Good morning.

 

Continuing on from my earlier post I would like to speak in a little bit more detail about my association with the close protection training company. I have meaning to write about this for quite some time now (for a couple of months even!) as I think the topic is not without interest.

 

The first thing that I would like to say is that it has been rewarding, both personally and professionally, to spend time with the close protection company and their trainers. The company has placed a high value on the quality of their training team and consist solely of experienced instructors, all with military backgrounds, with the lead trainer having over 18 years of operational practice in this area. Their ideas and methods are not too dissimilar to Chinese Wing Tsun – indeed one of their directors has quite a good knowledge of the art.

 

On a quick aside; for those of you that are interested in knowing more about this field of close protection the company will also be releasing a book soon. I have been privileged to see it in advance, and can say that it is both comprehensive and well-written. I will let you know more details, such as availability and price etc when I have them.

 

For me one of the nicest things to see was how open-minded they were to new ideas, particular with their past experiences. In my own experience it is quite rare to find people who are dedicated to constantly improving their training (especially if it is already successful). History is simply littered with examples of people who have turned down improved methods simply because it was not convenient in the short term. Indeed, this kind of mindset (along with their professional attitude) was instrumental in my decision to work with this company as I take my responsibilities seriously. It has to be said my decision was also combined with another factor that I have alluded to this before; being a Wing Tsun master does not mean teaching classes or seminars, or is about having a ‘great lifestyle’, but it means using Wing Tsun in a way to make a difference (something a few teachers I have met would do well to keep in mind). What is the use of having skill, knowledge and experience if I cannot be used in a way to benefit others? In this particular instance it has the very real affect of potential saving lives in extreme situations.

 

Chinese Wing Tsun certainly has a lot it can offer close protection; its unique concepts and training methods mean that it can refine the existing techniques and principles. The most crucial skill, however, is its ability to apply its principles to novel and unexpected situations. This is particularly true in the realm of defending a third party who is being attacked. In short, this means having the ability to intercept and deflect attacks aimed at another, controlling and subjugating the attacker while at the same time censuring that the person you are trying to protect does not put him/herself in more danger. All this has to be done in a split second, and at a reflex, while also taking the surrounding environment into account. This is so much more than having a powerful punch or kick. To be honest I simply do not know of another system or style which has such versatility in its applications (although I welcome any information on this topic and would be pleased to receive any emails on the subject). Defending another person seems to be the ultimate test in this regard – every martial art and self defence system talks about defending against someone attacking you, but none regarding an attack on someone else.

 

The last point I would like to talk about is that some of the defence against weapons. As most of you will know I taught I seminar on this topic in February (the pictures are in the gallery). However, this is not what I wish to discuss here; rather I would like to briefly examine the topic of defence against handguns. Firstly, and most importantly, I cannot emphasis enough that there is no effective way to defend against this weapon and in many situations is tantamount to suicide to even attempt to do so. If you are ever faced with a situation like this (which I sincerely hope you never are) you should do everything in your power to diffuse the situation – you need to be highly skilled before then even considering physical action. However, there are some situations where you have to attempt to at least stop the person firing. And no where is this more true than in the case of a bodyguard whose overriding responsibility is to ensure the safety of the principle being defended – even at personal expense. To have any chance you must have the correct understanding of the strategy involved. The topic is too detailed to discuss here – but suffice to say that if the correct Chinese Wing Tsun principles are used it can both increase the chances of successfully overpowering the person and decrease the chances of getting hurt. You must also be extremely fast, co-ordinated and accurate with your targetry. As this is one of the situations that you only have one chance – your training must be effective and instinctive. Just a single second wasted could cost you your life. I would love to say that there is a better way but unless my Sifu has withheld something from me, I’m afraid I do not know of any ‘Matrix’ methods of achieving this.

 

I will be running a 5 day unarmed combat course for this company to give a basic ‘crash course’. It will be extremely intense, consisting of 8 hours of tuition a day. As I have mentioned many times before this is by no means the finished answer, every skill needs practice to be maintained - but should significantly improve not only attendants reflexes, power and speed, but give a much better understanding of the strategies and awareness needed to be successful. While it will be centred around the needs for close protection my students are also welcome to attend it. Again, I will let you know the dates, availability etc as soon as they are confirmed (but feel free to email the school if you are interested in knowing more).

 

Sifu