Good afternoon.
The majority of this weekend just passed was dedicated to a teacher training course. It was an unusual course in two respects; firstly it was selective and secondly over 50% of the course was dedicated to the non-physical aspects of being a teacher.
There were no particular grade requirements for the course, (although it was not, of course, suitable for beginners), rather the requirement was that a person demonstrates the right attitude, conduct and ability. An interest in teaching and the desire to take your knowledge and ability to the next level was also a pre-requisite. Each person invited was selected by myself and the other teachers.
One of the hardest concepts to grasp as a teacher is individuality. A teacher must be able to have the strength of character to be able to demonstrate personal expression of the art, and not simply be a mindless follower, whilst at the same time stay true to the spirit, principles and heritage of the art. Like most things in life, striking a balance between extremes and finding the middle way (indeed a Wing Tsun principle) is one of the hardest tasks.
The training covered a whole range of topics in the training, from how to train and correct physical techniques to governing principles and the ethos of our schools. However, by far the most important is the requirements and standards expected of a Chinese Wing Tsun assistant or teacher. Wing Tsun has a distinguished history and the current exponents should be able to live up to its heritage. It is not simply about knowing the rules; rather it is understanding why they are necessary and how they actually help you develop as both a teacher and a person. Rules without reasons are one of the things I most strongly dislike, so I always try to ensure that everyone is clear on this part. This is certainly not to say that they are all logical – the beauty of real Chinese Kung Fu is that it teaches you some things in life cannot be simply ‘weighed up’ or ‘put a price on’ as we are so used to doing in the Western World. This is always a purpose, but sometimes you have to have faith to uncover it. As St Augustine once said ‘it is only by believing that you can understand...’
Finally I would like to say well done to the participants – they not only worked hard throughout the intense training, but took the corrections and concepts on board. I have a good feeling about those that attended… with hard work and consistency they just might be the masters of the future
Sifu
Ps. those students who did not attend this course but would like to attend one in the future should speak to one the teachers or email the school to be put under consideration.