Good morning.
As the snow once again falls down on London town, the year steadily marches on...
Already half way through February, I am pleased to see that the schools are continuing to go from strength to strength. Each week more and more students are applying to join and we are well on the way to reaching our maximum limit (this is despite limiting the monthly intake). If you are intending to apply to become a member, or know someone that is, it is my suggestion that you do so soon otherwise it may be a rather long wait before the next place becomes available.
Yesterday saw the commencement of the first seminar of the year – a 4 day event dedicated to knife defence. There was an excellent turnout here also. Last night’s session was dedicated, in addition to the practical techniques, to a large amount of theory regarding the pre-knife defence situation (i.e. what happens before the need to use force). This is vitally important information and, in many ways, more significant than the techniques themselves; if you do not understand the situation you are in, it is very difficult to know what you need to defend. While physical responses need to be trained so they are completely instinctive, appreciating the nature and level of the threat facing you allows you to make a snap judgement as to the appropriate response. It is useful to remember that in life things are rarely clear-cut and no two situations are the same. Having a wider awareness can be life-saving...
In many ways this is a priceless seminar. And I don’t just mean the value of having these skills. I am referring to the possibility of learning this specialised system (created by my Sifu, using Chinese Wing Tsun concepts and techniques, for the Special Forces and subsequently taught to me in private). It is in knife defence that some of the most ridiculous concepts and techniques in the martial arts are taught. From standing in the way of the attack and attempting to block the blade, to endeavouring to kick the knife out of the opponents hand, there are far too many misguided ‘experts’ on this area. Even when I learnt Western Wing Tsun, despite being a professional teacher and never missing any of the seminars, I learnt practically nothing about knife defence (and, alas, the little material I did learn was substandard at best).
My point is that material and teachings of this quality are taught very rarely in public. It is not like a new car that can be ordered or bought on demand – the opportunities are few and far between. Although I don’t have the precise figures to hand, I believe my Sifu has only taught an open seminar on this topic around 2 or 3 times in the last decade. To put this into perspective, at the last count my Sifu was teaching nearly 50 seminars per annum...
This seminar will, therefore, also be a masterclass on this topic- additionally giving students the ability to recognise what works and what doesn’t and having the skills to recognise both the charlatans and the experts.
Sifu
Ps an excellent example of the practical applications of theses skills can be seen in my post dated 19th March 2009