Lasted night I visited the school in Bromley. What in fact was only meant to be a rather fleeting visit (simply to teach one of the teachers a private lesson before the evening classes commenced) ended up being rather longer… Despite teaching Wing Tsun for many years now I still enjoy teaching as much as when I started; for me, in my heart, nothing has changed about Wing Tsun no matter the level or knowledge I have received. If anything my attachment to this beautiful art has grown stronger and deeper as the years have progressed. There are many different ways of controlling your ego, but I believe (as indeed was taught to me by my Sifu) that if you really want to be a true master you also must remember that innocent boy inside you when you started, and his love for the art; you must keep your connection with him as keeps you grounded despite any worldly successes or accolades that you subsequently achieve. In my experience too many people all too easily loose this feeling when they become a ‘master’ – the ego and susceptibility to flattery are ‘devils’ that you need to constantly conquer no matter how long you are in the martial arts. It is true you have more responsibilities as a master and you must uphold the rules of the art, but please know that should not change how you feel inside.

 

I, therefore, decided to take the opportunity to check the progression of the students. After checking their basics and applications (along with the testing the chi-sau on Monday) I can say, in short, that I was pleased with what I saw. The students are training hard, developing well and both teachers and students can take heart from how they are progressing. If they apply the theory that I taught last night they can go very far…

 

I would like say a particularly thank you to one of the new students that joined last night. Before I left he kindly presented me with a gift. This is actually a traditional of Chinese Kung fu – to present the master with a small gift when accepted as a student of the school – but in reality it happens rarely. It is nice to see that new students take care to ensure that traditions of the old masters are still alive today…