Dated; 9th November 2009

Gary Morris, His Kids and Lau Gar Kung Fu

Hello, for those that don’t know me, or remember me, my name is Gary Morris and I used to train many years ago with Brian at the infamous Rhyl Lau Gar Kung Fu Club.

Approximately nine years ago I chose a new hobby, which if you’re a parent reading this article you will understand how this hobby takes up a great deal of your time, that’s right parenthood.

My first daughter Lydia Jane was born on 1st November 2000; at this point I was fighting at 70kg, honestly your honour 70 kg (11 stone.)

My second little girl Evie May decided to join the world on May 17th 2003, at this point I was definitely not 70kg and the scales were starting to laugh at me… I think you know where I’m going with this.

Last year I turned 40 years of age and two days after my milestone my wife gave birth to my first and only son Oscar, so life really does begin at 40 then.

At this point in my life my outlook changed almost instantly, You see, I now felt that I had reached the halfway point in my life and my instincts were telling me now was the time to try and spend as much quality time as possible with my children and in turn teach them that there is much more to life than sitting in front of a 42” wide screen TV and playing on a Play station or Nintendo games console of some kind.

I decided to give Brian a call and ask if it was ok to bring the girls along to the class at Holywell on Saturday mornings, we turned up, and my two very quiet shy girls wearing pink jogging bottoms and white t-shirts joined in the class. At this point I would sit up on the balcony watching from above. As the weeks went on they seemed to grow in confidence and met new friends, as kids do. I think Lydia and Evie really enjoy the Holywell class as there is a great sense of fun and there all such a great bunch of kids.

Now, whilst Lydia and Evie were taking part in the class on Saturday mornings I found myself trying to tell them what they were doing right and also what they were doing wrong from the balcony, at times I’m sure they must of mumbled under their breath ‘just go and get a cup of tea dad your embarrassing me’ I decided the balcony job was not for me, and reluctantly dug out my old kit bag from the loft and tried it on for size, this created a small problem of 4-6 inches in waist growth. So I joined the local circuit training gym and proceeded to lose a bit of weight before my next challenge, not joining in the class next Saturday but having to ask Brian for a pair of size 36-38” pants was a definite No.

Anyhow joking apart, Saturday came and my girls rushed from the car park at Holywell into the class whilst I made my way to the changing room to get ready for the big comeback. I walked through the door and joined in the class with my girls and everybody else. At this point I was thinking ‘hey this isn’t to bad actually’ until that is Brian asked me to take the new kids including Lydia & Evie through the syllabus for their first grade ‘white sash’ I was definitely more nervous than them especially as all their parents were sat watching also.

But I have to say that I started Kung Fu with Brian before his daughter was born and Sherell is now 21 years old, and for as long as I can remember, all the training sessions, the gradings, winning competitions and taking the trophies home and also gaining my black sash, there was nothing more rewarding than seeing all the kids at Holywell pass firstly their white sash and subsequently now their second grade, blue sash and their parents thanking me for helping out. It was great to watch them all walk up and get their certificates and sash’s off Brian. So you see they actually helped me feel good about something they achieved and worked hard for. This has now given me the confidence to continue supporting Brian with the next batch of newcomers, but I did feel a bit like a school teacher letting the class move on to the next level, boy I will miss Alistair and the rest of the gang!

Recently Brian hosted a tournament at Holywell, and I initially volunteered to help out and referee for the day, it’s a big day and a tremendous amount of effort and organising goes into the preparation for such an event. So as and when they take place if your there with your kids or just with friends, try and get involved with timekeeping or scoring etc etc, its much more fun than you think and the day skips by. I refereed all day and eventually fought myself (what on earth was I thinking) well it’s quite simple; Evie my youngest daughter said she wanted to fight in the tournament. To me this was a complete surprise as she is so laid back and a lovable little girl at heart that has absolutely no aggression in her at all, so how could I as her father who was a black sash not lead by example, I have fought many times, over many years and in-turn won my fair share of trophies. But here was my little girl who when she first attended Brian’s class wouldn’t say ‘boo to a goose’ (so to speak) padding up and ready to fight. Brian’s class had not only given her the self confidence to compete, but also the belief in herself that she could do this, she had gained the right focus on what was required and the ability to listen and concentrate on something very constructive and rewarding..

Evie fought and lost out in the semi final to a smaller fighter who was very good with his leg techniques, he went on to win the category and deservedly so. What surprised me most was Evie’s attitude to losing the fight, as a parent we all want our children to be winners but at the same time we must teach them and demonstrate that they must be respectful and gallant losers and live to fight another day, just work harder in training and comeback better than last time. When Evie lost she shook hands and said thank you to the other fighter and his trainer, she then came back to me and gave me a hug with a big smile on her face, because to Evie winning was taking part.

She then had the opportunity to fight again for third place against the other semi final loser. We had a little chat about what she needed to do to try and win the fight and I have to admit I was probably more excited about her winning a trophy than she was, but it did seem to spur her on a little. She eventually won a close fight by only a couple of points, but again she acted in exactly the same fashion as when she lost. She thanked the other fighter and his trainer and then came to me smiling, I was really proud of her, not for winning a trophy but for the attitude she displayed and for having the confidence in her ability to enter in the first instance.

My final word is on Brian, when I first met Brian he was, and still is a true professional of his art. He is a fantastic instructor who combines a host of skills within his teaching techniques. He will motivate the most unwilling, and bring out the best in the most reserved of characters. I have seen, and learnt from Brian with how he kind of jumps into the world as seen by kids and talks to them in what can only be described as their world. (He’s even managed to get the new kids at Holywell believing I’m a robot that goes wrong occasionally if they don’t try hard, apparently at which point smoke comes out of my ears and nose and he has to re-programme me quickly). He captures their imagination in the blink of an eye and they don’t know it at this point but already he is creating a trust with them that will gain respect in return. Brian is undoubtedly the best instructor of martial arts to children I have ever seen, and those who have witnessed this first hand will know exactly what I mean.

Me and Brian have become good friends over the last twenty year’s or so, and joining his classes more recently has taught me that there is so much more to gain from just learning the art of kung Fu and entering competitions. But I must stress that these are the two catalysts which drive you towards self confidence and your ability to respect others and act in a way that creates respect in return. You will meet many new friends and enjoy a social circle from within the other clubs alike, I was surprised how many people remember me following a long time off competitive fighting, and it was good to catch up and eventually compete again, even if I did narrowly miss out in the final to Steve Young, another motivated fighter who deserves every success from his dedication to training hard. Well done Steve, but I’ll be back a bit slimmer and a bit quicker next time, and I’ll have Evie with me!

Thank you for reading

Gary Morris