shaolin news & inspiration

Welcome to May! Summer is fast approaching, and our recent weather gave us a taste of mid-summer heat! As you make plans for summer, don’t forget to add our exciting lineup of events to your calendar.

UPDATE 05/01/2022: Masks are currently optional for all ages. However, health and safety is paramount to our continued training and we are regularly monitoring Allegheny County positivity rates.

The tiger teaches us to be simple, direct and in control of our actions, and that we are not to fear our opposition. One of the most powerful animals, it must learn to utilize good self-control to contain itself.

April brings feelings of a new start, and we’re launching (or re-launching) lots of great things this month!

Sensei Mike began teaching with SDSS Pittsburgh in 2021, and you’ll find him regularly in the Saturday Zoom class and in Monday classes in the dojo.

At our quarterly instructor meeting, we completed CPR, AED, and first aid certification, practiced the Short Leopard Form, and talked teaching.

Our Spring (BOARD) Break event was a SMASH! Thanks to everyone who came and made it a HIT!

March marks the end of winter and the beginning of spring, and we look forward to longer days and warmer temperatures. We’ve got lots of fun events planned throughout the month, so read on for the exciting details!

Many of us practice martial arts not only to learn to defend ourselves, but also as a way of cultivating a healthy life. What that means for each of us is different since our journeys are unique…

Sensei Tara has been bringing her creative energy to classes since 2019, when she first started instructing with SDSS Pittsburgh.

Our celebration of 2022's Lunar New Year (Year of the Tiger) was a roaring good time!

This lunar new year we are celebrating the Year of the Water Tiger. But what exactly does that mean?

Sensei Tristian started as a White Belt in our Dragons classes in 2007. He began teaching in 2016, and he visited China and trained at the Shaolin Temple in 2018.

All of our students are familiar with our Shaolin Rules: Self Control, Respect, Honesty, Patience and Discipline. We often talk about these rules and challenge ourselves to work harder.

The celebration of the Lunar New Year is one of the biggest celebrations in the world and one of the most important Chinese holidays of the year.

“Thoughts are things. Think Positive.” That quote perfectly encapsulates Sensei Camille!

All of our classes on Saturday, January 15 focused on “street smarts.” Many students wore street clothes instead of uniforms.

Every year at the dojo, the tradition has been to come up with a new “workout challenge.” In 2021 it was the “push up, wall sit, sit up challenge” where we added time each month until we were up to 1 ½ minutes each.

Happy New Year! We wish everyone in our community a healthy and happy start to 2022.

Happy Holidays! However you celebrate, we wish you good health and wonderful time spent with family, friends, and those you love. We close this year with gratitude in our hearts for our extended martial arts family.

Sensei Rosanna is a 3rd Degree (Sandan) Black Belt who began studying with SDSS in 2008. She’s had a love of the martial arts since she was a child, and she studied as a teenager before taking a break.

Sensei Jamie began his martial arts journey as a White Belt in 2008. He persevered in his training even through the pandemic, earning his 4th Degree Black Belt (Yondan) in the fall of 2020.

Each student’s advancement is a very individual journey and depends on a number of factors, including where they started from, how often they practice and come to class, and how well they observe our Shaolin Rules.

FALL FEST brought fun costumes, yummy treats, and an EPIC battle with the Shark Ninja!

HEART: that describes what all 11 students demonstrated in our Fall Black Belt Test on October 16, 2021.

The practice of cultivating a “beginner’s mind” has been foundational to my meditation practice, my professional creative work as a designer, and, as I’ve discovered, in my kung fu journey as well.

Tradition surrounds us when we practice the martial arts, from the symbols in our dojo space, to the uniforms we wear, to the techniques and forms we learn.

Sensei Nikhil began his martial arts journey as a White Belt in 2014. Just this year, we were proud to see him earn his 3rd Degree Black Belt (Sandan).

Friends and family members joined our students for a week of intense workouts and fun games.

Learning to tie our belts can be a little tricky, but with Shaolin patience, discipline, and a bit of practice, you can do it!

Sensei Amelia started her martial arts journey as a White Belt in 2013. She began teaching with SDSS in 2018.

There are those moments of pride for a martial arts instructor that can’t be equaled, and one of those is to watch students achieve their Black Belt ranks.

Forms (Katas and Pinans, as well as advanced Shaolin Chuan Fa forms) are a series of pre-arranged movements designed to simulate a fight against multiple attackers.

Sensei Dylan started his martial arts journey as a White Belt in 2004, the same year we established Shaolin Studios in Pittsburgh!

Sensei Guillermo started his martial arts journey as a White Belt in 2010 and has been teaching with SDSS since 2016. One of his favorite things about teaching is how much more in-depth he learns material as he teaches.

The focus of Summer Camp 2021 was learning a form using the katana, a single-edged sword of Japanese origin.

Sensei Natalie started her martial arts journey as a White Belt in 2007. She began teaching with SDSS in 2020, and she earned her 3rd Degree Black Belt (Sandan) in the fall of that same year.

Sensei Michele is a 4th Degree Black Belt (Yondan) who began studying with us in 2010. She’s been part of our instructor team since 2012, growing through the ranks as both a student and an instructor.