Good morning.
I would like to write about the recent Chi-Gerk seminar. I apologise for not writing sooner, I have been literally teaching non-stop since then. Time permitting I will try to relate some of the interesting events that have happened in the past few weeks.
The seminar proved to be every bit as special as it promised. 
There are a number of reasons for this, but not least was the fact that so many students made the effort to attend. It was nice to see students that could not attend the whole seminar still coming to least one of the sessions. There are few things in martial arts can make a master more satisfied than to see students happily training together the art that he loves… It was also good to see members of the different schools training together – there were people from all walks of life and backgrounds, and aged from 14 to over 65, sharing in the teaching together. I have always believed that a real Wing Tsun school should be a microcosm of life, and if this really is the case then I think that we are in for a bright future…
The seminar was held in an excellent location, right next to decedent Dulwich Park and in a bright and airy room (well it started that way anyway!). I have always enjoyed teaching in Dulwich, and just to be there with so many students present was enough to put a smile on my face. As readers of my blog will know I started my Wing Tsun career in this very place, so Dulwich always has had a special place in my heart. This seminar indeed was the first Chinese Wing Tsun seminar in Dulwich, so it was appropriate that such a unique part of the system should be taught. It actually goes to show, as I have mentioned before, that if you believe in something enough, and work hard for it, it will come to you. It was in Dulwich no less, that I was told that I would never learn the highest parts of the art… If you are prepared to learn, life teaches you many important principles, and the history of Wing Tsun in Dulwich is no different; people can always try to hold you back, put you down or destroy your self-confidence, but if you believe in something strongly enough no-one can stop you. Actually, if you just look at history there are countless examples to show that this is the case. Holding back determined people is like holding a ball underwater – you can only hold it under so long before it flies back up. Even when things seem to be the worst, if you keep believing the situation always improves. You only have one life, so don’t let it be wasted by the selfish intentions of others…
The aim of the seminar was not only to educate the students on the Chi-Gerk, and how to apply it, but it was also to show the students what is real and what is fake in the martial arts. A large part of martial arts is personal expression, and it should not be any other way, but in any martial art, particularly one such as Wing Tsun which has existed for 300 years, there is also right and wrong. There are numerous principles and philosophies that are prevalent throughout the art – from the most basic movements to the most senior – that simply cannot be broken if you are to apply the art correctly. My Sifu once said to me ‘there have always been fake teachers in the history of martial arts… just today there are more of then.’ It is one of my responsibilities to let the students know which the correct way is and which is not. Whether a student chooses to follow my advice is entirely up to them, but the advice should be given nevertheless. This is certainly not about personal criticism of other teachers – far from it; one of the most unseemly, and ungentlemanly conduct is to do belittle others. However, as a student become more expert s/he must be able to recognise the correct way; in life you can only truly appreciate what is good if you also know what is bad. Next year should also follow this premise, with a number of seminars tentatively booked in to follow this idea.
Congratulations should go to Si-Mei Della for hosting the seminar – everything was well-prepared and smoothly run. Thank you also to the Dulwich students for the present. I look forward to teaching there was many years in the future.
Sifu
Ps the final seminar of the year, on Chi-Sau, will take place on the 27
th – 30
th November. This will also be the last chance for the students to grade before the Graduation so it is advisable that each student makes every effort to be there. It will, of course, complement the Chi-Gerk Seminar