The Sheng Chi Foundation concentrates its efforts on helping the following situations:
Valley Springs has a high percentage of children living in poor income households. 1999 statistics show that 16.5 percent of Calaveras county children are from poor income households. A large number of these children reside in Valley Springs proper. There is a high rate of drug use and criminal activity in this area. Without positive roles models and direction these youths have no other influences other than that of their environment. The chances are great that they will fall into the patterns of criminal activity and drug use that surround them, thereby furthering the problem. Local authorities dealing with these issues have stated that gang activity here can actually be more dangerous to the general public than activity in large cities. The reason for this is that the local youths involved in these activities are trying to emulate their larger city counterparts. They fail to realize that these inner city gangs have certain codes, which contain the activities within their own cultural sphere. These codes somewhat prevent them from randomly attacking the uninvolved public. Our local criminal gangs do not put these limitations on their members and therefore will attack in a more random nature, leaving the public more at risk.
We have seen great success with these at-risk youths. A great number of them have gone on to lead positive productive lives. It is obvious that changing the life of even one of these youths can have a serious impact on our small town.
We’ve found that, when given the opportunity, at-risk youths excel in our programs. They take to the instruction extremely well and are overly gracious at the opportunity to better themselves. Often they have large amounts of pent up anger and frustrations. Our programs are perfect for dealing with this; as a self-defense art, there is an aggressive nature to the training. This becomes a very healthy outlet for the anger and frustrations inherent in these youths, allowing them to express anger and frustration in a very healthy way. Many of them have become part of our “demo team” where they demonstrate their skills in public forums. This has a parallel to how they would express themselves through violent activity, yet is done in a healthy manner with a cooperative partner rather than an innocent victim. It gives them the opportunity to “be somebody” which is usually the reason they strike out in a criminal nature to begin with.
Our programs provide these youths with:
The goal is to give these youths a positive direction in a system that teaches them self-esteem, self-discipline, humility and respect. In so doing, we hope to improve not only the lives of these youths but also to improve the community they live in — by assisting them in becoming productive members of the community.
The program will take youths that may otherwise be misdirected and provide them with a healthy outlet for their energies and a sense of direction and achievement. We have found the personal development that is achieved in our programs has formed the foundation for success in other activities. Our experience has shown us that this program can have immense long-term benefits for these youths and the community. Studies have shown that the study of traditional martial arts (as opposed to “sports” martial arts) has benefits no one ever guessed.
J. Nandi, a licensed psychologist, psychology professor, black belt instructor and martial arts researcher, states:
“As a psychologist, I have found that martial arts training often provides many benefits to youngsters beyond that offered by other sports. The introverted youngster often begins to blossom when he or she learns martial arts. The structured drills that involve punching, kicking, and yelling help the youngster overcome shyness and timidity.
The anxious or worried child becomes more confident and assertive as he learns to move and control his body. He learns to work and compete with others in a friendly and safe environment. Self-confidence and self-esteem grow. Many parents report a marked increase in the child's social interactions. The youngster feels less threatened by other children or new situations. As a result, there is often more of a willingness to become more involved with others.
The extroverted youngster has a safe, healthy outlet in which to compete with himself and others. Youngsters are taught how to avoid trouble and challenges. They learn to have enough self-confidence that they need not respond to teasing or provocation from peers.
The aggressive child is taught the self-discipline that aids in keeping anger under control. He or she learns that fighting is merely a way of showing off and that showing off is a sign of low self-esteem and a lack of self-confidence.
Martial arts training is a gross motor activity that helps youngster develop a sense of integrity about their bodies. Balance, coordination, posture, and general movements improve with martial arts training. The pre-adolescent, in particular, finds that karate training helps him or her cope with the clumsiness that often accompanies the spurt of growth at this age.
Martial arts training also offers an additional bonus that other sports do not provide. Martial arts teaches self defense. In the unsettling times in which we live, a knowledge of how to protect oneself can be crucial. Parents often report feeling more secure knowing their sons or daughters are capable of defending themselves. Encourage and support your youngsters involvement. You will be pleasantly surprised with the results. And, who knows, you may want to try a class yourself!”
-Thomas J. Nardi,
Licensed psychologist,
Psychology professor,
Black belt instructor,
Martial arts researcher.
Fibromyalgia (FMS) is a disorder classified by the presence of chronic widespread pain and tactile allodynia. Studies have shown that stress is a significant precipitating factor in the development of fibromyalgia,and that PTSD is linked with fibromyalgia. The Amital study found that 49% of PTSD patients fulfilled the criteria for FMS, compared with none of the controls. Stress can alter the function of the HPA axis and change cortisol levels in the body, leading to widespread pain.
An alternate hypothesis regarding the development of fibromyalgia in relationship to stress proposes that the disorder may be a psychosomatic illness has been described by John E. Sarno's "tension myositis syndrome", which hypothesizes that chronic pain is caused by the mind's subconscious strategy of distracting painful or dangerous emotions. Education, attitude change, and in some cases, psychotherapy are proposed as treatments.
Because fibromyalgia is stress related Shou' Shu' training can also be extremely helpful at treating it. We've seen several instances of near complete recoveries from fibromyalgia sufferers in which the sufferer completely attributes the recovery to training in Shou' Shu'.
Unfortunately most fibromyalgia sufferers would not consider training in Shou' Shu'. It takes a great deal of education to convince them of it. We hope to be able to develop education in this area to assist fibromyalgia sufferers with recovery.
Our programs differ from sports programs in many ways. We are not a sport, we are a discipline and there are fundamental differences. These differences are highly beneficial for youths that do not excel at typical sports programs. Youths that have not found their place in sports almost always find that they excel at our programs. They can be good at something athletic and we feel this greatly enhances their lives.
One of the major differences that really impacts these youths is that fine motor skills are taught. Motions are broken down into such tiny nuances that coordination, balance, and body awareness are actually taught.
The benefits to this group are enormous. Through realizing that they can develop abilities, participants develop self confidence and self esteem. Qualities they probably would not develop in other avenues. Qualities that will greatly enhance their lives.
Training in Shou' Shu' helps this group in the same way it helps those suffering from PTSD. It negates negative thought patterns. The school provides a positive and healthy outlet. The training develops self confidence and self esteem. The exercise is great for feeling good and ridding the body of toxins. If the recovering addict feels better physically, and feels better about themselves they are for less likely to relapse.
It is probable that most if not all veterans returning from conflict experience some form of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. This can vary from mild to extreme. Subjective experience in training veterans has shown that training in Shou' Shu' can be very therapeutic for PTSD.
In an effort to help returning soldiers more easily assimilate into society after returning from duty, the Sheng Chi Training Center is offering free martial arts training to veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan. Classes will be offered for the remainder of the year.
Everyone can realize tremendous benefits from martial arts training but these benefits are even more pronounced in those dealing with stress. We've seen a number of veterans drastically improve their lives through training over the years. There are many reasons martial arts are beneficial in the treatment of stress disorders but the main one is the total absorption in the activity. The motions of kung fu are complex. Although they are fun to learn they completely involve the mind and the body. The student is completely involved in body awareness and focusing on the lesson. There simply is no room for stress.
Students typically leave the school feeling energized and stress free. This is a welcome mental break for anyone suffering from cyclical negative thought patterns. Simply being able to be free of those mental patterns for a while often helps in ridding oneself of those patterns. This phenomena has been noticed by martial arts teachers for years.
Training in a safe and welcoming environment can be very helpful in assimilating back into society and the training itself is a nice great outlet for stress.
Training in Shou' Shu' Chi Kung (similar to Tai' Chi) addresses many of the issues associated with aging. The leg exercises help maintain bone density and muscle strength. The drills help develop balance. The breathing exercises help with keeping the blood oxygenated and also keep the organs functioning well. The addition of Shou' Shu' Chi Kung to the exercise routine of the elderly has helped many become more mobile and maintain their self sufficiency. We regularly conduct outreach programs to educate seniors to the benefits. We also teach affordable or free classes to seniors.