Last week I continued to teach the classes, giving all the students the chance to have a focused start to the year. One of the classes, however, deserves a particular mention, not just for the material taught, but for how it was trained.

 

Diversity of knowledge and depth of study has always been one of the blessings of Chinese Wing Tsun. However, even the greatest knowledge is useless if it cannot be utilised. In Chinese Wing Tsun the aim is not to learn applications, but instead to train our body to be a weapon, able to move and react seamlessly without thought. In physical terms the forms, chi-sau, lat-sau and applications are a means to achieve this result.

 

The main teaching topic for this week is the development of ability to use different weapons of the body. One of the fascinating facets of Chinese Wing Tsun, it includes some of the oldest principles from Shaolin Kung Fu.

 

A martial artist, on a physical level, is constantly seeking to achieve supreme fighting prowess. This requires a not only skills, but a particular understanding of the body. Where a boxer, for instance, only need focus on punches, or a kick-boxer on kicks and punches, a Chinese Wing Tsun practitioner aims to utilise every part; every aspect must be a ‘sharp’ effective weapon.

 

This may sound like f ...

Last night I taught again in the Bromley School. Although it was not in the teaching plan for the week, I couldn’t resist 

 

The class continued in a same vein, commencing with another 4000 punches. There is no easy way for students to build serious skills and intelligent repetition is essential. It is important to remember that no matter how high your level or how many years you have trained, every person must regularly practise punching. Punches are one of the foundations of Chinese Wing Tsun, and must be maintained in order to have powerful strikes and a strong martial art musculature. ...

It was excellent to return last night to the Bromley School full of students. Smiling, bright-eyed students greeted me, refreshed and raring to go. 4000 punches later the session was well underway... With applications from the Wooden Dummy, high level Chi-Sau sections and spiritual teaching, the smiles never left - the perfect start indeed

 

Sifu

If the weather is anything to go by, 2012 will be an interesting year – from warm sunshine to torrential rain in the space of a day!

 

The schools will resume teaching again after the Winter break tomorrow. The first class of the year takes place in our Bromley School, and will be taught by myself. I am pleased to say that students from all the schools are invited to attend this training at no extra cost; the Dulwich and Victoria Schools will commence as normal on Thursday.

 

The Winter break is a far from quiet for us. The teachers use this time to reflect on where the school is and how we can improve it, for both the ...

Last year was an exceptional year for Chinese Wing Tsun and for the schools. However, I do not expect anything less, albeit in different ways, from 2012. Replicating this success will always be hard but it is amazing how different you can make life when you are determined to do so.

 

The commencement of a new year is an important time for all of us, both psychologically and physically. It is the one time of the year when the notion of a new start forces us to stop and assess ourselves, our lives and our situations. This should be welcomed; introspection, hard at the best of times, is far removed from the modern ‘philosophy’ of living.  Indeed it could be said th ...

Today is important day. It marks the anniversary of the Armistice in 1918, ending World War I. An unbelievable 35 million people died in this conflict, including over 2% of the British population. On the ‘11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month’ over 4 years of appalling bloodshed finally came to an end. This year the date is even more poignant; it is the first time that the anniversary has taken place on the 11^th year.

 

It is essential to remember the sacrifices made by those who have come before us. It is far too easy to only concentrate on the ‘here and now’ and what directly affects our lives. However, to forget those who fought for freedom and died for what they believed was right would be worst kind of hubris.