Good morning.
I would like to make one further mention of the Chi-Gerk seminar. It does not actually relate to the seminar itself, but to what happened at the end of the training; we held a two-minute silence for the passing away of Dai-Sihing Szabó Ferenc.
His death sadly occurred a few months ago, but the September seminar was the first time that I felt it was appropriate for him to be remembered. He was my elder Kung Fu brother and my Sifu’s first student, loyally serving his master and Wing Tsun for over 20 years. I will not attempt to give a chronology of his life or a eulogy of his achievements as I do not think that I can do him justice. However, I would like to say a few words about him and it would be fair to say that legends have already developed about him during his rather remarkable lifetime.
Dai-Sihing was one of only 3 of my Sifu’s students to reach 5th level Master Grade (meaning that he had learnt the whole empty hands system of Chinese Wing Tsun). Not only was he instrumental in the development of the Hungarian association, even moving to the other side of Hungary to establish new schools, but he was my Sifu’s undefeated fighter – famously beating a challenger many times heavier than him. In the times of the ‘Wing Tsun wars’ in Hungary it was he who fought alongside my Sifu. It was also after a serious car accident, although told he would never walk again, walked back into the training hall 3 months later. In the early years he managed to teach despite being under a rather severe Communist regime, and it was with Dai-Sihing that my Sifu practised all the techniques. I just hope that his students train hard in his memory, you have very big shoes to fill…
The epitome of the Shaolin ideals of loyalty and hard word, his character was one of few words but still with the nobility to smile and help. My Sifu once remarked to me a few years ago that if Wing Tsun could rise up an ordinary man into nobility Dai-Sihing is an example of this.
You could learn many things from the life of this master, not least that with hard work, a good heart and determination you really can make a difference, even when everything is seemly against you. I would also add that life is so short and unexpected so you would do well to reflect that if tomorrow was your last day have really done everything you can to make this world a better place? As the old saying goes ‘tomorrow never comes’ so I would not waste your time in making the best of what you have…
The prayers of our schools are with his wife and children.
Sifu