Good morning.
Alas I have not been able to catch up with my posts as hoped. I have had many topics that I have wished to discuss in the last few weeks; unfortunately I have not been able to find the time to post them. Hopefully this week will be a little quieter and I can rectify it.
On Saturday I taught my special instructor class. As always I had a lovely time teaching, but this day I was particularly pleased. All the seniors trained extremely hard for 3 ½ hours with no break. By the end of the class everyone looked like they had been swimming and the room was full of steam, even though the window was open! The same applied to me – I was also completely sweaty. To make sure that I always teach to the best of my ability I never expect my students to do something that I have not done myself. But it has to be said, this kind of training is v rare – not just in Western Europe, but throughout the whole world.
The problem, as it appears to me, is that people prefer to ‘collect’ techniques and knowledge rather than actually do the training necessary to make it really theirs. Everyone talks about kung fu meaning ‘hard work’ but the people that profound this philosophy rarely understand what it really means. I am in quite a unique position to see this as, before my Sifu very kindly accepted me as his student, I also learnt the Western version of Wing Tsun. This is not to say that the Western version does not have its benefits, but I never personally trained this intensely, or indeed saw anyone train like this intense before I learnt the traditional, and unadulterated, Chinese Wing Tsun. It’s honestly very rare to see students train for longer than 10 minutes without talking. While one of the greatest benefits of the western way of thinking is that it allows you to challenge conventional ideas and discuss better solutions, the outcome of this, regrettably, is that frequently this is at the expense of the training itself. Of course this is only my opinion, but I haven’t seen any proof elsewhere that it should be otherwise.
On Saturday the seniors trained only two applications in the whole of this time, both little known applications of the 5th Student Grade. While this may seem a little basic for the advanced students to be training – this couldn’t be more wrong. There are two main reasons for this; the first is that to make something an automatic reflex require hours and hours of training – simply been shown it or doing it a 100 times does not mean that it will work when you need it to – the fact is that it is almost guaranteed to fail; the second is that if you are smart you should be able to make every thing you train increase you’re ability as a whole. If you train this intensely you are able to increase not only you speed, strength power and stamina but your co-ordination as well. My experience of Western Wing Tsun was that people either neglected their weaker side (normally the left hand) or struggled with it (calling it the ‘Dark side’!). However, if you have trained something for 3 hours non-stop using both hands you simply have no preference, as you learn to work with your body not against it.
The training was followed with 25 minutes of the special Wing Tsun strength training, unique to Chinese Wing Tsun. It builds the body stronger and healthier without the need for weight training. I also want to put all this in perspective; Saturday was a very hot day. Not only this but immediately following the training, and with no time to take a rest, all the seniors then went for an 1 hour run with me (approx. 3 miles). Doing do this in the middle of the day, builds not only stamina, but willpower to continue. Of course this training is not for everybody, you have to gradually build up to this time of intensity otherwise you can do yourself serious injury. But with a little focus, concentration and determination it is remarkable what you can achieve.
Please note: what I have said above should not be used as an excuse for people to teach less knowledge or hold people back. It is simply thus; the ancients trained in silence for a reason – everybody has 24 hours in a day, but how effectively you use the time is up to you.
Sifu
Ps. I would also like to say that I was pleased last night at how hard the regular students trained. They also trained for three hours without stopping – just showing that it is possible if you are self disciplined.
Pps. I should also point out that while this kind of training may appear to a onlooker as obsessive and draconian, it is actually fun as well as productive! It’s just important to see things from a different perspective than we are used to in the Western world.