Sunday, August 23, 2009

How Long A Fight Should Take:



No comment required.

Something to Keep in Mind When it Comes to ActualFighting:

This is more relevant once you get to the chi sau stage in your training - but it doesn't hurt to be familiar with the general ideas, now, trust me. (Unfortunately, the poster has requested to disable embedding, so you have to follow the links:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uBNjin8hBqY
and
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0rTuBOFmBVs

The point is that there is something you can learn from every one of these videos. You just have to see if anything you see in them "talks to you", i.e., if it strikes a chord with you according to where you are in your training and what you know.

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Little 'Weak' Old Guy Against Big Strong Young Guy ...

Take a good look a the size difference between these two (first pair-up in the video). Watch how the little guy simply stops the big guy cold - and it's not for a lack of trying from the big guy. You can tell as much. That's what Wing Tsun can do for you - but you have to practice.



Alex Wallenwein
Instructor
awallenwein@gmail.com

Saturday, August 15, 2009

Sifu Gary Lam: The "Good Wind" Technique

Gary Lam is a student of the late Grandmaster Wong Shun Leung. I my eyes, he has far exceeded his teacher. That's how it's supposed to be. It means (a) Gary Lam was a good student, and (b) Wong Shun Leung was a great teacher to produce a student such as Sifu Lam.

Anyway, in this video, you will hear Sifu Lam talk about the "Fung Hao". I don't have this on good authority from an actual Wing Tsun source, but my wife, who knows a few words in Chinese, tells me fung hao means "good wind". I suppose the idea is that you can't stop the wind. Whatever you do, it still blows in your face. Maybe you can hide from it, but you can't stop it.

Watch:



One of the most intriguing things about Sifu Lam is how far he can push people with no apparent effort or any discernible body action. Also, look at his center. It is rock-solid. While his hands flow, his body is always erect, his head up, his gaze relaxed and straight ahead, and his entire body moves as "one piece." I consider him one of the very best Wing Tsun/Wing Chun masters out there.

When you train, even when learning new and unfamiliar techniques, always keep in mind the mottoes: "Push the head to the sky, feet firmly on the ground", and "head up, with horizontal vision."

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Learning to Be A Good Teacher

In my eyes, I am not a good teacher yet - but I am learning to be one. You can, too.

I want my students to "get the full load" of Wing Tsun. It's been my experience that I learn most when I teach. Whenever I teach others, I teach myself. This is not just a saying. It is a fact.

In order to help you become a good teacher, I am going to start charging you with the responsibility of teaching every new student you bring into the school. That won't be your primary responsibility, of course. Your primary one is to learn WT yourself, but if you know that you must accept at least some responsibility for your friend's progress when you bring him to class, that accomplishes a few things:

1. You become more careful about whom you bring in. Bring in people you trust, people you "get good vibes" from - not just anyone.

2. You learn how to feed your own Wing Tsun habit. Wing Tsun is like an addiction. Once you "catch the bug", it will never let you go again, trust me. The good part is that WT is the healthiest addiciton I know of.

3. As assistant instructor (which this helps you become), you get extra private lessons at reduced rates compared to regular students.

4. Since you get a discount for each student you bring in, it's only fair that you should take care of them, stay in touch with them, help them if they have questions or problems, etc. Remember: you are their Sihing/SiJe, i.e., older brother or sister. They are family now!

Other than that, what does it take to be a good teacher? Sure, you have to be good yourself, but it's even more important that you care about how much (and how well) your student learns - and whether he has fun while learning it.

Alex Wallenwein
Instructor
awallenwein@gmail.com

Bruce Lee: Legend - and Reality

This will make a lot of Bruce Lee fans hate me, but reality is what it is. Compare how he looks here, during actual practice (with an opponent who doesn't even attack him) with his movies. Yes, he was fast. Yes, he was superbly trained and fit, etc. with great coordination skills - but this video really doesn't exactly instill awe in a careful observer:



Now, compare that to the video just below. You be the judge.

Alex Wallenwein
Instructor
awallenwein@gmail.com

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Wing Tsun Grandmaster Leung Ting - When He Was Cool

This footage is from 1975 when Leung Ting first came to Germany at the request of Sifu Keith Kernspecht. Too bad for him he doesn't feel he needs to show off anymore. He would have many more students in the US if he did:



Toward the middle of this video you can see a perfectly executed "Siu Nim Tau form" (Wing Tsun's first of only three empty-hand forms). The freeze-frame here shows the 'wu sao' movement of the third ("saam pai fut") set of the form. Watch and learn.

Alex Wallenwein
Instructor
(832) 452-9966
awallenwein@gmail.com