| Connection... | | Si-Fu's Blog
| By Si- Fu onSunday, December 27, 2009 | |
| Good morning. Yesterday teaching resumed as normal  . I always enjoy teaching on Boxing Day. For me it has a uniquely refreshing feel and, as such, I reserve it for my private students. I am sometimes asked why I don’t have the ‘day off’. The answer is quite simple; there are few ways I better enjoy my day than teaching personal students. For a good teacher teaching is a vocation, a ‘calling’ which must be followed. In martial arts far to frequently this is not the case - too concerned with ego people teach for the ‘lifestyle’ or the money or the ‘glamour’ (and I even heard someone tell me he wanted to be teacher so he could have it on a business card! ... |  | |
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| Christmas wishes... | | Si-Fu's Blog
| By Si- Fu onFriday, December 25, 2009 | |
| Good morning. I would like to send out my best wishes on this special day. Amongst the presents, food and laughter take a moment and reflect if there is any way that you can improve the lives of those living around you. Christmas is not about material gifts but what is in your heart - and now is the perfect time to look inside… Sifu | | |
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| Standards | | Si-Fu's Blog
| By Si- Fu onFriday, December 18, 2009 | |
| Good afternoon. Now the school has a two week break, I have a little more time to catch up on recent events. That being said, the Christmas period is always a relatively busy one for the schools; it is a time when we prepare for the next years tuition, events and other such activities. This always involves quite a degree of planning (indeed, among others, the teachers and I have a meeting on Christmas Eve). It is also a time when I like to reflect over the past year. It is quite hard to know where you are going if you don’t know where you are. And as I mentioned at recent speeches (particularly the Bromley S ... | | |
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| Final test... | | Si-Fu's Blog
| By Si- Fu onMonday, November 23, 2009 | |
| Good morning. The post below was written yesterday morning. However, it was not possible to post it due to the seminar and grading which resulted in a 15 hour day (details to come...). However, despite the slight time lag, I thought it would still be of interest. Today I would like to discuss this last week. It has been an important one for teachers and students alike. Not only was there an in-depth 5 day study of Chi-Sau (the ‘soul’ of the art of Wing Tsun) but this culminates in the final grading session of the year later today. This is often a time of trepidation and apprehension for the students; for, without doubt, this exam is the hardest. In addition to the normal criteria (and, of course, only accepting the highest standards), the exam a ... | | |
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| Photographs | | Si-Fu's Blog
| By Si- Fu onFriday, October 23, 2009 | |
| 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 | | |
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| Spiritual home | | Si-Fu's Blog
| By Si- Fu onThursday, July 30, 2009 | |
| 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… | | |
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| A quest... | | Si-Fu's Blog
| By Si- Fu onFriday, July 24, 2009 | |
| 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 ... | | |
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