:::WingChunTong.com

Coming from the “outside world” and being used to the exterior form of commercial martial arts schools (as a casual observer), the first thing that stroke me when I was searching for sifu’s school is that there is no sign or indication or any type of “propaganda” whatsoever on the outside of his house. After looking closely, I saw the wooden dummy on the garage. This was the “indication” I was looking for, the sign that confirmed that the address given to me by “Jim” was right. This was a sign that this was a Wing Chun school.

Before arriving there the first day, I had already decided to join a w.c. class. A dear friend of mine in Mexico, who had been practicing martial arts for at least 20 years and with knowledge of karate, kempo, and taichi, recommended me to find a w.c. school. He said to me on the Thanksgiving of 2007: “I think w.c. is one of the best martial arts out there”. I respect his opinion, and since the decision of me taking martial arts classes was already taken, this was a clear indication of what path to follow. So, for me, the issue was not whether I would choose another style different than w.c., but rather which w.c. school I would attend, as if it was going to be my choice.

Jim, one of the oldest (if not the oldest) wing chun brothers in the class, was my first contact with the school. He was the person whom I made the appointment with, and the one who gave me my very first explanation of what Wing Chun (w.c.) was all about. An explanation that proved crucial.

At first glance, I was puzzled by the stance made by the other students. I was used to seeing the typical kung-fu stance with the legs wide open, so when I saw the w.c. horse stance, with the knees inside, I started to ask myself what type of martial arts was this … until Jim showed me the position and asked me to do it. Obviously, I couldn’t stand it for 1 minute, while the other students would stay in this position for 20, 30, or even 45 minutes without rest. Thus, I realized 2 things: how serious they took their training, and how strong your legs could get by doing this. Later I learned how important that “strange position” was in building the correct body structure on which the rest of the art is built upon.

But that first day, even though I had some doubts about how “good” or “effective” this martial art could be (as if I had any previous experience on which to judge … such is the human ego!), I decided not to make any judgment. Just to come back and train. Not to expect or ask for anything. Let time decide. Today, after almost 2 years of that first day, I am glad I did. It is only in the “exile”, when you start to see and appreciate how lucky you were in finding the right school. P.D. Ouspensky once said: “Luck is the most important factor”. Indeed it is.

I am also glad that my ignorance and self-importance were not so big at that moment so as to make me look for a “better” school. Luck does exist !.

When I knew that I would had to leave LA, I worried about my w.c. training, so I asked sifu if he could train me “intensively”, for example, 1 or 2 hours everyday. He replied: “you must grow the way a tree or a flower grows”. This small, poetic phrase perfectly summarizes my learning experience at sifu’s school. Nothing was rushed, everything was learned slowly, gradually. This was my personal experience, but I suspect that it is precisely like this how you learn and advance in w.c. All one has to do is come to class, and practice, practice a lot. Leave the decisions to the master.

Tong once said to me: “Wing Chun cannot be taught; it must the passed”. I found this to be very true. Yes, you learn the basic “choreography” by imitating what your instructor shows you, but it is only when you touch hands, when the old student corrects the young student[1], when the master shows the beginner just a glimpse of how great things can get, when your w.c. really starts to improve.

I had the preconception that all martial arts were training you to be hard, resistant and powerful: to develop enough physical strength to be able to tolerate and repell attacks. Yet, one of the most important concepts in wing chun is to stay relaxed, at all times. In wing chun, what we want to develop is skill: the necessary skills to be able to deflect or use the opponents force, not to fight the force. This is not to say that a good physical condition is not part of wing chun. But the emphasis is not there; the emphasis is on relaxation. Why? To develop sensitivity. Or as Jim would say, to be aware.

A good physical condition will gradually appear, because as you do the forms over and over again, you find that “suspiciously” you body feels better, your muscles become more defined, and your legs stronger. This is not a coincidence: the movements in the forms teach you a technique and at the same time strengthen specific parts of your body. So, in the end, it’s all really there.

At an intellectual level, one of the concepts that I liked the most about the w.c. philosophy is to “keep the centerline”. In w.c., you want to gain the centerline, because that is the shortest distance to your opponent, and because if you gain the centerline, most likely your opponent attacks will be off target. It was a complete revelation, at least to me, to learn (and to feel while doing chi-sau), that if the opponent’s force is not directed towards your center, if you can feel it, you can react to it and take advantage of it. This also adds to the “simplicity of the art”.

If you are a current student of sifu’s class, all I can say is: remember how lucky you are, stop reading this essay, and practice! (or come more often to class, depending on who you are …). If you are considering joining the class, I would tell you that Wing Chun, in the incarnation thought by Wong Siu, is more beautiful, satisfying and aggressive than what you might have thought before, or by first impression. You will need to learn some wing chun, before you can really start to appreciate it. And that will not come with one, two or ten classes (we train for 3 hours every time, so keep that in mind …).

[1] More like: “when the old student abuses you for not being relaxed …!!”. Hey, this is one way to learn.

Strive to stay relaxed