And a BIG thanks to all the AWCA folks that were able to make it. Coming in from Pennsylvania, Virginia, South Carolina and Missouri, it was a good turnout with some excellent training. Thanks to everyone for all your work and wanting to keep going even when we were ready to split!

Sifu

On a side note, I am also revising all three currently-available ETS eBooks, too, so that they have the same template formats, as well as more videos, photos, and drills.

In the near future, we will be re-filming much of the media in the eBooks, too, to make them more intense and applicable for both gym training and how it relates to real use. I am also working with 3 separate cameras now, too, so that there will be 3 angles for better viewing.

As my videography skills improve, the videos improve. And with some new equipment in high def, that will make things even more clear. Granted, the file sizes will be larger, which will also make the eBook sizes larger. However, the trade off is worth it.

All the best

Mark

I like the whole Idea of “sticking” to the opponent. Truthfully, a person who hasn’t experienced that stick, would probably become very frustrated when they first encounter it and feel completely smothered – like they just stepped into a hornets nest. JMO.

-Monty

Learning and developing the skills to excel in any sport, even the learning of the basic psychomotor motions, requires us to understand what the following embraces: Mind Training, Body Training, Technique Learning and Training.

Once we learn, we train, we develop, and ultimately we can teach.

The phases of the technique’s learning and incorporation within our skills are, in order of development:

• Awareness (Mind training)
• Knowledge (Understanding the technique)
• Memory (Body Training for development/Muscle Memory)
• Awareness (Subconsicious reaction/Do without thinking)

For each body movement that went through the above phases, the final phase is

• Wisdom

Want to know how to train? As you can see, training involves not only physical attributes, but other attributes as well.
Whenever I develop my own monthly training programs, I always incoporate the above concepts.
MIND TRAINING:
Awareness Drills
Consciousnes Drills/Perception Drills
Focus Drills
BODY TRAINING:
Speed Drills
Power Drills
Flexibility
Muscle Development
For the above, you need to work on different aspects as to increase your stamina (endurance):
Aerobic/Anaerobic Drills
TECHNIQUE:
Try to incorporate MIND and BODY training drills into your WC Drills: Focus, awareness, perception, speed, power, etc.

I include WC in all of the 3 sessions, focusing on different aspects of Mind, Body and Technique.

I currently work 5 training programs and logs:
Aerobic/Anaerobic Program and log, Attributes Program and log, Calesthenics Program and log, 5 minutes Program and log, Weights Program and log, Wing Chun Program and log (Si-Fu Phil program).
I include WC in all of them.

When I make my program, I setup each day focused on Endurance, Speed/Power, Calesthenics.

I’ll gladly share my programs on another post for reference only (It is extremely important to have a green light from your doctor whenever you get into any physical routine).

Keep in mind some concepts and develop from them. Remember, WC is based on concepts!

It is better to “control” from the beginning. By control, I don’t mean rushing in, but immediately being the complement to the partner/opponent which allows a path to guide the event. It is always prudent to get out of the way (ha), but moving backward against a skilled (or intuitive) partner/opponent will prompt them to close that gap which could put you in a perpetual defensive position instead of the more harmonious offensive/defensive position. When you are purely defending, it is only a matter of time before a mistake is made.

Of course, in a real situation, we don’t have time to “think” and it is even best if we aren’t “too” conditioned to predisposed responses since a fight is a living thing and truly is unpredictable and uncontrollable. It can, however be guided. Ultimately if your safety is on the line, dogma goes out of the window and you must do whatever will bring the event to an end as quickly as possible.

My personal thoughts are standing your ground is the correct thing to do WHEN your path is free and there is no obstruction by this I mean the amount of oncoming force you are receiving is less than your own, if you have too much oncoming force or your opponent is too strong you need to give way, UNLESS you use techniques like biu-tze-sau towards the eyes or throat than it does not matter how big your opponent is they are going to end up fatally wounded if they do not back away.

All the best

Mark

The purpose of the post was to illustrate that Wing Chun is a complete art in and of itself. It does not need “adding” to its curriculum, and there is nothing about it that is lacking. It may not include everything in it that other arts feel is necessary, but that does not mean that it is insufficient to get the job done.

No, I have not received negative comment on it (yet). However, I just wanted to ensure that everyone knew where I was coming from. I do not believe it is improper for a Wing Chun practitioner to train other arts in addition to Wing Chun. I do, however, believe that a lot of Wing Chun practitioners – even some very well-known practitioners – take the art to places it was never meant to go, because they either do not understand it or do not have the patience to learn it completely.

For example, if you take Wing Chun’s punch and alter the concept to fit another martial art’s punching concept, it will not work the same. Why? Because the Wing Chun concept requires grounding via Yee-chi-kim-yeung-ma, a rootedness in structure learned from overcoming rebound. It also requires using the bottom three knuckles, which in turn requires understanding how power is delivered the “Wing Chun way.”

Yes, you “can” alter things, but it will not be the same or have the same results, and when that happens, it is not Wing Chun. At that point, many will then feel that Wing Chun is no good, which is not the case. When someone changes the concepts or movements and then says that Wing Chun is no good, actually “their” Wing Chun is no good since it is not the real concept; instead, it is an altered method, one that is misrouted from how things “should” be.

So just to ensure that everyone is aware, by no means am I blasting those that train Wing Chun “and” something else. On the contrary, if you have the time for additional studies in other martial arts? More power to you! I sure wish I did. But do I believe that Wing Chun can and is being used for springboarding to something else that it was not designed for, and then not being as effective? Yes, I do.