Category Archives: Articles

Repattern Your WingChun

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The question is not what you look at, but what you see.

— Henry David Thoreau

 

The time is now. Life has its ups and downs, its highs and lows. Things start and end, people come and go. But there is an eternal constant, which is the chance to change.

That means no matter how hard or bad the moment is, there is always a way to keep going, to keep growing. We can dig down into our own inner resources to survive. But to thrive, allies really help.

These can be your family or friends. On the martial path, they are your students, colleagues, and teachers. Without them, we cannot get far. With their support, our path towards mastery can endure with fun, progress, and meaning. They reflect parts of ourselves we need to look at, including our very thoughts. Continue reading →

WingChun Technique or Technology

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The system of nature, of which man is a part, tends to be self-balancing, self-adjusting, self-cleansing. Not so with technology.

— E. F. Schumacher

 

Occasionally I get emails from all over this Earth asking me about WingChun technique. These inquiries hail from India, Jamaica, the Philippines, Canada, Australia, Taiwan, Germany, and many more countries, let alone numerous cities throughout the United States.

That is the beauty of the so-called World Wide Web. I enjoy hearing from my readers and fans wherever on the planet they are. In appreciation for them reaching out, I always do my best to answer their questions.

Increasingly, I receive requests for online training. Unfortunately, I have to decline them. Perhaps I am conservative but I don’t feel like it is possible to responsibly pass on our teachings without being in the presence of my students.

I agree that some knowledge may be transmitted via the internet. But there is so much that cannot be absorbed. First and foremost is the utter lack of tactile feedback. You must feel, rather than just see, or hear how WingChun works.

That is an easily forgotten side effect of online communication. We fall into the seductive illusion that it is a suitable or sufficient substitute for direct relationship. But it is far from it. Continue reading →

Your WingChun Nature

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“Forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet and the winds long to play with your hair.”

— Khalil Gibran

Sifu Paul Wang with Dai Sifu Klaus Brand at 2014 Spring Camp in the Marin Headlands, California.

Sifu Paul Wang with Dai Sifu Klaus Brand at 2014 Spring Camp in the Marin Headlands, California.

Have you noticed that, for all its vast benefits, technology feels draining at times? Perhaps you are better adapted to it than me. I admittedly have a limited capacity for digital distractions.

Then I begin longing to roam sun-speckled trails, especially those decorated with carpets of spongy moss and fungi-rimmed logs felled to earth by lightning. For me, an elemental elixir of sun, wind and dew must occasionally pour into my pores. Otherwise, without this primal nutrition, my modern existence insidiously fades to robotic routine.

It is easy to forget that we are humanimals possessed of powerful intellects that nonetheless often distance us from our biological selves. Our minds can virtually abstract us from the animal immediacy of our senses and surroundings. This creature instinct starves if it is not unleashed to range freely once in a while. In fact, left confined too long in the claustrophobic boxes of civilization we have built ourselves, this part of you may perish without you even realizing the loss. A sort of inner mass extinction parallels the worldwide decline in ecosystem biodiversity. Continue reading →

Video: WingChun Chi Sao (Adhering Arms) Applications

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During a recent Primary Workshop at the United States Headquarters of the International Academy of WingChun (IAW) in Berkeley, California, I had participants drill three application excerpts within the IAW partner sequences. These are known (and demonstrated in the video) as Lat Sao (Casting Arms), Chi Sao (Adhering Arms) and Guo Sao (Passing Arms), respectively. The goal is synergizing technique, power and speed.

Below is a brief technical analysis of the three combination options against a right punch preparation: Continue reading →

Video: WingChun Wu Sao (Protecting Arm) Applications

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Recently, I taught an Advanced Class at the United States Headquarters of the International Academy of WingChun (IAW) in Berkeley, California. My theme was combination applications of the IAW WingChun Wu Sao (Protecting Arm). I had students practice 3 concepts demonstrated here in less than 5 seconds with Sihing Brandon Solano.

Below is a brief technical analysis of the three Wu Sao (Protecting Arm) combination options against a right straight punch:

Continue reading →