Good evening.

On saturday I finally completed the building of a Chinese Wing Tsun Saam Sing Chong. This is a very ancient training method of the masters and contains some of the highest level, elegant and effective techniques in the system.

Once, many years ago as only a young boy, I was told that this is something that I would never be allowed to train. But, thankfully, I was, indeed, able to one day learn this very method.

This was a long time in coming - but not least due to the preparation that is required to ensure that a top quality Saam Sing Chong is made. First an appropriate piece of land must be selected and prepared, ideally in the appropriate season. Then the correct wood must be selected.  This in itself is no easy task, as there are many different types of wood which have different strengths and different properties. It is also important to try to select a tree that is not needed - for instance if it is growing at an unheathy angle or blocking more important trees. Whilest it is only one tree, you should never needlessly waste a growing organism if a substitute can be found.  I settled on an Alder tree, quite a hard wood normally found growing near rivers (with a distinctive red colour when the bark is removed). It was not my first choice - but satisfactory.

After the tree has been cut then the bark needs to be taken off, done in particular way to ensure a smooth finish. I was lucky enough to be shown by a woodman the traditional (and effective) way of doing this. Following this was the hardest part - digging of the holes. Depending on the soil type this can be extremely taxing and I was unlucky enough to have chosen land situated on the site of an old river bed - meaning there were many stones! I was, however, fortunate to be helped by an old family friend who was an expert in this area. Although not often realised digging holes requires far more than just a spade, there is a lot of specialised equipment involved and needed. Even with the two of us working non stop it would take at least 3 hours to dig a small hole to the correct depth. It is no wonder that the masters of old were in such healthy condition! Indeed, one of the reasons why masters in old times were held in such high esteem was due to the all round knowledge and wisdom that they had acquired - not simply specialists in fighting or physical movements.

You can never know what lies ahead in life, but it is amazing to behold what positive things can happen if you work hard and keep believing.

Sifu