When i started WC there were a handful of different schools in town. There was the William Cheung Lineage, two Lo Man Kam schools and a Leung Ting school...meaning there were a handful of teachers available, only I had no idea there were such things as lineage and assumed it was all just like Karate with its different schools of thought, but still essentially the same. What I learned was that in some ways i was right, in some i was wrong. Below is an article by a Karateka, a kiwi in Japan, expressing some of his issues with a similar issue. Karate politics having more to do with tradition vs the McDojo approach, and while the subject matter is somewhat different, the difficulties are the same.
http://andrebertel.blogspot.co.nz/2015/11/budo-karate-true-or-non-budo-karate.html
I chose the school I was going to attend by finding one being attended by friends, this ended up being what I thought was a branch of LMK close to where I lived. I'd later find that this was a mistake, though not because it was an incomplete LMK system mixed with Leung Ting/Ip Ching flavorings, no...it was because the teacher was a lunatic.
The story goes that my original teacher didn't learn the entire LMK system and had a falling out with his teacher. Take this with a grain of salt as none of the original players have ever told this to me directly, its all hearsay at the moment, and any party involved will be biased in one direction or the other.
So my teacher had also started 'learning' from an LT/IC guy (a teacher originally trained in LT but transitioned into IC, a fellow by the name of Ron Heimberger) because of one reason, or another. I could hazard guesses, or make something up based on my olde teachers personality...but when I try typing it out it all ends up reading too ridiculous to be real. Just ridiculous.
So the system I ended up learning over 8 years turned out to be bits and pieces of 3 lineages, with theories from several others.
As if WC wasn't complex enough!
Considering the quality of Wing Chun available, and how few options there were in Auckland at the time, it was merely a choice of different mistakes I could make. To say I chose the lesser of the evils would be inaccurate, unless one was referring about choice by social influence. I chose this particular school because I already had friends learning there...meeting strangers was NOT something I was keen on.
I had no idea what the difference between the different lineages were at the time, nor did I realise that there were so many variations of WC, teaching styles, or emphases.
I supposed the hidden blessing is that without experiencing these events i would unlikely be in the position I am now, a student of the WSL system where knowledge and experience is freely shared and you're encouraged to test theories. Nothing is taken as a given, and belief isn't required.
If I'd taken the time to research a bit, and try a few extra schools, I would probably be in a different situation and learning something completely different.
Regardless, it would probably still put me onto the WSL schools in Melbourne, and maybe I could've planned my life around WC a little bit better. Perhaps now I would be a teacher with my own school.
Regardless, I've learned my lesson and I'm not shedding any tears. I'll acknowledge the hard times I've experienced and use those as inspiration for avoiding it in the future.
An individual's experience traversing through WC should be a highlight in the story of their lives. Some of the smartest and best people I've met have been through WC, certainly some of the most life changing individuals.
I've still got my issues, but now at least these issues are common ailments and not the cultish mind-fuckery I'd been working at eradicating.
Just remember that when YOU go looking for a school, be skeptical and be logical.
Avoid mysticism and woo-woo magic. We learn these martial skills to protect ourselves from threats, we need to KNOW that a particular technique/concept works. The last thing I would want is for any of you to create a belief system around your supposed ability to defend yourself, and those around you, to your detriment. No level of belief will stop someone punching you in the face, so you better know that your tan sao will work, that your fook sao will be effective, and should you need to punch face...that it works and your attacker ceases.
Monday 21 December 2015
Sunday 13 December 2015
Starting Wing Chun for protection vs Self-Esteem and the personal changes required by each
It hasn't even been a year since I started this blog, and I've already written up a bunch of stuff. Most of it can probably just be referred to as waffle, or 'rabbiting-on', but I've found it useful and cathartic. I'm proud of myself and the adjustments I've made this year.
I've gone from a sometimes attender, to an every-classer, and I've seen the results that suggest my time has been well spent.
I began WC under one teacher, and now I learn under another. I've come to understand that sometimes one teacher isn't always the best option, and I've also come to respect the approach of questioning what you're being told and testing it, rather than just accepting it.
When I first started WC I knew nothing of it. I hadn't even heard of it before, and now I know enough to know that I'm not too much concerned with the folk-law surrounding WC. Whether the origin story is true, embellished, or just made up...I care not. It provides a frame for WC's history, however WC's longevity is based purely in its evolving forward.
As such the process by which students are taught needs also to change.
As a child in school we're taught to believe the teacher and trust that something is so-and-so because.
As a high school student we're taught that these are the reasons that something is so-and-so.
However it's in the tertiary education system that I've seen the implication that the answer isn't also so, and that one needs to delve deeper to understand the 'why'.
It is my experience that modern application based WC is at this stage.
I told myself I wanted to learn for self-protection.
During the incident that prompted me to learn some self defense I remember wondering, "Why isn't anyone helping?". And it was a long time before I realised that I'm the only one there to help me.
Take from this what you will. Physically I'm the only one that will ever be with me every moment of my life, so I'm the only one that will always be there.
As such I needed to give myself more consideration and more support.
To do this I needed to change things about myself, or at least how I've operated.
It's a work in progress, and I've got many more changes to make to support my decision to again make WC a priority in my life.
The first step was to give it the time it requires.
We have only two classes a week at this point, so my requirements needed to align with this and concerted effort was required during those classes. I took the lead in arranging additional training outside class, during private time.
Throughout the day I contemplate aspects of things I'm working on in class. Typically this revolves around constant, but not over-zealous, forward energy. This leads into the continual work I'm doing with my bong sao. Which has lead me into better monitoring of controlling the inside line...which again brings me back to forward energy. I think of it as a moderate forward-bias.
Whereas I once wanted to rush through the forms and get to biu jee, mook yan jong, the knives and the pole...I now realise that was more about collecting the forms and saying I 'knew' them. This would prop up my self esteem and give me something to show off. "Look at this lovely new badge, see how it glimmers with knowledge?"
This year I've been happily working through SNT and CK without too much concern about what I was missing out on.
Perhaps this is because I'm now concentrating on purpose and execution though understanding what I'm being taught. Everything I try is associated with the question, "Why?", it then gets run through the Simple-Direct-Efficient filter.
Now I understand the forms are an intense tool-kit and not necessarily a demonstration of execution. ie - we will never use a double jaam sao, such as is found in the first section of CK.
If my motivation had previously been purely Protection-oriented, I'd like to believe that I would've seen through the BS of that olde-school quickly and moved on. I now realise I was there to repair how I looked at myself, and thus I built my structure on a foundation of whimsy and self-aggrandizement.
A paradigm shift was required of me and it took a long time to get there. More so it is required of any individual looking to learn a new skill.
A re-occurring premise amongst n00bs is intermittent attendance to classes and a disappointment at the lack of progress. It could be argued that this lack of progress could be attributed to poor leadership, or poor teaching. However I know this to not always be the case, and is more reasonable to understand that individuals accrue their own level of importance to certain things, which eventuates that WC practice is less important and thus takes up less of their time every day.
The more I come to understand WC, the more I understand that you, I, and we, need to apply more personal time to it's practice. As a skill-set it needs to be exercised, used and maintained.
Attending lessons as you can is fine if your only looking to socialise and seemingly build your self-esteem, however to make forward progress you need to contemplate the skills you're learning.
Give the skills time to embed through regular attendance and contemplation.
It seems like a fairly obvious concept, and yet I see folk come and go without giving the process enough time. It seems like kung fu in NZ still has expectation hanging over its head where if you kowtow for a week you'll learn kung fu in three weeks and you can move on with your life. It isn't like that at all I'm afraid.
All training in Martial Skill takes time and concentration. There's a large quantity of information you have to absorb, often about making your body operate in a fashion it's not used to.
I remember my mother telling me once, "Nothing easy was ever worthwhile", and at the time I didn't fully understand. I believe I have an inkling now. It's just a simple way of telling me that the more time I give to a thing, the more precious it becomes. owever the more time I give to something difficult, the more rewarding will be the outcome.
WC has proven this to me.
I've processed more in this last year than I had in the first 5 years at my previous school.
WC has been the most difficult and influential undertaking I've encountered in my life. It's also been the most rewarding.
I no longer 'play' at learning WC, I learn while playing WC.
WC is a wonder to me. What is it to you?
I've gone from a sometimes attender, to an every-classer, and I've seen the results that suggest my time has been well spent.
I began WC under one teacher, and now I learn under another. I've come to understand that sometimes one teacher isn't always the best option, and I've also come to respect the approach of questioning what you're being told and testing it, rather than just accepting it.
When I first started WC I knew nothing of it. I hadn't even heard of it before, and now I know enough to know that I'm not too much concerned with the folk-law surrounding WC. Whether the origin story is true, embellished, or just made up...I care not. It provides a frame for WC's history, however WC's longevity is based purely in its evolving forward.
As such the process by which students are taught needs also to change.
As a child in school we're taught to believe the teacher and trust that something is so-and-so because.
As a high school student we're taught that these are the reasons that something is so-and-so.
However it's in the tertiary education system that I've seen the implication that the answer isn't also so, and that one needs to delve deeper to understand the 'why'.
It is my experience that modern application based WC is at this stage.
I told myself I wanted to learn for self-protection.
During the incident that prompted me to learn some self defense I remember wondering, "Why isn't anyone helping?". And it was a long time before I realised that I'm the only one there to help me.
Take from this what you will. Physically I'm the only one that will ever be with me every moment of my life, so I'm the only one that will always be there.
As such I needed to give myself more consideration and more support.
To do this I needed to change things about myself, or at least how I've operated.
It's a work in progress, and I've got many more changes to make to support my decision to again make WC a priority in my life.
The first step was to give it the time it requires.
We have only two classes a week at this point, so my requirements needed to align with this and concerted effort was required during those classes. I took the lead in arranging additional training outside class, during private time.
Throughout the day I contemplate aspects of things I'm working on in class. Typically this revolves around constant, but not over-zealous, forward energy. This leads into the continual work I'm doing with my bong sao. Which has lead me into better monitoring of controlling the inside line...which again brings me back to forward energy. I think of it as a moderate forward-bias.
Whereas I once wanted to rush through the forms and get to biu jee, mook yan jong, the knives and the pole...I now realise that was more about collecting the forms and saying I 'knew' them. This would prop up my self esteem and give me something to show off. "Look at this lovely new badge, see how it glimmers with knowledge?"
This year I've been happily working through SNT and CK without too much concern about what I was missing out on.
Perhaps this is because I'm now concentrating on purpose and execution though understanding what I'm being taught. Everything I try is associated with the question, "Why?", it then gets run through the Simple-Direct-Efficient filter.
Now I understand the forms are an intense tool-kit and not necessarily a demonstration of execution. ie - we will never use a double jaam sao, such as is found in the first section of CK.
If my motivation had previously been purely Protection-oriented, I'd like to believe that I would've seen through the BS of that olde-school quickly and moved on. I now realise I was there to repair how I looked at myself, and thus I built my structure on a foundation of whimsy and self-aggrandizement.
A paradigm shift was required of me and it took a long time to get there. More so it is required of any individual looking to learn a new skill.
A re-occurring premise amongst n00bs is intermittent attendance to classes and a disappointment at the lack of progress. It could be argued that this lack of progress could be attributed to poor leadership, or poor teaching. However I know this to not always be the case, and is more reasonable to understand that individuals accrue their own level of importance to certain things, which eventuates that WC practice is less important and thus takes up less of their time every day.
The more I come to understand WC, the more I understand that you, I, and we, need to apply more personal time to it's practice. As a skill-set it needs to be exercised, used and maintained.
Attending lessons as you can is fine if your only looking to socialise and seemingly build your self-esteem, however to make forward progress you need to contemplate the skills you're learning.
Give the skills time to embed through regular attendance and contemplation.
It seems like a fairly obvious concept, and yet I see folk come and go without giving the process enough time. It seems like kung fu in NZ still has expectation hanging over its head where if you kowtow for a week you'll learn kung fu in three weeks and you can move on with your life. It isn't like that at all I'm afraid.
All training in Martial Skill takes time and concentration. There's a large quantity of information you have to absorb, often about making your body operate in a fashion it's not used to.
I remember my mother telling me once, "Nothing easy was ever worthwhile", and at the time I didn't fully understand. I believe I have an inkling now. It's just a simple way of telling me that the more time I give to a thing, the more precious it becomes. owever the more time I give to something difficult, the more rewarding will be the outcome.
WC has proven this to me.
I've processed more in this last year than I had in the first 5 years at my previous school.
WC has been the most difficult and influential undertaking I've encountered in my life. It's also been the most rewarding.
I no longer 'play' at learning WC, I learn while playing WC.
WC is a wonder to me. What is it to you?
Monday 7 December 2015
Block by block...I'm tearing this wall down.
I still get amazed by WC even though I've been in its thrall for somewhere around the 15 year mark.
I've met some amazing people whom, without WC, I wouldn't have met. Certain connections wouldn't have happened, certain adventures wouldn't have been had, and certain self-realizations wouldn't have been achieved. I'd almost suggest it was fate or kismet...if I didn't take greater responsibility for my own life.
Without all of these positives, and yup...even the negatives...I may not have found the Wong Shun Leung system. It didn't exist in Auckland when I first began my journey and, to my best knowledge, the two WSL schools now in residence are a first. I know a number of Kiwi's in Australia who train our system, but they've all stayed on that side of the ditch.
Now we have a WSL school descended from Gary Lam, and another (ours) from David Peterson. The thing that is more important to me is that we get along. This is fantastic! We can share each others resources, and build the potential for a social environment. The GL's have some lads in competition, and we're happy to go support them, and we concentrate on application for the 'street'.
I like that we get along and it gives me hope that more WC schools might open themselves up to the potential of friendship.
I recently reacquainted myself with a chap I met in one of Bruce Cheng's LMK classes. We had mutual facebook friends so when we'd lost contact it was only going to be a matter of time before we caught up again. And while we're of different lineage, we're definitely of the same mind in regards to the foolishness that constitutes Auckland's current WC bullshit.
We were tentative at first, its easy to give offense when talking WC if you're not entirely sure where the other person is coming from. It'd been a few years and there was just as much likelihood that either of us and devolved into a douche, and it didn't take long for us both to realise we hadn't.
While we talked we watched some Tai Chi off to the left, and what looked to be a family style kung fu off to the right...and it was all topped off by a blue sky and a warm, floral breeze. In other words...what a fucking choice way to start the day!
Since then my cousin has returned to our ranks after participating in several cultural exchanges around the world. Typically, this is the part of the tale where everything falls apart and I have a good'ole man-blubber.
Sorry...no.
Since then training has been going even better.
That gawddamn-dreaded Bong Sao has continued to improve. Bit by bit it has proceeded to be sent in the right direction, as opposed to the chicken wing flapping I used to perform. As a result I've been able to use the Bong Sao to be the central hatstand upon which I can hang other ideas.
Whereas 3 months ago I was struggling with Chi Sao and only marginally understanding Dan Chi Sao, I'm now rolling with confidence and feeling the defensive holes, both in my side of the transaction, and my opponents.
I've even been able to slip a few past my senior brothers!
In 'Ye Olde School', seniors would typically get their knickers in a twist if a junior had the audacity to improve. Now its a concern if you Can't see an individual's improvements. We each, selfishly, want the n00bs to excel. We want them to get good asap, so they can challenge us and push us to improve. What's more is that we all provide for different strengths and approaches. The benefits available to each person are huge.
Just the other night we had a small class, three seniors and three juniors, and all of the juniors had been having trouble with jaam sao, bong sao, and certainly chi sao. However this night everybody kicked-off.
After a bit of Dan Chi Sao and a few adjustments their lines were better, and there wasn't too much force being used. So we step it up to chi sao and wow...they really pulled it together. I'd struggled with chi sao, mainly due to my attendance, or lack thereof. Regardless of this, chi sao is a difficult practice when you're first introduced to it. And yet our little team were pulling through, and only one of them having almost been with us for a year.
It's silly...but damn I was proud of them! They've all put in a lot of effort and now they're starting to see the payoff, which means this is a special time. If we keep them moving forward they're going to start picking things up left, right and centre...and soon they'll be able to explain why these things are working.
It's really gratifying seeing someone who struggled with our Young Idea, and was able to push on through to partial recognition. Soon I'll be having to compete with them...what an exciting time!
And none of them have even ASKED about Biu Jee! (A subtle reference to the myth that Biu Jee is where the secret magic of WC resides, and a less-than-subtle reference to how students research WC and want to know all about it before learning chum kiu...Look on youtube kids! there's heaps to choose from!)
I've met some amazing people whom, without WC, I wouldn't have met. Certain connections wouldn't have happened, certain adventures wouldn't have been had, and certain self-realizations wouldn't have been achieved. I'd almost suggest it was fate or kismet...if I didn't take greater responsibility for my own life.
Without all of these positives, and yup...even the negatives...I may not have found the Wong Shun Leung system. It didn't exist in Auckland when I first began my journey and, to my best knowledge, the two WSL schools now in residence are a first. I know a number of Kiwi's in Australia who train our system, but they've all stayed on that side of the ditch.
Now we have a WSL school descended from Gary Lam, and another (ours) from David Peterson. The thing that is more important to me is that we get along. This is fantastic! We can share each others resources, and build the potential for a social environment. The GL's have some lads in competition, and we're happy to go support them, and we concentrate on application for the 'street'.
I like that we get along and it gives me hope that more WC schools might open themselves up to the potential of friendship.
I recently reacquainted myself with a chap I met in one of Bruce Cheng's LMK classes. We had mutual facebook friends so when we'd lost contact it was only going to be a matter of time before we caught up again. And while we're of different lineage, we're definitely of the same mind in regards to the foolishness that constitutes Auckland's current WC bullshit.
We were tentative at first, its easy to give offense when talking WC if you're not entirely sure where the other person is coming from. It'd been a few years and there was just as much likelihood that either of us and devolved into a douche, and it didn't take long for us both to realise we hadn't.
While we talked we watched some Tai Chi off to the left, and what looked to be a family style kung fu off to the right...and it was all topped off by a blue sky and a warm, floral breeze. In other words...what a fucking choice way to start the day!
Since then my cousin has returned to our ranks after participating in several cultural exchanges around the world. Typically, this is the part of the tale where everything falls apart and I have a good'ole man-blubber.
Sorry...no.
Since then training has been going even better.
That gawddamn-dreaded Bong Sao has continued to improve. Bit by bit it has proceeded to be sent in the right direction, as opposed to the chicken wing flapping I used to perform. As a result I've been able to use the Bong Sao to be the central hatstand upon which I can hang other ideas.
Whereas 3 months ago I was struggling with Chi Sao and only marginally understanding Dan Chi Sao, I'm now rolling with confidence and feeling the defensive holes, both in my side of the transaction, and my opponents.
I've even been able to slip a few past my senior brothers!
In 'Ye Olde School', seniors would typically get their knickers in a twist if a junior had the audacity to improve. Now its a concern if you Can't see an individual's improvements. We each, selfishly, want the n00bs to excel. We want them to get good asap, so they can challenge us and push us to improve. What's more is that we all provide for different strengths and approaches. The benefits available to each person are huge.
Just the other night we had a small class, three seniors and three juniors, and all of the juniors had been having trouble with jaam sao, bong sao, and certainly chi sao. However this night everybody kicked-off.
After a bit of Dan Chi Sao and a few adjustments their lines were better, and there wasn't too much force being used. So we step it up to chi sao and wow...they really pulled it together. I'd struggled with chi sao, mainly due to my attendance, or lack thereof. Regardless of this, chi sao is a difficult practice when you're first introduced to it. And yet our little team were pulling through, and only one of them having almost been with us for a year.
It's silly...but damn I was proud of them! They've all put in a lot of effort and now they're starting to see the payoff, which means this is a special time. If we keep them moving forward they're going to start picking things up left, right and centre...and soon they'll be able to explain why these things are working.
It's really gratifying seeing someone who struggled with our Young Idea, and was able to push on through to partial recognition. Soon I'll be having to compete with them...what an exciting time!
And none of them have even ASKED about Biu Jee! (A subtle reference to the myth that Biu Jee is where the secret magic of WC resides, and a less-than-subtle reference to how students research WC and want to know all about it before learning chum kiu...Look on youtube kids! there's heaps to choose from!)
Monday 2 November 2015
Fear mongering is a poor motiviational approach.
Something I keep running into when I look at some MA websites is using articles from newspapers, and other websites, to sell their product. Immediately that doesn't seem to be much of an issue...this is the internet after all.
What gets on my tits though, is that these articles are ALL about people being attacked and hurt. And 80-90% of those I've seen are about Women being attacked and hurt in some fashion.
I salute anyone's attempt to broaden the horizons of someone visiting their site, and I also applaud it when initiatives are pushed to illustrate how potentially dangerous the world can be on a personal level...but the fear-mongering I see on some sites is sad and disgusting.
I found a site for a WC school which started off with information about classes, teachers, fees etc...to only then be followed with articles about women being attacked. Essentially this is telling the visitor, "Hi, this is what we do and what we can provide...by they way, did you know that you NEED US TO SAVE YOU!!??"
Women are no weaker than men, however there is a cultural response which suggests a woman should 'Take It', and that they're lesser beings than men. I've actually heard people spew this ridiculous shit out in public.
Don't get me wrong, I'm an advocate that PEOPLE should learn something to defend themselves with...ideally WC (knuck-knuck), but gearing their approach directly at women using only articles about fear, rather than with statistics and additional links that could help...I find it reprehensible.
It smacks of a marketing gimmick...and an avenue, through which the primary goal is, to make money.
https://womensrefuge.org.nz/WR/Domestic-violence/Statistics.htm
As an example, the above link takes you to some New Zealand domestic violence statistics.
- One in three women experience psychological or physical abuse from their partners in their lifetime.
- On average 14 women, six men and 10 children are killed by a member of their family every year.
Other than being disgusting and alarming, these numbers are powerful.
These numbers come from within the family unit. Think about that for a moment...within the FAMILY UNIT. That place which is supposed to be uncompromising safety and love.
We're foolish if we think domestic violence doesn't happen. We're deluded if we ignore it.
However we're disgusting if we use a topic, such as this, to sell a product or service.
On top of the potential for domestic violence we find the chance for violent interaction in our everyday world. You might be waiting in line for a coffee, walking down the street with your fast food, or experience an art gallery with your sweetheart.
So yes, go out and learn to defend yourself. Learn to defend your loved ones.
But don't trust someone that would ride on the tail coats of such an important issue.
If you want something fast and effective go learn Boxing, Wing Chun, or Aikido.
If you want something long term...go learn the same options! Check them ALL out, I don't care...I don't know you, but I want you to be safe.
Why am I waffling on about this again?
While I was away in Melbourne attending the Asia-Pacific WSL gathering, my friend broke up with her boyfriend. They hadn't been together too long, so there certainly shouldn't have been any possessive feelings involve, however he couldn't take it and he struck her. She called the Police and now its in the hand of the cops. She came off lucky. She's still alive. But...
WHAT...THE...FUCK?!?
When I found out and she'd assured me she was ok, I became furious for her....I wasn't going to roll in and try to save the day, she's a complete enough person to do that for herself. But now I'm having conversations with her about protecting herself.
It's her life...and its important.
As long as she does something.
What gets on my tits though, is that these articles are ALL about people being attacked and hurt. And 80-90% of those I've seen are about Women being attacked and hurt in some fashion.
I salute anyone's attempt to broaden the horizons of someone visiting their site, and I also applaud it when initiatives are pushed to illustrate how potentially dangerous the world can be on a personal level...but the fear-mongering I see on some sites is sad and disgusting.
I found a site for a WC school which started off with information about classes, teachers, fees etc...to only then be followed with articles about women being attacked. Essentially this is telling the visitor, "Hi, this is what we do and what we can provide...by they way, did you know that you NEED US TO SAVE YOU!!??"
Women are no weaker than men, however there is a cultural response which suggests a woman should 'Take It', and that they're lesser beings than men. I've actually heard people spew this ridiculous shit out in public.
Don't get me wrong, I'm an advocate that PEOPLE should learn something to defend themselves with...ideally WC (knuck-knuck), but gearing their approach directly at women using only articles about fear, rather than with statistics and additional links that could help...I find it reprehensible.
It smacks of a marketing gimmick...and an avenue, through which the primary goal is, to make money.
https://womensrefuge.org.nz/WR/Domestic-violence/Statistics.htm
As an example, the above link takes you to some New Zealand domestic violence statistics.
- One in three women experience psychological or physical abuse from their partners in their lifetime.
- On average 14 women, six men and 10 children are killed by a member of their family every year.
Other than being disgusting and alarming, these numbers are powerful.
These numbers come from within the family unit. Think about that for a moment...within the FAMILY UNIT. That place which is supposed to be uncompromising safety and love.
We're foolish if we think domestic violence doesn't happen. We're deluded if we ignore it.
However we're disgusting if we use a topic, such as this, to sell a product or service.
On top of the potential for domestic violence we find the chance for violent interaction in our everyday world. You might be waiting in line for a coffee, walking down the street with your fast food, or experience an art gallery with your sweetheart.
So yes, go out and learn to defend yourself. Learn to defend your loved ones.
But don't trust someone that would ride on the tail coats of such an important issue.
If you want something fast and effective go learn Boxing, Wing Chun, or Aikido.
If you want something long term...go learn the same options! Check them ALL out, I don't care...I don't know you, but I want you to be safe.
Why am I waffling on about this again?
While I was away in Melbourne attending the Asia-Pacific WSL gathering, my friend broke up with her boyfriend. They hadn't been together too long, so there certainly shouldn't have been any possessive feelings involve, however he couldn't take it and he struck her. She called the Police and now its in the hand of the cops. She came off lucky. She's still alive. But...
WHAT...THE...FUCK?!?
When I found out and she'd assured me she was ok, I became furious for her....I wasn't going to roll in and try to save the day, she's a complete enough person to do that for herself. But now I'm having conversations with her about protecting herself.
It's her life...and its important.
As long as she does something.
It's worth every cent.
The weekend was touted to be an extraordinary time, and it didn't fall short.
A collection of Wong Shun Leung's own students were all giving talks on their perspective on this detail, or that idea and it was refreshing to have such highly skilled practitioners reiterating the importance of the fundamentals while illustrating the evidence, and being open to rolling (in chi sao) with anyone interested. They allowed us to see what they were talking about, and to experience it.
These pillars of 'our' community were, firstly and foremost, Chan Kim Man. Chan Sifu was a student of Wong Sifu, and sadly a member of an ever decreasing circle of knowledge, those taught directly by Wong Sifu.
Chan Sifu is a remarkable man of personality and character. At no time did he exhibit the negative aspects I've seen in other 'Masters', such as the mystery and sifuism we hear more about these days, or the arrogance of people prone to making claims. I dare say, he was even humble.
Also in attendance and in no particular order, were: John Smith from Illawarra, New South Wales; Enzo Verratti of Brunswick, Melbourne; David Peterson, with his school in Malaysia; and Darren Elvey of Melbourne Central.
Each teacher brought their perspective to eager students and opened many eyes to the complex details that lie below the surface of our beautiful and simple system.
More importantly, each Sifu continued to champion Wong Sifu's core teaching. Simplicity. Being Direct. And being Efficient. Test your structure, test your theories. Prove the idea works the same way each time and that there isn't an easier alternative requiring less energy.
Like Chan Sifu, John Smith, Enzo Verratti and David Peterson were also direct students of Wong Sifu, with Darren Elvey being a student of David Peterson. While their circle may diminish overtime, (and I hope they all make this a long and drawn out process), I am comforted to know that the torch is carried on by teachers like Darren Elvey. His command and understanding of the system attributes laurels both to his teacher, and his self. Darren approaches the system with an analytical mind and an ever growing curiosity. He's open to any idea, and is more than willing to test it.
Surely that's enough gushing about the teachers...for now.
So what did I get out of this opportunity to listen to 5 masters and roll with so many different people?
...So much...
The differences in teaching style varied from the Hong Kong concentration on chi sao; to drills training connection to the waist and hips allowing for power from the ground; to not bothering with drills and training within the application; to analyzing the situation, examining the physical laws in play, and the biomechanical responses involved therein.
Such a vastly varied and wonderfully colourful approach reached into the core of me and gave me a shake up!
Where once I was dealing with potentially 2 entries in chi sao and one or two responses, I'm now endowed with any number of potential ideas that previously I couldn't even picture, let along apply. And strangely they're physically easier to execute than many of my previous attempts.
I've spent so much time working on my Bong Sao that I've neglected some super-effective and ridiculously fun hands such as Laan Sao, Jut Sao and Wu Sao (forgive the spelling, I'll get better as I learn more).
And now, after such a short time, I'm pulling them out in chi sao. This is a huge step for me.
I haven't had the confidence to push my learning curve.
Now I'm inspired!
And I'm going to Keep On Pushin'. As I get better so will my training partners, and as they excel, so will I.
It's a beautiful relationship we're building here.
*edited 12/01/16
Thursday 15 October 2015
Wisdom is wasted on the old...
Well...that's not necessarily true. But it's awfully dramatic. And seeing as I haven't figured out how to make my blog pretty yet, dramatic will suffice.
We've recently had a new lad come into class. He's 17, still at high school, and not at all like "all-those-other-damned-kids!"
Suffice to say, as I get older and settle further into my role as resident curmudgeon, I do find myself agreeing with some of the things the old-folks used to say about us kids.
Lazy.
Stupid.
Disrespectful.
But then are they really? The kids I mean?
These 'kids' are used to a casual state of relationship, like we each had before we had to learn as adults that a lot of people have external locus' of control, and as such the opinions of complete strangers end up meaning so much.
I believe their cavalier attitude may simply be an off-shoot of this social awareness. Which is to say, they're assuming association with us, and each other, already. (Think more: a friend I haven't met yet; and less: I wonder what they think of me).
Lazy? Are they really? Or are we just poor at giving instruction and communicating idea?
Stupid? Not by a long shot. This is the time of their lives when they're taking in so much information that mere adult minds can neither remember, nor fathom. (So types the guy who's struggling to remember whether he brought lunch to work or not...nah, surely i did...i think).
The truth of it is this folks...its entirely our own perspective getting in the way.
This kid, having recently started in our class and is picking things up SO quickly. He doesn't ask a lot of questions, but then he does actually listen.
He's invested in the interaction.
He has involuntary reactions when he realizes his stance is slightly out, or his jaam sao should've been a bit more 'just-so'. And more importantly, (to my ego), he makes visible improvement every week.
It's so refreshing.
Cause I'm telling you now, the WORST students are adults.
Have you noticed that often adults will come into class with their 'full cups' making comments such as, "in my last WC we did this," and "but that's not how we used to do it"...which is why you're in a different class friend.
Now, his kid is no learning superman, nor a Kung Fu Natural. He's just receptive. That's all.
I've noticed that a typical class for an adult involves assumption, conversation, excuse making, and ultimately time-wasting.
Remember, these are gross generalities based on what I see in class. It could be a reflection of Auckland thought processes, New Zealand learning culture, or even another point of view that I haven't accounted for. And there MUST be a multitude of other potential reasons.
We've had Tai Chi guys through our class, we've had boxers, and we've had folk from the Leung Ting, Chu Shong Tin, Lo Man Kam and William Cheung lineages too! And they've all been good people...for the most part. The single, most powerful similarity they all had was arrogance.
Don't get me wrong now...I'm not talking of striding around with their chests puffed out, nor saying, "x is superior to y because I study x so I've got the best perspective!", though I've heard that in a class briefly too.
They've each had something interesting to share with us about their style.
And yet they all repeated, "ah...but this is how we do it in so-and-so". This is reasonable if I'm coming to your class. But you've come to ours, to share what we're doing...so listen and embrace it.
Having said that, these comments are reasonable in the context of comparing this-with-that, to better understand what it is that you've learned. Until that point is reached, you're merely making the learning process harder for yourself.
After the class you can do as you like, but during that class...all I ask, is that you invest yourself in that moment. Don't waste this opportunity to learn a new perspective.
I'll even join you over a cold and fizzy beverage to discuss the differences, and to receive your deductions about my system. Happily. After all, the words you give me only have the meaning I allocate to them. If I think you're full of shit, then there is nothing to help you friend...but still, I'll let you say your piece.
By extension this could be just as valid in social interaction, work negotiations, or even buying product from your local grocery store.
I suppose the important thing to take away from this, though I doubt its been portrayed clearly, is that patience is needed in the classroom...and potentially more so than at school. Most of what you learn in a class may be forgotten in time as you're concentrating in a different direction, such as forgetting English because you're concentrating on Calculus.
In WC there is only WC. It's ALL important. And it takes time, patience and understanding to communicate the complicated intricacies involved in such a Simple system.
We've recently had a new lad come into class. He's 17, still at high school, and not at all like "all-those-other-damned-kids!"
Suffice to say, as I get older and settle further into my role as resident curmudgeon, I do find myself agreeing with some of the things the old-folks used to say about us kids.
Lazy.
Stupid.
Disrespectful.
But then are they really? The kids I mean?
These 'kids' are used to a casual state of relationship, like we each had before we had to learn as adults that a lot of people have external locus' of control, and as such the opinions of complete strangers end up meaning so much.
I believe their cavalier attitude may simply be an off-shoot of this social awareness. Which is to say, they're assuming association with us, and each other, already. (Think more: a friend I haven't met yet; and less: I wonder what they think of me).
Lazy? Are they really? Or are we just poor at giving instruction and communicating idea?
Stupid? Not by a long shot. This is the time of their lives when they're taking in so much information that mere adult minds can neither remember, nor fathom. (So types the guy who's struggling to remember whether he brought lunch to work or not...nah, surely i did...i think).
The truth of it is this folks...its entirely our own perspective getting in the way.
This kid, having recently started in our class and is picking things up SO quickly. He doesn't ask a lot of questions, but then he does actually listen.
He's invested in the interaction.
He has involuntary reactions when he realizes his stance is slightly out, or his jaam sao should've been a bit more 'just-so'. And more importantly, (to my ego), he makes visible improvement every week.
It's so refreshing.
Cause I'm telling you now, the WORST students are adults.
Have you noticed that often adults will come into class with their 'full cups' making comments such as, "in my last WC we did this," and "but that's not how we used to do it"...which is why you're in a different class friend.
Now, his kid is no learning superman, nor a Kung Fu Natural. He's just receptive. That's all.
I've noticed that a typical class for an adult involves assumption, conversation, excuse making, and ultimately time-wasting.
Remember, these are gross generalities based on what I see in class. It could be a reflection of Auckland thought processes, New Zealand learning culture, or even another point of view that I haven't accounted for. And there MUST be a multitude of other potential reasons.
We've had Tai Chi guys through our class, we've had boxers, and we've had folk from the Leung Ting, Chu Shong Tin, Lo Man Kam and William Cheung lineages too! And they've all been good people...for the most part. The single, most powerful similarity they all had was arrogance.
Don't get me wrong now...I'm not talking of striding around with their chests puffed out, nor saying, "x is superior to y because I study x so I've got the best perspective!", though I've heard that in a class briefly too.
They've each had something interesting to share with us about their style.
And yet they all repeated, "ah...but this is how we do it in so-and-so". This is reasonable if I'm coming to your class. But you've come to ours, to share what we're doing...so listen and embrace it.
Having said that, these comments are reasonable in the context of comparing this-with-that, to better understand what it is that you've learned. Until that point is reached, you're merely making the learning process harder for yourself.
After the class you can do as you like, but during that class...all I ask, is that you invest yourself in that moment. Don't waste this opportunity to learn a new perspective.
I'll even join you over a cold and fizzy beverage to discuss the differences, and to receive your deductions about my system. Happily. After all, the words you give me only have the meaning I allocate to them. If I think you're full of shit, then there is nothing to help you friend...but still, I'll let you say your piece.
By extension this could be just as valid in social interaction, work negotiations, or even buying product from your local grocery store.
I suppose the important thing to take away from this, though I doubt its been portrayed clearly, is that patience is needed in the classroom...and potentially more so than at school. Most of what you learn in a class may be forgotten in time as you're concentrating in a different direction, such as forgetting English because you're concentrating on Calculus.
In WC there is only WC. It's ALL important. And it takes time, patience and understanding to communicate the complicated intricacies involved in such a Simple system.
Thursday 24 September 2015
There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self - Ernest Hemingway
That's a lovely title...and while being an intense statement, it lends itself to the classroom really well.
I remember when I was trying to adapt to the WSL system, or even learning the LMK system before that...my frustrations at failing at seemingly simple concepts would have me apologising and holding too high an expectation of what I could achieve.
Understandably, I'd spent my entire life being the centre of my attention. All of my endeavors have ultimately been selfish, such as beginning my journey through Wing Chun. And so when my profuse apologies were negligently brushed off by the people I was learning from...well, I was offended.
These days I understand that its purely an issue of my ego asserting itself, but back then I merely found it an irritation. Why couldn't I just do <insert technique> like everyone else? There must be something wrong with me!
Well, it turns out there actually Was something wrong with me, but the process of learning WC was helping me fix what was wrong. I administer myself every day while trying to avoid the pitfalls of depression. I try to avoid saying that I suffer from it as a) I don't have it as powerfully as others I know, or have known; and b) to my ear it sounds weak. It sounds like I'm associating myself with a victim mentality. This may have been true of me once upon of time, but WC has been an effective tool in the healing process...which is a life-long commitment.
Firstly, WC gave me a look at something fantastic that I'd never seen before.
I'd attended Tae Kwon Do classes when I was 6 or so, then later in life I briefly tried Karate, Aikido, Capoeria, Yang Tai Chi Chuan, Kickboxing and since WC I've even tried my hand at boxing.
What WC showed me is a system unlike the movies.
It talked to me with a voice assuring me of how physics worked, and how WC was so powerful because of it.
These days I understand that the person teaching me at the time didn't have any understanding of Physics, and misunderstood many important concepts. But that doesn't matter. What I lost in misunderstanding, I gained back from physical strength.
The result is something I'd been yearning after for so long. Confidence.
When I walked into a room I owned it. (You see how the ego continued to be present?)
I'd compare myself to this guy, or that, and congratulate myself for learning WC. I'd enter into arguments (in person) about which was better...WC, or BJJ.
What...a...clown-shoe I was.
Comparing two martial arts is like comparing Ice with Glass. Sure they look similar, you can see through them both to some degree...you can make them both shatter if dropped on the ground...and both are a liquid at higher temperatures. But their purposes, their application, and their contexts are different.
The same can be said for the different arts, and for the people who learn them.
As such, one shouldn't place their peers on a pedestal to worship. It's fine to emulate them if you see them doing something particularly well, and its fine to think that, "I'd like to be as good as her/him one day." As humans we've spent a lifetime learning from other people, however I've heard individuals say that they'd like to be better than so-and-so. Why? What's the point?
While Ernest Hemingway was talking about individual nobility (not being a titled person), he also had a vast pool of language to sample from...so for folk less verbose, I believe it's telling us that we are the only ones who can truly drive our own development. We're not babes in swaddling. We are Homo sapien and we've evolved as a group, but been driven individually. It is when you compare yourself to your former self that you get a clearer idea of your place in this cosmos. Have you changed? NO. Then you are fated to make the same decisions, and mistakes, as you always have. Have you changed? YES. Then every day will be, for you, exciting and new.
Evolution is about change. Ving Tsun has evolved, just as we have evolved, and thus both will continue to evolve.
Anyways, this post could just waffle on and on...
I remember when I was trying to adapt to the WSL system, or even learning the LMK system before that...my frustrations at failing at seemingly simple concepts would have me apologising and holding too high an expectation of what I could achieve.
Understandably, I'd spent my entire life being the centre of my attention. All of my endeavors have ultimately been selfish, such as beginning my journey through Wing Chun. And so when my profuse apologies were negligently brushed off by the people I was learning from...well, I was offended.
These days I understand that its purely an issue of my ego asserting itself, but back then I merely found it an irritation. Why couldn't I just do <insert technique> like everyone else? There must be something wrong with me!
Well, it turns out there actually Was something wrong with me, but the process of learning WC was helping me fix what was wrong. I administer myself every day while trying to avoid the pitfalls of depression. I try to avoid saying that I suffer from it as a) I don't have it as powerfully as others I know, or have known; and b) to my ear it sounds weak. It sounds like I'm associating myself with a victim mentality. This may have been true of me once upon of time, but WC has been an effective tool in the healing process...which is a life-long commitment.
Firstly, WC gave me a look at something fantastic that I'd never seen before.
I'd attended Tae Kwon Do classes when I was 6 or so, then later in life I briefly tried Karate, Aikido, Capoeria, Yang Tai Chi Chuan, Kickboxing and since WC I've even tried my hand at boxing.
What WC showed me is a system unlike the movies.
It talked to me with a voice assuring me of how physics worked, and how WC was so powerful because of it.
These days I understand that the person teaching me at the time didn't have any understanding of Physics, and misunderstood many important concepts. But that doesn't matter. What I lost in misunderstanding, I gained back from physical strength.
The result is something I'd been yearning after for so long. Confidence.
When I walked into a room I owned it. (You see how the ego continued to be present?)
I'd compare myself to this guy, or that, and congratulate myself for learning WC. I'd enter into arguments (in person) about which was better...WC, or BJJ.
What...a...clown-shoe I was.
Comparing two martial arts is like comparing Ice with Glass. Sure they look similar, you can see through them both to some degree...you can make them both shatter if dropped on the ground...and both are a liquid at higher temperatures. But their purposes, their application, and their contexts are different.
The same can be said for the different arts, and for the people who learn them.
As such, one shouldn't place their peers on a pedestal to worship. It's fine to emulate them if you see them doing something particularly well, and its fine to think that, "I'd like to be as good as her/him one day." As humans we've spent a lifetime learning from other people, however I've heard individuals say that they'd like to be better than so-and-so. Why? What's the point?
While Ernest Hemingway was talking about individual nobility (not being a titled person), he also had a vast pool of language to sample from...so for folk less verbose, I believe it's telling us that we are the only ones who can truly drive our own development. We're not babes in swaddling. We are Homo sapien and we've evolved as a group, but been driven individually. It is when you compare yourself to your former self that you get a clearer idea of your place in this cosmos. Have you changed? NO. Then you are fated to make the same decisions, and mistakes, as you always have. Have you changed? YES. Then every day will be, for you, exciting and new.
Evolution is about change. Ving Tsun has evolved, just as we have evolved, and thus both will continue to evolve.
Anyways, this post could just waffle on and on...
Thursday 13 August 2015
I've got you...you bastard!
You know when you're training and you're having issues with a particular concept, technique, or manoeuvre? You've been told what to do, how to do it and WHY to do it. You've been practicing for ages...and it doesn't work right. It's frustrating. Its downright despicable and you start to fret that you'll never get it, or that there's something physical/psychological wrong with you which is inhibiting you from doing this thing correct?
Bong Sao is my bane. Its had me questioning my ability, my sanity, and more importantly...my ability to understand instructions. Its been difficult and its been a roller-coaster.
To paraphrase Hillary, "I've knocked the bastard off it!!"
Only, in this case, the "bastard" is the veneer of mystery in understanding how to do Bong Sao effectively. And I've knocked the bastard off of Bong Sao.
The mystery is gone. All that remains difficulty, maintenance, practice and perseverance. There are probably other things to list there but I've just arrived at work and I'm nesting through my morning Moccachino (I can't deal with full strength coffee, so back up coffee snobs...I'm a kung fu mang!).
Last night at training there were only 4 of us, what I'd call the more senior of the bunch...merely meaning that we'd all been training together longer than others.And considering its winter, it was a pretty good turnout.
Senior-student-teacher guy and I are heading to Melbourne for a WSL meet'n'greet. Lots of WSL folk, including Chan Kim Man, will be attending. Because of this, Senior-student-teacher guy is motivating us all to spend more time rolling.
Sure I still don't have many entries into Chi Sao. However, my rolling was good, I disrupted my partners structure, and I was always able to shut them down and maintain control of My centre.
Most importantly is that I was able to roll for MINUTES without my rotator-cuffs screaming. If I put aside the WC specific improvements, merely experiencing chi sao without shoulder pain is phenomenally good. It's annoyance factor was huge. Think...you're wearing tight shoes, and there's a sharp stone in your shoe...its digging into the softest, most sensitive part of your foot. Now make that stone half an inch tall. THAT is what my shoulders feel like normally.
To be honest I'm feeling a little euphoric, and almost religious, about the whole thing.
So the point of this entry is simple.
Stick at it.
Sure, it may seem unachievable, if not merely difficult. But its not. You're body is awaiting an alignment of purpose and understanding. A congruent connection between mind and muscle without any attempts to micro-manage each manoeuvre.
Additionally, I believe, we have to be thinking about WC every day. Not all the time of course, that's a little obsessive and creepy.
Consider what it is that you could be doing to improve your <insert concept/technique/manoeuvre> in the context of what you're trying to achieve.
- For me vs Bong Sao, my issue is pain in my shoulder caused by an increased load in a non-linear fashion.
- To fix this I've been told to work on my elbow moving in a linear motion perpendicular to my body, from down to up, rather than arcing out away from the body and then back in. (I think I'd been doing it this way from fear I'd miss a punch that went wide, not realising that I have other tools in my arsenal to deal with this strkies).
- My thoughts have been of using this motion. Repeating this motion. Aligning this idea with the 'rules-of-engagement' for Bong Sao. My intention is always aimed at my opponents centre. Keeping a strong structure, not having my weight too much in any particular direction (ie. no leaning in, no weighing down on my partner). Keeping the lines of force-transferal from my Bong connected to either my heel, my hip, or both (this means I'm no longer using my shoulder to lift weight, or as a lever). Disrupt my opponents structure by up-rooting them (by having my 'force' coming up from the ground, and thus from under my partners limbs, I'm able to keep a forward intention without being too heavy-handed and i undermine their structure. The force coming up on an angle redirects the resultant forces back into my feet, thus the ground. Keeping my bong motion perpendicular to my body allows me to bring my elbow into the centre at the end of the motion without creating a force that moves across the body. As I understand it, though I'm open to correction, Kwan Sao is the only one that moves across the body, thus this motion is to be avoided otherwise.
So this bong motion allows control of the centre and convinces (or at least it did last night) the partner otherwise, and they over commit.
Funny though, when I thought too much about my Bong Sao mid-Chi sao, either it would fall apart or my Jaam Sao would. Good times. And so much to work on!
Happy training everyone, about time I got back to work!
Bong Sao is my bane. Its had me questioning my ability, my sanity, and more importantly...my ability to understand instructions. Its been difficult and its been a roller-coaster.
To paraphrase Hillary, "I've knocked the bastard off it!!"
Only, in this case, the "bastard" is the veneer of mystery in understanding how to do Bong Sao effectively. And I've knocked the bastard off of Bong Sao.
The mystery is gone. All that remains difficulty, maintenance, practice and perseverance. There are probably other things to list there but I've just arrived at work and I'm nesting through my morning Moccachino (I can't deal with full strength coffee, so back up coffee snobs...I'm a kung fu mang!).
Last night at training there were only 4 of us, what I'd call the more senior of the bunch...merely meaning that we'd all been training together longer than others.And considering its winter, it was a pretty good turnout.
Senior-student-teacher guy and I are heading to Melbourne for a WSL meet'n'greet. Lots of WSL folk, including Chan Kim Man, will be attending. Because of this, Senior-student-teacher guy is motivating us all to spend more time rolling.
Sure I still don't have many entries into Chi Sao. However, my rolling was good, I disrupted my partners structure, and I was always able to shut them down and maintain control of My centre.
Most importantly is that I was able to roll for MINUTES without my rotator-cuffs screaming. If I put aside the WC specific improvements, merely experiencing chi sao without shoulder pain is phenomenally good. It's annoyance factor was huge. Think...you're wearing tight shoes, and there's a sharp stone in your shoe...its digging into the softest, most sensitive part of your foot. Now make that stone half an inch tall. THAT is what my shoulders feel like normally.
To be honest I'm feeling a little euphoric, and almost religious, about the whole thing.
So the point of this entry is simple.
Stick at it.
Sure, it may seem unachievable, if not merely difficult. But its not. You're body is awaiting an alignment of purpose and understanding. A congruent connection between mind and muscle without any attempts to micro-manage each manoeuvre.
Additionally, I believe, we have to be thinking about WC every day. Not all the time of course, that's a little obsessive and creepy.
Consider what it is that you could be doing to improve your <insert concept/technique/manoeuvre> in the context of what you're trying to achieve.
- For me vs Bong Sao, my issue is pain in my shoulder caused by an increased load in a non-linear fashion.
- To fix this I've been told to work on my elbow moving in a linear motion perpendicular to my body, from down to up, rather than arcing out away from the body and then back in. (I think I'd been doing it this way from fear I'd miss a punch that went wide, not realising that I have other tools in my arsenal to deal with this strkies).
- My thoughts have been of using this motion. Repeating this motion. Aligning this idea with the 'rules-of-engagement' for Bong Sao. My intention is always aimed at my opponents centre. Keeping a strong structure, not having my weight too much in any particular direction (ie. no leaning in, no weighing down on my partner). Keeping the lines of force-transferal from my Bong connected to either my heel, my hip, or both (this means I'm no longer using my shoulder to lift weight, or as a lever). Disrupt my opponents structure by up-rooting them (by having my 'force' coming up from the ground, and thus from under my partners limbs, I'm able to keep a forward intention without being too heavy-handed and i undermine their structure. The force coming up on an angle redirects the resultant forces back into my feet, thus the ground. Keeping my bong motion perpendicular to my body allows me to bring my elbow into the centre at the end of the motion without creating a force that moves across the body. As I understand it, though I'm open to correction, Kwan Sao is the only one that moves across the body, thus this motion is to be avoided otherwise.
So this bong motion allows control of the centre and convinces (or at least it did last night) the partner otherwise, and they over commit.
Funny though, when I thought too much about my Bong Sao mid-Chi sao, either it would fall apart or my Jaam Sao would. Good times. And so much to work on!
Happy training everyone, about time I got back to work!
Sunday 9 August 2015
Long time, no blog!
Sooooo I'm back. I'd like to say that i've been on a Wing Chun sabbatical, travelling far and wide to experience different cultures and the other WC's...but nope. I've just been working, finding housemates, you know...life.
Regardless of this I've still been Winging-my-Chun as often as possible and had a couple break-throughs.
I've been having a lot more success with the dreaded Bong Sao, (may it fall into a crevice for all its difficulty to execute). I realise the short-coming is mine, but i need to project...it lets me feel superior and comfortable.
In 'that-former-class' I'd learnt Bong Sao as a manoeuvre of leverage, often swinging out away from the body and fighting against any forces encountered, such as against lop sao's. These days I'll borrow the momentum from the lop sao, rush in, and punchy-punchy. Back then it was more like a yanking motion. Unpleasant and rotator-cuff-unfriendly.
And strangely enough the 'thing' that improved my Bong was just moving my elbow from low, to high*, in a straight line toward my opponent so that my force was angling up and away from me and perpendicular to my body. Not only did it feel better on my shoulder, it up-rooted my opponent. Choice!
(*Obviously this is high by comparison to low. To my best knowledge the bong sao isn't really used for high defences as there are more efficient concepts to reply.)
Another success has been with my stance.
I've spent a few years trying to unlearn a distribution of weight of 70% on my back foot and 30% on the front...or thereabouts. This might work for some people, but i'm a big lad. Every time I moved I had to move most of my weight, wasting energy, before i could bridge. Having a balanced stance now, gives me greater manoeuvrability, and better stamina.
An additional bonus to this has been more power in my punches without having to put too much effort in. It's happened of its own accord...so my emphasis now will be on punching speed. Or cookies. Cookies are nice.
I've previously mentioned that I'm a fairly big lad, and I've previously been told I don't look as heavy as I am. And luckily I've built a good relationship with the ground...unless I'm falling over, in which case the ground and I aren't mates.
Because of this I've always had a stronger structure than those smaller folk around me. This is nice, but it can be misleading as it leads to less finesse than i'd like.
With my size, my weight, and my relationship with a strong stance I find that I can resist a lot more force and defuse a potentially more vicious attack. But I also find that I'm less prepared to move and I'm not so light on my feet. What I need to find is a happy medium between a strong structure, and efficient maneuverability.
I've been thinking about taking up boxing. They're light on their feet and they've fast punching.
And the more i've been looking, the more i realise their foot work is similar to ours in WSL...or at least it looks like that to mine adolescent (within the WC world) eyes.
It also helps that Boxing is the most style I'm most intimidated by.
Historically I've not been that concerned with other Kung Fu's. They, like WC, have some quality systems aaaaaand they've also got plenty of that pile-o-shit/taught-to-make-money systems that couldn't defend themselves against a hungry kitten. (note: you shouldn't be fighting hungry kittens you heartless animal!)
I've seen some great boxing schools, and I've seen some POS schools. From those I've seen, even the POS schools have plenty positives and leave you more prepared for a fight. I guess it's the nature of a 'simple' system that even the rubbish provides reasonable skills. I don't know. Perhaps my mouth is running away with me.
Anyways...training tonight.
Good training everyone!
Regardless of this I've still been Winging-my-Chun as often as possible and had a couple break-throughs.
I've been having a lot more success with the dreaded Bong Sao, (may it fall into a crevice for all its difficulty to execute). I realise the short-coming is mine, but i need to project...it lets me feel superior and comfortable.
In 'that-former-class' I'd learnt Bong Sao as a manoeuvre of leverage, often swinging out away from the body and fighting against any forces encountered, such as against lop sao's. These days I'll borrow the momentum from the lop sao, rush in, and punchy-punchy. Back then it was more like a yanking motion. Unpleasant and rotator-cuff-unfriendly.
And strangely enough the 'thing' that improved my Bong was just moving my elbow from low, to high*, in a straight line toward my opponent so that my force was angling up and away from me and perpendicular to my body. Not only did it feel better on my shoulder, it up-rooted my opponent. Choice!
(*Obviously this is high by comparison to low. To my best knowledge the bong sao isn't really used for high defences as there are more efficient concepts to reply.)
Another success has been with my stance.
I've spent a few years trying to unlearn a distribution of weight of 70% on my back foot and 30% on the front...or thereabouts. This might work for some people, but i'm a big lad. Every time I moved I had to move most of my weight, wasting energy, before i could bridge. Having a balanced stance now, gives me greater manoeuvrability, and better stamina.
An additional bonus to this has been more power in my punches without having to put too much effort in. It's happened of its own accord...so my emphasis now will be on punching speed. Or cookies. Cookies are nice.
I've previously mentioned that I'm a fairly big lad, and I've previously been told I don't look as heavy as I am. And luckily I've built a good relationship with the ground...unless I'm falling over, in which case the ground and I aren't mates.
Because of this I've always had a stronger structure than those smaller folk around me. This is nice, but it can be misleading as it leads to less finesse than i'd like.
With my size, my weight, and my relationship with a strong stance I find that I can resist a lot more force and defuse a potentially more vicious attack. But I also find that I'm less prepared to move and I'm not so light on my feet. What I need to find is a happy medium between a strong structure, and efficient maneuverability.
I've been thinking about taking up boxing. They're light on their feet and they've fast punching.
And the more i've been looking, the more i realise their foot work is similar to ours in WSL...or at least it looks like that to mine adolescent (within the WC world) eyes.
It also helps that Boxing is the most style I'm most intimidated by.
Historically I've not been that concerned with other Kung Fu's. They, like WC, have some quality systems aaaaaand they've also got plenty of that pile-o-shit/taught-to-make-money systems that couldn't defend themselves against a hungry kitten. (note: you shouldn't be fighting hungry kittens you heartless animal!)
I've seen some great boxing schools, and I've seen some POS schools. From those I've seen, even the POS schools have plenty positives and leave you more prepared for a fight. I guess it's the nature of a 'simple' system that even the rubbish provides reasonable skills. I don't know. Perhaps my mouth is running away with me.
Anyways...training tonight.
Good training everyone!
Wednesday 10 June 2015
I’ve always assumed it to be easy…but it isn’t, is it?
The importance of personal preparation and personal protection.
What I’m going on about here will be heavily influenced by an article about personal protection by Andrew Williams, Rolf Clausnitzer and David Peterson, and can be viewed here…
It’s a great article and I urge you all to check it out. Regardless of whether you know a karate-chop! from a judo-kick!, a personal system for recognising danger and preparing for trouble can only be a good thing. I’m not talking about paranoia here, just general personal safety through limited spatial awareness, preparation and recognition.
I’ve been aware of my immediate surrounds for longer than I can remember, and I’m willing to assume it started in my tween/teen years. At some point it was probably an unhealthy paranoia driven by frequent associations with bullies, however i think it grew into something a lot healthier…eventually.
By high school it had turned into an expectation that everyone was too scared of me (i’d filled out and with my Native features in a predominantly european high school in east Auckland where it was still rare enough to notice. My ego was fairly out of proportion and I had the potential to become a bully too.
In spite of this, as I grew older and started frequenting social events involving alcohol, I’d turned to a healthier form of perception. Less ‘be bully’ and more ‘be aware’.
Walking into a room I’d take note of the exits, potential weapons that could be used against me, and who was most likely to kick off first. There would seem to be an anticipatory air about them that registered with my level of preparation like a note in the margin. I wasn’t often wrong, but then I’m looking through the eyes of time and memory…so take that with a grain of salt.
It wasn’t a difficult exercise, merely the noticing of details and silently filing them away…believe me when I say that retention fails the more one drinks. Its certainly safer to control how much you drink if you’re in a potentially dangerous situation, but how are you to know? Any location can house the potential for danger and injury.
I was never attacked and only involved myself in the occasional defending-of-a-friend. I’m no saint, but who wants to hang out with a dick that was always violent? So I tried to not be the aggressor. From time to time I’d see some of my friends get their drunk on and either become aggressive, or encounter aggression. More often than not it was a misunderstanding, but their minds had slowed down too much for them to do anything other than escalate.
Without preparation it was difficult for them to realise where they were heading until it was too late…and violence ensues.
Even though I seemed, to myself, to be prepared…I really wasn’t. If I had time to think I’d end up over-thinking the situation and making mistakes, the biggest being inaction…allowing fear to control me, rather than allowing this mechanism to super-charge me.
Having a “Traffic Light of awareness” in place can save you time, pain and embarrassment. If you don’t have this, I recommend you look into it or something similar. In the article I’ve borrowed from you will find a great definition of this in a much deeper detail than you will in the opinions I’m providing here.
Using this grading system has allowed me to understand that I’m constantly in a “Yellow” state of awareness, with the grades being:
- White - blissfully unaware. You’re unaware of potential threats and aggressors around you.
- For this i would assume how I would be if i were at home, in bed just having woken up relaxedly. Or perhaps wonderfully drunk, and thus not in control of all of my faculties.
- Yellow - Constructively aware. You are aware of your surrounds, you are ready to evaluate the situation should one arise. You’re more than ready to follow the path of avoidance.
- This is my starting point. This is where I am from the time my head clears in the morning, until I got to sleep. It isn’t tiring, it isn’t stressful, and it isn’t a task. It’s just taking notice of things around me.
- Orange - Time for action. You’ve registered a threat and it’s time to decide about your response.
- In my mind I would consider this to be scenario such as a party where someone is about to kick-off and I have to concern myself with potentially being drawn into it against my will. At least that was my position in my 20’s…these days I’m much more adept at keeping clear.
- Another scenario could be my being out on a main city street at night, in a state of revelry and being bumped into someone who gets instantly aggressive. There’s no guarantee a fight will ensue, but even apologies don’t seem to be working. So my guard is up.
- Red - This is where training meets emergency, where preparation can define the outcome.
- This is a true fight or flight moment and you realise you’re in danger. Not just in danger of getting punched. Not a danger of talk and bravado. This is where you realise it is on and all stops will have to be pulled.
- Either you get out, or you fight for your life. This is an extreme level where the only option is to attack first, get the upper hand and get out as soon as you can.
Despite training in martial arts, the RED category is where I never want to be. Some of us will often consider how cool it would be to have our lives on the line and win the struggle. The older I get, the less interested I am in that sort of need.
The RED situation is that moment where one needs to commit themselves to the struggle and disregard the potential outcome…in a worst case scenario this may mean your life is on the line. Take a moment and think about this…don’t romanticise it. You’re not Yip Man, Bruce Lee, or Chuck Norris. Without preparation there is a reasonable argument that death could result.
Understand this. Its a position I don’t think anyone would want to be in.
To be honest, the idea of reaching this level of urgency and requirement gives me the shits.
It means that every defence mechanism I’ve ever created to avoid violence hasn’t worked. All outcomes point towards The Fight with no obvious way out. Its where I will be seeking to maim, disfigure and control.
Better to realise the fear now rather than later.
Being prepared could be the difference between harsh words, or grievous bodily harm.
We train to be safer than we otherwise would be, so why wouldn’t we extend our preparation to our minds? Isn’t it a natural extension of our arts to be mentally prepared?
An added benefit to this process is that, by extension, you can begin to take control of the mechanisms we recognise as the onset of fear.
Fear is a biochemical response to a perceived threat and is stimulated by our thinking. As such, through use of our agile minds we can create a formula of management. By understanding the physiology of the fight or flight mechanism we can hopefully minimise the likelihood of our own untimely deaths.
And that’s what its all about isn’t it? Making sure that we continue to exist. Making sure that our families are safe. Its a worthwhile outcome isn’t it?
Wednesday 20 May 2015
Yay! Let us rant!!
We’ve all been that vitriolic child at some point. Perhaps we were bad and mom took away our toy? Perhaps grandpa did something for our protection…perhaps we merely disagreed with someone else’s point of view? It happens, and it can set on quite suddenly…
I was recently on the receiving end of an extremely spirited dissident expressing his on-line disagreement about the nature of implication vs assumption where I was called things such as Git, smug, and a smug git. The funny thing is that I’ve been this guy…a long time ago.
Unable to control my fury at other people’s opinions and unable to recognise my foolishness, I would lash out and aggressively ‘correct’ other people’s opinions.
It took a long time, a goodly many friends, and a great teacher to help me realise just how much of my energy I was wasting on details that didn’t matter.
They didn’t go out of their way to do this though. It was more of a subconscious dissertation…or perhaps just their calming influence. They have families, some have children, all of them jobs that pull in an income to keep the wolves away, and a few who count students who value his time. They're not superheroes, but they’ve got things working just enough on the side of right that it makes you wonder what they’re up too and how to emulate them.
I guess you could say there’s enough experience to escape idol worship and borrow positive behaviours…and slowly build on them.
It was after my aforementioned “git-smuggery” that It hit me. I’d transitioned from one to the other. Now I was the one looking at an online “tanty” with toys flying through the air, and a saliva encrusted pacifier hitting me in my figurative nose with a sense of the desperate angst focussed on me. As i tried to calm the situation everything I shared was taken out of context. I certainly wasn’t the only person involved, and surprisingly there was quite a supportive, and reasonable, crowd involved. The more reasonable the statement was, the less reasonable was the response. It was one of those episodes.
It wasn’t that I was smug, I don’t believe I was. It wasn’t that I was a git, I’m certainly not a git. I’ve been an ass, a dick, and I’m certainly a great big hulking Cunt. But I’m no smug-git. I’ve been fighting my now battles and demons too long for smuggery.
And it made me think further.
This online chap stated he was “defending” a school, sifu, or some other dogmatic aspect of Wingchunnery, without doing so well. No one was attacking, just pointing out their opinions.
In my head it became less a battle of who’s right or wrong, and more a catalyst for my asking two questions. Namely, a) why would anyone give another’s opinion so much credence? and b) is it our place to defend Sifu or Kwoon?
When dealing with opinions, be it online or off, one has to take into account the source of that particular opinion and what may have gone into the creation of said opinion.
We know that it is categorically impossible to know another persons thoughts, though we can make a few assumptions thanks to experience and familiarity. However when you’re faced off against an avatar and a versatile keyboard…its a less tangible experience. If that makes sense.
The only thing we can be confident of is the meaning of words within the context of the subject. In an online forum you can’t be 100% sure about the emotion behind any opinion, regardless of the endless sea of emoji’s you can use.
This being the case, how can you argue detail x and get upset about it? You have no emotional connection to the discussion except that which you bring with you. Any Joe Bloogheimsmithberg can form an opinion, but only You can allow this opinion weight and substance. Right? Why should we give this opinion so much power over our emotional state. Why allow ourselves to throw that switch from calm to exotically irate? Its something to think about isn’t it?
when we face our opponent we’re fully focused on them and our immediate surrounds. We keep everything in check and allow our minds into that relaxed-control, minimising our anticipation of specifics and merely being ready. Can’t we take this control out of our art and into our lives?
This makes me think further about our rights and expectations as a student. Have you ever defending your WC lineage against opinions of another?
I know I have. I can only call my old kwoon a cult. It involved believing our teacher without proof or justification, our teacher discouraging us from training outside our kwoon and testing our skills. And if that wasn’t enough, we were encouraged to argue online and to defend Sifu while being told that the entire world knew that we were the best fighters, and that we were taught by the worlds best WC exponent. Sadly its a drink a little too tall to stomach. Oh yeah…and there was the exorbitant tithing. Er, I mean fees.
It’s great being out of there and being able to freely discuss any aspect I think I might understand.
Should not a schools reputation prove for itself that opinions and arguments against it are flawed or otherwise?
I should not have to defend my Sifu. But I still get an urge to…don’t you?
Our teachers have experience to call on, and we have a healthy source of knowledge in them. Our experiences in class and training is wonderful, otherwise we wouldn’t be back right?
Then why do we get an urge to get all, “my dad can beat your dad!”, about it?
More than likely we’ll make ourselves sound foolish, and potentially add a distasteful sheen to our teachers name. In this scenario our enthusiasm to protect our teachers reputation creates the need for defence. Utter foolish.
Besides, if they really have an issue with my (our) teacher(s)…they obviously haven’t met them.
Of course that’s assuming our teacher is a good, well-balanced person.
If not then you have my pity. I’ve been there and kept myself there by will alone. “The way I’m treated is worth it because of what I’m learning…”, I was all about that mumbo-jumbo at one time.
We need to encourage each other to train outside our kwoon, to test our training with real world applications, and to keep physics in the fore of my mind when trying to improve my understanding of our system. Or at least as best we can.
I refuse to be the WC’er that “Swat’s at flies”…I want to be (to borrow a Dr Who term, and show my inner-nerd) the On-Coming Storm, unstoppable and cataclysmically destructive. It can only be my choice to become so. Its my obligation to myself to ensure everything is on the level and to do something about it if it isn’t.
Isn’t this right?
Mine is the calm centre. Its the centre I chase. Each of your movements is another opportunity. I’m going to meet you and escort you out. You’re welcome, please come again.
Suffice to say, I refuse to give weight to an individual’s opinion when they don’t have all components of the equation. I refuse because just I don’t care. It’s just too much effort waging your war for you. I’ll keep an open mind and weigh each statement against what I know about you, then I’ll test it, and if it’s found wanting…I’ll discard it. If it’s great, I’ll ask to borrow it.
Don’t feel bad, I expect you to do the same for the things that I say. What do you know about me? Who else agrees with me?
Who cares?
My opinions are built upon a foundation of familial love, teenage angst, adult depression, and a fascination with Ving Tsun. Everything I share has legitimacy for me. I suggest you take it all with a grain of salt.
Debating on the internet is awesome…arguing is not.
Monday 11 May 2015
What's our responsibility in the classroom?
Last night I was privileged enough to experience a fellow students getting-it-right moment.
And you know what it was with? Bong Sao. Bloody Bong Sao.
I have a dislike/hate/have-to-appreciate-it relationship with Bong Sao. I find the current incarnation that I'm learning, to be very difficult to get right.
I also love that moment when I get it right. Or when i get something else right, like maintaining control of the centre, having only enough forward intention to register when my opponent moves...but not enough to telegraph my intentions.
What I love more is watching a brother/sister struggling with something and then having that aha! moment. Sure its not perfectly executed, but their ability to execute the manoeuvre increases and they learn faster. You see this light break through the frustration and my heart does a little jump. I'm sure dopamine is flowing through me now. Its a little wonder that I get to experience.
And this reminds me...I know my responsibilities to myself, but what's my responsibility to my brothers and sisters in class?
Truth be told...I'm more responsible for them, than myself.
It's my place to help them become as good as possible.
It's my place to encourage them.
It's my place to support them.
And my reasons are all selfish.
I love seeing my friends and kung fu whanau (maori word for family) improve. The moment they get better, the more they can push me. The more of my 'tells' i can share with them, the more they'll help me disguise them and close the openings i provide. One such is that an injury has left me finding it difficult to get my left elbow close to my body. In chi sao this can allow folk to get through my defence. I've been covering this but utilising my footwork to compensate. It's no ideal situation but what are you gonna do? So i point it out, I ask them to keep it in mind so that they press me. The make it hard. I'll share any trick i know...because its the unknown that tests us all.
We're a fairly lax group. We don't bow as we enter the kwoon, we don't bow to each other, and we don't supplicate to our class leader. However we look each other in the eye, we shake hands, and we're honest with each other.
In class I had a misunderstanding with another student. It almost turned into a passive-aggressive argument about how we don't care so we can move on. Instead, i pulled us back and we addressed the issue. It was purely a misunderstanding about something we'd misheard, with us both being at fault. And because we addressed this, talked it through, and continued with the drill....we moved forward. We improved what we were doing while improving our relationship.
We're obligated to be honest with each other for our own advancement. How can you respect someone who won't engage with the difficult. WE ARE WING CHUN!!! We don't go back. Adversity is where we burn away the flowery bullshit and are left with the bones of a dangerous set of concepts.
The moment we're too caught up with politics, egos and kowtowing to learn is the moment that your WC has reverted to the cult mentality so prevalent amongst teachers and classes. Are we here to learn, or here to kiss ass? Everyone has a right to an opinion...but no one has a right to tell me I'm wrong without showing me why.
Despite not knowing many, I still feel kinship with anyone learning WC and I want the best for them. Sadly I'm not sure they want the best for themselves.
<Edit: I've been kindly pointed towards some resources for improving my blog. I'm no writer, and I actually like rambling, but I'll take it on board and work on improving. Keep the advice coming!!>
And you know what it was with? Bong Sao. Bloody Bong Sao.
I have a dislike/hate/have-to-appreciate-it relationship with Bong Sao. I find the current incarnation that I'm learning, to be very difficult to get right.
I also love that moment when I get it right. Or when i get something else right, like maintaining control of the centre, having only enough forward intention to register when my opponent moves...but not enough to telegraph my intentions.
What I love more is watching a brother/sister struggling with something and then having that aha! moment. Sure its not perfectly executed, but their ability to execute the manoeuvre increases and they learn faster. You see this light break through the frustration and my heart does a little jump. I'm sure dopamine is flowing through me now. Its a little wonder that I get to experience.
And this reminds me...I know my responsibilities to myself, but what's my responsibility to my brothers and sisters in class?
Truth be told...I'm more responsible for them, than myself.
It's my place to help them become as good as possible.
It's my place to encourage them.
It's my place to support them.
And my reasons are all selfish.
I love seeing my friends and kung fu whanau (maori word for family) improve. The moment they get better, the more they can push me. The more of my 'tells' i can share with them, the more they'll help me disguise them and close the openings i provide. One such is that an injury has left me finding it difficult to get my left elbow close to my body. In chi sao this can allow folk to get through my defence. I've been covering this but utilising my footwork to compensate. It's no ideal situation but what are you gonna do? So i point it out, I ask them to keep it in mind so that they press me. The make it hard. I'll share any trick i know...because its the unknown that tests us all.
We're a fairly lax group. We don't bow as we enter the kwoon, we don't bow to each other, and we don't supplicate to our class leader. However we look each other in the eye, we shake hands, and we're honest with each other.
In class I had a misunderstanding with another student. It almost turned into a passive-aggressive argument about how we don't care so we can move on. Instead, i pulled us back and we addressed the issue. It was purely a misunderstanding about something we'd misheard, with us both being at fault. And because we addressed this, talked it through, and continued with the drill....we moved forward. We improved what we were doing while improving our relationship.
We're obligated to be honest with each other for our own advancement. How can you respect someone who won't engage with the difficult. WE ARE WING CHUN!!! We don't go back. Adversity is where we burn away the flowery bullshit and are left with the bones of a dangerous set of concepts.
The moment we're too caught up with politics, egos and kowtowing to learn is the moment that your WC has reverted to the cult mentality so prevalent amongst teachers and classes. Are we here to learn, or here to kiss ass? Everyone has a right to an opinion...but no one has a right to tell me I'm wrong without showing me why.
Despite not knowing many, I still feel kinship with anyone learning WC and I want the best for them. Sadly I'm not sure they want the best for themselves.
<Edit: I've been kindly pointed towards some resources for improving my blog. I'm no writer, and I actually like rambling, but I'll take it on board and work on improving. Keep the advice coming!!>
Sunday 10 May 2015
It's supposed to be an interactive adventure right?
Not too long ago our school hosted a weekend long seminar with our esteemed Teacher. He's our Sifu and our teacher's Sifu...I forget the traditional term, but we respect him. He's shown us so much that its literally been information overload. This is probably the same for each of you and your teacher respectively. Our teacher is, of course, better because he's ours. <Note the sarcasm, and the allusion to prevalent belief systems within the greater Wing Chun world. eg. "My dad can smash your dad!!", as you run away crying.>
Seriously though, he does invite questions and testing. He encourages us to test ourselves, what he teaches us, and to take nothing for granted. We're all human, and thus...probably very flawed.
This, and the effectiveness of his demonstrations, are attributes which have won my respect.
This isn't about the Seminar however.
This is about an aspect of the learning process withing the greater WC schools, which I've been a part of, and which I still see from others.
In a sense its pointless programming with no expectation for right, or wrong.
Let me set the scene...our weekend adventure had 20 odd students from two different schools. Ours...and 2 of theirs. I respect their teacher for letting them attend, and I respect them for giving it a go. One of them was even from my old LMK school, we didn't know each other but I recognised the footwork and such. He was in for a big surprise, and potentially turned his WC world on its ear, lol.
One of ours in particular came from a Chu Shong Tin lineage and had been learning down country, and we two had an interesting experience which astounded and surprised me at the same time.
We were going through a variation of the pak sao drill, (i'm assuming that all systems have some sort of repeatable pattern used for teaching pak sao. the technique isn't important here), and to be honest...I was a bit perplexed, which was in turn perplexing for my partner, lets call him Grant.
The main intention was to let us see where our pak's should be, why it should be there, and to have some thought towards real life application...within reason of course.
Grant had this...small-dog-being-held-over-water thing going on.
Such as:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wSiC7KLiBZI
So we try to train for realistic application as much as possible considering the class environment, and we're none of us masters. As such we stagger our applications/attacks. We try to avoid establishing a rhythm. I guess the idea is that we are actively engaged in each encounter, and not falling into a pre-programmed routine by assuming the same sort of punch comes at me at the same speed, in the same fashion the whole time.
As soon as I threw a single punch, he would start throwing out his pak's even if I didn't have a punch, like that lil dawg above the water automatically doing his lil dawgy-paddle...nawwww, so cute.
But not in class. Yes, the chain punch can be effective, but it isn't some magic talisman that ensures success. If Grant was to try throwing these things at a boxer...well, I'm confident the boxer would have the upper hand.
My perception of WC is that...we meet what comes in. If it's not coming in, it should be retreating. So I'll follow it in.If these things aren't happening, then I'm not fighting. Worst case scenario is that I misjudge and need to defend against my opponents attack with one of my own. I can't do this if I restrict myself into programming a technique, rather than a concept.
By my definition a technique is a move you practice, the concept is the reason why the technique will work. Remove the concept from the technique...and....well, you're just swotting flies. Right?
What I'm trying to get at is that when I pointed out the staggered timing application to Grant, his face took on this, "wtf? why isn't this working? i used to OWN with this technique", sort of face.
It was a little sad. Not pathetic sad...more, a heart-breaking sort of sad.
I changed one aspect of training, and he wasn't used to it, and so he couldn't function. It would've ruined his day if I'd kept on like that, so I didn't...he's a nice guy, what can I say? Rather than point out this brain-fart/dis-functionality thing he had going...I just went along with his speed and he relaxed. He was happy, and that was fine.
But.
How can you have faith in a system that becomes next-to-useless if you change a single element?
The physics should never change. The physical laws of nature are immutable!
I don't know. I may have it wrong, but again...we must apply ourselves. This stuff isn't hard.
When you get down to it...Wing Chun, in all of its spelling variation, is simple and easy.
The hard part is allowing ourselves to put away old programming and expectation. Our bodies would move naturally through the 3 forms if we weren't locked up in our heads, in our bodies that spend 6 hours a day sitting.
It's funny...I've always been told to not over-think WC. And yet we can't understand it until we've used our analytical aspects. Perhaps I could change the over-thinking comment to something like, "try to think of this in a different context than you're used to." Or something even better. You tell me!
Seriously though, he does invite questions and testing. He encourages us to test ourselves, what he teaches us, and to take nothing for granted. We're all human, and thus...probably very flawed.
This, and the effectiveness of his demonstrations, are attributes which have won my respect.
This isn't about the Seminar however.
This is about an aspect of the learning process withing the greater WC schools, which I've been a part of, and which I still see from others.
In a sense its pointless programming with no expectation for right, or wrong.
Let me set the scene...our weekend adventure had 20 odd students from two different schools. Ours...and 2 of theirs. I respect their teacher for letting them attend, and I respect them for giving it a go. One of them was even from my old LMK school, we didn't know each other but I recognised the footwork and such. He was in for a big surprise, and potentially turned his WC world on its ear, lol.
One of ours in particular came from a Chu Shong Tin lineage and had been learning down country, and we two had an interesting experience which astounded and surprised me at the same time.
We were going through a variation of the pak sao drill, (i'm assuming that all systems have some sort of repeatable pattern used for teaching pak sao. the technique isn't important here), and to be honest...I was a bit perplexed, which was in turn perplexing for my partner, lets call him Grant.
The main intention was to let us see where our pak's should be, why it should be there, and to have some thought towards real life application...within reason of course.
Grant had this...small-dog-being-held-over-water thing going on.
Such as:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wSiC7KLiBZI
So we try to train for realistic application as much as possible considering the class environment, and we're none of us masters. As such we stagger our applications/attacks. We try to avoid establishing a rhythm. I guess the idea is that we are actively engaged in each encounter, and not falling into a pre-programmed routine by assuming the same sort of punch comes at me at the same speed, in the same fashion the whole time.
As soon as I threw a single punch, he would start throwing out his pak's even if I didn't have a punch, like that lil dawg above the water automatically doing his lil dawgy-paddle...nawwww, so cute.
But not in class. Yes, the chain punch can be effective, but it isn't some magic talisman that ensures success. If Grant was to try throwing these things at a boxer...well, I'm confident the boxer would have the upper hand.
My perception of WC is that...we meet what comes in. If it's not coming in, it should be retreating. So I'll follow it in.If these things aren't happening, then I'm not fighting. Worst case scenario is that I misjudge and need to defend against my opponents attack with one of my own. I can't do this if I restrict myself into programming a technique, rather than a concept.
By my definition a technique is a move you practice, the concept is the reason why the technique will work. Remove the concept from the technique...and....well, you're just swotting flies. Right?
What I'm trying to get at is that when I pointed out the staggered timing application to Grant, his face took on this, "wtf? why isn't this working? i used to OWN with this technique", sort of face.
It was a little sad. Not pathetic sad...more, a heart-breaking sort of sad.
I changed one aspect of training, and he wasn't used to it, and so he couldn't function. It would've ruined his day if I'd kept on like that, so I didn't...he's a nice guy, what can I say? Rather than point out this brain-fart/dis-functionality thing he had going...I just went along with his speed and he relaxed. He was happy, and that was fine.
But.
How can you have faith in a system that becomes next-to-useless if you change a single element?
The physics should never change. The physical laws of nature are immutable!
I don't know. I may have it wrong, but again...we must apply ourselves. This stuff isn't hard.
When you get down to it...Wing Chun, in all of its spelling variation, is simple and easy.
The hard part is allowing ourselves to put away old programming and expectation. Our bodies would move naturally through the 3 forms if we weren't locked up in our heads, in our bodies that spend 6 hours a day sitting.
It's funny...I've always been told to not over-think WC. And yet we can't understand it until we've used our analytical aspects. Perhaps I could change the over-thinking comment to something like, "try to think of this in a different context than you're used to." Or something even better. You tell me!
Thursday 7 May 2015
How realistic are our 'real-life' applications?
Training again last night! It went much better thank you.
Tonight was interesting for its variation away from our typical classes. It opened up with a 'what-if' scenario. At first I though it a bit of a one-in-a-million scenario until everyone voiced that something similar had happened to them.
The scenario: Road rage in a carpark.
While you're exiting and locking your vehicle an aggressive individual strides up actively, arms pumping as if they're power-walking around 'the bays' and their face having left Red behind in favor of a raging purple.
It seems we've all been in a situation where, in the process of obtaining a carpark, we've inadvertently (or not so inadvertently) done something that has caused a person to experience rage. Perhaps you had the right of way but the other person had been waiting for quite a few minutes and you just happened to be the catalyst for rage. The cause of these situations sits purely in your own hands, where as having someone attack in a carpark can seem out of your hands, but if you're prepared you could save yourself expense, damage and embarrassment. (Embarrassment being the least of your concerns, and something to consider once the situation has been dealt with).
So what do you do if, while you're parking your car, Señor Rage-On decides he's going to attack you and show you what-for?
Firstly, keep in mind that the behavior of Señor Rage-On is en par with a bully and their mentality. It's about feeling in power and having people react to you. The more fear and dismay the bully sees on their victims faces, the greater their personal pleasure.
In real-life it can be shocking and disconcerting. Your first reaction is usually something akin to, "WHAT THE FUCK?!?!?" Quickly followed by, " why are they pushing me and swearing?
If you hear/see them approaching you, you have an opportunity to access the situation and act accordingly.
Get into a fight-preparatory position.
Put something in between the two of you such as a car, a shopping trolley, a group of people, anything physical that will delay their reaching you. The longer you stay away from them the LONGER YOU STAY AWAY FROM THEM!!
The best defence is distance.
The second best defence against is bridging the gap in both the physical and psychological sense.
Potential Scenario: The aggressor approaches you in the carpark for whatever reason. They're screaming blue-hell at you, calling you names to a degree where expletives are the gel that holds the tirade together. What do you do?
The moment you emulate their momentum, meaning the moment you start back-peddling and retreating, you are at a disadvantage.
You may not know what's on the ground behind your feet.
The stepping back is usually accompanied by a look of terror, or dismay, which will have the aggressor half barred up and his internal process checking system is telling him to "move forward! This chump will fall!"
This is the physical side. Accompanying this is the psychological aspect, which initially is designed (these days) for flight...not fight, and this is your instant terror. The psychological side, at least in your head, will slow your reactions. It will lock up your muscles, or at least slow them, and you will be on the defensive retreat.
My approach is to mirror.
Which is to reflect their instigation of aggression with aggression.
To those not used to it, this can seem like a bad idea as often I've noticed people think this will lead to an actual fight. I've found this to rarely be the case.
A bully does not expect resistance and thus falls into a typical behavior with a sense of, 'this has always worked before, I'll do it again'.
By initiating aggression you can break the aggressors programming, causing him to activate his brain and hopefully influencing his behavior with an ounce of logic. Such as, 'ah fuck...they're not backing down, what do i do now? I don't actually want to fight', giving you a great opportunity to subdue the aggressor either physically or verbally etc. This would be when there's still space between the two of you and there's time and opportunity for a thought to enter their head.
In the case where they get close enough so that you only notice them as they, or just as they, push you. Lets ignore for the moment that you should've been aware of your environment and heard the yahoo strolling up spout expletives.
As they push you you need to defuse the force of the push so that you're not off balance, and you're ready to react.
If you retreat too much you will give your opponent too much room to gain a comfortable position and keep you in a reactionary position.
The moment they touch you it's on. They've assaulted you. After the fact you can decide whether they were really going to potentially hurt you. But in that moment you don't know what they know, what skills they have, what their ultimate intention is, or even what they're on.
Until you know better, your life is on the line. This doesn't mean to kill your opponent, it means saving yourself.
1. Be prepared
2. We aren't Tae Kwon Do. When we're attacked our response is to attack. The best defense against a punch is to punch back. In this case this means to react in a fashion which disrupts your opponents intent/programming, and putting yourself on better footing. An analogy for this may be to 'gain the high ground', or a better defensive position.
3. End it as soon as poosible. You don't want to tire yourself out, and if you don't see any it doesn't mean the aggressor doesn't have compatriots about. Finish each interaction asap and prepare for the next.
4. Use only the force required. If the aggressor is all talk, fine. Ideal. Call the cops, security, other Joe Public's, anything. If they continue to attack you, take them down. Control the situation and have the cops take care of them. If they pull a knife, get the fuck out of there...you're standing by a car, get in it. Get on it. Get around it. Shout.
In class it went a little different.
Some few students were feeling funny about 'acting' in front of their classmates. This harkens back to the concept of actively engaging in the encounter, applying yourself to the training to hopefully be better prepared.
It can be difficult when 'expecting' the attack, however in that moment there's still a surge of adrenalin, and regardless of how "the-shit" you feel, you always end up looking odd.
I advanced on the aggressor to push them away when they attacked. This left him on bad footing, and on the retreat. However I was unbalanced and instantly angry. Add an angry, "Fuck off!!" certainly helped put the bully/attacker on the back foot, And gave me a greater feeling of control, despite being out of control.
The world is getting bigger.The total pool from which stats are gathered is getting greater.
In a small village the likelihood of being attacked may be 0.07% (an arbitrary value I've made up to make a point), or 7 chances out of 100 people. This seems remarkably small, and may entail all variations of aggression from harsh words to full on physical attacks.
However, in a world of 7 billion people, this leaves 490,000,000 potential events. That's enough potential events to make me weary.
On top of that, if you consider the potential for specific situations...such as, the more you visit parking lots, the more likely you are to have an encounter. The more you're in the city on a friday night, out drinking with friends, the greater the potential for running into drunk aggressive carry-on.
Tonight was interesting for its variation away from our typical classes. It opened up with a 'what-if' scenario. At first I though it a bit of a one-in-a-million scenario until everyone voiced that something similar had happened to them.
The scenario: Road rage in a carpark.
While you're exiting and locking your vehicle an aggressive individual strides up actively, arms pumping as if they're power-walking around 'the bays' and their face having left Red behind in favor of a raging purple.
It seems we've all been in a situation where, in the process of obtaining a carpark, we've inadvertently (or not so inadvertently) done something that has caused a person to experience rage. Perhaps you had the right of way but the other person had been waiting for quite a few minutes and you just happened to be the catalyst for rage. The cause of these situations sits purely in your own hands, where as having someone attack in a carpark can seem out of your hands, but if you're prepared you could save yourself expense, damage and embarrassment. (Embarrassment being the least of your concerns, and something to consider once the situation has been dealt with).
So what do you do if, while you're parking your car, Señor Rage-On decides he's going to attack you and show you what-for?
Firstly, keep in mind that the behavior of Señor Rage-On is en par with a bully and their mentality. It's about feeling in power and having people react to you. The more fear and dismay the bully sees on their victims faces, the greater their personal pleasure.
In real-life it can be shocking and disconcerting. Your first reaction is usually something akin to, "WHAT THE FUCK?!?!?" Quickly followed by, " why are they pushing me and swearing?
If you hear/see them approaching you, you have an opportunity to access the situation and act accordingly.
Get into a fight-preparatory position.
Put something in between the two of you such as a car, a shopping trolley, a group of people, anything physical that will delay their reaching you. The longer you stay away from them the LONGER YOU STAY AWAY FROM THEM!!
The best defence is distance.
The second best defence against is bridging the gap in both the physical and psychological sense.
Potential Scenario: The aggressor approaches you in the carpark for whatever reason. They're screaming blue-hell at you, calling you names to a degree where expletives are the gel that holds the tirade together. What do you do?
The moment you emulate their momentum, meaning the moment you start back-peddling and retreating, you are at a disadvantage.
You may not know what's on the ground behind your feet.
The stepping back is usually accompanied by a look of terror, or dismay, which will have the aggressor half barred up and his internal process checking system is telling him to "move forward! This chump will fall!"
This is the physical side. Accompanying this is the psychological aspect, which initially is designed (these days) for flight...not fight, and this is your instant terror. The psychological side, at least in your head, will slow your reactions. It will lock up your muscles, or at least slow them, and you will be on the defensive retreat.
My approach is to mirror.
Which is to reflect their instigation of aggression with aggression.
To those not used to it, this can seem like a bad idea as often I've noticed people think this will lead to an actual fight. I've found this to rarely be the case.
A bully does not expect resistance and thus falls into a typical behavior with a sense of, 'this has always worked before, I'll do it again'.
By initiating aggression you can break the aggressors programming, causing him to activate his brain and hopefully influencing his behavior with an ounce of logic. Such as, 'ah fuck...they're not backing down, what do i do now? I don't actually want to fight', giving you a great opportunity to subdue the aggressor either physically or verbally etc. This would be when there's still space between the two of you and there's time and opportunity for a thought to enter their head.
In the case where they get close enough so that you only notice them as they, or just as they, push you. Lets ignore for the moment that you should've been aware of your environment and heard the yahoo strolling up spout expletives.
As they push you you need to defuse the force of the push so that you're not off balance, and you're ready to react.
If you retreat too much you will give your opponent too much room to gain a comfortable position and keep you in a reactionary position.
The moment they touch you it's on. They've assaulted you. After the fact you can decide whether they were really going to potentially hurt you. But in that moment you don't know what they know, what skills they have, what their ultimate intention is, or even what they're on.
Until you know better, your life is on the line. This doesn't mean to kill your opponent, it means saving yourself.
1. Be prepared
2. We aren't Tae Kwon Do. When we're attacked our response is to attack. The best defense against a punch is to punch back. In this case this means to react in a fashion which disrupts your opponents intent/programming, and putting yourself on better footing. An analogy for this may be to 'gain the high ground', or a better defensive position.
3. End it as soon as poosible. You don't want to tire yourself out, and if you don't see any it doesn't mean the aggressor doesn't have compatriots about. Finish each interaction asap and prepare for the next.
4. Use only the force required. If the aggressor is all talk, fine. Ideal. Call the cops, security, other Joe Public's, anything. If they continue to attack you, take them down. Control the situation and have the cops take care of them. If they pull a knife, get the fuck out of there...you're standing by a car, get in it. Get on it. Get around it. Shout.
In class it went a little different.
Some few students were feeling funny about 'acting' in front of their classmates. This harkens back to the concept of actively engaging in the encounter, applying yourself to the training to hopefully be better prepared.
It can be difficult when 'expecting' the attack, however in that moment there's still a surge of adrenalin, and regardless of how "the-shit" you feel, you always end up looking odd.
I advanced on the aggressor to push them away when they attacked. This left him on bad footing, and on the retreat. However I was unbalanced and instantly angry. Add an angry, "Fuck off!!" certainly helped put the bully/attacker on the back foot, And gave me a greater feeling of control, despite being out of control.
The world is getting bigger.The total pool from which stats are gathered is getting greater.
In a small village the likelihood of being attacked may be 0.07% (an arbitrary value I've made up to make a point), or 7 chances out of 100 people. This seems remarkably small, and may entail all variations of aggression from harsh words to full on physical attacks.
However, in a world of 7 billion people, this leaves 490,000,000 potential events. That's enough potential events to make me weary.
On top of that, if you consider the potential for specific situations...such as, the more you visit parking lots, the more likely you are to have an encounter. The more you're in the city on a friday night, out drinking with friends, the greater the potential for running into drunk aggressive carry-on.
Wednesday 6 May 2015
My mission statement: It will change.
Let me start off by stating that I am no master. I'm not even overly dedicated.
I'm an over-weight half-caste male with experience in 3 lineages of Wing Chun and I've had as hard a road as most others that find their way to martial arts.
Something happened when I was younger which damaged me, and I looked for solace in lessons of fighting under a teacher who wasn't in control of all his faculties.
I've had fights in my past, but I'm no street-fighter.
I have depressive bouts, medical issues, and every once in a while I'll glean something profound from my environment.
Mostly, I lack conviction. I lack control.
I'm beginning this blog to prove to myself that I can apply my thought to something and carry it through. And to try to fall back in love with Wing Chun, or in my current incarnation...Ving Tsun.
Don't get caught up on the spelling, despite how it looks Wing Chun and Ving Tsun sound the same when you say them, they're just written differently. This is what I've been told...and I am not a student of Cantonese, or any other Chinese language. Like a typical student I believe my teachers and what they have told me. That's just how it is.
I'm an over-weight half-caste male with experience in 3 lineages of Wing Chun and I've had as hard a road as most others that find their way to martial arts.
Something happened when I was younger which damaged me, and I looked for solace in lessons of fighting under a teacher who wasn't in control of all his faculties.
I've had fights in my past, but I'm no street-fighter.
I have depressive bouts, medical issues, and every once in a while I'll glean something profound from my environment.
Mostly, I lack conviction. I lack control.
I'm beginning this blog to prove to myself that I can apply my thought to something and carry it through. And to try to fall back in love with Wing Chun, or in my current incarnation...Ving Tsun.
Don't get caught up on the spelling, despite how it looks Wing Chun and Ving Tsun sound the same when you say them, they're just written differently. This is what I've been told...and I am not a student of Cantonese, or any other Chinese language. Like a typical student I believe my teachers and what they have told me. That's just how it is.
Tuesday 5 May 2015
Why are you doing Ving Tsun?
If I could get more girls to participate in Ving Tsun I would.
The Wong system is the only system I've experienced that gives girls, and women, the best perception of an actual violent interaction, within the VT universe.
I've seen girls and women of all ages enthusiastically kicking in Tae Kwon Do, breaking boards in Karate, 'rolling' in BJJ, and somersaulting in Capoeira...in all of them they're succeeding.
In New Zealand I've been disappointed. This can't be a reflection of all WC schools in NZ, I've visited very few...and yet all I've seen is a big pile of meh.
Why is this? I'm sincerely interested.
The link below states some pretty horrifying statistics.
https://womensrefuge.org.nz/WR/Domestic-violence/Statistics.htm
Firstly, I don't know enough about the do's and dont's of such a terrible subject. There are people better suited to discussing this, with greater perspectives of the issues involved and more than likely these same people will be less likely to come up with a knee-jerk reaction.
I'm only airing my opinions, based on limited experience and knowledge. I have seen violence against women.
I don't want to trivialise anyone's experiences.
In fact it isn't even really that only women are at risk. Because they're not. Our children are. Our men are. It isn't a gender specific issue.
But I love my mum. Before I was born my mum traveled the world, had experiences, met strangers...and could've been put into a situation such as might be shown by those stats. Beyond this, their value as people can't be quantified...and I think this lets a lot of us forget that. Despite our technological advances we're potentially <insert timely generalization> more endangered by each other than ever.
We're no longer savages running through field and forest.
We're no longer tribal hominids hunting mountain and jungle.
The likelihood that you'll be attacked on the street is probably low. You'll probably never experience the violence. You're probably fine.
The less prepared you are, the more likely you are to be hurt. There's no point in carrying a weapon, as they're apparently more likely to be taken and used on you. So what's the solution?
Preparation. Learn yourself something. It doesn't have to be VT, however I am quite biased towards it.
Train for application. Worry about internal stuff in your own time, when you're safe. Get used to being punched in the face, to falling over, to rough terrain. Get used to a realistic use of force in an attack.
Understand that real life will never be like the class room. The ideal punch will rarely allow you to deflect and diffuse. Assume you're going to get hit. I once had my teeth put through my lip when I was attacked at high school and it took me a few minutes to realise what was going on. That gave my attacker time to get away and afterwards I felt useless, damaged and broken. Sure I had a hole in my lip, but it was the gaping wound in my self-esteem that concerned me the most. Being hobbled by fear is sux.
I was brought up to think of women as weak and needing a man to look after them...this is what school taught me. My mother taught me about strength, drive, and ultimately that my life is my own. She's a hero to me. I'd like to believe I respect women, however I'm not perfect and I have my moments of capitulating to the stereo type and wanting to be the White Knight.
Boys are encouraged towards rough'n'tumble.
Girls and women should be encouraged to get into martial arts for personal protection. 'Should' is a dirty word...who am I to tell you what to do?
I'm someone who's been attacked.
I'm someone who only gets picked on by stronger opponents.
I've been the one who didn't expect to be physically hurt and was.
I. Am. Experience.
Learn to become the shield.
The Wong system is the only system I've experienced that gives girls, and women, the best perception of an actual violent interaction, within the VT universe.
I've seen girls and women of all ages enthusiastically kicking in Tae Kwon Do, breaking boards in Karate, 'rolling' in BJJ, and somersaulting in Capoeira...in all of them they're succeeding.
In New Zealand I've been disappointed. This can't be a reflection of all WC schools in NZ, I've visited very few...and yet all I've seen is a big pile of meh.
Why is this? I'm sincerely interested.
The link below states some pretty horrifying statistics.
https://womensrefuge.org.nz/WR/Domestic-violence/Statistics.htm
Firstly, I don't know enough about the do's and dont's of such a terrible subject. There are people better suited to discussing this, with greater perspectives of the issues involved and more than likely these same people will be less likely to come up with a knee-jerk reaction.
I'm only airing my opinions, based on limited experience and knowledge. I have seen violence against women.
I don't want to trivialise anyone's experiences.
In fact it isn't even really that only women are at risk. Because they're not. Our children are. Our men are. It isn't a gender specific issue.
But I love my mum. Before I was born my mum traveled the world, had experiences, met strangers...and could've been put into a situation such as might be shown by those stats. Beyond this, their value as people can't be quantified...and I think this lets a lot of us forget that. Despite our technological advances we're potentially <insert timely generalization> more endangered by each other than ever.
We're no longer savages running through field and forest.
We're no longer tribal hominids hunting mountain and jungle.
The likelihood that you'll be attacked on the street is probably low. You'll probably never experience the violence. You're probably fine.
The less prepared you are, the more likely you are to be hurt. There's no point in carrying a weapon, as they're apparently more likely to be taken and used on you. So what's the solution?
Preparation. Learn yourself something. It doesn't have to be VT, however I am quite biased towards it.
Train for application. Worry about internal stuff in your own time, when you're safe. Get used to being punched in the face, to falling over, to rough terrain. Get used to a realistic use of force in an attack.
Understand that real life will never be like the class room. The ideal punch will rarely allow you to deflect and diffuse. Assume you're going to get hit. I once had my teeth put through my lip when I was attacked at high school and it took me a few minutes to realise what was going on. That gave my attacker time to get away and afterwards I felt useless, damaged and broken. Sure I had a hole in my lip, but it was the gaping wound in my self-esteem that concerned me the most. Being hobbled by fear is sux.
I was brought up to think of women as weak and needing a man to look after them...this is what school taught me. My mother taught me about strength, drive, and ultimately that my life is my own. She's a hero to me. I'd like to believe I respect women, however I'm not perfect and I have my moments of capitulating to the stereo type and wanting to be the White Knight.
Boys are encouraged towards rough'n'tumble.
Girls and women should be encouraged to get into martial arts for personal protection. 'Should' is a dirty word...who am I to tell you what to do?
I'm someone who's been attacked.
I'm someone who only gets picked on by stronger opponents.
I've been the one who didn't expect to be physically hurt and was.
I. Am. Experience.
Learn to become the shield.
Monday 4 May 2015
How do You show respect?
So training didn't go so well.
I blew my shoulder against another lad. We're both quite strong and we're trying to reach the correct position for our training during Chi Sao drills. This often an issue I've noticed.
There's an ideal position for each person to get the best result out of the execution of a 'manoeuvre'. In this scenario you're stopping your opponent from getting the stronger/dominant/controlling line, and thus you control your opponents centre. You're training toward our collective goal. Have the better line.
This is the limitation I find...Chi Sao isn't fighting. It's a training tool. As such you have to allow your opponent to win from time to time so they can see where they're best to position themselves, or you help them program poor positioning by not being accommodating. Basically being a dick.
For me, in Chi Sao, I find that having a Tan Sao at 90° (perpendicular) to my body gives me a good position, and a strong line. It allows me to to keep my elbow locked to my waist.
Doing this messes with my training partner though. My shoulders are about a metre wide, this means my partners fook sao is going to be pushed outwards into an uncomfortable position while trying to maintain a good attacking line. So Mr. Fook tries to compensate by winning back the centre. All of a sudden Mr. Fook's intention has the resultant force directed across his own body, not towards his partner. The forward intention mutates into this 'big-dickery' scenario.
Where in this practice does the co-operation come?
We've all had training partners that are co-operative, and partners who aren't. We deal with this.
This is often a great opportunity to verbally bridge the gap, talk to them, and try to come to an understanding. What if this doesn't work?
Do you learn anything from someone who refuses to co-operate? Does working with a 'solely self-interested' individual provide an opportunity for your improvement?
My temper often gets the better of me. I point out that I couldn't possibly learn x if they're going to behave y. Is this reasonable though?
Communicating with your partner is, in my conceited opinion, really important for both.
Each person should have an opportunity to command dominance, and to also be defeated.
This sort of brings forward another idea. At least it does within my internal cause and effect matrix.
What is the motivator here? Or more accurately put, where is your mind at the time, compared to your training partners mind?
I spend a lot of time away from class, and as a result I try to mentally apply the discipline I physically lack, throughout the day.
In the context of Bong Sao, I will spend moments throughout the day thinking of a slow-motion projection of the path my arm takes. When i react, perhaps to a surprise attack, am I expecting my elbow to make a straight(ish) line towards this surprise attack (such as a punch to the face)? Or am I going to allow my elbow to spiral out from my waist, limit my potential and speed, and aggravate my injury? I do this inside of class as well. I'm thinking 'cause & effect', what's causing my Bong to not work as well as it could?
I'm talking ACTIVE ENGAGEMENT.
Martial Arts aren't supposed to be about an esoteric hobby you tell your friends about to be that cool/alternative hippie loving, crystal-healing, "I TOUCHED MY CHI!!!" guy...or gal.
A lot of us get into it to protect ourselves. We're either afraid, hurt, or we're damaged in another way.
The rest are, I'd like to think, still genuinely interested...they just don't have our issues.
The class isn't for a learning process like we experienced when were going to school and had 30 other students overwhelming a frazzled teacher. It's for you to experiment with your sticking points, to get advice from your teacher, and maybe to learn something new.
An analogy popped up last night.
"Some people come to class and are essentially blackboards. The have the potential to record information for use later, however as soon as individuals leave the class, this board gets cleared and all that's left behind may be an impression or hint...but the body of the lesson is gone."
I've noticed that the ones who have difficulty are the ones that don't think too deeply about the 'motion', or analyse the trajectory of their intent. This goes for practiced martial artists and n00bs.
The importance of this intent, or conscious awareness, is huge.
Where is your intent? Or as the Pixies put it..."Where is my mind?"
Are you looking at this conditioning and concerning yourself with why it doesn't work? Is it you? Is it your training partner? Is it we both?
I don't accept that it's because I'm shit. Nor will I accept its because my partner is shit.
It doesn't work because I'm still learning it. It doesn't work because there's an aspect I haven't taken into account. It doesn't work because I'm too busy thinking about the move that's supposed to follow my Bong Sao.
It doesn't work because my mind isn't intent on what I'm doing. I'm either thinking of what I've done, what I'm going to do, or dinner, or b00bs, or not hurting my little training partner, or not being hurt by my strong/wiley/fast/smart/<insert positive description> partner.
The simple distinction is that if I clear my mind, concentrate on the moment, and actively engage myself within the moment I can then potentially walk away with a deeper understanding. I'm not even sure if I'm making sense here. Most likely I'm merely waffling on about a concept which is important, and trivializing it through my ignorance.
I blew my shoulder against another lad. We're both quite strong and we're trying to reach the correct position for our training during Chi Sao drills. This often an issue I've noticed.
There's an ideal position for each person to get the best result out of the execution of a 'manoeuvre'. In this scenario you're stopping your opponent from getting the stronger/dominant/controlling line, and thus you control your opponents centre. You're training toward our collective goal. Have the better line.
This is the limitation I find...Chi Sao isn't fighting. It's a training tool. As such you have to allow your opponent to win from time to time so they can see where they're best to position themselves, or you help them program poor positioning by not being accommodating. Basically being a dick.
For me, in Chi Sao, I find that having a Tan Sao at 90° (perpendicular) to my body gives me a good position, and a strong line. It allows me to to keep my elbow locked to my waist.
Doing this messes with my training partner though. My shoulders are about a metre wide, this means my partners fook sao is going to be pushed outwards into an uncomfortable position while trying to maintain a good attacking line. So Mr. Fook tries to compensate by winning back the centre. All of a sudden Mr. Fook's intention has the resultant force directed across his own body, not towards his partner. The forward intention mutates into this 'big-dickery' scenario.
Where in this practice does the co-operation come?
We've all had training partners that are co-operative, and partners who aren't. We deal with this.
This is often a great opportunity to verbally bridge the gap, talk to them, and try to come to an understanding. What if this doesn't work?
Do you learn anything from someone who refuses to co-operate? Does working with a 'solely self-interested' individual provide an opportunity for your improvement?
My temper often gets the better of me. I point out that I couldn't possibly learn x if they're going to behave y. Is this reasonable though?
Communicating with your partner is, in my conceited opinion, really important for both.
Each person should have an opportunity to command dominance, and to also be defeated.
This sort of brings forward another idea. At least it does within my internal cause and effect matrix.
What is the motivator here? Or more accurately put, where is your mind at the time, compared to your training partners mind?
I spend a lot of time away from class, and as a result I try to mentally apply the discipline I physically lack, throughout the day.
In the context of Bong Sao, I will spend moments throughout the day thinking of a slow-motion projection of the path my arm takes. When i react, perhaps to a surprise attack, am I expecting my elbow to make a straight(ish) line towards this surprise attack (such as a punch to the face)? Or am I going to allow my elbow to spiral out from my waist, limit my potential and speed, and aggravate my injury? I do this inside of class as well. I'm thinking 'cause & effect', what's causing my Bong to not work as well as it could?
I'm talking ACTIVE ENGAGEMENT.
Martial Arts aren't supposed to be about an esoteric hobby you tell your friends about to be that cool/alternative hippie loving, crystal-healing, "I TOUCHED MY CHI!!!" guy...or gal.
A lot of us get into it to protect ourselves. We're either afraid, hurt, or we're damaged in another way.
The rest are, I'd like to think, still genuinely interested...they just don't have our issues.
The class isn't for a learning process like we experienced when were going to school and had 30 other students overwhelming a frazzled teacher. It's for you to experiment with your sticking points, to get advice from your teacher, and maybe to learn something new.
An analogy popped up last night.
"Some people come to class and are essentially blackboards. The have the potential to record information for use later, however as soon as individuals leave the class, this board gets cleared and all that's left behind may be an impression or hint...but the body of the lesson is gone."
I've noticed that the ones who have difficulty are the ones that don't think too deeply about the 'motion', or analyse the trajectory of their intent. This goes for practiced martial artists and n00bs.
The importance of this intent, or conscious awareness, is huge.
Where is your intent? Or as the Pixies put it..."Where is my mind?"
Are you looking at this conditioning and concerning yourself with why it doesn't work? Is it you? Is it your training partner? Is it we both?
I don't accept that it's because I'm shit. Nor will I accept its because my partner is shit.
It doesn't work because I'm still learning it. It doesn't work because there's an aspect I haven't taken into account. It doesn't work because I'm too busy thinking about the move that's supposed to follow my Bong Sao.
It doesn't work because my mind isn't intent on what I'm doing. I'm either thinking of what I've done, what I'm going to do, or dinner, or b00bs, or not hurting my little training partner, or not being hurt by my strong/wiley/fast/smart/<insert positive description> partner.
The simple distinction is that if I clear my mind, concentrate on the moment, and actively engage myself within the moment I can then potentially walk away with a deeper understanding. I'm not even sure if I'm making sense here. Most likely I'm merely waffling on about a concept which is important, and trivializing it through my ignorance.
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