Chasing tradition is like chasing hands. It's fun and makes you look great to people who don't know better, but its still not WC. At least...not to me.
This isn't to say that Traditional WC isn't WC. I'm merely trying to provide a personal distinction between literal and figurative definitions, being that 'Traditional WC' is the water that sits and doesn't move, while real WC changes and evolves to suit its environment and application without veering away from the largely important concepts of being Simple, Direct and Efficient.
Like Wong Shun Leung said, "WC is a skill that needs to be trained and refined". Its a set of skills and tools, based on humanity, that needs to evolve as we evolve, as has all of our tools through time. As it grows it needs to change, to get simpler, and to get more efficient, in the context of its application. One needs to find how the concept is applied to oneself where we are all marginally different from each other. One may be more flexible on one side of the body, so perhaps we don't have to compensate as much on that side. Whereas the other side might be very limited in flexibility, and our body position may have to be calibrated to accommodate. This calibration doesn't necessarily mean that you're no longer adhering to WC's tenets. It can actually fall further in line.
Saying that, its growing simplicity can be found to be quite difficult when applying a scientific approach to it.
Just like any other learned skill. Funny that...isn't it?
There is nothing to say there isn't a place for tradition in the world. The Traditional movement can still provide for self-defence, effective application, and discipline. It can lead to a stronger sense of community and belonging as you become part of something 'bigger-than-yourself'. And yet, within these systems you can find people who Believe a technique will work simply because they're told. The traditional world isn't alone in this. Sadly this has just as much to do with the individual as it does the movement.
I don't believe in Chi as a manifest form of energy. I just don't see any scientific evidence that can be proven, time and again, across a broad spectrum of people. I can appreciate it for how I perceive it, as a mental exercise that can be used to picture the flow of 'energy' (or more so, intention) to make the learning process easier. Add to that the human ability to self-convince oneself of a 'truth', and you've instantly a great big puddle of woo-woo. I look at religion the same way, as a mechanism to appease and support an individuals need for greater meaning, social support and philosophical (incorporating morals and ethics) guidance. In the end it looks different when portrayed by different people. Yet WC, allowing for the different body types, can look the same. Not identical, but the same. Effective in the same way.
I trained Yang Tai Chi for 4 years. It was a slow process but I loved it. It was awesome!
I still think its pretty great, but I don't need to believe in Chi to appreciate it. Tai Chi is often referred to as a traditional system, involving idea's of Chi, Jing and other seeming mysteries. For me, these concepts are more about explaining a difficult idea in a way which is favorable to the person its being explained to. It always delights me when i find a video of a Tai Chi teacher explaining the physics of why, and how, it works. Its nice that we can now put reason and physical evidence behind Tai Chi, and we can explain the mechanisms at play.
As such, there is a place in this world for Traditional WC. We need to learn our history and appreciate it for what it is...evidence that we're growing as an organism and stretching our muscles. It's evidence that we are AWARE of our place in the world and the struggles involved in maintaining our presence. However, like science, we must move forward reinforcing those concepts that are still true and changing those aspects that hold us back.
This same mechanism is available to students of WC. We can appreciate the tradition we've adopted, we can believe in Ng Mui, we can argue about which school is the true inheritor of Yim Wing Chun. But none of this will help when someone tries to mug me. Or rob me. Or molest me. Only the ability to defend myself, or not, will be in evidence. That will be the proof to the pudding
Monday, 31 July 2017
Sunday, 2 July 2017
So I'm back...
Its been a bit of laziness, sick family, my sickness, that have kept me away and other very poor excuses for not posting.
The good news is that I'm still Chunning my Wing, and our classes are still rocking.
With the new location we're training three times a week, and I've been building a Mook Yan Jong with my coach. We'll be putting that up in the class when its done, and I'll post pics here in a bit.
This blog is predominantly for my own personal growth, so I tend to go on about the same, or similar, things.
We'll talk soon
The good news is that I'm still Chunning my Wing, and our classes are still rocking.
With the new location we're training three times a week, and I've been building a Mook Yan Jong with my coach. We'll be putting that up in the class when its done, and I'll post pics here in a bit.
This blog is predominantly for my own personal growth, so I tend to go on about the same, or similar, things.
We'll talk soon
Sunday, 29 May 2016
Gah! I'm exhausted...Melbourne is awesome.
Last week I got back from a trip to Melbourne to visit Sifu Darren Elvey.
What an understanding of VT he has.
Its funny...my ego can barely stand going to Darren's classes in Melbourne. This isn't a negative reflection of him...quite the opposite in fact.
I go there to get my compass reset.
Darren is a Dr Fu in my opinion. I go there to find out 'what's wrong?!', only to be told the VT version of eat better, drink water and get exercise...which is, relax what you're doing, simplify what you're doing and train the fundamentals until they can't be undone...which means you're forever training those simple ideas.
I'd gotten so caught up in controlling the centre line and having my elbow come back to the centre that...like a fool...I'd collapsed my entire structure. My shoulders would be caving towards my chest and I'd be tired in no-time.
Now, I'm about a metre wide at the shoulder...so I have concerns about letting my opponent get in, but i guess the secret is Lat Sau Jik Chung for the most part, and Facing for the rest.
I don't move a lot because people can't move me. Being big and heavy allows me to have a wonderful relationship with gravity...but that often leads me into standing my ground when it isn't reasonable and being slower to respond to changes in direction.
While I've spent a year or so concentrating on my bong sao, my next two points of concentration will be adjusting my tan sao and keeping my shoulders square and relaxed without allowing them to collapse.
As an extension of this I'll also be concentrating on facing, keeping close to my opponent and eating their space. My first name means Always Hungry, so it seems appropriate.
I get frustrated as i still find myself falling into the situation of, 'if i learn a new way to do x then my skill level will increase and y will be the result!'...fucking moron.
I need to keep it simple.
Move forward.
Become efficient.
Square up.
Keep close.
And every new thing i discover means reapplying these ideas and finding them taking on new meaning.
(now i don't mean a new technique, i mean discovering an aspect of WC which is new to me...).
Sure a magic pill, or Neo's "I know kung fu" ability would be outstanding...but we don't got it so i'll keep on with the slow boat.
WC is a long road and i'm not prepared to head in another direction.
On top of this I was lucky enough to spend time with the class, eat with a couple of them and get great feedback from all of them.
And in Chinatown in Melbourne there is my favorite little bbq restaurant which does the BEST roast pork with crackle. THAT is why gravity and i work so well together! baaaahahaha!
Wednesday, 13 April 2016
My perception of Siu Nim Tao...
When I was first being taught Siu Nim Tao I had so many questions for my Sifu...and he couldn't answer many of them. Actually he didn't give ANY straight answers, merely put on his, "Mang I'm gonna get esoteric on his ass! That'll teach him to question me!", face and hit me with some nonsensical reference to something he'd seen on the Discovery channel that referenced Bhudda...in a passing sort of fashion.
I didn't understand his meaning then, and I sure-as-hell don't remember the detail. It's been scrubbed from my brain like CO2 in a re-breather. And yet I completed Siu Nim Tao, Cham Kiu and half of Biu Jee, 3/4 of the Mook Yan Jong and I'd just begun the Luk Dim Boon Kwan.
I thought I was the bees-knees (a positive, local reference), or colloquially referred to as...The Shit.
And yet I couldn't explain the fundamental ideas behind anything I had learned. What I had been taught is to respond with POWER ANGLES for everything.
I was never taught why Tan Sao would work in certain applications of force, and not in others.
For us Fook Sao was merely a way to lock onto an opponents arms to they couldn't escape, and thus we trained to chase hands. This further developed into grabbing for the sake of control. Essentially we were training for failure.
In the last year I've been watching the David Peterson Seminar DVD's and been consistently having my mind blown.
Admittedly, my Coach has been explaining these points clearly in class...however I've always found class isn't the best place for retention, and the ability to re-watch a dvd is priceless. It gives me the chance to rewind and watch again, while still allowing me to have, "that-sounds-familiar" moments.
As such the CK dvd has changed how I Chi Sao, has improved my ability to teach (we all participate in the transfer of ideas, however the final say is always belongs with Coach).
Now, I know that if one was to use a single word to explain SNT it would be STRUCTURE. That simple statement I got from David's dvd. More importantly though is that I have a growing understanding of the 'Why' behind the idea.
The reasoning behind the repetition of certain movements also makes sense. The importance of the fook/wu pattern becomes clearer. Rather than being the boring part you rush through, it ends up having significance and value, pushing you to engage the right muscles, drive from your elbow, keep the elbow connected to your waist and thus the ground. It prepares you for things you won't understand until CK
The form provides a legitimate foundation upon which you can build a quantifiable skill set.
The form's of WC are tool-kits of consequential actions providing insight into the minds of great practitioners.
Merely understanding this one concept has changed how I look at WC, how I analyse it, how I judge it's teachers, and how I judge myself.
An example.
From my very first lesson some 15 years ago (ish) I had been taught to seek the center with my Tan Sao. I had to have it, that's just how it was.
The angle of my Tan in relation to my body didn't matter...the desire for forward intention wasn't there...I had to win the center because it was more powerful...blah, blah, blah.
I got hit several times chasing that white rabbit.
I spent a lot of time confused until I stopped looking and just believed. Sifu said...so shall it be.
So when it was later explained to me by Coach, Darren Elvey, and David's DVD that, 'while having your Tan Sao in the center is ideal, it's more important to maintain a Tan Sao perpendicular to your body to ensure connection to the waste as a support for your structure', I became deflated about my wasted time, while growing a cheeky smile at being able to improve.
Moving through WSLVT I have been given something tangible that I could look into and question. I have been welcomed to disprove it where possible and to always be the skeptic.
I love this.
In our class the n00bs can be shy, and yet they're encouraged to question. Anyone who has been in class for a reasonable period is welcome to share their opinion. Everyone understands that they don't entirely know how it works, but there are others to ask to confirm or explain. And teaching is a wonderful path to understanding...have you ever noticed how beginners often discover a hole in either your explanation, execution, or perspective? Outstanding!
We discover and grow together. There is very little distinction between teacher and student beyond understanding.
Wong Sifu referred to SNT as 'Young Idea', in reference (I believe) to the growing of an idea from a simple thing into one of great complexity and beauty. This is possibly where the 'Little Idea' came from, something which could increase,(however I must bow before folk who actually speak Cantonese or the Foshan dialect etc...as my posts will likely show...I tend to swap between the dialects because I don't know any better. I'm still learning after all).
I like this Young Idea perspective.
I like the association this has with evolution when I think about the concept. The further down the path I get the more my previous knowledge grows and evolves.
Except for the stuff I forget.
I didn't understand his meaning then, and I sure-as-hell don't remember the detail. It's been scrubbed from my brain like CO2 in a re-breather. And yet I completed Siu Nim Tao, Cham Kiu and half of Biu Jee, 3/4 of the Mook Yan Jong and I'd just begun the Luk Dim Boon Kwan.
I thought I was the bees-knees (a positive, local reference), or colloquially referred to as...The Shit.
And yet I couldn't explain the fundamental ideas behind anything I had learned. What I had been taught is to respond with POWER ANGLES for everything.
I was never taught why Tan Sao would work in certain applications of force, and not in others.
For us Fook Sao was merely a way to lock onto an opponents arms to they couldn't escape, and thus we trained to chase hands. This further developed into grabbing for the sake of control. Essentially we were training for failure.
In the last year I've been watching the David Peterson Seminar DVD's and been consistently having my mind blown.
Admittedly, my Coach has been explaining these points clearly in class...however I've always found class isn't the best place for retention, and the ability to re-watch a dvd is priceless. It gives me the chance to rewind and watch again, while still allowing me to have, "that-sounds-familiar" moments.
As such the CK dvd has changed how I Chi Sao, has improved my ability to teach (we all participate in the transfer of ideas, however the final say is always belongs with Coach).
Now, I know that if one was to use a single word to explain SNT it would be STRUCTURE. That simple statement I got from David's dvd. More importantly though is that I have a growing understanding of the 'Why' behind the idea.
The reasoning behind the repetition of certain movements also makes sense. The importance of the fook/wu pattern becomes clearer. Rather than being the boring part you rush through, it ends up having significance and value, pushing you to engage the right muscles, drive from your elbow, keep the elbow connected to your waist and thus the ground. It prepares you for things you won't understand until CK
The form provides a legitimate foundation upon which you can build a quantifiable skill set.
The form's of WC are tool-kits of consequential actions providing insight into the minds of great practitioners.
Merely understanding this one concept has changed how I look at WC, how I analyse it, how I judge it's teachers, and how I judge myself.
An example.
From my very first lesson some 15 years ago (ish) I had been taught to seek the center with my Tan Sao. I had to have it, that's just how it was.
The angle of my Tan in relation to my body didn't matter...the desire for forward intention wasn't there...I had to win the center because it was more powerful...blah, blah, blah.
I got hit several times chasing that white rabbit.
I spent a lot of time confused until I stopped looking and just believed. Sifu said...so shall it be.
So when it was later explained to me by Coach, Darren Elvey, and David's DVD that, 'while having your Tan Sao in the center is ideal, it's more important to maintain a Tan Sao perpendicular to your body to ensure connection to the waste as a support for your structure', I became deflated about my wasted time, while growing a cheeky smile at being able to improve.
Moving through WSLVT I have been given something tangible that I could look into and question. I have been welcomed to disprove it where possible and to always be the skeptic.
I love this.
In our class the n00bs can be shy, and yet they're encouraged to question. Anyone who has been in class for a reasonable period is welcome to share their opinion. Everyone understands that they don't entirely know how it works, but there are others to ask to confirm or explain. And teaching is a wonderful path to understanding...have you ever noticed how beginners often discover a hole in either your explanation, execution, or perspective? Outstanding!
We discover and grow together. There is very little distinction between teacher and student beyond understanding.
Wong Sifu referred to SNT as 'Young Idea', in reference (I believe) to the growing of an idea from a simple thing into one of great complexity and beauty. This is possibly where the 'Little Idea' came from, something which could increase,(however I must bow before folk who actually speak Cantonese or the Foshan dialect etc...as my posts will likely show...I tend to swap between the dialects because I don't know any better. I'm still learning after all).
I like this Young Idea perspective.
I like the association this has with evolution when I think about the concept. The further down the path I get the more my previous knowledge grows and evolves.
Except for the stuff I forget.
Wednesday, 30 March 2016
Creating habits to support your training...
Every time someone new walks into our school, I celebrate. Sure it means a bit more stability for the school, but more importantly it means another person has found their way here to experience something I love. When push comes to shove we don't need a building to train in, though it does make it easier for n00bs to feel comfortable. It's also useful not being blinded by rain or catching our death of cold.
Before I got my shit together, kicked depression in the nuts for a while and delved heartily into WC again, my brothers were training in a few different locations. They were at each others houses, in car park buildings...anywhere they were protected from the weather. They spent a few years doing this...just they three.
A building is only important a) for protection (it gets really wet and cold in winter in our southern climes, and b) students and prospects expect it. There's a misconception that the better the location, the better the kung fu will be. The regular occurrence of McDojo's proves this isn't always the case.
My brothers created a habit amongst themselves by training at least once a week when they could all make it.
It took me a long time before I was able to temporarily change a habit that lead to my attendance improving, resulting in a sudden rise in skill. I had a habit of getting home, lying down and having a bit of a snooze. This would often lead to my not waking until after class.
I wasn't doing very well at improving, and that reinforced the idea that missing a class or two wouldn't make any difference. I knew I was wrong but depression and lack of motivation allowed me to look the other way and ignore the obvious. Thus I created the habit of not attending classes.
I don't remember how it happened. I'd spent weeks thinking about WC, how much fun I'd previously had learning it and just how hard our simple system really was. I like to think that I realised I love to be challenged, that the cognitive requirements I needed to move forward were available to me and that my aptitude was merely...sleeping. I eventually woke up to that challenge and met it face on.
I've since created a new habit, though it's still not locked in, of not going home first.
My routine began when I would head home from work.
I'd get home, lie down, set my alarm, and snooze. The reward was sleep. I love sleep and yet I starve myself of it at times during the week.
It took me a while to realise what the cue was and I thought it was many different things before the truth hit me. It was boredom. Sure I was tired but that wasn't driving my habit. I was bored. I finish work at 5 pm and we don't start class until 8pm. I'm usually not hungry so I don't bother with food. So I'm left twiddling my thumbs.
I broke this habit my interrupting the routine.
On my way home I stop off at a local mall, grab a coffee or a little nibble, and generally just walk around for about 10 mins. Then I go back to my car and have a snooze.
The only changes are that I might eat and I don't go home. Instead I find myself waking up every few minutes to make sure I haven't missed the alarm. This simple change in routine had a huge impact on my drive and perception. I get enough sleep to be alert in class and I'm eager enough that I don't sleep through the alarm.
My reasoning behind sharing this overly detailed experience is that we, (and I'm sure most other schools do too), have new students regularly who are all keen and ready to learn. However after a couple months they tend to drop off, always promising to come back, but only dropping back in from time to time. (This is excluding folk who just don't dig the class for whatever reason).
Admittedly some of them are scholastic students, some actors, some do shift-work...there are many legitimate reasons for their not being able to make it.
We've looked into whether its a quality issue with our classes and the typical outcome isn't an issue with our teaching...its time. A lot of people are just too busy. Kung fu is still seen as a fun pastime. Its up there with, swimming, going to the park, going to the gym...or learning a new language. It's either a bit of fun, or something which is Really Interesting, but something to be taken up later.
In the end people look at WC as a hobby. I guess for most people it has to be just a hobby.
The limitation with this thought frame is that WC is a skill-set. If you don't use it or practice it regularly, it will cease working as well as you want it to. If you're new to WC your progress will be stymied by your limited application of time. How many of us wouldn't have learned to write if we hadn't spent so much time at school learning?
Some folk may have a natural aptitude but they'll always be the minority. The greater number of folk will always have to work hard to improve and its up to us to create the environment to grow our WC.
After all...don't we value something more when we've had to work hard for it?
Before I got my shit together, kicked depression in the nuts for a while and delved heartily into WC again, my brothers were training in a few different locations. They were at each others houses, in car park buildings...anywhere they were protected from the weather. They spent a few years doing this...just they three.
A building is only important a) for protection (it gets really wet and cold in winter in our southern climes, and b) students and prospects expect it. There's a misconception that the better the location, the better the kung fu will be. The regular occurrence of McDojo's proves this isn't always the case.
My brothers created a habit amongst themselves by training at least once a week when they could all make it.
It took me a long time before I was able to temporarily change a habit that lead to my attendance improving, resulting in a sudden rise in skill. I had a habit of getting home, lying down and having a bit of a snooze. This would often lead to my not waking until after class.
I wasn't doing very well at improving, and that reinforced the idea that missing a class or two wouldn't make any difference. I knew I was wrong but depression and lack of motivation allowed me to look the other way and ignore the obvious. Thus I created the habit of not attending classes.
I don't remember how it happened. I'd spent weeks thinking about WC, how much fun I'd previously had learning it and just how hard our simple system really was. I like to think that I realised I love to be challenged, that the cognitive requirements I needed to move forward were available to me and that my aptitude was merely...sleeping. I eventually woke up to that challenge and met it face on.
I've since created a new habit, though it's still not locked in, of not going home first.
My routine began when I would head home from work.
I'd get home, lie down, set my alarm, and snooze. The reward was sleep. I love sleep and yet I starve myself of it at times during the week.
It took me a while to realise what the cue was and I thought it was many different things before the truth hit me. It was boredom. Sure I was tired but that wasn't driving my habit. I was bored. I finish work at 5 pm and we don't start class until 8pm. I'm usually not hungry so I don't bother with food. So I'm left twiddling my thumbs.
I broke this habit my interrupting the routine.
On my way home I stop off at a local mall, grab a coffee or a little nibble, and generally just walk around for about 10 mins. Then I go back to my car and have a snooze.
The only changes are that I might eat and I don't go home. Instead I find myself waking up every few minutes to make sure I haven't missed the alarm. This simple change in routine had a huge impact on my drive and perception. I get enough sleep to be alert in class and I'm eager enough that I don't sleep through the alarm.
My reasoning behind sharing this overly detailed experience is that we, (and I'm sure most other schools do too), have new students regularly who are all keen and ready to learn. However after a couple months they tend to drop off, always promising to come back, but only dropping back in from time to time. (This is excluding folk who just don't dig the class for whatever reason).
Admittedly some of them are scholastic students, some actors, some do shift-work...there are many legitimate reasons for their not being able to make it.
We've looked into whether its a quality issue with our classes and the typical outcome isn't an issue with our teaching...its time. A lot of people are just too busy. Kung fu is still seen as a fun pastime. Its up there with, swimming, going to the park, going to the gym...or learning a new language. It's either a bit of fun, or something which is Really Interesting, but something to be taken up later.
In the end people look at WC as a hobby. I guess for most people it has to be just a hobby.
The limitation with this thought frame is that WC is a skill-set. If you don't use it or practice it regularly, it will cease working as well as you want it to. If you're new to WC your progress will be stymied by your limited application of time. How many of us wouldn't have learned to write if we hadn't spent so much time at school learning?
Some folk may have a natural aptitude but they'll always be the minority. The greater number of folk will always have to work hard to improve and its up to us to create the environment to grow our WC.
After all...don't we value something more when we've had to work hard for it?
Gawwdamn I'm getting lazy! And stuff about Lat Sau Jik Chung
I need to update this thing more. If only for my own review...
I've had a lot going on and I've got plenty of excuses to explain why...however, they're only excuses.
I've committed myself to my WC...perhaps I need to commit myself to this blog equally.
Monday night I missed my first class for close to a year. This is pretty good of me, and it was due to a legitimate reason. I get Gout. I don't drink, I don't eat that much meat and I don't eat seafood...it seems sugar is my devil. With Easter just past...I delved into a few eggs and ended up on the punishment side of the interaction. What's more is the gout is in my Ankle! Damn my genetics!
It's all merely motivation to improve my health, my diet and all this will lead into my WC improving.
For the last year or two I've been concentrating on getting my Bong Sao sorted, and executing it in a way that doesn't require strength and won't further damage my Rotator Cuffs. This worked and after visiting Melbourne for the WSL Border Incident, and training a little with John Smith...I've found my skills have improved heaps! Having said that, my arms have become heavy again...I'm using too much force. While I don't have the downwards force which would slow any of my defenses or attacks, I do find myself locking my muscle a bit too much (both in Bong and other manouvres) and thus I end up to stiff, slow and unresponsive by comparison to where I believe I should be.
As such my current goal is to work on Lat Sau Jik Chung.
I realise many other schools of thought/lineages also apply LSJC, however I've noticed the WSL schools are particularly dedicated to the idea. So I feel pretty fortunate.
The last school I was in (a Lo Man Kam/Leung Ting bastardization) talked about forward intention, but there was a distinct impression that no-one really understood the application, or how to train it.
I still don't fully understand the concept and I expect its something I'll be trying to understand for quite some time, however I comprehend enough to concentrate on building my experience with it.
Why do we train it? To answer this I'd have to ask back, Where is my opponent?
As I understand it, the purpose of training LSJK comes back to three important concepts of WC. Directness, Simplicity and Efficiency.
My opponent should be directly in front of me.
The simplest form of defense in this application is to attack.
The most efficient way to do this is to allow your attacks to commit themselves without conscious thought. The moment you have to think about doing something, the moment will pass and you'll miss your opportunity. Merely thinking the thought will be too slow. This is one reason why we train with Chi Sao, building a sensitivity so as to react in an habitual manner. LSJC is an extension of this idea, or perhaps more accurately...LSJC is the engine which drives the mechanism.
It's not merely keeping a constant forward pressure, as this can evolve into using too much strength, over-committing to a particular attack or defense, and result in either or both of your arms becoming a lever to be used against you. When your arm isn't malleable and has to deal with oncoming force, the resultant forces can change your positioning and attack vectors.
As such I want all of my defenses to become attacks as soon as possible.
I want all of my attacks to be in line with my oppontents.
And I want this to happen as soon as possible...oh, did I already mention this point?
Our system isn't about looking flashy. I perceive it as being about smashing through your opponents defenses and doing a great deal of harm in a short period of time.
I see it being about my survival.
For me it's about having to be honest with myself and acknowledge that it doesn't matter how strong I am...physics will always win. If my structure isn't supporting my strength, or if my opponents structure diffuses my strength, then I have a problem. If my strength slows me down, I have a problem.
I certainly don't understand enough of the specifics pertaining to LSJC yet, so I'm going to have to spend much more time training it. Wash, Rinse, Repeat.
I've had a lot going on and I've got plenty of excuses to explain why...however, they're only excuses.
I've committed myself to my WC...perhaps I need to commit myself to this blog equally.
Monday night I missed my first class for close to a year. This is pretty good of me, and it was due to a legitimate reason. I get Gout. I don't drink, I don't eat that much meat and I don't eat seafood...it seems sugar is my devil. With Easter just past...I delved into a few eggs and ended up on the punishment side of the interaction. What's more is the gout is in my Ankle! Damn my genetics!
It's all merely motivation to improve my health, my diet and all this will lead into my WC improving.
For the last year or two I've been concentrating on getting my Bong Sao sorted, and executing it in a way that doesn't require strength and won't further damage my Rotator Cuffs. This worked and after visiting Melbourne for the WSL Border Incident, and training a little with John Smith...I've found my skills have improved heaps! Having said that, my arms have become heavy again...I'm using too much force. While I don't have the downwards force which would slow any of my defenses or attacks, I do find myself locking my muscle a bit too much (both in Bong and other manouvres) and thus I end up to stiff, slow and unresponsive by comparison to where I believe I should be.
As such my current goal is to work on Lat Sau Jik Chung.
I realise many other schools of thought/lineages also apply LSJC, however I've noticed the WSL schools are particularly dedicated to the idea. So I feel pretty fortunate.
The last school I was in (a Lo Man Kam/Leung Ting bastardization) talked about forward intention, but there was a distinct impression that no-one really understood the application, or how to train it.
I still don't fully understand the concept and I expect its something I'll be trying to understand for quite some time, however I comprehend enough to concentrate on building my experience with it.
Why do we train it? To answer this I'd have to ask back, Where is my opponent?
As I understand it, the purpose of training LSJK comes back to three important concepts of WC. Directness, Simplicity and Efficiency.
My opponent should be directly in front of me.
The simplest form of defense in this application is to attack.
The most efficient way to do this is to allow your attacks to commit themselves without conscious thought. The moment you have to think about doing something, the moment will pass and you'll miss your opportunity. Merely thinking the thought will be too slow. This is one reason why we train with Chi Sao, building a sensitivity so as to react in an habitual manner. LSJC is an extension of this idea, or perhaps more accurately...LSJC is the engine which drives the mechanism.
It's not merely keeping a constant forward pressure, as this can evolve into using too much strength, over-committing to a particular attack or defense, and result in either or both of your arms becoming a lever to be used against you. When your arm isn't malleable and has to deal with oncoming force, the resultant forces can change your positioning and attack vectors.
As such I want all of my defenses to become attacks as soon as possible.
I want all of my attacks to be in line with my oppontents.
And I want this to happen as soon as possible...oh, did I already mention this point?
Our system isn't about looking flashy. I perceive it as being about smashing through your opponents defenses and doing a great deal of harm in a short period of time.
I see it being about my survival.
For me it's about having to be honest with myself and acknowledge that it doesn't matter how strong I am...physics will always win. If my structure isn't supporting my strength, or if my opponents structure diffuses my strength, then I have a problem. If my strength slows me down, I have a problem.
I certainly don't understand enough of the specifics pertaining to LSJC yet, so I'm going to have to spend much more time training it. Wash, Rinse, Repeat.
Monday, 22 February 2016
A week in paradise, perfect for Kung Fu!
Sup kids, how's practice going?
I've recently returned from a week in Kiama, Australia, training with both John Smith and Greg LeBlanc.
With respect, both men are Sifu's of high calibre and knowledge, who can add insight to your current thought process and change your perspective on something you thought you 'knew'.
Greg is a top student of Gary Lam's and thus referred to John as Sisuk, being his teachers brother. I could really say the same things about both teachers and praise them until i gush rainbows, so I'll stick to some of the things that stood out about each and try to paint my deeper experience as a verbal mosaic with which you can create your own internet-opinion.
Failing that I'll just go on and on about how awesome they are.
Going into this I expected to go over only for a weekend seminar with two high level teachers.
I was a little intimidated by the prospect, not having a great deal of confidence in my own ability. This isn't meant to reflect badly on the people I learn from, more a reflection of how we can hold ourselves back by denying ourselves a little pride.
I'd seen recently that Gary Lam had been introducing ideas into his WC that veered from WSL's teachers, such as internal energies etc, however I hadn't paid too much attention as I had my own shit to worry about. He's been in the scene for a while and will likely have his reasons for doing it. The REAL issue is that i listened to opinions forged by people who did not have first hand experience. I forgot my own mantra...opinions are merely opinions.
Because of this foolishness I expected a few woo-woo ideas from Greg. In a way it worked out positively for me as I was pleasantly surprised by what I encountered.
Firstly, and most importantly, what lovely human being he is.
I've met a few Chunner's in my time, most of them from NZ, and most of them being complete douche bags. They gain some skill and imagine their rock-hammer is actually a sledge. It ain't buddy, and remember there's always someone out there that can take you down a notch.
Well Greg...well shit, he wasn't this at all. He's a humble cat that still considers himself a student, willing to listen, and learn from, everyone he meets. Often you'll meet people like this and consider them to be insincere, nobody could be this nice. Something just doesn't feel right about them.
Greg exudes sincerity and a genuine desire to see everyone progress to their potential.
And it only gets better...this man has power and structure in each of his strikes. To say he is powerful is to suggest it might be a bit dark in a mine shaft.
I'm a big man and can physically affect most people's structures, however Greg could disrupt my momentum and structure without a great deal of effort. He wasn't using his strength, he was merely using WC's concepts as they're meant to be used.
John is a student of Wong Sifu. He touched hands with the great man and listened to his stories, learned from his experiences and passes these lessons on to a new generation.
John was working the week of the seminar, and still offered to put on extra classes for anyone who turned up early. The seminar was on Friday and Saturday...I arrived Monday.
We got in contact after I'd arrived in Kiama, and he suggested we catch up that night for some training. I was NEVER going to say no to such an offer.
I expected a few people to be there, but it was just me. I almost shat.
John then spent 2ish hours taking me through simple ideas I thought I had a good understanding of...low elbows, connection to the waist, hitting the target with all of my body mass. Sheesh, I was, hmmmm....wrong.
He took me through really interesting concepts about bridging and structure, maintaining my line while attacking my opponents core, and helping me to increase my advantage through my mass. Reminding me that the best defence to a punch is to hit your opponent.
When I walked out of his Kwoon that evening, I'd already improved. I was fortunate to experience this same scenario throughout the week.
Each evening the group would get a little bigger and I'd get a little better.
In the entire week there was only one injury...and that happened to me on the last day.
I got a tiny cut on my nose from my opponent. I have to fess up and admit it wasn't my opponents fault. I was pressing him during an exercise where I'm testing him then throwing random punches and Mr Opponent has to figure out how to bridge, getting the best line and affect and not being caught out. Brother O.P.P is a skilled practitioner and I knew he could take it. I also knew he didn't get a lot of opportunity to defend against a HUGE adversary without John's skills. IE one that would through daft shit that a trained man wouldn't, and yet might still chance an impact.
While pressing him and driving him backward, I started to lose my wind. I'd been training for 5 days, this was the 6th, and I was exhausted. My body started to hunch and react differently than it should. So basically I put my face where it shouldn't have been. Now I wear this as a badge of honour! All that time and only this little hiccup...and the ladies love scars right?
The further I travel with my Ving Tsun, the more my ideas are being turned on their head.
Before being introduced to VT, my experience with WC had been unhealthy...I guess I'd become skeptical of the motives of men. And yet every teacher I've encountered have been decent human beings. They all share everything they can, they encourage questions...and they don't condescend.
Besides learning from two great men, I met and made new brothers of so many interesting individuals. Only one other student was a dick. And even then, we sorted our differences over a beer and all was good. We made the choice to not train together, and neither of us lost out in this deal.
In my last school there were people I hated. I don't get that weight anymore.
Remember, regardless of the style or system, you don't have to put up with McDojo bullshit, cult scenarios, or bullying behaviour. The world is now flush with option and possibility. Just down the road you may find the school best suited to you. Don't put up with second rate behaviour from your teacher, or yourself. If you have to move for it, maybe thats for the best...they say travel is good for the soul. What I really think they're saying is that travelling can grow you as a person and help you discover things about yourself you wouldn't have otherwise. Couple that with training in a positive environment you consistently want to return too...well, how can you not grow into a better person?
It cost me money to attend another country to learn. What I got in return is far beyond anything I could put a number on. I feel. The sleeper has begun to awaken.
I've recently returned from a week in Kiama, Australia, training with both John Smith and Greg LeBlanc.
With respect, both men are Sifu's of high calibre and knowledge, who can add insight to your current thought process and change your perspective on something you thought you 'knew'.
Greg is a top student of Gary Lam's and thus referred to John as Sisuk, being his teachers brother. I could really say the same things about both teachers and praise them until i gush rainbows, so I'll stick to some of the things that stood out about each and try to paint my deeper experience as a verbal mosaic with which you can create your own internet-opinion.
Failing that I'll just go on and on about how awesome they are.
Going into this I expected to go over only for a weekend seminar with two high level teachers.
I was a little intimidated by the prospect, not having a great deal of confidence in my own ability. This isn't meant to reflect badly on the people I learn from, more a reflection of how we can hold ourselves back by denying ourselves a little pride.
I'd seen recently that Gary Lam had been introducing ideas into his WC that veered from WSL's teachers, such as internal energies etc, however I hadn't paid too much attention as I had my own shit to worry about. He's been in the scene for a while and will likely have his reasons for doing it. The REAL issue is that i listened to opinions forged by people who did not have first hand experience. I forgot my own mantra...opinions are merely opinions.
Because of this foolishness I expected a few woo-woo ideas from Greg. In a way it worked out positively for me as I was pleasantly surprised by what I encountered.
Firstly, and most importantly, what lovely human being he is.
I've met a few Chunner's in my time, most of them from NZ, and most of them being complete douche bags. They gain some skill and imagine their rock-hammer is actually a sledge. It ain't buddy, and remember there's always someone out there that can take you down a notch.
Well Greg...well shit, he wasn't this at all. He's a humble cat that still considers himself a student, willing to listen, and learn from, everyone he meets. Often you'll meet people like this and consider them to be insincere, nobody could be this nice. Something just doesn't feel right about them.
Greg exudes sincerity and a genuine desire to see everyone progress to their potential.
And it only gets better...this man has power and structure in each of his strikes. To say he is powerful is to suggest it might be a bit dark in a mine shaft.
I'm a big man and can physically affect most people's structures, however Greg could disrupt my momentum and structure without a great deal of effort. He wasn't using his strength, he was merely using WC's concepts as they're meant to be used.
John is a student of Wong Sifu. He touched hands with the great man and listened to his stories, learned from his experiences and passes these lessons on to a new generation.
John was working the week of the seminar, and still offered to put on extra classes for anyone who turned up early. The seminar was on Friday and Saturday...I arrived Monday.
We got in contact after I'd arrived in Kiama, and he suggested we catch up that night for some training. I was NEVER going to say no to such an offer.
I expected a few people to be there, but it was just me. I almost shat.
John then spent 2ish hours taking me through simple ideas I thought I had a good understanding of...low elbows, connection to the waist, hitting the target with all of my body mass. Sheesh, I was, hmmmm....wrong.
He took me through really interesting concepts about bridging and structure, maintaining my line while attacking my opponents core, and helping me to increase my advantage through my mass. Reminding me that the best defence to a punch is to hit your opponent.
When I walked out of his Kwoon that evening, I'd already improved. I was fortunate to experience this same scenario throughout the week.
Each evening the group would get a little bigger and I'd get a little better.
In the entire week there was only one injury...and that happened to me on the last day.
I got a tiny cut on my nose from my opponent. I have to fess up and admit it wasn't my opponents fault. I was pressing him during an exercise where I'm testing him then throwing random punches and Mr Opponent has to figure out how to bridge, getting the best line and affect and not being caught out. Brother O.P.P is a skilled practitioner and I knew he could take it. I also knew he didn't get a lot of opportunity to defend against a HUGE adversary without John's skills. IE one that would through daft shit that a trained man wouldn't, and yet might still chance an impact.
While pressing him and driving him backward, I started to lose my wind. I'd been training for 5 days, this was the 6th, and I was exhausted. My body started to hunch and react differently than it should. So basically I put my face where it shouldn't have been. Now I wear this as a badge of honour! All that time and only this little hiccup...and the ladies love scars right?
The further I travel with my Ving Tsun, the more my ideas are being turned on their head.
Before being introduced to VT, my experience with WC had been unhealthy...I guess I'd become skeptical of the motives of men. And yet every teacher I've encountered have been decent human beings. They all share everything they can, they encourage questions...and they don't condescend.
Besides learning from two great men, I met and made new brothers of so many interesting individuals. Only one other student was a dick. And even then, we sorted our differences over a beer and all was good. We made the choice to not train together, and neither of us lost out in this deal.
In my last school there were people I hated. I don't get that weight anymore.
Remember, regardless of the style or system, you don't have to put up with McDojo bullshit, cult scenarios, or bullying behaviour. The world is now flush with option and possibility. Just down the road you may find the school best suited to you. Don't put up with second rate behaviour from your teacher, or yourself. If you have to move for it, maybe thats for the best...they say travel is good for the soul. What I really think they're saying is that travelling can grow you as a person and help you discover things about yourself you wouldn't have otherwise. Couple that with training in a positive environment you consistently want to return too...well, how can you not grow into a better person?
It cost me money to attend another country to learn. What I got in return is far beyond anything I could put a number on. I feel. The sleeper has begun to awaken.
Monday, 11 January 2016
What a great start to the year!
It was the first Monday class of the year and Jesus it was a rip-roarer!
We had the old-school kids in attendance (above), and we also welcomed through the door 4-5 n00bs...they all had interest and great attitudes. I live for these days really.
I love the small classes where we can get in a little extra Chi Sao, or perhaps work on some specific sticking point someone has found. These are enlightening and open up some in-depth discussion, curly questions and ultimately providing perspective as to where everyone's training mind-set currently is. It's always a delight.
However the big classes with a handful of new folk are equally as wonderful.
We get to relive our difficulty being introduced to a new system that everyone perceives as counter-intuitive in the beginning. It helps keep us humble and illustrates how far we've all come.
I've yet to come across another system that is as confusing, and initially difficult, as WC. It's simplicity hides a complexity that can boggle the mind. It's somewhat understandable that some teachers rely on the classic style of passing WC on without explanation while expecting the student to emulate the motion until it starts to work. The physics and body mechanics are tough. Understanding the reasoning is just as difficult as explaining it...and yet it is SO rewarding.
I had several special moments during class and while they were ego feeding experiences, they were also an indication that we're still moving in the right direction.
I tend to talk a lot during class, not about my day though...I try to explain what we're doing from several different angles to give other students as broad an understanding as possible within our limited time and my limited abilities. At no time is there ever an understanding that "THIS IS THE ONLY WAY ITS DONE!", and everyone understands that this is purely a perception driven explanation. Its more to get their minds working in a particularly analytical direction while allowing their physical experience to anchor some of the ideas we're using.
Its an approach that has been pretty successful.
Having these new students come into class and seeing them have little liminal experiences...well, it makes the rubbish day prior to kung fu, that much more manageable. And spending a few hours on the basics can only be good for me. I spent Christmas and new years laid up and had no opportunity for rolling...so I'm rusty like fuck. It'll come back...I just need to put in the effort.
In additional news...Mid feb I'm heading to Kiama, south of Sydney, for a seminar and classes with John Smith and Greg LeBlanc. John is a direct student of Wong Shun Leung and Greg is a student of Gary Lam.
Such an exciting time to be alive!
We had the old-school kids in attendance (above), and we also welcomed through the door 4-5 n00bs...they all had interest and great attitudes. I live for these days really.
I love the small classes where we can get in a little extra Chi Sao, or perhaps work on some specific sticking point someone has found. These are enlightening and open up some in-depth discussion, curly questions and ultimately providing perspective as to where everyone's training mind-set currently is. It's always a delight.
However the big classes with a handful of new folk are equally as wonderful.
We get to relive our difficulty being introduced to a new system that everyone perceives as counter-intuitive in the beginning. It helps keep us humble and illustrates how far we've all come.
I've yet to come across another system that is as confusing, and initially difficult, as WC. It's simplicity hides a complexity that can boggle the mind. It's somewhat understandable that some teachers rely on the classic style of passing WC on without explanation while expecting the student to emulate the motion until it starts to work. The physics and body mechanics are tough. Understanding the reasoning is just as difficult as explaining it...and yet it is SO rewarding.
I had several special moments during class and while they were ego feeding experiences, they were also an indication that we're still moving in the right direction.
I tend to talk a lot during class, not about my day though...I try to explain what we're doing from several different angles to give other students as broad an understanding as possible within our limited time and my limited abilities. At no time is there ever an understanding that "THIS IS THE ONLY WAY ITS DONE!", and everyone understands that this is purely a perception driven explanation. Its more to get their minds working in a particularly analytical direction while allowing their physical experience to anchor some of the ideas we're using.
Its an approach that has been pretty successful.
Having these new students come into class and seeing them have little liminal experiences...well, it makes the rubbish day prior to kung fu, that much more manageable. And spending a few hours on the basics can only be good for me. I spent Christmas and new years laid up and had no opportunity for rolling...so I'm rusty like fuck. It'll come back...I just need to put in the effort.
In additional news...Mid feb I'm heading to Kiama, south of Sydney, for a seminar and classes with John Smith and Greg LeBlanc. John is a direct student of Wong Shun Leung and Greg is a student of Gary Lam.
Such an exciting time to be alive!
Monday, 21 December 2015
Research is my friend.
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.
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.
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.
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