Downpour challenges UMAC's weekend of training

Monroe — Seven martial arts masters, and instructors and students from six United Martial Arts Centers locations gathered for intensive training in the midst of what turned out to be a monsoon-like downpour. The centers’ Winner’s Weekend was held from Friday, Oct. 7 to Sunday, Oct. 9 at Pine Forest Camp, just north of Milford, Pa. In popular movies like “Hero” and “House of Flying Daggers,” director Zhang Yimou is famous for staging spectacular scenes mixing martial arts with forces of nature, such as whirling leaves and rushing winds. No doubt the filmmaker would have been inspired to create yet another masterpiece had he attended the weekend camp. Rather than allowing the record-breaking storm to dampen their spirits, the students behaved like the heroes of his movies: they used nature’s wild outburst as a springboard to raise their own performance level. Participants took up the challenge as the masters and instructors put them through their paces in seminars on forms, sparring, and self defense, as well as yoga and meditation training. The weekend included a dramatization of the classic business book “Who Moved My Cheese?” Certified instructors demonstrated that they could not only break bricks with their fists, but also jump around wearing mouse noses. The serious point behind the fun was helping students, from 6 to 60 years old, appreciate the book’s valuable strategies for dealing with life’s inevitable changes by making the connection between being a winner in taekwondo and being a winner at home, at work, and at school. Two adults and two children were awarded genuine (imported) Wisconsin cheese hats to honor their ability to embrace change in the course of the weekend, as judged by the masters. On Saturday afternoon, the adults were led by 5th Dan Master Paul Melella, Jr., owner of the UMAC Carmel location, through a step-by-step process in which they clarified their own values and crafted personal mission statements. Meanwhile, 5th Dan Master Chris Berlow, owner of the Briarcliff Manor UMAC, and a team of instructors and instructor candidates guided the children in creating special presentations, which they performed for the adults that evening. Sixth Dan Master Edmund Ciarfella, owner of the Warwick location and president of UMAC, led a special seminar for UMAC’s certified instructors. “Martial arts are not just about punching and kicking,” said Ciarfella. “We train body, mind, and spirit. The benefits last a lifetime.” The weekend climaxed with Sunday morning’s black belt test, where students demonstrated their mastery and were awarded first, second, and third dan black belts. Several hundred friends and family gathered to watch and cheer. At the end, the rain stopped, at least for a time, as if on cue. It was a moment worthy of a Yimou movie. But for the students, it was real life. For more information, visit www.umacenters.com.