This page features students who have attained Unique Achievement; coping with everyday trials of health & well being these students have achieved much while under extra duress.
A Dojo story I once heard goes like this:
Student: Teacher, I have trained for five years now, and because of my illness and learning difficulties I am only now a green Sash when all of my friends are black Sash. I have come to your lessons every time without fail when some of them have not, and I still cannot keep up with them. How can I continue when I am so far behind?
Teacher: Your friends are able-bodies and free of learning difficulties, they have reached the level expected of them. You however, have continued to see your way through you problem and have overcome many obstacles then they, exceeding by far what was required by you. You have achieved all that your friends have and much more.
Master Clifford
I first met Sifu Clifford when I was thirteen. I had an interest in kickboxing and had tried out a local karate club but I didn’t really like the atmosphere. One day, on the off chance, I saw a leaflet advertising Chum Kune Do. What enticed me was the variety of different styles of martial arts as well as the kickboxing aspect I had wanted to try. I still remember going to my first session, a slightly podgy teen who wanted to lose some weight, nervous about what to expect. Sifu Clifford immediately made me feel good about myself and I was hooked from day one! I was also extremely exhausted as it really was a full body work out – I was so sore the next day from aching muscles but it was a good ache, it felt like an achievement!
From then on, I worked hard to get that little bit better each session. Sifu Clifford has a gift as a teacher to spot what your individual talents are, teach you new skills, praise your efforts and make you want to train harder. He spotted that I was a good fighter (nicknaming me ‘Thunderkick’ at one point), not so graceful like other girls in the class, but he pushed me to become stronger by partnering me with others who were better and more experienced than me. In time, I was fighting in competitions – and winning – and that is something I never would have expected to do when I first started. Sifu Clifford and Chum Kune Do not only boosted my fitness, they boosted my confidence! Another great thing about Chum Kune Do is that there was never any pressure to compete or to fight unless you wanted to. Many of the other students were very skilled in the katas and self- defence and would work hard improving those skills while some of us partnered up for sparring sessions. It was always your own choice which I think is very important when running a club for so many different individuals with different needs. This was also true for the gradings. Every three months Sifu Clifford would give you the opportunity to earn your next sash. You had to be ready to perform all katas, show off your sparring skills and pad work and trial your self-defence moves. You really had to earn each sash which gave such a feeling of accomplishment after passing a grading! I believe this allowed for well-rounded martial artists which is why Chum Kune Do is such a good club. I sadly left Chum Kune Do just before going to university. I spent about five years away from it and really missed being part of the club. At twenty three I re-joined and I’m sure there was maybe a presumption that I would return the flexible, good fighter I used to be - but I didn’t. A big weight gain from uni and a recent diagnosis of arthritis meant I had to take things easy. I was worried about not being able to keep up or meet expectations but again, Sifu Clifford made me feel at ease and only pushed me to where I felt comfortable. It was sad to see the club had had to move to a different venue, the Howard School, and it was not as busy as it previously was, however Clifford still taught the same values and worked as hard with each of his students as before, which I have enormous respect for.
I had to leave again as I was starting a family but I cannot wait until my little boy (currently only six months) is old enough to join Sifu Clifford’s younger class, the Little Ninjas! I hope he has just as much fun as I did and enjoys learning the martial arts and more importantly, the respect that goes with it. Sifu Clifford used to make us recite the oath and five tenants of Chum Kune Do at the beginning of every session, my favourite: ‘I shall never misuse Chum Kune Do!’ I will be instilling these values into my son’s life because they are so important to building character which is what Chum Kune Do definitely did for me! Who knows, maybe one day I could join again and we can be a little Mummy-child fighting duo!
Thank you for all you have taught me Sifu Clifford!
Jess Farley, January 2018