Good evening.

 

I am happy to say that the photographs from the opening of the Bromley school are now in the Gallery. I look forward to writing more about this special occasion in due course.

 

Sifu

Good morning.

 

Last night a new chapter in the history of Wing Tsun was begun when the first ever full-time Chinese Wing Tsun school in Western Europe was opened in Bromley.

 

While the official opening takes place in September (more details on this special celebration to come), this was a moment for the students to come together and see the fruition of all their hard work. While there are still on-going refurbishments, the main room is finished. Decorated according to the traditions of Wing Tsun, the pictures and paintings are illuminated by the ‘natural daylight’ spotlights. The entrance to the hall is by two 150 year old Chinese doors, and antique carvings from a Buddhist temple in China adorn the walls…

Good morning.

 

I am pleased to announce that I have passed my Bar Vocation Course with excellent results. Yesterday I was privileged to be called to the Bar by the Honorary Society of Gray’s Inn and I am now a Barrister. To reach this position has been a process of over 4 years constant studying (7 years if you include my first degree), and has certainly not been easy, but if I can change one thing then it has all been worth while…

 

What I would change is the image that many people have of martial artists as ‘mindless fighter’, little better than thugs. I’m sad to say that in too many cases this general view may well be justified (and indeed one of the reasons I expect so much more from students of our scho ...

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 ...