Another Camp On The Way

It is hard to believe that it is already October. Where has this year gone so quickly? The good thing is that October means it is time for our yearly training camp.

Our annual AWCA training camps have become one of my favorite times of the year. Not only do I have the priviledge of reconnecting with students I haven not seen since last year, but I also get to meet some new faces.

The good thing with these camps is that it brings us together under one roof and reminds us that we are all a part of the same kung fu family, regardless of where we happen to live. And believe me when I say that everyone pours their hearts in to it.

So what happens at a camp and how are they run?

I approach all camps by first re-visiting the Siu-Nim-Tau for the first day. The Siu-Nim-Tau is the foundation and building block of the entire system, so it is always important to spend the first day (or at least a part of it) going over this curriculum.

From the form to drills and applications, we also cover the concepts and theories that makes it all come together. Anyone can train the movements, but without understanding the concepts behind those movements, anything outside of the movement will make little to no sense.

On the second and third day is when things change up. Sometimes we work Chum-Kiu and Chi-sau, sometimes sparring, and sometimes the wooden dummy and how we get the most out of this unique training aid.

This year, we will again re-visit the Siu-Nim-Tau and Chum-Kiu, as well as the first four sections of Chi-sau. In many schools, there are no set or progressive lessons for working through the Chi-sau concept, which can sometimes be an arduous journey for the practitoner. At the AWCA, however, we do have a set manner in which to learn so that everything gradually increases.

The first seven sections of our Chi-sau curriculum is based on the Siu-Nim-Tau and Chum-Kiu. A special Biu-Tze Chi-sau curriculum is worked when training the Biu-Tze, and there is even a Chi-sau curriculum when working the wooden dummy.

In just a couple of years I am confident that the majority of students will be embarking in those particular areas, and I am sure they are all looking forward to it. Until then, and in a few weeks, they will once again be pressed into some heavy training for 3 solid days in Siu-Nim-Tau, Chum-Kiu, and Chi-sau.

I have not decided whether I will take my laptop and update the weblog after the culmination of each day’s events, but I will be posting our progress on our Twitter page with a full synopsis posted to AWCAOnline once the camp is over.

For those interested, head over to our Twitter page and sign up so that you can follow along as each day unfolds. It will be a great time and we are all looking forward to it.