Good afternoon.

 

I would like to discuss one particular point from the recent Siu Nim Tao seminar (although I will mention more about it in later posts if I have time). The point I would like to highlight is that of the development of the students to enable them to think for themselves and not be ‘brainwashed’ by propaganda.

 

Each student learnt how to distinguish authentic practitioners from those of ‘pseudo-stylists’ who have the name but little or no grounding in the essential parts of the art. The students studied the most widespread mistakes of practitioners, the reasons why these are important to recognise and the serious problems these mistakes create. In fact, the depth of Siu Nim Tao is quite astonishing. Alt ...

Good afternoon.

 

I would just like to re-iterate the importance of the Siu Nim Tau seminar that starts tonight. I strongly advise all students to attend as many days as they can. Students who have joined recently also have the perfect opportunity to start their journey in Wing Tsun on the correct ‘footing’.

 

Students should be aware that not only is it impossible to recreate a seminar (despite having a core syllabus all good seminars are inevitably based upon interaction with those present), but it is also not possible for me to say when I will be teaching this topic again, if indeed I do. In life, no-one knows what the future holds, we are only in control of the present…

& ...

Good afternoon,

 

Thursday sees the commencement of the first ever seminar dedicated to the Siu Nim Tao. Whilst not the most ‘glamorous’ of topics in Wing Tsun, it is perhaps the most important seminar for all students that I have taught so far. It is certainly something which is both misunderstood, and sadly often ignored, by students and teachers alike. I cannot stress enough that this form should not be taken lightly; students who think that they ‘know’ the form simply because they have learnt the movements could not be more mistaken (or, quite frankly, more foolish). Knowledge and understanding are two worlds apart, and applying both of these is a different universe. Just pause for a moment and think – effective self defence is one thing, but if true mastery of the art were so easy then why did the ancient Shaoli ...

Good morning.

 

In life there are some weeks which are more significant than others. There are times when you can no longer stand and watch but you must take action. And your decisions and what you do with them can affect the course of history… For those seniors within the schools this last two weeks might just have been one of those times.

 

Last Saturday there was a meeting of the teachers, assistants and some of the senior students within the school. The topic of the meeting was the future of Chinese Wing Tsun. Teaching an authentic Chinese martial art and adhering to the true principles is hard even if you are from the same culture, but teaching in the West is perhaps one of the toughest ordeals. There are too many false ‘idols&rs ...

Good morning.

 

The details about the Montenegro trip in July are now being finalised (for the revised dates see Calendar of Events). I chose the location of Montenegro because, having visited fairly recently, I found it be both beautiful and rather undiscovered. Although it will be busier when we are going (being holiday season) the place where we will be staying sits between mountains and the Mediterranean, setting up a spectacular backdrop. And as I have mentioned before Wing Tsun and nature have a special relationship…

 

The trip is, in essence, an opportunity for 10 students to spend a week with me, immersing themselves in the art and having 6 day ...

Good morning.

 

I would like to say a few words about the recent weapons defence seminar. Personally, and as always, I found it a thoroughly enjoyable affair. The words of one of the more senior students perhaps sum it up the most effectively: ‘when Sifu said that it was going to be extremely intense at the beginning, he wasn’t exaggerating…!’

 

Discussing the seminar afterwards with the teachers, we feel it was perhaps the best yet. It is hard to ascertain exactly why (and I know I say this after almost every seminar), but there was a certain feeling present that made it the case for me. Perhaps the deciding factor for me was the actual change I could see in the students by the end of the seminar. I don’t me ...