Just when we thought we had seen the last of it, the abundance of snow continues…

 

This Sunday saw the recommencement of the teacher training classes. For those who are new to my Blog, these are the regular intensive sessions which are mandatory for the teachers and are also available to the assistants and a few selected seniors. Its main purpose is twofold: firstly to ensure that the teachers are consistently training and developing their physical skills; secondly to ensure the teachers are familiar with the material and structure for student classes. (It should be noted that, in addition to these, there are separate teacher development modules covering a multitude of different aspects of being a professional teacher. These take place at regular intervals throughout the year and are where potential teachers also begin their education).

 

The class began with 1 hour solely on the Siu Nim Tao. This is surprisingly difficult – most students cannot stay in their stance for 2 minutes correctly, let alone for 60. In Wing Tsun (as in all martial arts), there is generally a large chasm between those who spout specious rhetoric and those who act. It is when words and actions are in unity that you know a person is serious... And this kind of training shows whether a person is of substance or not; you can persuade other people with words, but you cannot cheat your own body. Furthermore, a strong stance is essential for a Wing Tsun fighter. Without this, the person has a maximum of 50% of the possible power and dynamic, but generally much less, as if a person misunderstands the importance of this they tend to misunderstand other precepts in the art…

 

The students also spent 15 minutes of this training practising the form outside in the snow. Despite the wind and the -2 degrees temperature (and only in t-shirts, trousers and shoes), the students were able to continue training by using the special breathing method. While Chinese Wing Tsun by no means makes you superhuman, it provides you with better abilities to deal with extremes. With correct understanding and practice it helps you, to a certain degree, gain the ability to regulate your body temperature. Chinese Wing Tsun really is an art of many levels…

 

Sifu