Today is the final day of our 3-day training camp. I want to thank all students who made the trip to Phoenix from all over the U.S., as well as the U.K.

This year’s West Coast camp consisted of the Chum-Kiu. Day 1 (Friday) worked section 1 and set the tone for the weekend by working Pie-jarn and various shoot defenses. Day 2 (Saturday) worked section 2 and introduced Wang-chang-gerk, or Side Thrusting-kick, which is the first of Wing Chun’s three primary kicks. There are eight kicks in the system, with the remaining five found in the Muk-Yan-Chong. Working the final five, however, requires competence in the three primary kicks, so yesterday was a great start to learning how kicks are training in the system.

Today (Sunday) culiminates the camp by working section 3. Here we find the remaining two of the three primary kicks: Ching-sun-gerk, or Front Thrusting-kick, and Che-chang-gerk, or Slant Thrusting-kick. Ching-sun-gerk is the more common of the kicks so we will work that one heavily with jams and chain-kicking, while Che-chang-gerk’s difficultly lies in how to turn properly in order to execute it (as well as help answer why there is only one Che-chang-gerk vs. two).

Section 3 also introduces Har-lo Bong-sau, or Lower-level Wing-arm. This concept addresses how to deal with kick defenses in a somewhat more efficient manner than solely Gwat-sau and Lau-sau (Wiping-arm and Scooping-arm, learned in section 3 of Siu-Nim-Tau). Once these concepts are learned, I guarantee that you will see a lot of smiles throughout the gym.

Admittedly, it is times like this weekend that reminds me how valuable a program like our DLP really is. It has brought training to a lot of people simply looking for real training in a real and effective manner. And it is very motivating to personally see what they are doing with the program and the progress they are making with it.

It is also great to hear the stories about “why” someone made the decision to join the program and how they are using it. There are a few programs out there that, to say the least, are iffy at best. The materials received, the guidance you get, etc., all seems to be based on forcing the participant to still be solely on their own and wade through a lot of media that is just so massive that you cannot realistically use it in a logical manner to progress through the system.

But it is apparant that our program is on the right track because I have had the opportunity of continuously seeing my student’s progress at the camps and seminars. I present the lesson plans in the same way you learn as if personally training here with us, and that is a definite benefit. In fact, it is the only way you can really use a program like this.

Naturally there are some who just watch the monthly DVD’s and flip through the eBooks at whim, taking things for face value and being content with it. Others, however, will make the effort of training the lessons and working through the drills as presented. They immerse themselves in their studies, and it most definitely shows when we get together at the camps. They take it step-by-step since that is how I teach, and they actually learn real Wing Chun.

Sure, there will always be those that say you cannot learn Wing Chun from a distance program, and based on many programs we have all seen, they are right. But at the AWCA? The reverse is true, and our students are proof of that. They walk into a setting such as the training camps and they definitely hold their own. They know what they are doing, they are competent in what they are doing, and they have gained a skill set that many can only dream of. They have realized their goals of wanting to be a part of something that makes a real difference in their lives, and I admire each and every one of them for taking the chance on us and seeing what it is all about.

This weekend’s training camp has been a true motivation for me personally, as well as my students here. Even my family has commented how impressed they are with everyone’s dedication and what they have been doing with the program. I would like to say that it is a testament to our program, but that would be a lie. It is really a testament to the members who are using the program and their dedication to just simply wanting to learn Wing Chun Kuen.

Thank you to all of my students. You continue to be a motivational force in my life, and one that pushes me to keep making the program even better.

Essential Martial Arts Seminar

We will be leaving tomorrow for seminars at Master Monty Hendrix’ Essential Martial Arts in Greensboro, North Carolina. While the seminars are closed to the public, you can stay updated with tips and training via our Twitter feed at http://twitter.com/awcaonline

The first seminar will be a basic seminar for Master Hendrix’ Wing Chun students. From 10:00am to 1:00pm MST, I will be sending out tips every 20 to 30 minutes or so that address Siu-Nim-Tau section 1.

The second seminar will be an AWCA-only class. From 1:30pm to 3:30pm MST, I will be sending tips every 20 to 30 minutes addressing Chum-Kiu section 1.

We have three events planned for next year. Our west and east coast Training Camps are in the making, plus an additional seminar in Greensboro. All AWCA members are invited to attend any and all events they can get to. Check your email for details.

This year’s AWCA Training Camp will be held in October in Greensboro, North Carolina. Our yearly three-day event will consist of the Siu-Nim-Tau, Chum-Kiu, and the Chi-sau sections that were created from these two forms. The finer points of the forms will be addressed but we will primarily be training the drills and applications from them.

Check AWCAOnline for more information as it unfolds.

Our sincerest thanks to Master Monty Hendrix of Essential Martial Arts for his and his student’s hospitality during this past weekend’s Wing Chun seminar at his school. It was a great time for all of us, and I hope that more seminars will be met with the same acceptance.

Note: Originally posted on a previous weblog: Tuesday, March 14, 2006

As many of you know, Dai Sifu Don Grose, Headman of the Tucson Ving Tsun Academy and President of the International Ving Tsun Kung Fu Federation (IVTKFF), hosts the Annual Southwest Wing Chun/ Ving Tsun/ Wing Tsun Gathering. These events are always very informative, but their primary goal is to bring the WC/VT/WT families together in order to get to know each other and our various schools/lineages.

It is no secret that past rivalries between the lineages have detracted from progressing the art to the populace, but many of those barriers have been removed due to events such as the annual Gathering.

But what do these types of events really mean in the long-term scheme of things?

I remember our first Gathering in 2004 when Dai Sifu Don said that there was a time when getting the families together would have broken out into a fight.  And he was absolutely correct.

There was a time when getting multiple lineages under the same roof, for one, was almost impossible, and two, if it did happen, more than likely the police would be called.

Sad but true. Here we are, practitioners of one of the most well-known and effective methods of self-defense with a distinguished history of extremely competent fighters, yet putting our various family members together in the same place at the same time is a problem. I guess in one way it is understandable to a certain degree; after all, ”family pride,” “lineage pride,” etc., is present in all martial arts. But at the same time, we as martial artists and members of the Wing Chun/Ving Tsun/Wing Tsun families should be bigger than that, you know?

I liken it to raising a child: you do everything you can to ensure that they get everything they need in order to be prepared for the world. You nurture them as much as possible while also teaching them how to live in society and be a good citizen. And when it is time for them to go out on their own, you hope they make the right choices in life.

Sometimes those choices are good and sometimes they are not, but in the “not so good” choices, you hope they learn from them and do not make the same mistakes repeatedly.

How does that relate to Wing Chun? Because we have those same choices.

We can choose to either make friends and learn from our families, or we can keep the barriers up and make what I believe is a “not so good” choice.

Provided that any event in which we can share information with each other is not abused, the events can go a long, long way to removing some of the barriers we all still encounter periodically. I have learned a great deal from my teacher, as well as teachers of other lineages. I have had the fortune of training with some truly exceptional practitioners of many different lineages, and the one thing I can say is that everyone – regardless of what they believe – had something of value to pass on. What we do with it after we have learned about it is entirely up to us, and personally, I would rather pass on a good view of our art to my students and those that follow us vs. a “back biting” attitude or one of discontent.

We all make our own choices, of course, but in that choice, we make known our inner selves.

So what do events like these really do over the “long haul”? They bring us together, which is still very new to a lot of people. And those that make these attempts – people like Dai Sifu Don Grose - should be commended for making the continuous effort of bridging the gap between the families and making us a whole unit vs. a “collection of parts.”

If there are schools in your area, go over for a visit. Introduce yourself and your students so that you can create a more close-knit bond with your fellow practitioners. Whether you agree or disagree with what they are doing, who cares? Does it really matter if they teach something different than you? Of course not. They have their views about things, you have yours. But that does not mean that there has to be animosity at any level.

I have met some practitioners here in Arizona that I did not entirely agree with, nor they with me. But we remain good friends in spite of that and even periodically train together. That only proves to everyone that with an open mind, willing to accept what someone else does because we share the common bond of being WC/VT/WT families, we CAN overcome these limits.

It simply takes time, and patience, and the willingness to want to do it. But it all has to start somewhere, and that is really what events such as the annual Gathering accomplish.

posted by AWCA @ 3/14/2006 06:24:00 AM

One of the best things that you can do for yourself is to attend a seminar outside of your current organization. When the only ones you interact with are the ones just in your group, it can sometimes lead to not learning as much as you otherwise could. Do you “have” to? Not at all. But it can be a very positive experience, even if the seminar is on a system or style you do not necessarily prescribe to.

The first thing I always recommend to anyone attending a seminar is to leave your ego at home. The whole reason for even “going” to a seminar is to learn, and it does not matter who is leading the event or what they are teaching. For any real kind of learning, you want to get the most out of it, and to “get” the most out of it (especially if it is a seminar that you paid for), you have to leave your ego home.

The second thing is to go with an open mind. As Wing Chun (Ving Tsun/ Wing Tsun) practitioners, we know that our chosen method is among the most effective in the world, but because of that, we have all encountered those that walk around with a chip on their shoulder.

For those particular individuals, they will never really excel because they prevent it from happening themselves. They have a certain way of viewing and doing things, and anything that deviates from that is, in their eyes, wrong. Unfortunately, those individuals miss out on some great training by keeping themselves barricaded behind only one view.

So when attending a seminar, definitely keep your mind open to varying opinions and “soak in” everything that you are being exposed to. As one of my students said after a recent event, you have to be careful with what you know and are accomplished at, and how to present that to an opposing viewpoint. There’s a fine line between being the turd of the group and showing respect for someone doing something differently than you.

Third, find out if a video camera is acceptable to the host presenting the seminar. Sometimes there is a lot of activity and it is impossible to catch everything going on around you. Having someone filming the event will help to ensure that you glean even more from it by reviewing the videos later on.

Fourth, take a notebook and document things along the way if you can. If that is not possible, then when do it in your car when the event is over. In this way, you can ensure that you do not forget what you learned and that you are writing things down while they are fresh.

The first couple of seminars I attended, I did not have a notebook and was quite disheartened that I could not remember the myriad of details that we covered during the event. From that point on, if I forgot a notebook? I immediately went to a local store and purchased a cheap one, and then sat in the car – sometimes for an hour or more – writing down everything I could remember from the day’s event.

Lastly, never forget to thank the host of the seminar, as well as any special guests that were in attendance. Even though you paid for being there, it is a matter of courtesy that someone made the effort to make their knowledge available, and it is an honor to be in attendance of when they choose to impart it.