Monday, December 20, 2010

Journey to soft pliable effective power


You may have heard before that in martial arts, softness wins in the end. I agree with this point. But, any softness should be backed up by good structure. To develop a soft, pliable, effective power, do you think it is better to start out strong or weak?

It may be easier to develop softness from a strong but stiff structure, as opposed to starting out weak and then adding both pliability as well as strong effective power. At least at the beginning. But then again, like most things, both paths have good and bad points.

I am influenced by my preference for subtraction over addition, for example as it relates to art sculptures. I have always enjoyed cutting or carving by subtraction (wood or soapstone carving), rather than building or molding by addition (clay-work).

When strong?

In the simplest sense, when we start out strong, in order to develop the desired pliable softness, it is done through subtraction. Have you seen photos of GM Kernspecht before his WT days?

Also, when strong to begin with, it is easier to overcome any weaknesses during training, if the softness is not yet trained properly. While training this way may not be as effective in the long run, doing so would at least give the trainee confidence in being somewhat successful in the meantime. It buys the trainee time while the proper strength and softness is developed.

The bad point? The same... relying on the brute strength too much and forgetting to develop the effective pliable power.

Remember the first WT principle of force? Free yourself from your own force.

When weak?

In contrast, when we start out weak, we need to develop both the softness at the same time as effective power, which requires strength at some point as part of the equation. This developmental approach requires both addition and subtraction throughout the path, which might be a bit much to juggle at first. Also, when weak, there is nothing to backup any failure of applying the softness correctly. And thus self-confidence may suffer.

When training, if there is no structure to begin with, then working on softness can often result in collapsing (of whatever little structure there is to begin with). It may actually result in giving way too much, with bad consequences.

The good point? Having a truly empty cup starting from scratch, and building the essential tools and backbone from the very start.

Which is better?

With this all in mind, is one journey better than the other?

Ideally, via these two different paths, there should be a similar end result, but only achievable with the right training methods.

What do you think?

In fact, what are the right training methods for these two different spectrums, and everything in between?
Are there different training methods unique to each person? Or simply different amounts of the same training methods needed?

Monday, November 29, 2010

Fear of failure


Sifu Ralph Haenel of Wing Tsun Kung Fu Vancouver held the 2010 year-end seminar at Si-Hing Philip Lee's Golden Monkey Martial Arts Studio. Sifu German of Calgary WT also attended, from one snow-laden city to another...

The seminar was entitled "Twenty-One Steps to Knock-Out Self-Defense Skills!"



Basic or advanced skills?

We learned many different exercises to aid our growth in WT. Some of you may be wondering if we learned any advanced skills? Well, to answer that question, I will borrow a quote from Sifu Ralph... "Yo!"

Although the motions of the various exercises from the seminar originated from a variety of different WT program levels, they could all still be considered "basic" exercises.

It's not whether the skills themselves are advanced or basic, but whether or not the practice of the skills is done in an "advanced" or "basic" way.

In order to practice any basic exercise in an advanced way, we must first embrace failure. Yes, failure!

Learn how to fail

Being advanced just means refinement and improvement in skills. And in order to improve, I think we need to fail, even purposely at times.

Here are three simple common pitfalls that hinder improvement and progression in our WT training:
1. Fear of failure
2. Reliance on strengths alone
3. Over-confidence and complacency

Of all of the various "aha!" moments I gained at this seminar, "fear of failure" stuck with me the most. But, as you can imagine, the above three points are inter-related and feed off of each other.

Students want to succeed. Teachers want students to succeed. We all want to succeed! Doing otherwise can be uncomfortable, embarrassing perhaps, not really a big confidence-booster.

So, what do we do to avoid this situation? One option: shy away from failure, revert back to our strengths in order to succeed, and then become over-confident and satisfied by our "extreme skills". Some of us are stronger, some may be faster. Some have great footwork, while others have a tree-trunk-like stable posture. While these skills are of course, beneficial at the beginning and helps build self-esteem (a good thing), it makes it difficult to improve if we use our strengths all of the time.

Fail in order to succeed

Another more useful option in the long run: analyze the failure in the scenario and discover what weaknesses to improve upon. In fact, try doing something wrong to check what you need to do to correct it. Failing itself is not the problem, but how we analyze and react to the failures.

It is okay to get hit in a training scenario. Better to experience this in a controlled training environment. We can't expect to succeed immediately after just learning a skill. We aren't going to perfect the skill after 1 trial, a dozen trials, a hundred trials, or perhaps not until 10,000 hours (as per Malcolm Gladwell's book "Outliers").

Next time you are training an exercise, try turning off one of your strengths every now and then and work on failing. Then slowly build a new-found weakness into yet another strength over time. And then cycle back again and again...

I gained a lot from this seminar, but I thought I'd share with you a small philosophical viewpoint in training WT, but yet hopefully still being a practical approach.

Happy training!

Monday, November 22, 2010

WT is WC is WT...


At the beginning of November, I traveled to California for a conference and vacation, and had the opportunity to visit Sifu Jin Young in Los Angeles, aka China Boxer. Some of you may have seen his teachings before at his youtube channel.


A selection of Sifu Jin Young's students in Los Angeles, California


I love visiting different schools. From seeing some of the youtube videos, I was looking forward to hearing his philosophy about training Wing Tsun/Chun.

I was not disappointed.

Sifu Jin takes his training and teaching seriously, and has a generous and passionate attitude towards teaching. His students were great to train with too.

Structure

His focus? (at least what I gathered from one group class)

Developing structure.

Ever since 2008, I have been working on developing structure via training in Calgary and Vancouver. So, it was great to see this theme repeated and repeated. Hearing about it from more than one lineage must mean structure is important!

He uses various very interesting and applicable drills to help students develop proper structure and familiarizing them with using whole body-chain movements.

Are you training with your partner?

Or are you training against your partner?

As emphasized repeatedly by Sifus Ralph, German, and Asad, I saw the importance of this point again during Sifu Jin's class. The drills we were working on relied on each partner's feedback and appropriate resistance. Each student not only focused on making themselves better, but made efforts to help their partners. There were no egos here!

Commonalities between lineages

The overlap of teaching throughout the different schools I have visited, including the visits to Ulm 1, 2 and Munich, reminds me about the commonality between different WT/WC lineages. Unfortunately, when comparing WT/WC schools, we tend to focus more on the differences rather than looking at the similarities.

It doesn't matter which lineage we are learning from, as long as the instructor: 1) Knows and applies WT/WC skills principles, and 2) Can teach it. Can the instructor teach and show students enough such that they can develop the skills to become a good practitioner, and perhaps even a teacher themselves as well?

Another commonality? The group class of 90 minutes was much too short, as usual.


An even more serious pose


If you are ever in Los Angeles, give Sifu Jin a message beforehand and I’m sure he’d welcome you to join his class.

Happy training!

Monday, November 1, 2010

Calgary Wing Tsun October 2010 Seminar


WT Calgary Seminar Day 1
I was particularly excited leading up to this seminar by Sifu Ralph Haenel of Wing Tsun Kung Fu Vancouver. During the summer training with Sifu German Ferrer of Wing Tsun Calgary, my WT addiction had exponentially increased.

In seminar reviews, I usually focus on training themes and ideas. This time, I will also describe some different yet equally important aspects of training (and teaching) martial arts.

Commitment
It was great to see many people take time out of their busy lives to attend the seminar. Some switched weekend shifts. Others arranged time away from their children. Another drove from quite a distance.

In fact, the student who lives 6-7 hours away not only came for both the bonus class and the entire weekend seminar, but also drives regularly to Calgary each month for a morning of private lessons!

What does this say about the Wingtsun Kung Fu as taught by Sifus Ralph and German during classes and private lessons?

Quality.

Awesome training partner #1
Punching power

But, I can’t do a WT seminar review without mentioning something physically related!

Scenario as commonly laid out in WT seminars: you are unexpectedly facing an aggressive attacker. You have solid smooth footwork, a fluid upper body, limber arms, everything. You evade the threat, get into the opponent’s core, and punch!

Yet, nothing happens. Uh-oh. The aggressive attacker, is… well, still aggressive or even more so now. Yes, everything was there, except power!

Once again, the importance of training punching power was evident throughout this seminar.

To aid in this development, students were introduced to different training exercises that were done either fast or slow, and worked on either fluidity or structure. All of the exercises helped understand where effective punching power comes from and also how to generate it.

Awesome.

Remember the soft sardine strike?

Awesome training partner #2
Questions, comments?

One thing students may take for granted is the openness of teachers to questions and queries.

Sifu Asad always pauses often for any questions and feedback during classes and private lessons.

Sifu German is also more than open to any ideas and thoughts, with an uncanny ability to engineer (pun intended) different drills to make a point.

During any private lessons or group classes, Si-Fu Ralph always asks for any questions or queries. To back up that offer, he is able to explain an answer in different ways depending on the student’s understanding. During class, he walks around often and gives students constant feedback and suggestions on how to improve. Check out his recent blog post about teaching.

These three teachers also have another thing in common. To balance any spoon-feeding, they have also allowed students to grow and discover things on their own. The WT structure is built in such a way that this can actually occur!

Sifu Ralph Haenel of Wing Tsun Vancouver
2010
In my previous post here, I mentioned that 2010 would be a good year for WT, and boy have I been right so far.

Happy training!

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Kung Fu Fitness


When first being exposed to Wing Chun or Wing Tsun, you may have heard statements such as: “You don’t need to be strong to be good” or “You can defeat a stronger opponent even if you are weak”. Perhaps this is what attracted you at the start.

Being strong and not being weak are two different things!

How about physical fitness? Do you have to be fit to do Wingtsun Kung Fu?

To be good in Wingtsun Kung Fu, being fit is very important.

Recently, I was reading this textbook from the American College of Sports Medicine. The qualities outlined below are stated to be important for physical fitness:

Health-Related Physical Fitness Components

Cardiovascular endurance: The ability of the circulatory and respiratory system to supply oxygen during sustained physical activity.

Body composition: The relative amounts of muscle, fat, bone, and other vital parts of the body.

Muscular strength: The ability of muscle to exert force.

Muscular endurance: The ability of muscle to continue to perform without fatigue.

Flexibility: The range of motion available at a joint.

Skill-Related Physical Fitness Components

Agility: The ability to change the position of the body in space with speed and accuracy.

Coordination: The ability to use the senses, such as sight and hearing, together with body parts in performing tasks smoothly and accurately.

Balance: The maintenance of equilibrium while stationary or moving.

Power: The ability or rate at which one can perform work.

Reaction time: The time elapsed between stimulation and the beginning of the reaction to it.

Speed: The ability to perform a movement within a short period of time.

Most would agree that strength, body composition, and both kinds of endurance are important for any type of physical activity. Why should Wingtsun Kung Fu be any different?

Do some of the other terms look familiar?
How about if we add: Centreline, Distance, and Positioning. And if we complement Agility and Flexibility with Mobility and Fluidity? And with Power, also Release Power.

Perhaps you have seen Sifu Ralph’s CoreConcepts!!!

Hmmm…

If Wingtsun Kung Fu and self-defense training is a physical activity, maybe physical fitness is important after all?

Sunday, October 3, 2010

Restricted freedom


How do you restrict and free a student?

This question came about in September, after teaching students in Wingtsun, as well as students in undergrad.

Whether it is kung fu, music, or any task requiring a new skillset, how do we approach learning it or teaching it?

The goal
We know that there is an ideal goal, the “finished product”, as Sifu Ralph mentions, also stated in his recent blog post. As a new student, at first, we imitate. Later on, we then try to understand. This analyzing and applying phase may last months or years. We are then also influenced by experience, before even attempting our own expression.

Teaching
At some point, in any career, we might be called upon to teach. When we are teaching, we no longer feel that foreign sensation that a new student feels while learning new motions. So, how do we empathize and understand what a new student has to go through?

We want to teach a foundation and base to start with, and thus restriction comes into play. Yet, we also want to allow freedom of expression. Is this done at the same time, or sequentially?

Know your boundaries
Bruce Lee, who was influenced by various philosophers, from Confucius to Krishnamurti, is often quoted as follows:

“Using no way as way, having no limitation as limitation.”

A less commonly heard quote of his is “From form to formless and from finite to infinite”

Two seemingly opposing concepts. The “from” and “to” imply a chronological teaching method. Might they exist simultaneously though?

At the beginning we might need restriction. Learning the rules. Boundaries. Foundation. Structure. In the end, we would like to achieve freedom without form.

In between the two spectrums, perhaps freedom starts to exist within the confines of a defined restriction. Simultaneously.

So?
Going back to the initial question. How do you restrict and free a student?

I started this blog entry in September, and I realize now that there is a flaw in my questioning. Before thinking about “how” in a practical sense, there is something else to think about, either at first or at the same time. Besides “how”, there is also “why” and “when”.

Why do you restrict and free a student?
When do you restrict and free a student?

Before becoming formless, we have to understand, explain, and experience form.

Practically speaking
Yes, it was time for another philosophical interlude. How about something a little bit more practical?

When learning anything new, think about the “why”.

Obviously, there is still much more to learn. Kung Fu is a long journey!

Friday, August 20, 2010

Four principles of ego


I have recently been hinting at a blog post about “Drills and Training Strategies”, stemmed from thoughts I have had about drills with training partners at Calgary WT, and then later being fortunate to have Sifu Gary as a training partner at the WT Vancouver Victoria Day Bonus Class.

When we train, we hope to become better (at least most people want to!). But, we will always train with a variety of partners at different skill levels. So, how do both partners become better?

Tip #1. Leave your ego at the door

If you have heard of the four principles of fighting and four principles of force, you will understand my concoction listed below.

Four principles of ego:
1. Free yourself from one’s own ego
2. Free yourself from your partner’s ego
3. If you can and must (and feel generous), use your partner’s ego against him/her
4. If the encountered ego is too great, give way and find another partner

Note: I wouldn’t suggest adding your own ego or going forward with it.

More thoughts later…

Saturday, June 26, 2010

Calgary WT 2010 Spring Seminar


Sifu Ralph of WT Vancouver was invited by Sifu German to Calgary WT for the 2010 Spring Seminar from June 11-12th, with a bonus pre-seminar class on June 10th.



This seminar review is not only influenced by the teachings of Sifu Ralph, but also by training with two great WT Kung Fu Brothers, Sihings Tony and Edmond, who also flew in from Vancouver (pictured below).

WT Vancouver Group

Before the first night, I met up with Tony and Edmond for a chat over some snacks and coffee/tea. We ordered the “Flatbread with 3 dips”, one of the dips being garlic-flavoured.

Having garlic-breath was part of my secret plan of repelling any close-quarter attacks from any of my training partners that night. But alas, Edmond foiled my plan with his generosity: some refreshing chewing gum before we headed to class.

These visits from WT Vancouver are never disappointing. Day 0, as I call the informal pre-seminar class, was followed by the official 2-day seminar.

All chockfull of WT goodness.

As I usually like to do with seminar reviews, instead of a chronological summary, here are some random thoughts I had:

Purpose

If we don’t understand the purpose of a drill, exercise, or whatever we are training, how can we understand the benefits?

One example is understanding the Lat Sau program.

As mentioned in a previous post, in Lat Sau, we start disconnected from our partner. Then we engage. But, sensitivity and pressure-reaction-training are not the only things we train in Lat Sau. We can learn many things in this program: positioning, footwork, timing, seeing openings, mobility, etc. So many things to think about.

Some may not like the Lat Sau drills because they seem static, but it is likely as static as it was taught. If you find someone like Sifu Ralph who understands the purpose of Lat Sau, and knows the many intricate details within these drills, you have yourself an amazing dynamic training tool that will improve your WT.

Post-dinner Lat Sau with Sifu Ralph

We are not just limited to thinking about Lat Sau in this manner. Why not analyze whatever exercise you are doing?

“The usefullness of a cup is in its emptiness”

Scenario:

Instructor shows a new drill to practice. Result: Students do something different.

Instructor gives a reminder about drill both visually and verbally. Students do something different yet again.

Instructor shows what NOT to do. Students train exactly that… what NOT to do!

Why does this happen?!

I think it has a lot to do with being comfortable with familiar surroundings, movements, and reactions. It is never easy to learn something new, especially when it comes to moving differently than how we are accustomed to. So how do we counteract this? After looking within, here are some ideas I came up with…maybe they will apply to others who find themselves in a similar situation.

#1. Empty your cup



(or http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1NOH6kOr8eY if you can't see the embedded video)

Be open to new ideas. You are still allowed to think about the “whats” and “whys” in the drill. Ask questions!

#2. Don’t be shy

There’s no one really watching you. You won’t make a fool of yourself by moving and wiggling your body or what-not. Just try it!

#3. Look beyond the motions

A bit esoteric I know. But valid I think. We should not only want to learn the specific techniques and methods, but what lies beneath them.

Look beneath to look beyond. Huh?

Observe, think, wonder, imagine, discover. Is there something else that you can learn from the drill that is not visually obvious the first time?

Hopefully, you find these suggestions helpful. Would love to hear your thoughts.

(More in a later post on “Drills and Training Strategies”… still in progress)

Other final thoughts

Edmond’s nickname is “Wooden Arms”, but I think I felt “Cinder Blocks” on my neck.
Tony (Leung) is the one of the most patient WT training partners I have had.
Sifu Tony (Tam) was excited to share more of his thoughts and ideas again, even getting a bit more actively involved during the seminar; it is always very interesting to hear about another lineage of Wing Chun from Fatshan.

WT Calgary 2010 Spring Seminar Day 2

Another spring, another seminar, another dinner, another step towards “becoming WT”!

Sunday, June 13, 2010

Knockout breakfast-making power


Short preview of what a seminar by Sifu Ralph can do for you.

The morning after day 1 of the seminar at WT Calgary:



Breaking a knife while cutting some cheese for a sandwich (not grilled cheese though...)

Are you ready?! www.wingtsunkungfu.com

Next up: seminar review
(drills and training strategies still pending)

Sunday, May 30, 2010

See it, feel it, do it


On May 24th of 2010, I had the opportunity to attend Sifu Ralph’s bonus outdoor Victoria Day class at WT Vancouver.

What more could I ask for? The warm shy sun sneaking out from behind the clouds, a slight cool Vancouver breeze, a fun and knowledgeable teacher, a helpful training partner… okay, enough extravagant compliments by moi!

The worst part of the morning though? After a quick 90 minutes, class was dismissed!

So, which secret deadly technique did I gain this time in Vancouver? Sure I can tell you all about our training of the intense jum sau, smooth gwat sau, viscious fak sau, go-crazy-on-you-sau, etc., but what would you really gain from a few short paragraphs about these techniques that need to be physically practiced?

This blog post is about Secret Deadly Technique #147: Visualization

In sports, you may have heard about the mental aspect of training being as equally or even more important than the physical aspect of training. But does this apply to WT?

I’m no sports psychologist, but just here to tell you what I learned and gained from a simple comment by Sifu Ralph when talking about a fak sau strike: “… like a heavy weight.”

Have you ever swung one of those hammers at a carnival? (or in Canada: PNE, CNE, Calgary Stampede… eh?)



I found that visualizing the forearm (from the elbow downwards) as a “heavy weight” helped adjust any inefficient tension in the forearm, wrists and hands, so that the shoulders, back, and body could do a lot more of the work.

So how do we become a heavy weight as a whole? Some examples:
- drop our shoulders
- fire our pecs, lats, back muscles
- tighten our abs
- bend our knees
- etc.
- in other words, sink our whole body

This is just one scenario to imagine. We can visualize anything of course.

Visualize …
- … the energy traveling from your ankles up the pathway of your body all the way to your fists
- … punching right through your opponent
- … whatever else you need to help your training

Here’s a photo to help visualize the great bunch of WT Vancouver that made it out to the Victoria Day bonus class (thanks to Sifu Ralph for the photo).



Happy training!

Next up…
Drills and training strategies

Monday, May 10, 2010

Soft sardine strikes


And now for something completely different...

The classical WT training comparison: “patty-cake” / “tag-you're-it” love-taps vs. powerful meaningful intended hits, summed up in a nice Monty Python scene...



What kind of striking power are you training for?

Just some fish for thought…

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Fascia: an oft ignored enigma


Pictured below is a slide from one of the talks at the Fascia Course I recently attended.



Besides the obvious picture of Bruce Lee in this slide, the whole lecture reminded me about fascia-oriented training in Wing Tsun.

Yes. Fascia!

You may have heard of this term before. Traditionally, fascia layers are the thinner planes of connective tissue that we dissect away during anatomy courses to get at the deeper anatomy, the “real money”, in muscles, ligaments, etc.

However, the “fascia” that we spoke of at this conference is a broader definition, including all soft connective tissues containing collagen. This strong, dynamic, elastic network is present throughout our entire body.

This network not only helps transmit forces through our myofascial chains, but much research is underway about many other properties, for example its sensory aspects such as propioception.

Imagine being able to train our fascia like we train our muscles. For any physical activity, here are some points to keep in mind:

- Use the entire functional myofascial chains of our body
- Pre-stretch and load movements
- Keep in mind that this is a long-term goal that requires patience

For Wing Tsun in particular:
- Do the Chi-gung forms
- Try out slow, deliberate waves of movements (to complement the other end of the spectrum)
- Move with a wiggle or a wave, like a wet towel or a flimsy noodle, whatever you’d like to call it

Outside of WT training, try out things such as kettlebells, clubbells, yoga, resistance band training, etc.

Get to know your fascia!

Monday, April 19, 2010

Nochmals!


Training at WT Munich was a last minute decision - am I ever glad that I did!

On the night of Friday March 26th, I took a train from Ulm to Munich for some sight-seeing for the weekend. Since I had already bit the German WT bug in Ulm, I searched and found WT-Schulen via google, and then gave Sifu Sergej a heads-up e-mail.

WT Munich Wooden Dummy

Late!
On Saturday morning, I ventured out to the WT school. I was late about 15 minutes for two reasons:

#1. I had taken the wrong train line and needed to walk an additional 30 minutes to the school.

#2. After reaching the building that housed the WT school, I then wasted 5 minutes because I apparently don’t know how to open a door! Basically, kind of like the picture below, but I was pulling on the door that actually needed a push. There was no sign on the door, but if there was one it probably would have read in German “Push, you idiot!”

Farside - Pull

Okay, maybe it wasn’t 5 minutes, but it sure felt like it was.

Warm welcome
Anyways, after getting in tune with my body mechanics and boosting my self-confidence by successfully opening a commonplace door, I was ready for some WT training!

After venturing into the WT gym, I immediately received a friendly welcome by Sifu Sergej, and joined in on the class. We started with large group drills at first, and then continued on with isolated exercises. Great training partners: Max and Alex.

Mobility
A good mix of mobility to start the day. One-line realizations to ponder…

- Footwork: what use is an engine without wheels?
- Forward intention: you can still go forward whilst going backward
- Sinking: the whole entire body can absorb forces and return like a spring
- Pelvis motion: maybe hula hoops should be incorporated in a WT workout, just a random thought

Getting close
The grappling training afterwards was great (or anti-grappling, or anti-anti-grappling, however you like it, or don’t like it, or don’t don’t like it). Thoughts on this training:

- Getting close is uncomfortable but effective at times
- A force vector headed the wrong way just makes things more difficult
- Once the centerline is locked onto though, everything just flows easier
- Any part of the body is a weapon, including the splendid cauliflower ears as mentioned by Sifu Sergej

A very enjoyable workout with lots to think about. Friendly bunch of WT-ers – yes… again, highly recommended!

WT Munich Group – a dummy doll and wooden plank included
WT Munich Group – a dummy doll and wooden plank included…


Oh, in case you were wondering about beer gardens in Germany, there was a gargantuan one called Hofbrahaus, with seemingly never-ending rows and rows of benches. Unfortunately, it was surprisingly closed by the time we got there during some late strolling around the city on a Friday night.

Hofbrauhaus

Prost!

Thursday, April 8, 2010

Lat Sau as a TTT (training transition tool)


After the first WT class in Ulm, I was invited to come again the next night, including the Escrima class held before WT. Unfortunately I only had time to come for the WT class.

WT Ulm

Don’t ask me why I took this photo slanted, that’s just where I was standing on the stairs. You’ll have to tilt your head a bit to read it, so please don’t break your neck.

Sifu Bodo was not in again, so it was Sihing Michael leading the class. There were a couple of other 1TGs as well. I mainly trained with Jörg, pictured below.



Ignore the Axe in the corner there. It was only used for punishing really really bad students =).

There were a lot of students on this Thursday night of March 25th. I got very hot just doing Chum Kiu! Doing the forms there, I realized that I miss having a mirror in class. Not that I’m vain or anything…

Then, more Chi Sau, Lat Sau, and the majority of the class spent on random attacks. Jörg was practicing soft take-downs, and I was asked to just respond however I chose to. One lucky thing about being smaller than most of my training partners is the chance to see and feel what is needed, be it footwork or better structure, etc.

Thoughts on Lat Sau
I really see the value of EWTO Lat Sau exercises as a great transition tool, linking what we learn during Chi Sau and what we apply during random attacks.

In Chi Sau, we are already in contact with our training partner. In random attacks, there is only air between us and the opponent. In Lat Sau though, we learn how to respond to pressure that is made at the very moment of contact. We can (and should) train slowly at first with a lot of obvious pressure, and hopefully as we get better we can lighten up and be able to respond with only a slight breeze of the hairs on the skin.

The IWTA 甩手 exercises are a bit different in procedure, but the same in terms of the ultimate goal.

Ulm Sunset

And so that ended my WT experiences in Ulm, Germany. Next up, good times at WT Munich for just one class!

Monday, April 5, 2010

“No blood? It’s okay then”


What an exhilarating experience, to practice WT in another part of the world. I have been lucky enough already to have trained in the main 3 cities of Canada involved in Wingtsun, namely Toronto, Vancouver, and most recently in Calgary.

WT Ulm
Now, I can add Ulm, Germany to my list of WT journeys, albeit only for 1-2 classes. Why Ulm? I visited for a very exciting Interdisciplinary Fascia Course as part of my career journey. Interestingly enough, as a side product of this course, I have learned a few things about fascia as it relates to body movement that can likely be applicable to WT. More on this in a future post, including a lecture slide with a photo of Bruce Lee.

Greetings
Before flying out to Germany, I had e-mailed Sifu Bodo of WT Ulm about a possible visit. On the night of March 24th, when I visited the school, I was first met by a couple of students outside. There was lot of sign language for a few minutes mixed with a couple of phrases from the handy “Lonely Planet German phrasebook”. Then another student arrived who spoke a bit more English.

Sihing Michael
I was then greeted by Sihing Michael, who was generous enough to invite me to train with them. I did not have any of my training clothes, but how could you resist?

It was a beautiful gym with training pads, nice photos, the usual Wooden Dummy, etc. Standardized start of the class with SNT and CK. Then off to various drills.

Summary of thoughts:
- Chi Sau sections, be it EWTO-influenced, IWTA-influenced, instructor-influenced, is only a framework on which to build upon

- The whole body must be taken advantage of, using all of the joints including the back; there were no frozen and stilted bodies in this class!

- Hitting must be practiced in class, to get the feeling of what it takes to move somebody

- Wingtsun is an international language

- Best quote from one of my training partners: “No blood? It’s okay then.”

More sweat
Then, after various chi sau and lat sau exercises, the night was coming to an end! Then Sihing Michael said “Time to work up some more sweat!” Push-ups, leg raises, back extensions, chain punching… followed by some stretching.

A few students from WT Ulm
By the way, “liegestütze” sounds just as painful and tiring as “push-ups”.

WT Ulm – highly recommended! Tune in for more about day 2 of 2.

Thursday, April 1, 2010

"German" WT instructors


I just realized something.

All of the WT teachers I have had so far are Germans (or from Germany), such as Sifu Asad Mir and Si-Fu Ralph Haenel, except for the occasional seminar with Sifu Carson Lau. In case you are wondering… yes, this includes Sifu German Ferrer of WT Calgary, a “German” as well!

Okay, now that the lame pun is over and done with…

As part of my academic interest, I had the wonderful opportunity taking part in the first ever Interdisciplinary Fascia Research Course in Ulm, Germany.

It was my first time in Germany. So, what would you do as a WT student? Well, check out some WT schools of course! I visited the WT school in Ulm twice. I also spent a day in Munich and stopped by Sifu Sergej's WT school for a class.

One word summary: nochmals! (a word I learned from a fellow WT trainee in Munich)

Yes, once again please. I would love to train there again, to experience that wonderful “different but the same training” feeling.

Keep an eye out for a few blog entries about my 3 classes of training in Germany.

For now… I will leave you with a beautiful photo of the Ulm Munster, the tallest church in the world with a steeple of 161.5 metres. Beautiful view from the top after 763 steps.

Monday, March 15, 2010

How do you change formlessnessessess...?


Time for a short philosophical break… put on your thinking caps please…

This blog entry stemmed from thoughts related to this post by GM Kernspecht: http://www.wingtsunwelt.com/news.php?id=1780&PHPSESSID=c635d776eeafa99d54bfd318ed875227

1. If the goal of “becoming” Wing Tsun is the same for all, does it matter what kind of path you take? Why shouldn’t there be different journeys to the same goal?

2. Teachers adapt to the different learning styles of students. This can and should apply to martial arts training too.

3. If everyone has different body builds and characteristics, etc., then Wing Tsun can look very different. Depends on the scenario as well. Adaptation, anyone?

To me, “changing” Wing Tsun means changing the way to get to Wing Tsun. And that’s okay!

Monday, February 8, 2010

Have you got what it takes?


Every now and again you might hear a question comparing WT with MMA or what not, or how WT would be in a tournament. I’m not talking about the silly chi sau tournaments here. Nor am I talking about love-tap fights with a point system. I’m talking about being locked up in a cage with another experienced, ruthless and belt-hungry fighter.

Queue the screeching brakes.

We have to remember what we are training WT for. How about this: self-defense when caught in an unexpected potentially violent situation. At least for me, I’m not training full-time to be in a professional ring where I’ve studied my opponent’s videos beforehand, and I’ve been studied in detail, both of us needing to obey various rules, etc.

I remember watching an MMA fight, where one fighter accidentally ran his eye into the other guy’s thumb (yes, not the other way around). “Ow! (Sniff, sniff)” Fight delayed. Groin shots in those fights are always classic as well.

Note: Yes, I realize that there are lethal techniques in other martial arts besides WT.

Let’s turn to a lesson from Master Wong.

Maybe a bit too much swearing for some, but I love watching the sarcastic tone of his videos. You’ll have to watch some of the other ones to understand his animosity towards his student.

This video has a clear message for me – it’s not about what kung fu versus MMA, my style versus your style, etc.

It’s about the person who is training in the martial art.

So, what else is new? Let’s train hard!

In a self-defense situation, we are assuming that:
  • Your attacker is bigger
  • You were chosen as a victim (despite your confident air about you)
You were also assumed by the attacker to be weaker with no fighting experience. When physical violence ensues, your WT training will hopefully kick in. But, despite all of the training, do you have a greater hunger for survival than your opponent? (On the other hand, do you have enough control re: “excessive force” with all of the adrenaline rushing through?)

I see I have dodged the question a bit of whether WT work in a cage fight. I think it’s because it’s an entirely different scenario. Do I think someone could incorporate effective WT training into their MMA training? Sure! Put a hard-training devoted fighter through WT and no doubt there’ll be improvement. Chinese boxing – why not?

But I guess I really won't know until I see it. Until then, I'll spend less time thinking about that and more time training in an effective self-defense system. What are your thoughts?

I hope you enjoyed that video. There are lots of amusing quotes in there. He has also been posting this entertaining “Wing Chun Apprentice” series for 2010.

And to end, because kung fu is not only about physical fighting, let’s broaden our thinking a bit. I think this lesson is a valid point in all aspects of life.

How much effort do you put in to attain your goals?

Friday, February 5, 2010

Lessons from Leung Kwok Wah in 1 minute


I encountered a video on youtube by Sifu Leung Kwok Wah of Hong Kong. I thought it had some great teaching points that I’d like to share with you.



Face your opponent

At the very beginning of the video, he asks his students to face your opponent. Paraphrased:
Why aren’t you facing your opponent? You need to have forward intent. If you don’t face him, your concentration will be broken.

I don’t know why but when I see people doing chi sao exercises with their heads turned left or right, I think of a movie star holding a gun sideways, trying to look cool. The bit about focusing on forward intent by actually facing your training partner makes sense to me. Plus, as much as we want to rely on our sensitivity, we can’t ignore the amazing benefits of the visual input from our central and peripheral vision.

Continue to flow and spring forward

About 20 seconds in, he asks them not to stop, and continue. Paraphrased again:
Don’t stop. If you are turned and then stop there, a fighter is just going to push you around and you’ll get hit.

Also, at 2:30 or so, one of the students gets pushed away. His response:
Thrust back to him. Oh, you missed your chance. Okay, now you do it after I say it…

This is hard to do when you get tired I guess. It’s one thing to be able to dissolve a force, but another thing to still have forward pressure, or spring back after the force is dissipated. If we dissolve only without returning the favour, we’ll get slammed. And if we get pushed away, make sure those hands are up to defend against a follow-up attack, or just go back into the fire!

Stamina

At about 40 seconds one of his students says "I'm breathing hard". Paraphrased response:
Of course! We are training stamina here with this chi sao exercise.

'Nuff said.

Every now and again, I’ll post some interesting videos I find from various Sifus. You can see how there are many teaching points common throughout various "lineages". There is much to learn out there in the Wing Chun family.

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

What am I learning, anyways?


As you know, kung fu has traditionally been passed down from generation to generation with no noticeable structure per se. Students did not sign up each semester for Kung Fu 101, then 102, then 201 and 202, etc. I wonder how people knew their progress then? Perhaps they got into a lot more fights and random challenges with other styles back then e.g. “Bei Mo”. Before, perhaps teaching was more individualized, and students were taught when they were presumed to be ready. Sifus either passed down kung fu to their own family members, or only had a handful of students, not like nowadays.

Now though, with so many schools and students, how would the Sifus and To-dais keep track? WT has been touted as having a more structured approach with a standardized curriculum. Theoretically, you should be able to go anywhere around the world with your WT Passport and continue training in your own program. I’ve never really tried that out actually. A balance of being both between standardized and individualized.

A skeleton

Now that I think about it, whenever we had guest instructors in Toronto, there may have been differences in the specific details of each technique that may not have seemed standardized. But, in the end, the framework was actually there. I’ve come to realize that the so-called structured program is just a skeleton on which to build upon, since everything that we learn is so spread out across the whole system of levels.

Checklist

On the other hand, having a checklist for each level has been useful for me in the past. It told me what the basic requirements were for each grade. Like pre-requisites for the next course. Plus, I’m sure everyone has enough unpredictable and unstructured things in their lives already, be it at home or at work, so it’s nice to have some structure in one’s life. It also gave the instructor an idea as to where the students were at and what they haven’t learned yet.

However, it’s not like after you tick off the checklists, then we are done with it! Also, in mathematics, when we learned long division, you still had to use addition and subtraction. Okay, bad example… how many people whip out their cell phones now for calculations?

Progress

So, how do we know that we are getting better in WT? Why, get into a random scrum at the bar of course! Just kidding - if you want to talk about unpredictability and unstructured, that approach is highly not recommended.

Well, we can simulate the realistic and practical side of assessing progress throughout our training. In Toronto, we routinely practiced defending against “random attacks” to test our skills. That way, we can try and apply and test out our skills. (As an aside, that’s another great reason to have a variety of students with other martial arts experiences in the class, because they can throw a proper TKD kick, or boxer’s jab/punch, or Jiu-Jitsu take-down, etc. )

Then there is formal testing to advance levels of course, as a standardized way of saying: “Now you are ready grasshopper, to start learning the next technique… monkey plucks two peaches!” Students become aware of what they have accomplished. Everyone needs some encouragement and confidence now and again as well. A sense of pride and achievement. Plus, some credentials for teaching and passing it on in the future.

Overall though, I don’t care much about a label, as long as I know the skills are there. Someone once told me (paraphrased): “having a technician suit doesn’t help my WT when I have to use it.” What do you mean, you could take that jacket off, throw it at your opponent to blind him right before your pummel him with chain punches!

Anyways, as long as I keep a record of my training, and spend the time re-thinking and recalling what has been taught, that helps me identify gaps and weaknesses. Then, just train harder!

What are your thoughts?

Check out these older posts at Grasshopper 2.0 and WT Vancouver with a similar theme:

WT Structure

Columns of Wing Tsun training and How to train

Sifu Ralph's CoreConcepts

Sunday, January 31, 2010

Behave!


When you were a kid, and you weren’t in your parent’s sight, how did you behave? Did you paint chocolate pudding all over the walls? Did you eat all the candy that you could find?

I guess it’s a stretch of a comparison, considering we're talking about training in martial arts.

How about this? You are a nomadic warrior who has traversed through snowstorms and climbed thousands of rock-faced cliffs to see a kung fu master in the hidden mountains. He teaches you a handful of techniques and tells you to return in 1 year for more tutelage.

Or maybe this. You have a life-long dream about becoming a martial artist, but live hundreds of kilometers away from the closest teacher. So, you only have enough time to visit a few times a year.

Or maybe something else more realistic. You are a regular person with a job or two, a family, other hobbies and interests, and also train in Wingtsun Kung Fu. Your instructor happens to be away for a short while.

In all these scenarios, what would you do?

1. You could relax and enjoy your other aspects of life, ignoring all Wing Tsun training. A holiday! Then return and expect to pick up where you left off.

2. You could train with other partners, repeating drills as you recall them. Or maybe look through your detailed notebook for the drills, because you know _everyone_ keeps a WT notebook…

3. You could analyze various movements of the drills and thus focus your training, breaking them apart and think about what they are, what they are for, why are they done, etc.

4. You could incorporate numerous things you have learned in the past, and see how they can connect together. Then train to help this consolidation.

5. Better yet, a combination of everything above.

6. Your comments?

Now, many moons have passed. It is time for you visit the wise kung fu master again in the high mountains: “Let me see how you have improved...”

Friday, January 15, 2010

WT journey thus far...


2004 to 2008: Baby steps

Finally, my dream of learning Bruce Lee’s original kung fu comes true. While I was in Toronto in 2004 I had the time and money to start training in Wingtsun.

When I first started out in WT Toronto, I only had some basic training in Hapkido/TKD from the odd session run after classes in high school with 2 of our social studies and science teachers (ninjas in disguise). Lucky for me, there was not too big of a cup to empty prior to learning WT.

So, I was introduced to things like IRAS, advancing stance, footwork, chain punching, etc. More awkward and uncomfortable than a silent moment on a blind date. Just for your interest, I attended the Calgary Stampede last year and noticed that they really do use the IRAS stance in sheep shearing contests (In Chinese, the name for IRAS is actually “character two sheep grasping stance”).

Soon after starting, I injured my right MCL while playing Ultimate Frisbee. I almost didn’t continue with WT, but was reassured I could. And so I continued training with this knee brace on. Thanks for the encouragement Si-Hing/Sifu Asad!

I still remember my first test in February 2005 with Sifu Lau: “More fierce!” Whenever we “screwed up” a defense/attack and stopped (you know, don’t you stop and pose in a fight for the photo shoot?), he wanted us to just plow through and go ahead. More fierce! (it sounds better with a Chinese accent...)

Also, whenever visiting Vancouver from 2007 onwards, I had the occasional training session / tea-drinking conversation with Si-Hing/Sifu Steve. Fun times! My first visit to WT Vancouver was on Boxing Day of 2007. I still remember my “initiation ceremony” of chain punching to Sifu Ralph’s chest to no avail. And when faced with a grinning menacing Mr. Hyde, I started backing up with my hands up “I don’t want to fight”, until I found myself trapped between him and a closed door (which was probably locked – yikes!). “Be aware of your surroundings…”

Anyways, I found Calgary WT in January of 2008 while I was in town. I recall having food poisoning and still wanting to meet up with Si-Hing/Sifu German. Vomiting in a Kung Fu teacher’s bathroom – bad idea. Even better, thinking I could stomach dinner afterwards and having to excuse myself after the 4th shrimp wonton. What a great night afterwards… walking out in the -40 weather to buy bread and lots of Gatorade.

Then, just when I was about to start assimilating everything together to adapt and flow more, I moved from Toronto to Calgary in July of 2008.

2008: Freeing myself from my own force

So, I started attending Calgary WT, and met most of the students in group class - the “initiating ceremony” here being partnering up with Craig (a ninja in disguise as a ninja).

This was a good year - trying to get that body moving more and to start getting rid of all those tensions throughout my body. Started this blog in 2008. First seminar with Sifu Ralph.

2009: Upgrading the foundation, seeing the blueprint

An even better year - going back to the basics: structure, foundation, rooting. Big anniversaries in Calgary and Vancouver. A WT vacation.

Also, I was able to plan the WT road ahead by finally realizing what lies beyond.

2010: Back to square one

I’m looking forward to building up everything again from scratch, hopefully with a stronger base of support. Plus, applying the principles of how to best train with each other. Analyzing and answering the question “Why?” Opening my eyes more to Chi Sau training methods.

Exciting year ahead… I can feel it. Maybe almost taste it. And it doesn’t taste like chicken…

Good kung fu!