Good morning.

 

The seminar last night was every bit as special as I had hoped.  Apart from correcting the opening movements of the form – and teaching new applications of it – it focused on the spiritual understanding of Chum Kiu. This is actual the most secret part of the form; you can find books written on the applications but none on this. My message to the students who attended: you have the principles, it is now up to you what you do with them…

 

Tonight will focus on understanding the physical principles and will continue with the development of the form and its applications. There ...

Good afternoon on this lovely spring day.

 

Just a short message to say that I am looking forward to teaching the seminar tonight. I have a lot of information to teach and it should be pretty special. It is imperative (as with all classes in our schools) that every student brings pen and paper with them. This is as essential as having the correct equipment and uniform. I am aware that most martial arts do not require this for their lessons, but Wing Tsun is unusual in that it places a major emphasis on self development. Wing Tsun is also an exceptionally detailed system and I personally think that it is extremely hard to build on your knowledge if you have no accurate way of recalling what was taught to you at an earlier stage. To be honest, this is not a secret; if you study anything – from literature to fashion - you need to make notes so that you can develop and build on your id ...

Good morning.

 

I would like to wish everyone a lovely St. George’s Day. Let us just hope that the glorious weather from yesterday continues (with it actually being the hottest day of the year so far).

 

If you read about this 4^th Century martyr it is interesting to note how many other countries and cities share his symbol – from Moscow to Georgia and Albania to Malta. Even in Ethiopia the Emperor Haile Selassie was a flag of St George slaying the dragon.

 

Also interesting is the fact that William Shakespeare was born and died on April 23. Indeed in one of his most well-known speeches he mentions St George as ...

Good afternoon.

 

I would like to say a quick thank you for all the emails I have received, particularly those regarding what it means to be a ‘Sifu’ (and not just from students of my schools). I am happy that you find it interesting and that I can provide people with a better idea of Chinese kung fu

 

Sifu

Good morning.

 

I would like to remind all students that the classes between Monday and Wednesday are focused on the material required for the forthcoming grading. This is a valuable opportunity for people to both catch up and practise the required information. Those going for the higher grades will have the chance to revise both the basic and advanced material; the classes will be divided so that students of each grade are taught appropriately.

 

Sifu

Good evening.

 

As promised I will say a few words about the forthcoming Chum Kiu seminar. I have written about this before, so you may be interested to also refer back to that post. It will now be the third time I have taught on this topic (which if you study Chinese Kung fu you will know that it is also traditionally an important number). There are quite a few reasons why I have repeated this seminar, not least because of the significant improvement that I have seen from all the students that have attended. The seminar was also one of the most requested by the students (and even the teachers). I also believe it is a truly enjoyable form to learn when you begin to master it.

 

While it is not the most glamorous of seminars (if you compare it to say knife def ...

Good morning.

In contrast to what I have stated above, the article I am referring to was a positive one, particularly in the realm of martial arts. The article referred to research results published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine by the scientists at the University of Toronto. It showed that high-intensity exercise, taken regularly for more than a year, can make someone as fit as a sedentary person who is 12 years younger. While this is not particularly surprising, it then continued to say t ...