Tag: discipline

Do your values match your behavior?

Oscar AgramonteMindset & Philosophy

Are you the type of person who keeps track of their macronutrients with a nutrition app, uses a fancy fitness watch for steps and activity, or maybe goes old school with a paper planner?

All of these have value because they give us a moment to think.

But a challenge is getting caught up in the exact metrics of our training. We want the perfect routine, with the exact number of reps to reach our goals. 

Taking a moment to think and plan is incredibly valuable, but have you noticed that if something is truly valuable to you, it shows up in multiple places?

Look around your life right now.

  • If you care about learning, books begin to pile up around the house.
  • If you care about people and community, gatherings start to happen naturally.
  • If you care about health, you suddenly find yourself walking more or making better choices without having to force it.

The same thing happens in your martial arts training.

If you value your Kung Fu or Tai Chi skill, you will find a way to practice… even if you can’t make it to the Temple to train. Someone who values movement will always find time to stretch, practice their forms, or simply play.

Your values leak into your behavior. 

This explains why overly complicated training systems or extreme diets almost always fail. They try to force a set of behaviors without ever addressing your underlying values. If you don’t actually value the outcome, no chart, tracking app, or new program is going to save you.

But once a value is clear in your mind, the system becomes incredibly simple. You don’t need external motivation to do the things that truly matter to you. They begin to show up on their own, seamlessly blending into your day.

I like to get steps in when I do yard work or am cleaning up around the Temple. I don’t need a complex system to make it happen; I value the movement, so the behavior follows.

I also value the amount of money I spent on the pants I currently own, so I usually turn down the extra serving of cookies or cake (not always! but usually).

Take a moment to look at your daily habits today. What values are leaking into your behavior right now?

See you in training,

Sifu Oscar

 

P.S. Make movement a value. People often fail to start training because they think they need a complicated system to begin. You don’t. You just need to show up. If you are ready to build a new habit, here are 2 ways I can help:

  1. See it for yourself: The best way to understand Wah Lum is to see it in person. Comment with OBSERVATION and we will set up a time for you to come visit a class.
  2. Start from home: Comment with FOUNDATIONS and I’ll send you the details for our 21-day remote prep program.

Manipulate vs. Motivate (Whose job is it?)

Oscar AgramonteMindset & Philosophy

There are two words that are confused in leadership and teaching, but understanding the difference can change how you approach your training:

Manipulate and Motivate.

At their core, the difference is simple:

  • Manipulation is getting people to do what you want them to do.
  • Motivation is getting people to do what they want to do.

Is the goal of a martial artist to manipulate? The answer is both yes and no, depending on who is standing in front of you.

When to Manipulate (The Opponent & The Body)

In the physical realm of Kung Fu or Tai Chi, manipulation is a requirement.

If I am facing an opponent, one goal is physical and psychological manipulation. I want to draw them off balance. I want them to react to a feint so I can open a line of attack. I am trying to get them to do exactly what I want them to do.

As a teacher, I also use physical manipulation with students. When I physically adjust posture, correct a stance, or move an arm into the proper angle for a block, I am manipulating a body to show the correct path.

When to Motivate (The Student & The Mind)

But when it comes to the mental game of teaching students, leading and learning from my martial arts family, manipulation fails.

I cannot trick a student into being disciplined. I cannot manipulate you into loving the art or putting in the hours of practice when no one is watching. If I force a student to train, they are doing it for me at that moment. That isn’t sustainable.

A good teacher (and always a student first) must have the ability to manipulate the body, but the skill to motivate the mind.

One goal as a teacher is to provide tactical insight that is specific enough to make you think. That is motivation and something that is harder to do. Example: my constant failures at motivating students!

Your Job: Manipulating The Variables

Here is where the two concepts meet.

I can attempt to motivate your mind, and I can physically manipulate your body to show you the standard. But eventually, you have to take ownership.

Motivation only sparks the fire. To be successful, you have to put in the work to apply the lesson. You must become a master of manipulating the variables in your life.

  • You have to manipulate your schedule to ensure you have time to train.
  • You have to manipulate your environment to remove distractions.
  • You have to manipulate your own stiff joints and tired muscles to do the work.

The instructors at the Temple will continue to work on providing the motivation. You have to execute the manipulation.

See you in training,

Sifu Oscar

 

P.S. Motivation gets you started. People wait for the perfect moment to start training, but the truth is, you have to manipulate your own schedule to make it happen. If you have the internal motivation to start but need a structured path to follow, here are two ways I can help:

  1. See it for yourself: The best way to understand Wah Lum is to see it in person. Comment with OBSERVATION and we will set up a time for you to come visit a class.
  2. Start from home: Comment with FOUNDATIONS and I’ll send you the details for our 21-day remote prep program.

What Mozart Told the 21 Year Old

Oscar AgramonteMindset & Philosophy

Hello Wah Lum Family,

There are two ways to climb a mountain.

You can start at the bottom and make every single mistake from scratch on your way to the top. Or, you can take a Sherpa with you and master the best of what others have already figured out.

We often hear that “mistakes are the best teachers.”

I don’t know about that.

Your mistakes aren’t the best teacher; they are just the most expensive. The successful learn by example; they learn from the experience of their Sifu and their seniors. The foolish insist on firsthand pain.

However, there is a trap here.

While you need a guide, you cannot rely solely on asking for directions. Advice is overrated, and action is underrated.

There is a story about Mozart that perfectly illustrates this point:

A young man asked Mozart how to write a symphony. Mozart replied, “You’re far too young to write a symphony.” The young man protested, “But you were writing symphonies when you were 10 years old, and I’m 21!”

Mozart smiled and replied, “Yes, but I didn’t go around asking people how to do it.”

You can read all the books, watch all the videos, and ask your Sifu every question in the book. But ultimately, advice-gathering can quickly become procrastination in disguise.

The Balance:

  1. Trust the Sherpa: Don’t try to reinvent the system. It has been refined for longer than you’ve been alive so you don’t have to make the “expensive mistakes.”
  2. Be like Mozart: Don’t just ask how to be good. Go train.

Take the advice, act on it, and adjust accordingly.

See you in training,

Sifu Oscar

 

P.S. There are 2 ways I can help you stop “advice gathering” and start taking action:

  1. See it for yourself: The best way to understand the system is to see it in person. Email us kungfu@wahlum.com with Observation, and we will set up a time for you to come visit a class.
  2. Start right now: Reading about Kung Fu or fitness won’t change your life; doing it will. Don’t wait until you know “how” to write the symphony. Just start playing the notes. Our Foundations program is the perfect place to start.
    Click here to stop researching and start training.

“What We Compress, Expands”: Why We Wear the Uniform

Oscar AgramonteMindset & Philosophy

Hello Wah Lum Family,

When you walk into the Temple, you see a sea of black uniforms (and some white, for our Tai Chi classes).

It looks professional, and it signifies that we are all part of the same team. But have you ever stopped to think about the deeper value of wearing the uniform?

On the surface, the benefit is obvious: Simplicity.

You don’t have to waste mental energy deciding what to wear to class. You don’t have to worry if your outfit matches or if it’s appropriate for training. You simply grab your uniform, and you are ready. But this simplicity unlocks something much more powerful.

“What we compress, expands.”

Renowned strength coach and author Dan John uses this phrase to explain the hidden benefits of uniformity. It begs the question: By “compressing” our choices of what to wear, does our training actually expand?

We believe the answer is yes.

When we remove the distraction of designer logos, expensive shoes, and fashion statements, we strip away the superficial. When everyone wears the same thing, we stop looking at the outfit and start seeing the human person.

By compressing the external variables, we expand what truly matters:

  • We notice the intellect and ideas: We focus on the students’ questions and their understanding of our martial art.
  • We notice the quality of work: Without the distraction of what you are wearing, the focus shifts entirely to how you are moving.
  • We expand our focus: Your mental energy isn’t on how you look; it is on your stances, your power, and your spirit.

In a Wah Lum uniform, we are all on equal ground. We are there to work, to learn, and to grow.

The uniform doesn’t suppress individuality; it reveals your character by removing the distractions that usually hide it.

So, the next time you put on your uniform, remember: You aren’t just getting dressed for class. You are clearing the clutter to make room for your Kung Fu or Tai Chi to expand.

See you in training,

Sifu Oscar

wah lum kung fu temple

 

P.S. Ready to join the team? Training Kung Fu or Tai Chi is easier when your daily habits line up with your goals. Our Control System: Foundations is a 21-day remote program designed to simplify your nutrition and movement habits so you are ready to train. Email back with Foundations if you’re ready

Push, Pull, and the Lessons of Middle Age

Oscar AgramonteConditioning, Kung Fu, Mindset & Philosophy

In your late teens and 20s, the choices you make with food and training will stay with you. Strength coach Mike Boyle shared the best advice I know when it comes to body composition, and it is especially true in your 20s. 

Learn the Push. 

Push the table away. Push the extra beer and pizza away. 

Build the discipline now to keep fat cells from multiplying.

Why? Because once you create fat cells, they don’t just disappear. Fat cells act like balloons. When you overeat, it is like blowing air into the balloon and it expands. 

When you train, eat better, and lose fat, you don’t pop the balloon. You simply let the air out. It shrinks, but it never disappears. 

That is why learning the skill of Push early is so valuable. But even if you did not learn it in your 20s, it is not too late. 

The ability to push away what does not serve you is a practice you can strengthen at any age.

By the time you reach middle age, the Pulls of life become more obvious. 

Careers get busier, parents get older, kids need more of your time, and financial pressures pile up. At the same time, your body starts sending reminders — tighter hips, rounded shoulders, slower recovery. 

Strength coach Dan John sums up the solution perfectly: Stretch what’s stiff. Strengthen what’s weak. For most of us, that means:

  • Stretch: hip flexors, hamstrings, pecs, biceps
  • Strengthen: glutes, ab wall, deltoids, triceps

Over six years ago, Sifu Mimi and I started a video blog series called 40 Fit-Fu. We recorded more than 100 episodes on training, nutrition, and health. 

If you scroll to the bottom of the playlist, you will find our final episodes where we looked back at the first ones and shared how our approach has evolved. 

Training is a lifelong process. What works at 20 might not be what you need at 40, and what you build at 40 sets you up for your 60s.

Kung Fu gives us a clear example of this principle. 

The iron bridge stretches what needs lengthening while strengthening what needs support. 

It is also a classic Push-Pull exercise: pushing the hips up, pulling the shoulders back. That combination is exactly what keeps us strong, mobile, and balanced through every stage of life.

See you in training,

Sifu Oscar

 

P.S. The principle of stretching what is stiff and strengthening what is weak starts on day one. That is what our Foundations program is all about. This is also remote coaching through our app, with daily actions and accountability built in. Reply with Foundations and I will get you started.

 

P.P.S. Whenever you’re ready, here are ways we can help you get started.

1. Schedule a time to observe a class.
Interested in Kung Fu or Tai Chi?  First step is to watch a class and see if we would be a good fit! Email: kungfu@wahlum.com for an appointment.

2. Become part of my exclusive Coaching Group with CYH Remote Coaching.  Get personalized coaching delivered right to your phone and catered to your specific goals.
Email: kungfu@wahlum.com for info.

The Secret to Long-Term Progress

Oscar AgramonteMindset & Philosophy

Fall in Love With the Basics

You’ve got to enjoy what you’re doing, but more importantly, you have to enjoy the process.

I recently told an advanced student: “You have to keep falling back in love with the basics, not just the new stuff.”

You also can’t improve everything at once. Some skills need to go on “maintenance mode” while you focus on priorities. That focus is a superpower, one I still need to work on myself. 

When I feel good, I start adding too much, and the priorities slip away.

Remember, there’s a law of diminishing returns. Doing 50 kicks gets you more than 25, but not twice the results. Each extra set gives smaller gains than the last. 

That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t push, but it’s worth understanding.

And one last thing: don’t glorify fatigue. Being tired is not the goal, it’s just a byproduct of working hard enough to change. The goal is growth. Fatigue will show up along the way.

Sifu Oscar

 

P.S. Whenever you’re ready, here are ways we can help you get started.

1. Schedule a time to observe a class.
Interested in Kung Fu or Tai Chi?  First step is to watch a class and see if we would be a good fit! Email: kungfu@wahlum.com for an appointment.

2. Become part of my exclusive Coaching Group with CYH Remote Coaching.  Get personalized coaching delivered right to your phone and catered to your specific goals.
Email: kungfu@wahlum.com for info.

Stuck in Training? Here’s What To Do

Oscar AgramonteMindset & Philosophy

When Progress Slows Down

People often make the fastest gains when they’re new to training. The body adapts quickly, but then… progress slows. So what do you do when things get tough?

  1. Add more intention. Sometimes you need intensity, but at Wah Lum we call it intention. Push yourself to failure every once in a while so you know where the edge is, and learn how to pull back just before reaching it.
  2. Give it time. More reps, more time on the program, more basics. Skill takes time.
  3. Show up. Don’t skip, don’t constantly switch routines. Just keep showing up.

Progress is never linear. There will be slowdowns, setbacks, and bursts of growth. Just like investing, the key is to focus on long-term trends, not short-term fluctuations.

Sifu Oscar

 

P.S. Whenever you’re ready, here are ways we can help you get started.

1. Schedule a time to observe a class.
Interested in Kung Fu or Tai Chi?  First step is to watch a class and see if we would be a good fit! Email: kungfu@wahlum.com for an appointment.

2. Become part of my exclusive Coaching Group with CYH Remote Coaching.  Get personalized coaching delivered right to your phone and catered to your specific goals.
Email: kungfu@wahlum.com for info.

Control Corner 25 from Sifu Oscar: The Mirror of Mastery

Oscar AgramonteControl Corner, Mindset & Philosophy

At Wah Lum, the flipped Chinese character for ‘Fire’ reminds us that control is the key to mastering life’s challenges. Welcome to the Control Corner, where we share weekly wisdom to help you unlock your potential.

Essentials: Mastery begins with self-awareness. In West with the Night, author Beryl Markham reflects on how we spend our lives studying others while often remaining strangers to ourselves. As a pilot, alone in the vast night sky, she discovered the power of self-observation—an essential skill in both life and martial arts.

Why It Matters: True progress isn’t just about watching and learning from others; it’s about turning that focus inward. In martial arts, we often want to rush to advanced techniques, but true skill comes from refining the basics with patience and awareness. Just as Markham had to master small skills before flying solo, every stance, every movement, every breath is an opportunity for deeper understanding.

What’s Next: This week, be your own observer. Set aside time to train alone, focusing on the fundamentals with fresh eyes. What do you discover when you’re fully present with yourself? Mastery isn’t just about learning more—it’s about seeing more in what you already know.

Here is a small excerpt from the book West with the Night by Beryl Markham that inspired this post. 

“You can live a lifetime and, at the end of it, know more about other people than you know about yourself. You learn to watch other people, but you never watch yourself because you strive against loneliness. 

If you read a book, or shuffle a deck of cards, or care for a dog, you are avoiding yourself. The abhorrence of loneliness is as natural as wanting to live at all. If it were otherwise, men would never have bothered to make an alphabet, not to have fashioned words out of what were only animal sounds, not to have crossed continents – each man to see what the other looked like. 

Being alone in an aeroplane for even so short a time as a night and a day, irrevocably alone, with nothing to observe but your instruments and your own hands in semi-darkness, nothing to contemplate but the size of your small courage, nothing to wonder about but the beliefs, the faces, and the hopes rooted in your mind – such an experience can be as startling as the first awareness of a stranger walking by your side at night. You are the stranger.”

Control Corner 24 with Sifu Oscar: The Power of Self-Examination

Oscar AgramonteControl Corner, Mindset & Philosophy

In martial arts and in life, control is everything. That’s why at Wah Lum, the flipped Chinese character for ‘Fire’ symbolizes the art of control. Welcome to the Control Corner, your weekly guide to focusing on what matters and achieving your potential.

Essentials: Success isn’t just about talent or luck—it’s about the ability to reflect, learn, and grow. As Angela Duckworth, author of Grit, points out, those who succeed have a strong appetite for self-examination.

Why It Matters: Taking time to assess yourself—especially after setbacks—builds resilience. Instead of dwelling on failure, ask: How could I have done this better? What can I learn from this? The ability to reflect and adjust is what turns challenges into stepping stones.

What’s Next: Make self-examination a habit. After training, a tough day, or a misstep, pause and reflect. The more you refine your approach, the stronger you become—both in Kung Fu and in life.

 

P.S. Whenever you’re ready, here are ways we can help you get started.

1. Schedule a time to observe a class.
Interested in Kung Fu or Tai Chi?  First step is to watch a class and see if we would be a good fit! Email: kungfu@wahlum.com for an appointment.

2. Become part of my exclusive Coaching Group with CYH Remote Coaching.  Get personalized coaching delivered right to your phone and catered to your specific goals. Email: kungfu@wahlum.com for info.

Control Corner 23 with Sifu Oscar: The Power of Thinking

Oscar AgramonteControl Corner, Mindset & Philosophy

Welcome to the Control Corner, your weekly dose of wisdom on mastering control in martial arts, health, and life. At Wah Lum, the flipped Chinese character for ‘Fire’ represents control—an idea central to everything we do. 

Let’s explore how focusing on what matters can help you reach your full potential.

Essentials: Throughout history, deep thinking has powered successful people. It’s not about thinking more, but thinking better. Taking just a moment to reflect—whether through Kung Fu, Tai Chi, reading, or time in nature—can unlock insights that shape your path.

Why It Matters: When you pause and truly listen to yourself, you gain clarity about your goals, your challenges, and your aspirations. The strongest traditions, the ones that have stood the test of time, are the ones that encourage deeper thinking. Success isn’t just about working harder—it’s also about thinking just a bit deeper.

What’s Next: In today’s world, focus is the new IQ. Those who cultivate the ability to concentrate without distraction will thrive. Give yourself space to think—slow down during forms, focus on your breath, or take a mindful moment after training.

As Bruce Lee said, “To become different from what we are, we must have some awareness of what we are.” The more you cultivate thoughtful awareness, the more you’ll see old ideas in new ways—and that’s where true growth happens.

 

P.S. Whenever you’re ready, here are ways we can help you get started.

1. Schedule a time to observe a class.
Interested in Kung Fu or Tai Chi?  First step is to watch a class and see if we would be a good fit! Email: kungfu@wahlum.com for an appointment.

2. Become part of my exclusive Coaching Group with CYH Remote Coaching.  Get personalized coaching delivered right to your phone and catered to your specific goals. Email: kungfu@wahlum.com for info.