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SiMo’s book has reached Australia.🤩

Mind Body Connection
Written by Kati Rounevaara

Absolutely brilliant book. Well written, pragmatic, easy to understand. Yet the messages are profound and thought provoking. i knew Kati was writing this, but the result is way beyond my expectations. I think I have to read it a few times to truly appreciate its value.

Recommended 100%

What a joy it was to once again get together with fellow WKLPWC enthusiasts over our June in-house seminar at our Pori HQ!

This time we delved deep into the concept of connection with the always brilliant guidance of SiHing Matti from our Jyväskylä branch.

In any truly interactive art, nothing is achieved without connection. Yet the strength of a chain is measured by its weakest link. And, as taking an aeroplane to anywhere will inform you, should a need arise, it's best to put on your own oxygen mask first.

This is to say, connection begins from first being structurally integrated, as emphasized by the revolutionary IST (Integrated Structural Training) program developed by our beloved SiMo, SiFu Kati Rounevaara. Integration means experiencing and expressing unity of body, mind and spirit. Or, alternatively, perhaps consult your art's version of the so-called six harmonies. In any case, first you need to make sure that you are not the weakest link in a chain consisting of you and your opponent(s).

Second, have no opponents.

Even better, resist nothing and no one. Accept the people around you, even - and perhaps especially - the ones with malevolent intent. And listen intensively. (Remember: friends close, enemies closer.) Then, harmonize accordingly with whatever comes your way. Use their energy and momentum to realize your own goals.

The listening just as well as the affecting happen through connection. But merely touching does not a connection make. It's not enough to contact skin, flesh and bones. You need access to the fascia of the other person(s).

And that's the beauty of it. The fascial network covers and connects virtually everything inside your body. No need to hunt for any mystical points. From any given point in a human body you come across in the thick of it, you can access the fascial web. From there you'll reach the center, and be able to put to practice the old adage of not chasing the hands but chasing the body instead. Sometimes the hands can be the medium, whereas other times it's something else. You really don't have to fuss about it.

Having access to the other's fascia, you are able to gain control.

- "Right. But how?"

Well, as you become integrated, your newly united body works much like gears in an old-fashioned clock. One gear turns, all the gears turn. Through connecting to the fascial web of the other, by rotating your own gears, you rotate the gears of the other as well. You have thus created a unified system, but the controller of the same is now you. Voilà.

- "Weirdly enough, that kinda makes sense, I guess, but how, then, can you access, or as you say, 'connect' to the fasciae of the other person?"

Now that's the art. And this art is transmitted by feeling. You have to get somewhere, where someone is actually able to practically demonstrate that feeling to you. Be sure not to take these words for it: only feeling is believing.

And let me tell you that this Saturday of ours was a day packed full of some seriously hands-on feeling. But never too serious to not have a good laugh while at it!

As for the cuisine (which by now you should know to expect a report of), SiHing Teppo yet again outdid himself. To quote a student of ours: "This spoiled me. I don't want to go to a Chinese restaurant anymore. This was so much better!"

If kungfu and fascial manipulations are not your thing, maybe next time pay us a visit for the food?

A few brothers from the WKLPWC Finland family spent an intensive day at Kung Fu Home in Pori, practicing movement in combat situations. Aki Sihing's practical exercises effectively got both body and mind moving, and great progress was made on many levels!

By using different weights and other equipment, we first got a feel for our own body and the details of setting it in motion. As the day progressed, the various partner exercises gained more and more speed as the correct use of the body began to flow more naturally.

A fun day gaining valuable skills and knowledge by diving deep in to our beloved art! Hope to see you there next time!

SiHing Teppo from our Pori HQ and our student Kaisa from Jyväskylä just recently spent some intensive weeks in Hong Kong, doing extensive training in WKLPWC and IST with SiFu Veka and SiMo Kati.

Hence, in this month's in-house seminar they were generously sharing the latest ideas and innovations, straight from the lion's mouth!

We were focusing especially on deep breathing, spinal movement and fluid changing. Resistance bands got a real workout (and then some), and relaxed, responsive footwork was under the scope as well. Technique-wise, we were examining the finer points of fan sau, jut sau and the good old wu-bong expression, among others.

Building one's kung fu is an infinite journey of increasing the resolution of one's vision. Once again, after a full day of hard work, we can happily say that all of us went home with the picture that much clearer!

We ended up working so hard that we almost forgot to eat! Luckily, we ended the seminar with a feast of Chinese dishes and relaxed banter.

Thanks to all the committed and hard-working participants!

Food for thought🤔:

Sung isn't just superficial concept. It's the principle of sustainability itself.

Without Sung, you're running an unsustainable system—borrowing from your future to force output now. Eventually, the bill comes due.

Let me break it down for you:

Physical sustainability: You can't train with chronic tension for decades without breaking down. Sung lets you generate power without wearing yourself out. It's the difference between a practice that degrades you and one that maintains—or even improves—you over time.

Energy sustainability: Maximum output with minimum effort. You're not burning through your reserves. You train longer, recover faster, and keep going for years without depletion.

Structural sustainability: Rigid force creates stress points and compensation patterns. Sung distributes load through integrated structure, preventing the accumulated damage that comes from fighting against yourself.

Martial sustainability: In application, tension telegraphs intent, slows transitions, locks you into committed positions. Sung keeps you alive and adaptive in the moment-to-moment flow of combat.

Longevity of practice: This is the deepest point. Sung is what allows martial arts to be a lifelong path, not just a young person's game. It's how masters in their 70s and 80s still move with power and precision.

This is why Sung is the operating principle in Traditional Chinese Martial Arts, and essential in IST. Everything else collapses without it. However, Sung is not limp relaxation, Sung is alive and alert.

Train with your body, not against it. Build a practice that lasts. And understand the differences.