Springtide Scrolls

Sunday morning at 10:30AM marked another of our local seminars that we host with Sifu Elmond Leung from San Francisco!

Everyone trained very hard for several hours, and the students that were taking their respective student grade examinations did very well. In the end, it's all about improvement, as Sifu Elmond emphasized.

We are planning more such events in the future, as well as some Silicon Valley Wing Tsun specific events for the end of the summer. Stay tuned to the website and this blog for more details!

Best Wishes,

Sifu

I took my first actual vacation (though it was a working one) in years and went to Hong Kong for close to two weeks in mid June, and I had a fantastic time there. I was there to visit Si-kung Leung Ting and the other Hong Kong instructors, and to support the filming of Fight Quest for the Discovery Channel, featuring Leung Ting Wing Tsun! I would say more, but everyone can simply watch the episode when it airs. I will post an air date when I all of the bruises I received during this time, but we'll find out soon enough!

 Hong Kong was a Wing Tsun dream, which I must fall into every year from now on=) Despite the grueling flight and the torrid, humid heat which  was accompanied by constant heavy rain, it was priceless as an experience. You have not truly experienced Wing Tsun until you have stood in the headquarters on Nathan Road and felt the history permeate your senses as you receive bruises and punches to the jaw, amidst the complete lack of air conditioning....

 I must give credit to Sifu Robin Tsang, for helping to organize everything for the trip that I undertook with my Si-hing, Sifu Alex Richter, and his to-dai Mike Yahn.  Though we had some misadventures, such as Sifu Robin and I somehow failing to see Mike Yahn, of all people, in the terminal of Hong Kong International Airport, we all had a fantastic time, though some things did turn out unexpectedly. Sifu Robin is consistently and overwhelmingly swamped by paperwork and e-mail, and I thank him again for the time and energy he spent as a great host.

I had way more dim sum than I can usually stomach (but it was so good!), with Si-kung Leung Ting every day at one of his favorite restaurants. I had the honor and pleasure of meeting and training with another of my Si-hings (and I have many of those), Sifu Jung-soo Park, the head instructor or South Korea. He is a consummate Wing Tsun professional, and his skills are top notch, both as an instructor and as a fighter. In fact in his earlier Wing Tsun career he was a tournament fighter, and as a 12th student grade knocked out a muay thai champion in one and a half rounds (it's on video)! I sincerely hope that I can lure him to visit the US one of these days.

 I met many more people that are part of Wing Tsun history...Sifu Chow Man Leung, Sifu Wong Nga Chun, many of Sifu Lau's students, and I saw the friends I had made in Hungary once more, such as Sifu John Lau and some of Sifu Robin Tsang's students (one of whom guessed correctly that I am actually 19 years of age....I WISH!).

 My sibak, Sifu Leung Kwok Wah, and my si-sok gung, Grandmaster Leung Koon both found time to teach me the private lessons I had requested, and I appreciate and thank them for each and every minute they spent on me. I can only hope that I did not disappoint them with my skills (hopefully not the lack thereof!). The perspectives and insights they gave me will become part of my Wing Tsun for as long as I live. I only wish that I had more time (and money) available to learn more from them.

During the course of the Fight Quest filming, Sifu Park, Sifu Robin and myself were all injured, and thus we sought treatment from my other si-sok gung, Grandmaster Cheng Chuen Fun! It was the first time I'd actually been treated by a certified 'bone setter' and doctor of Chinese medicine, and I was very impressed at his efficacy. I wish that I had been able to schedule a private lesson from Grandmaster Cheng as well, but the timing just did not work out.

My time spent training with Sifu Park and Sifu Robin was equally insightful. They are true examples and pinnacles of their technical grades, and are living examples of the efficiency of Wing Tsun.

 Of course I also spent every day around Grandmaster Leung Ting, which is always an exciting experience. Seeing him in action is always a treat, and along with the cheerful and friendly teaching of all of the other Hong Kong instructors, makes me want to return to Hong Kong sooner to train more!

My next visit to Hong Kong will be most likely in the late part of the first half of 2009. Anyone who wants to come with me is welcome!

 Best Wishes,

 Sifu

I just returned Monday evening from New York City and a fantastic seminar with Sifu Lau. Of course I am always very enthused to see my good friend and sihing, Sifu Alex Richter, as well. As per my past trips, all of the City WingTsun students were amazing in their hospitality and friendliness. However, this does not stop them from training fiercely as well...

My visit to the Big Apple was a bit unusual, this time around. Having been scheduled to depart from San Francisco Friday evening, my flight was canceled due to the weather! I had to take a Saturday evening flight to make it to the seminar. A day late, I arrived at 7AM in the morning and slogged down to downtown Manhattan. Of course, Murphy being what he is, the weather was actually bright and clear, through crystal cold. I attended the seminar, and then left New York City on Monday afternoon to return home.

During my brief but memorable weekend, I  had the chance to do some private training with the inestimable Sifu Lau. He is an incredible instructor, and I fully intend to take advantage of the fact that he also visits San Francisco twice a year. Thank you Sifu Lau!

Thanks also go to Sifu Alex as a most gracious host, and Fabian, one of City WingTsun's primary level technicians, for training with me during the seminar. We both most likely still bear bruises from Sunday, though mine are slowly fading.......

Everyone is welcome to come with me when I make my planned visit to New York City in September to attend Sigung Leung Ting's national seminar!

Regards, 

Sihing

Yesterday, the first local training seminar of 2008 was held in Millbrae, hosted by Sibak Elmond Leung of San Francisco and myself. Everyone had a great time in this group event, which we will be scheduling more of in the future to fit between Sifu Carson Lau's regular visits. Thank you everyone for participating, and if you were not able to fit this event into your schedule, try to next time!

Congratulations to Chris, Dobie, Jessica and Ben whom all passed their student grade examinations! I hope that we can set the bar for quality Leung Ting WingTsun and raise it with each successive examination.

Although I have promised my sihing, Sifu Alex Richter, not to elaborate too much on guo-sau, I find that I must say a few words. Remember that learning a chi-sau section/sequence does NOT confer the ability to use those movements in lat-sau (a free fight). In order to achieve this capability, one must train in the following manner:

1.    Learn  the chi-sau section/sequence.

2.  Learn to apply each individual movement from the applicable chi-sau section/sequence in guo-sau.

3.    Learn to apply the individual movements in lat-sau. 

4.    Perfect practice, perfect practice, perfect practice... 

Only after these steps have been taken can one be considered capable of truly applying the chi-sau movements.

Regards, 

Sihing

Introduction...

As urged to by the redoubtable Sifu Maday Norbert of Hungary, and my good friend Sifu Alex Richter from New York City, I am now putting pen to paper, figuratively, on the Leung Ting WingTsun that binds us together. These are my thoughts and interpretations from my years of WingTsun and my frequent discourses with my instructors and colleagues. I'll try to update as frequently as possible!

Training Productively... 

I want to emphasize the paramount importance of training with cooperation, focus, and dao-sum in mind when learning WingTsun. By training with focus, whether in guo-sau, chi-sau, or lat-sau, I mean that when your training partners wish to focus on a particular movement or idea, you help them! If you have both agreed to focus on pak-da, then do pak-da, and don't deviate into guo-sau. We could all use one thousand repetitions of pak-da in any event. If you wish to train guo-sau, then do so, but don't do pak-da exclusively. Again, it would do us all good to train against one thousand attacks in guo-sau. Whatever you choose to train, do it with focus and you should be able to increase your progress. With the limits on everyone's waking hours, no one has the time to train without a focus!

In training cooperatively, training partners must give out incorrect forces to be trained with and against, and must also allow themselves to be hit (with proper equipment and control). How else is feedback generated to help you improve? Too often I have seen students deny their training partners this crucial feedback loop by constantly beating their partners to the punch with muscle strength or speed, or refusing to give 'wrong' attacks. If you cannot mentally stand to be hit, then your ego needs some slaying! Needless to say, you have denied both you and your training partner the feedback loop that will help you improve.

Dao-sum (in Cantonese) or do-shin (in Mandarin), translates very approximately to fighting spirit/soul. When you train, you must keep this in mind and apply it to the training. Your enemy will not give you attacks as if he is taking a walk through the park! He will try to take your head off, crush you, and stomp on the remains. Therefore, you cannot afford to do anything less than practice with a modicum of this spirit. You and your training partners should make your attacks and counter attacks, no matter the exercise, more and more fierce as your tactile defenses grow sharper. Of course any WingTsun exercise will start at a slightly more sedate level, but you cannot allow this to continue or you will hit a plateau!

Coming soon: 2008 and onwards!

Sihing