Springtide Scrolls

Today, students from Sibak Elmond Leung's SF and Millbrae schools, Studio WingTsun, and Sonoma County WingTsun attended a seminar taught by Sifu Carson Lau (7th PG), the chief instructor for North America! Sifu Lau is our regular seminar instructor, and he always puts on a great show for students of varying levels and experiences. We are proud to invite him every year to inspire everyone to raise their WingTsun up to the next level.

The beginner students were able to work on defending themselves from roundhouse punches and kicks, enthusiastically using footwork to dissolve those attacks. They also learned and refined some of the basic dan chi sau movements. Everyone was very aggressive and determined in their attacks! Several other beginner level students drilled on footwork and basic lat sau combinations that comprise one cornerstone of WingTsun fighting techniques.

Intermediate level students worked on applications from the first section of chi sau training. They learned several applications involving footwork, angling, and fighting with the movements from that section. This was quite involved and took many a question to get clear, but as usual Sifu Lau was able to explain in fine detail. Again every student was quite enthusiastic when playing the 'victim'.....

Advanced students and instructors worked on the 2nd and 3rd chi sau sections in application and form. Sifu Lau even gave them just a glimpse of the kind of power he can generate on the muk yan chong, so surely some people's arms are quite bruised=)

A fantastic time was had by all, and thus marks the end of another great seminar. We are all looking forward to Grandmaster Leung Ting's visit in August this year, so keep training!

Best Wishes,

Sifu

On the evening of March 19th, 2009, a rather breezy and downcast Wednesday, I arrived at SFO for my 2009 trip to Hong Kong. Pausing to make sure that I had all of my documents, I decided to give my sihing and good friend Sifu Robin Tsang of the IWTA headquarters a quick call before I got onto the plane for a fourteen hour flight. I was quite shocked to find out that I would be taking the examination for the 3rd Technician Grade on March 21st! I had inquired about this, in fact, but never got a definite response as to timing. This caused some panic initially, but ultimately finality set in. Whatever came to pass would pass. I would either be good enough, or not, and under the eyes of any combination of three grandmasters, I was sure that the decision would be fair.

After a long and grueling flight involving a disproportionate number of screaming children, I arrived at 7AM in foggy Hong Kong. I meandered around the spacious and modern airport for a bit, then got onto a shuttle bus to take me to my hotel in Mong Kok district, quite literally a mile's walk from the main school and IWTA office. Upon my arriving at the office as planned, Si-Tai (Sikung’s wife) greeted me and we exchanged some news, then I groggily awaited my sihing's arrival at his usual morning time. Sifu Robin arrived at approximately 11AM, and we caught up while he was doing some paperwork in his capacity as Sikung’s right hand office man. We then left to eat lunch. I highly recommend the Pink Salmon restaurant on Nathan Road for a slow and leisurely meal=) Afterwards I returned to the hotel for a nap, then we met up again to go to Sifu Robin's class at the Hong Kong Baptist University. In fact this University was where Sikung’s first University class ever was opened decades ago! The class was also taught by several other instructors such as Sifu John Lau, his two brothers (Julian and To), and of course Sisok Kung Leung Koon, one of the most mellow yet most formidable kung fu instructors I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. Much ado was made of the next day's coming exams, and the students for the most part worked very hard to prove themselves capable of being promoted to the next levels. I begged off for the evening after eating having a late dinner with Sifu Robin, as I was still tired from my flight. It always amazes me just how many out of the way little eateries he can navigate to, though.

On Saturday, I ambled over to the IWTA headquarters around noon after having a slow continental breakfast. Thankfully I was fine, as in the middle of my breakfast apparently the Hong Kong official kitchen inspector came to the restaurant... Sifu Robin and I went to the Baptist University again to make sure that students were prepared to take their student grade examinations. I was able to work with both beginners and more advanced students, just assisting as I could. Thankfully the more recently educated generations in Hong Kong speak both English and some Mandarin Chinese. Just my luck to be fluent in the dialect NOT commonly used in Hong Kong! After an afternoon of training, and approximately fifteen minutes worth of preparation for my own exam (haha) we high tailed it back to the IWTA headquarters to start the examination process.

The examination process started at around 6:30PM, and I volunteered (thinking it would help speed things up) as one of the judges for the student grade examinations, along with Sifu John Lau, Sibak Leung Kwok Wah, Sisok Wong Nga Chung, Sisok Yeung Kai Kwong and several others. We were overseen by Sisok Kung Leung Koon, and occasionally other instructors such as Sifu Yan Yiu Wing dropped by to assist. This was a long process that did not end until after midnight, with each candidate having to perform in front of at least thirty people forms, applications, and lat sau depending on the level. All told, there were around fifty candidates in all that had to be individually graded for one or two student levels, each one separately by an individual examiner! Finally, the student grade 12 examinations concluded. I have also most likely earned a reputation as the instructor who has failed the most people during one of these exams (sigh...). However, then came the instructor level examinations, which included myself as the ONLY candidate going for 3rd Technician Level! In addition, I’m pretty sure that my sihing had told people to come to watch the (relatively) rare exam 3^rd Level examination process....

Along with three candidates for the primary technician level, I performed the SNT and the CK in front of Grandmaster Cheng Chuen Fun, who had replaced Sisok Kung Leung Koon as head examiner (and only a grandmaster may examine for technician levels). I had of course met Sisok Kung Cheng before, and he is a consummate gentleman and warrior, but out of the three grandmasters residing Hong Kong, I actually have the least familiarity with him. Thus, I was so nervous by this time that my hands were shaking from the adrenaline coursing through my blood. The primary level candidates then had to perform each of the three Chum Kiu chi-sau sections, then do lat-sau as well. Their examinations concluded with a two on one free fight, and all three put forth commendable efforts.

After a brief respite while the primary level technician candidates completed their examinations (no verdict yet), I then performed by myself the Biu Tze form and part of the Wooden Dummy form for Sisok Kung Cheng's review. Afterwards, I then did multiple consecutive chi-sau sections with Sifu Robin to show my knowledge of the chi-sau repertoire and my reactions and sensitivity. This was nerve-wracking, as our chi-sau sections did not exactly correspond, so we had to adapt on the spot no matter which section was being displayed. When I think on this however, WingTsun is meant for flexibility, so this was for the better and more of a true test of ability than if my partner had known exactly what I would do. In any event, following an all too short break, I did some lat-sau with Sifu Robin to show my free fighting abilities, and finally I had to fend off two high level students for at least 30 seconds (seemed much longer!) at the same time. They attacked me with both WingTsun and grappling maneuvers, which made it very exhausting to hold them off. By the end I was so exhausted that I could not move, but I continued to shake from the adrenaline while I was trying to catch my breath.

Finally, Grandmaster Cheng pronounced his verdict, in clear and precise English and Mandarin Chinese, luckily for me. Save for some problem areas which he advised me on how to train and correct, I had passed the exam! So as of approximately 1:30AM on March 22, 2009, I was promoted to the Third Technician Level. The exam was officially witnessed by Sibak Leung Kwok Wah and Sisok Wong Nga Chung, 5th and 6th Level Practicians respectively. In the end, despite practically no warning, I am very happy to have gone through this experience, both for myself and my students. For myself, I validate the training and efforts I've made in the last few years to stay true to the Hong Kong WingTsun spirit. For my students of course, I am happy to say that I have also validated that I have been teaching you guys the correct curriculum in spirit! Thanks everyone for their support, and especially Sifu Robin for being my 'demo' partner and for his additional efforts during the exam.

As the examinations wound down (they are held every three months in Hong Kong), I helped Sifu Robin to clean up the headquarters school, and around 2:15AM we staggered forth in search of food. I had not eaten before the exams started, as I knew that it would just slow me down, and that it would upset my stomach at that time. After a few wrong turns (being that we were both quite asleep on our feet), we ended up at a Szechuan barbeque shop a little ways from Jordan Road. Unfortunately, the food was good but extremely spicy to me, so we had no choice but to drown out the spice with beer.....and of course we toasted my examination results=) I finally made it back to the hotel at around 3:30AM, and found that the escalators were not on at this hour, so I had to climb three flights of escalator stairs to the elevators. After a brief shower, I crashed into bed, the adrenaline high finally spent.

I woke up on Sunday, March 22, 2009 at 1PM. After slowly ambling through a rather late morning routine, I went out and had a slow lunch while taking time to look around the Mong Kok district of Kowloon. I was moving a bit stiffly from the day before, so I took the time to walk off the muscle stiffness, as in the evening I would attend Grandmaster Leung Ting's tutorial class. Usually this class in on Saturday evenings whenever Sikung is in Hong Kong, however due to the examinations, it was moved for the week. These classes are where Sikung reveals a lot of theory and gives conceptual corrections, though not necessarily in any particular order. I wish I had the opportunity to attend them every week such as the instructors in Hong Kong have the privilege of doing.

Funnily enough save for a chance meeting in a crosswalk, I had not seen my Sikung since my arrival in Hong Kong, so I was also quite looking forward to seeing him again. I retreated to the hotel again to rest briefly, then ventured forth to attend Sikung's tutorial. As it was a Sunday evening, since the exams the day before had displaced the usual Saturday evening tutorial, it was rather uncrowded (in the already cramped main school). After a pleasant session training some chi-sau and falling techniques (I apparently am still too heavy when falling), we ate a late dinner, then I returned to the hotel to get some sleep.

March 23, 2009, started with a slow breakfast, then I ambled over to the IWTA headquarters, taking a different route than before. After some more technical talk with my sihing, Sifu Robin, Sibak Leung Kwok Wah and one of his to-dai dropped by and we all went to lunch with Sikung. During the course of lunch, one of Sikung's movie business acquaintances dropped by, and before I knew what was happening we were back at the headquarters school on Nathan Road taking some photos for one of Sikung's book projects. This was quite involved, regarding lighting, backdrop, costumes, and of course makeup! I lent Sikung my camera for this photo shoot, and after he was satisfied with his 'victims' expressions and writhing in agony, we adjourned. At some point during the afternoon, Si-Tai basically ordered me to make sure to get my picture taken for my 3rd Technician Level certificates (no objections from me!), so we went and did that, then went on to the regular Monday evening class at the Hong Kong Baptist University. Afterwards, again a late dinner and crashing into bed at a late hour. I will no doubt still be pondering the cool stuff that Si-sok Kung Leung Koon showed me during this session.

I owe my very visit and all of the various nagging things that needed to be dealt with to Sihing Robin! I expect the remainder of my days to unfold in a similar fashion, save that I will arrange for some private instruction, most likely from Sibak Leung Kwok Wah and Si-sok Kung Leung Koon. I also have one more instructor tutorial by Sikung to attend before trip comes to a close. I have also resolved to have my si-jie, Ivy Yeung, teach me Cantonese such that I don't feel so awkward in conversations in Hong Kong! Ironically enough Sikung and the two Sisok Kungs are three people I can speak with in English and Mandarin Chinese....In any event, onwards!

March 24, 2009 started as usual, though apparently due to the rugby games being held soon, the hotel was starting to become quite noisy earlier. I ventured forth, stumbled my way through ordering coffee at a Starbucks (as the other local coffees were not strong enough to my liking), and arrived at the office as usual. After discussing various student levels and the materials and teaching methods for them, as well as dropping off my certificate pictures to Si-Tai, we went and got lunch. In the meantime I also checked my e-mail, despite my vacation status there were still some I had to respond to. As it had rained quite heavily the night before, Hong Kong was quite cool on this day, and I enjoyed the pleasant weather (to me anyways!). Afterwards, we went on a search for the one item I had not thought to bring with me to Hong Kong, a nail clipper! I explained that I did not want anyone to do chi-sau with Wolverine, so after that little excursion, I went off to transact some business. We met again to go to the Hong Kong Baptist University class as was becoming customary, and I had the pleasure of meeting another of my sihingdai, Alan Vu, whom I had not seen since I arrived as he was out of town. I also continued my exchange of teaching tips with my sihing, and even filmed a bit of his class as promised for my to-dai, si-jut, and sihingdai in the US. After we wound down and had a late (early) sushi dinner, I went to tuck in for the night.

March 25, 2009 started with no power! Apparently an annual inspection was being held of the hotel I was staying in, and as a result power would be out until the afternoon. I meandered around, did some shopping in the evening, and returned earlier than usual to the hotel. I had arranged some private lessons from Sibak Leung Kwok Wah (5th Level Practician), on the following day, so I wanted to make sure that I was rested. In my wanderings, Sihing Robin directed me to a video/dvd store where I purchased the historically inaccurate though somewhat entertaining Ip Man film that Sibak Hsiao had wanted me to get for him. I also arranged to meet a good friend of mine from a previous workplace, Eddy Chan, on Hong Kong Island later in the week for lunch. During dinner, my sihing, Sifu Jung-soo Park, head instructor for Korea, called me to congratulate me on passing the examination earlier. We exchanged greetings, although he had to run to teach his class. He is one of the most capable instructors that I know, and his long standing experience and skills make me want to invite him to the US even more. Sihing Robin is the same, though all of us feel that constant improvement is a motto that works well. I also began writing the long promised blog entry on Chinese kung fu families that my students wanted to clarify familial terms.

March 26, 2009, started out with a hasty breakfast, as I was scheduled for some private instruction from Sibak Leung Kwok Wah for several hours. I've always just enjoyed his happy go lucky attitude and his explosive power generation, in addition to his fighting skills, so I wanted to pick up what I could from him this time around. We worked on generating that explosive 'bou ja lik,' some guo sau and lat sau, and some very painful kicking techniques in conjunction with hand techniques which I had learned from Sikung last time in the US, but never had a chance to fully understand how to train. It was very productive, and as usual I was bruised and a bit battered, but elated. We had a quick lunch with Sikung, though it was clear he was preoccupied with his impending China expansion push (good luck!), and afterwards we went to the Baptist University as usual, though the class seemed smaller than usual.

March 27, 2009 started with a late start from the late class the evening before, then I took the MTR to Central Hong Kong Island to have lunch with a friend of mine named Eddy Chan. Eddy is a former colleague of mine from Morrison & Foerster, the law firm I used to work at. We had dim sum, then I went to wander around the Mong Kok shopping district. Unfortunately the weather had taken a turn for the inclement, and so I went back to the headquarters. My si-jie Ivy Yeung was supposed to arrive today as well in Hong Kong, but I had no idea of the actual time. We taught a late class, had a late dinner and desert, and I went to bed, for the following day I had a private lesson with Sisok Kung Leung Koon arranged.

March 28, 2009 started with another slow and laconic breakfast, and I ambled over to the main school for my private lesson with Sisok Kung Leung Koon. It was very different from my last lesson with him, which consisted of learning by experiencing his very large and imposing fists (for the better of course). We went through some theoretical topics and some more questions that I had on how to generate the explosive force on the wooden dummy, and some little practiced chi-sau drills that my students will no doubt be soon experiencing. Afterwards, we had a later lunch then went over to the Baptist University for Sifu Robin's normal Saturday afternoon class. Several hours and a late snack later, we were in the headquarters school on Nathan Road again to attend Sikung's normal instructor tutorial. I was able to practice some advanced chi-sau with my very gracious Sihings, and to ask some questions of Sikung. I was also able to get my 3rd Technician Level certificates from Sikung as well, and this was a very nice feeling. I give thanks as well to Si-Tai and Sifu Robin for helping me along with this process. I do believe that I am the first and only US instructor to have taken and passed the examination for 3rd Level (or any level for that matter) in Hong Kong in the mother school!

My trip to Hong Kong for 2009 was winding down to a close after the last tutorial, and I bid Sikung farewell until August when he comes to the US. We wandered out in search of sustenance, then Sihing Robin and I chatted into the wee hours of the morning of future plans and WingTsun errata. However, I remained in standby mode for Sunday, as Sifu Robin might possibly need my assistance with a demonstration, otherwise my plans were to relax and perhaps do a little shopping depending on the weather.

On March 29, 2009, I woke up around 2PM, already starting to swing the clock back to US time. I planned to venture forward around 3PM or 4PM, get some food and generally take care of anything in Hong Kong that could not wait until next year=) I am always of two minds leaving vacation...always regretful yet anticipating a return to the normal routine. I do vow that by my next trip to Hong Kong, and hopefully before Sikung comes to the US in August this year, that I have addressed at least partially each problem area that was identified to me on this trip. Constant improvement is not just a motto for Toyota! As I was heading out to find something to eat, I received a text message from Sifu Robin asking that I assist him with an appearance he was to make that evening on a new game show for TVB, the largest television station in Hong Kong! Always eager to assist, I responded and around 5PM met him at the MTR station on Jordan Road. We took a taxi to the industrial estate of Hong Kong, and then spent the usual waiting time waiting for his appearance on the television show. Unfortunately all I was able to offer in way of assistance was a bit of cheerleading, but it was interesting nonetheless. After everything was done, we kipped off for a late dinner, and later discussed school and class matters at the hotel bar where I was staying for the last night.

On my last day in Hong Kong, I had arranged to check out of the hotel, have lunch with my sihing, Sifu Robin, and then take a taxi to the airport to begin my long (12 hours!) flight home. I had a few more items to purchase from headquarters, so after dealing with the hotel bill, I headed off. After a hasty lunch, I was off to the airport, already planning my next visit with my sihingdai and students!

Best Wishes,

Sifu

To westerners (which ironically includes myself as an American born Chinese person, though luckily I speak the language and understand most of the customs), learning kung fu can be difficult enough without listening to words in Chinese or mottos of wisdom. While Leung Ting WingTsun is the most progressive and modern system there is, we WingTsun students/instructors still keep some traditions that may confuse anyone without background knowledge of the Asian culture, mindset, and what learning kung fu means in that context. To that end, I will try to explain things in layman's terms such that we can move forward with our progressive system (which has changed in the ten years I've been training it), and yet pay homage to the culture and historical context from which it was derived. I will sometimes use examples from the Studio WingTsun school and the IWTA at large to demonstrate. All these terms also appear in 'Wing Tsun Kuen' by Sikung.

Because everything in a kung fu structure derives from family, you must understand that, is that in traditional Chinese culture, family members are referred to by a set of terms that extends beyond the western usage of mom, dad, or gramps. These types of associations, where you would never really refer to your father by his first name (unless you are estranged from him for some reason), also exist in Chinese (and indeed many other Asian cultures) for siblings. For example, your eldest brother is called exactly that, namely 'big brother.' If you had three sisters, your eldest sister would be 'big sister,' the second eldest would be 'second sister' and so on and so forth. However, in Chinese, there is a different set of words used when the siblings are younger. There are different sets of terms used for cousins, depending on if the cousin is on the paternal or maternal side of the family, and depending on how close you are to these cousins, oftimes they are simply referred to as siblings. It is confusing for anyone who has not grown up with such perspectives and familiarity with those terms.

When you learn kung fu, you join a kung fu family. With some modification, the family structure that Chinese people are used to simply morphs into the kung fu one. In a sense, when you start learning kung fu, you are born into that Chinese family. There is a different set of terms used, but in the end they are ALL just relational terms. That is why it is somewhat silly to have things such as an official 'Sifu' title. Perhaps to those ignorant of Chinese culture it may make some sense, but to the Chinese people this is a slightly strange conceit. It is just as silly in Japanese to have an official 'Sensei' title, as all this means is 'teacher,' NO MATTER the subject area. You can have a Sifu in literature for all that it matters, it does NOT just refer to a kung fu instructor. A teacher is by definition a Sifu.

Let us start from the top then. When you join a kung fu family, you have a 'Sifu.' Traditionally, in the patriarchical Chinese view of the world, only men learned kung fu. This will become important a bit later. 'Sifu' is a title that, depending on the Chinese characters used, means either 'someone respected for having mastered something,' or 'teacher father.' In kung fu sometimes these two different writings are used interchangeably. For our purposes here, it makes no difference. The easiest way to think of 'Sifu' is as your kung fu father. Make note of this, because depending on who this is, everyone else's relational titles are defined as well! Your perspective depends on whose 'Todai,' or student, you are.

As you are the new todai, you will have older brothers, many of them, numerous ones in some instances. These are all addressed as 'Sihing,' which means nothing more than elder kung fu brother. The eldest kung fu brother is typically addressed as 'Dai-Sihing,' which means eldest kung fu brother. Many times the second and third most senior kung fu brothers are addressed as 'Yee-Sihing' and 'Saam-Sihing,' or second eldest kung fu brother and third eldest kung fu brother respectively. While technically you could have 'Sub-yut-Sihing,' or eleventh eldest kung fu brother, as a matter of practice, usually after the third eldest the numbering system is simply not bothered with for the sake of brevity.

Please note that your seniority in the kung fu family has nothing to do with your rank. As long as you are a part of the family, your seniority is determined by WHEN you joined. This is why Sifu Elmond Leung is senior to everyone in North America, even though he is not technically ranked as highly as, say, Sifu Carson Lau. What does this mean practically in learning WingTsun? While I will never be hardcore about it, everyone should refer to their seniors as 'sihing.' Of course in practice, if two students are close in rank and are comfortable with it, they may choose not to use it, and this slight lapse of tradition will cause no world ending event. Sifu Dan Hsiao and I started to learn WingTsun two weeks apart from each other, so we have never bothered to use any relational terms between us. However, in class this custom should be observed whenever possible.

When someone new joins after you, they are referred to as your 'Si-dai,' or younger kung fu brother. There is typically no numbering system used, as they are simply junior. The elder kung fu brothers typically simply refer to their si-dai by name. This is why I address my sihing, Marcus Clever, as 'Sihing,' while he always just addresses me by name. In the west, some people choose to ignore these relational customs outside of class, which I find acceptable given the times; as a matter of practice, in Chinese culture they should always be used. In fact during my time in Hong Kong, even when meeting students in random subway stations, these relational titles are used. To the Chinese, they are not just for use in class, as the relations implied by the titles are permanent.

Nowadays there are of course women learning WingTsun, so the term 'Si-jie' is the equivalent of 'Sihing' for females, while the term 'Si-mui' is the female equivalent of 'Si-dai.' All of the aforementioned usage notes can apply. For instance, Ivy Yeung is my si-jie, while she is Marcus' si-mui, as she joined the WingTsun family in between the times that we did. Therefore, I am her si-dai, and Marcus is her sihing. As you can see everything is relational, so as long as you keep your perspective centered on yourself, your relationships with other WingTsun people become clear.

Your Sifu has a Sifu, and this person is referred to as 'Sikung.' For me, my Sikung is Grandmaster Leung Ting. Please note that 'Sikung' does NOT equate to Grandmaster. Sikung only means kung fu grandfather. If you are referring to anyone beyond the 'grand' generation, such as for me the late Great Grandmaster Yip Man, the term 'Sijo' is used. Roughly translated, you may think of this term as meaning your kung fu ancestor. For most of the students in Studio WingTsun classes, Grandmaster Leung Ting is actually your kung fu great grandfather, so the term 'Sijo' is used. As a matter of practice, typically if two people have a common frame of reference, names are not needed. Therefore, I do not refer to Grandmaster Leung Ting as 'Sikung Leung Ting,' as this is redundant. I simply call him Sikung. This applies to all relational terms as well. Names are used only when there is a possibility of confusion. For example, if you refer to something your sihing taught you, and there are three of them in the room, then the usage of the name might be called for. However if you refer to something your Sifu taught you, the name is not necessary so long as everyone around you knows who your Sifu is.

I'd like to point out here that Chinese people think of names in reverse from western conventions. The relational terms follow the same logic. For example, let us imagine you have a sihing named Joe Smith. You might be tempted to say that 'Sihing Joe taught me X and Y.' However, this should actually be 'Smith Sihing taught me X and Y.' While this reversal of naming conventions is present, again, I will not be hardcore about it, as it is a societal and cultural difference.

So far we have only discoursed on one line of decent, from Sijo to Sikung, from Sifu to Todai, and possibly from Todai to To-suen (kung fu grandson). However, your Sifu is not an only child! What if he has his own set of kung fu brothers and sisters? Then you have many kung fu cousins and uncles...

First, let us tackle the brothers of your Sifu. As I mentioned before, since kung fu was traditionally male dominated, there are no kung fu aunts. However, you have kung fu uncles now, and any women in this classification (Ivy) are also referred to by the male relational titles. Your Sifu's elder kung fu brother is to you, your 'Sibak.' Any of his younger kung fu brothers are referred to as 'Sisok.' Put succinctly, these are your elder and younger kung fu uncles (and aunts masquerading as uncles). Here I will also note that it is only possible in Chinese to have a 'Dai' in front of term capable of having multiples. This character means 'big' or in our case 'most senior.' Thus, for all of my todai, Dan Hsiao is your Sibak, while Marcus Clever is your Dai-sibak (having started learning WingTsun in 1987). There is no such term such as a Dai-sifu, unless you want to imply that your Sifu is gaining weight, or that you have two fathers.....

To make things easier, all of your kung fu cousins are referred to with the sibling relational terms referred to above. While this simplifies things somewhat, the IWTA has three Grandmasters of the same student generation! Sikung, his own Si-dai, Sifu Cheng Chuen Fun, and his other Si-dai (his actual younger brother), Sifu Leung Koon, all have students as well! While again the sibling relational terms are used for their students, there are terms equivalent to kung fu grand-uncle as well. For me, as my Sikung is Grandmaster Leung Ting, the most senior of the three, Sifu Cheng Chuen Fun and Sifu Leung Koon are referred to as Sisok Kung. However, if you are a student of Sifu Carson Lau's, Grandmaster Leung Ting must be referred to as Sibak Kung, as Sifu Carson Lau's Sifu is Sifu Cheng Chuen Fun. For everyone in Studio WingTsun who is either my Todai or of that student generation, things are yet more confusing. Save for Sifu Carson Lau, who has asked that we all simply call him 'Sifu Lau' for brevity (and he can ask, being a 7th Level Practician), everyone else is more complicated. My Todai or people of that student generation must remember to refer to Sifu Elmond Leung as 'Sibak Kung,' as he is senior to your Sikung. For any of my Todai or students of that generation, please remember to refer to Sifu Cheng Chuen Fun and Sifu Leung Koon as 'Sisok Jo,' or kung fu great grand-uncle.

If you are confused, please do not be dismayed. Just follow your fellow students' cues, and be polite, and you'll make it through. But remember, one day you might be explaining this to your own To-suen in place of their Sibak!

Best Wishes,

Sifu

Along with our now monthly instructor tutorials for aspiring teachers, we held yesterday our first local seminar! It was a full day for some people, as they attended a two hour instructor tutorial in the morning, then the focused seminar in the afternoon, culminating with student grade examinations.

During the seminar, we reviewed and focused on the magnetic zone theory and how to use this in determining the trigger point of when to move forward and hit your enemy. Footwork was also emphasized, as were some of the fundamental lat-sau attacks (the "deadly" ones according to Si-kung).

Finally, after everyone was already tired and sweaty, Christian Mirescu and Ben Habr managed to pass the 7th and 6th student grade examinations respectively. Congratulations! They did a good job in all areas of the examinations, and are now moving onwards to work for the assistant instructor level (and black T-Shirt, of course).

Sifu Lau returns in April, and Grandmaster Leung Ting is coming in August! Hope to see everyone at these events and for you to progress in your WingTsun journeys.

I will be in Hong Kong from March 20th through March 30th, and Sifu Hsiao will be out of the country as well shortly thereafter. Sibak Clever will be teaching classes in the meantime.

Take care and keep training!

Best Wishes,

Sifu Kuo

Here are some impressions of Sifu Lau's recent seminar from two of our hard working students;)

Enjoy!

Daniel Zwilling (11th SG)

“These are my very positive impressions of the WingTsun seminar with Sifu Lau on November 1st The seminar started at 1PM and was held at Sifu Elmond’s school in Millbrae, CA. Students from all northern California branches (San Jose, Millbrae, San Francisco and Sonoma) came together to experience the incredible skills and enthusiasm of Sifu Lau, the highest ranking WT practitioner in North America (7th PG). The seminar started with a general warm up with WT drills. Then everyone greeted and welcomed Sifu Lau and the students were grouped into beginners and advanced students. Every student was able to learn according to his/her abilities and ranking.

For the higher students Sifu Lau split the seminar in two parts: a review of techniques that he had taught in past seminars and chi sau. The review included the defense against a knee attack, (which should be countered with a Gum Sau with turning stance from Chum Kiu), and later a strong push against the chest (and subsequent stepping backwards to control balance). Each part was explained and demonstrated in detail by Sifu Lau on one of the students. He showed everything in slow movements and the explanations were easy to understand. Sifu Lau made every point crystal clear. The atmosphere was very relaxed and friendly but still; one could feel that everyone was completely into the exercises and fully concentrating. A very effective learning environment!

After the first half of the seminar we practiced the 1st chi sau section. Most of the advanced students knew one or the other variation of the 1st section and I had the impression that Sifu Lau wanted all of us to be on the same page in terms of sequence and application of this section. He went over all the important parts he wanted to emphasize and showed for each part how it should be executed. For me it was a very good review of the 1st section (Si-Sok Kuo is teaching the section according to Sifu Lau’s guidelines) and it was great to see chi sau performed on such a high level. I only wish we had spent more time on learning chi sau and its applications...next time!

All in all it was a great experience! Several interesting and important exercises were reviewed and everybody had a chance review the 1st section Chi Sau. I can only recommend attending Sifu Lau’s seminars as one can learn firsthand what WingTsun is about from one of the most powerful and highly skilled masters of WingTsun. I am looking forward to (and training hard for) the next seminar in Spring 2009.

Daniel Zwilling”

Christian Mirescu (6th SG)

“Developing the ability to flow through the first section of chi sao (and subsequently apply these techniques) is an important hurdle for all beginner students. To learn the sequence is not too difficult, but to respond to pressure appropriately is the trick. So it's critical that both training partners know HOW to train each other's reflexes, rather just following a sequence and going through the motions. It is here that the discriminative eye of your sifu, and his ability to communicate the "little ideas" built into the chi sao sections, really shape the progress of each WT student. So when you have the chance to receive the critical input and instruction of Sifu Lau, things really start to make sense and take shape.

As expected, Sifu Lau brought out the best of us this past seminar. He attracted students from all corners of Bay Area and even up in Sonoma. He provided intermediate students with detailed explanations of each chi sao attack and reaction, and ensured that we were each able to apply these aggressively. He also reviewed multiple defenses against knee attacks (often employed by muay thai kickboxers and MMA fighters). If you catch it early, gum sao (pinning hand) and turn off the knee. If you're a bit late, better use a double lan sao (bar hands).

Additionally, Sifu Lau also put a premium on how to stay balanced and recover from an attack, so that you can quickly react and shoot forward like an arrow into your own counter. So we each were taught things we should work on until his next seminar: form, sensitivity drills and applications. Let's not forget that between now and then!

While we will not always impress Sifu Lau, his experience and eagerness to teach people at all levels always impresses his seminar students. It pushes us to train with more focus during the seminar and motivates us during our regular WT classes. When you're training with the highest ranking member of our system in the western hemisphere, you know you're in the right place. To that end, we should all thank Sifu Elmond and Sifu Haw for organizing this event. As always, I'm looking forward to the next time Sifu Lau comes to town.

And by the way, if you missed him this past seminar, do yourself the favor and make sure you don't miss the next one.... You'll only be handicapping your own progress.

Best,

Chris”