a school trip. Lan has organized additional Zoom sessions to help Niyyat keep up with her practice. We spent hours on weapons, two-man fighting sets, and Qigong.

Then, Wu Jie, fresh off the plane, arrived. She quickly donned her orange Kung Fu robes and got straight to work, learning the complete Fan Form in under an hour. She also practiced other forms like Scorpion and Dragon. An, who was with us, had to leave early for a birthday party. Since it was just myself, TC, and Lan for lunch, we decided to push it back as we were enjoying our training so much. We trained until 3 p.m., then tidied up and finally sat down for a delicious bowl of soup noodles.

After lunch, we did some volunteer work, completing the outdoor bar setup for summer. We also did general maintenance, fixing damaged areas in the courtyard. I edited some content captured during the day in preparation for my long walk in the valley. By 5 p.m., Lan and I went for a stroll in the valley as she made her way to Chesent Station. I continued my walk, finishing some edits, and then returned to the temple to meet TC; check out the posts I made. What’s your favourite?

By 8 p.m., we were back home, ready to relax. We cooked a delicious meal with ShiMu and sat down to watch the new Kevin Hart movie. If you haven't seen it, check it out—it's a ton of fun.

TGIM: Monday, Day 3, Week 4

Today began with the rhythmic sound of rain on my sky window as I completed my morning workout. For those unfamiliar with my routine, you might want to ask around. Post-workout, I headed to Monster Gym, avoiding the rain to stay dry for a heavy editing session. Walking in the rain can be a beautiful experience, but today wasn't the day for it. There's something peaceful about navigating puddles with an umbrella, allowing your mind to relax and focus.

I powered through 2.5 hours of cardio while working on various content for the temple, including my book and social media posts. Back at the temple, I met with TC for lunch and a productive Monday morning meeting about our goals and vision for the future. Soon enough, it was time to return to Monster Gym for our Push Day session, joined by our special guest, Lan Lan, who just received her visa for the China 2024 trip. Congratulations to her and all who secured their spots! We're now in the exciting phase of booking flights.

Our gym session was fantastic, filled with content creation, laughter, and fun. We re-shot one of my viral core workout videos, with Lan and TC giving it a try and doing quite well. After the gym, the rain had stopped, so we trained in the valley for another hour, focusing on basic drills like bunny hops, sprints, and kicks. However, heavy rain and hail forced us back to the temple, where we dried off and got to work.

Lan painted the temple's interior walls, TC practiced the snake form for next year's Chinese New Year, and I continued editing and preparing the outdoor bars with TC's help. By 5 PM, An joined us, and we powered through an hour of bunny hops, finger push-ups, and ab wheel exercises, honing my one-arm strength. At 6 PM, Cheng joined us for kung fu bar work, each of us focused on different movements from the assessment.

We shared a meal, tidied the temple, stretched, caught up, worked on edits, and shared our content with the community. By 9 PM, it was time to head home. I cleaned up and returned to Monster Gym for another hour of cardio, organizing the day's content.

After heading home and preparing food, I met up with ShiMu. Feeling bloated from a post-gym protein shake, we decided on a late-night stroll, walking past midnight. It was a serene experience, reminiscent of our early days in Dengfeng, Shaolin, with only the moonlight guiding us.

Tuesday day 4 week 4

Yet another rainy morning, but rain or shine, we stay on our grind. I started my day with a home workout on the bike, accompanied by the soothing sound of rain hitting the glass roof. I spoke with T, who completed a short 1K run, and then we stretched together until he had to go to school.

Next, I headed to Monster Gym for my morning cardio session, which, combined with some meetings in China, lasted a non-stop three hours. Time just flew by. Afterward, I went to the temple, prepared lunch, and then biked 7 miles to Edmonton Boxing Club. There, I met up with Costa and Ree for a fantastic 12 rounds on the bags and some solid core training. I captured the moment in a little video edit.

After my 7-mile ride back to the temple, I dove into writing my book, which is coming along nicely. Pre-orders will go live on the website in the next week or so, so keep an eye out if you want a copy.

In the evening, after the rain had stopped, I enjoyed a stroll through the valley. When I got home, ShiMu wanted to continue the walk, so we went for another hour-and-a-half midnight walk in the moonlight before returning home for some much-needed rest.

Wednesday, Day 5, Week 4

The day started with an icy chill, making me wonder where summer has gone. Nevertheless, we brought the heat. I began my morning with a 10K bike ride, accompanied by some classic Dragon Ball for motivation. Afterward, I completed my stretching routine, core workout, and iron finger training before heading to the gym.

At the gym, I spent a long session on the cardio machine while working through edits and participating in exciting meetings with several Chinese companies interested in collaborating with us. Following that, I went to the temple to meet up with TC and review some of the new program developments. The progress on the Snake Form (aka the Little Dragon) and the Southern Sword is incredibly exciting, and I can't wait to share these programs with everyone.

After a quick lunch and a slight change of plans, I headed to Windsor to watch the Queen's Cup polo game. Shimu and I were kindly invited by the Chinese team, Mingyu. It was a fantastic experience watching the semi-finals, meeting interesting people, and uncovering new opportunities for the temple.

Upon returning to the temple, despite two hours of traffic, I was greeted by Anne and TC, who had some exciting news. Primo, who had just left, unlocked a new skill. Watching a video of him balancing two spears was truly incredible, proving that you don't need to be great to start, but you need to start to be great.

We ended the day with a quick meal I whipped up—soup and noodles—to replenish our energy. After tidying up the place and setting up the ring for Thursday, we called it a night.

Week 4, Day 6 – Throwback Thursday

As usual, I started the day with my morning workout, getting my steps in and completing edits, temple administration work, and all my basics before heading to the temple. There, I met up with TC to check on progress. The sword, snake, and nunchucks programs are now complete, and we discussed taking photos during the afternoon class. Here are some of the shots below. Which one is your favorite? Which do you think best represents each program?

Since I attended the Queen's Cup polo game on Wednesday, I didn't complete my leg workout, so we rescheduled it for Thursday. After our meeting and some noodles, TC and I headed to Monster for a solid leg session. We followed this with an hour at the valley, working on basic kick drills and bunny hop strength exercises.

We then returned to the temple to meet up with An, take the photos, and begin training. We had an excellent couple of hours of training, then enjoyed some soup noodles. To our surprise, Jordan popped in for the kickboxing class. From 8-9 PM, we worked on various kicking drills, which was a super fun and great way to end another amazing day.

Week Four, Day Seven – TGIF

Thank God it's Friday! What a fantastic way to end week four with the sun shining brightly over the temple. After my home workout, I took a refreshing stroll in the valley while working on some edits. I then headed to the temple to meet up with TC.

We reviewed some Temple programs together before going to the gym for our pull workout. We completed our 100 pull-ups, followed by a rigorous rack workout and all the accessory exercises. Afterward, we returned to the temple to finish some edits and prepare everything for movie night.

Later that evening, An, T, and even ShiMu arrived. We enjoyed a delicious meal together, making great memories as we played our favorite game, Dobble, before kicking back to watch a Jet Li classic, The One. If you haven't seen it, be sure to check it out—it's a fantastic movie with lots of great inspiration.

We then headed home, tired and worn out, ready to sleep, recharge, and gear up for week five - starting off with Fathers Day Celebrations on Saturday morning!

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Oh, and there's one more part I want to add to this week's blog. I initially wrote it in but then took it out; however, I believe it's important to share.

On Tuesday, after my boxing session, three guys attempted to rob me on my ride back to the temple. It was quite ironic, as earlier this week I posted a comical but realistic self-defense video, which you can watch below.

As I rode through the streets of Tottenham, the bike lane shifted onto the sidewalk. I saw three guys in front of me and, with music playing in my headphones, I rang my bell to ask them to clear the way. Despite hearing me, they didn't move. As I got closer, I had to slow down and put my feet on the ground.

In that moment, still with music blasting and my hands occupied, they grabbed my handlebars and began shouting aggressively. I wasn't entirely sure what was happening, but it didn't feel safe and a sense of fear set in. Not because I doubted my ability to defend myself, but the reality of the danger in London hit me. Knife crime is a common occurrence, and as I mentioned in my self-defense video, the best way to deal with knife crime is to run.

However, on my bike, I had no choice but to act. I struck the hands of the guy holding my handlebars and used my bike to slam into another, then hustled away without looking back.

During the 20-minute ride home, thoughts of quitting boxing and leaving London flooded my mind. This experience reminded me of my childhood and the reasons I left for China in the first place. Yet again, it served as a reminder that life is amazing, and we should be grateful each day for the blessing of another adventure.