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  • An important lesson not to be missed

    Dear family,


    I've had the great honor of organizing so far two different special kungfu events with Sifu. Both of these events have featured (and will feature) courses of fantastic arts such as Iron Wire and Asking Bridge that, however, are not part of our standard syllabus.


    Perhaps because of this, I've been surprised to encounter a very common concern:

    Many students seem to think these special arts or sets somehow take away from their kungfu development by introducing too much variation, too much to practice, conflicting goals, or other similar perceived drawbacks.


    As anyone who has attended these wonderful special courses can attest, the reality is quite the opposite:

    The special courses do not detract from our fundamental training, but rather enrich it tremendously by providing high-level skills, vision, focus and valuable options for daily practice.



    I am very happy to find out that Sifu has addressed this important question in one of his latest articles:


    DOES PRACTICING DIFFERENT KUNGFU STYLES OR MANY KUNGFU SETS CONTRIBUTE TO OR DISTRACT FROM KUNGFU PROGRESS?


    This article deals with different kungfu styles and techniques. More to follow on force training.



    Make sure you don't miss this important lesson.



    Best wishes,
    Markus Kahila
    Shaolin Nordic Finland

    www.shaolin-nordic.com


  • #2
    The second part is now up:


    WILL A PRACTITIONER GET MORE BENEFIT BY FOCUSING ON JUST ONE FORCE-TRAINING METHOD OR BY SPENDING HIS TIME OVER TWO OR MORE METHODS?


    - Again, this is a very eye-opening read, and is highly recommended for each kungfu student in Shaolin Wahnam.



    Best wishes,
    Markus Kahila
    Shaolin Nordic Finland

    www.shaolin-nordic.com

    Comment


    • #3
      Concern about 'Special High Level' courses

      Great thread Markus,

      When organising the recent Summer Camp in the U.K. I also had people concerned with the apparent difficulty in attending a 'super high level' course

      Actually I can understand people’s trepidation in regards to this subject.
      I.e. attending a course that students may wrongly think as distracting to their current Kung Fu training.

      Why? Because I have been through it myself!!

      I’ll give a brief overview of my experience.

      As most of you know I am a Taijiquaner to the bone!!
      If you cut me open you would probably find a big Taiji Ying Yang symbol hiding away in there. To this point in the past I saw anything that was not Taijiquan to be a distraction in my Taijiquan training. I actually thought it might dilute my Taijiquan!

      Then I took the ‘Eagle Claw’ course at the Summer Camp a few years ago. It may sound surprising but although I was happy to be doing the course was not looking forward to it say as much as Taijiquan review course. I thought it would be a passing fancy so to speak. As is usual for me when I walk into a situation with pre conceived ideas I was proven totally wrong with a suitably powerful and metaphorical ‘Eagle Claw Slap to the Face’!

      Indeed, the course was amazing and has enhanced my overall Kung Fu manifold.

      Here are some quick reasons why.

      • I was astounded by the variety of Eagle Claw techniques
      • I learnt a lot of applications I would have never have thought of
      • I learnt the excellent Eagle Claw force training method, which I can testify as being very efficient in building gripping strength.
      • I got a glimpse into the Combat philosophy of Eagle Claw, which in turn helped me to understand the Combat philosophy of my Taijiquan at a much deeper level.
      • The glimpse into another style of Kung Fu gave me a whole other level of appreciation into the depth of Kung Fu in general, which of course improved my Taijiquan



      I remember the other participants on that course very clearly.

      In particular I remember Tim Hoorens who had at best a good basic level of Kung Fu before the course. Since that course I have literally seen Tim’s progress ‘Sky rocket’. I remember when he went up for demonstrations at the Eagle Claw course a few years, a few of us on the course were genuinely worried Sifu would rip his arms out of his sockets as he was lacking in force. Tim has told me many times how much he enjoyed that course and the subsequent Triple Stretch course this year in the U.K. Recently I saw Tim sparring in Penang. I’ll be honest, I was astounded! Tim was sparring with great force, tenacity and speed! I was genuienly inspired to the core. Tim has taken two of these ‘special’ courses in two years and taken great strides in Kung Fu ability.

      I know that those who attend the Winter Camp courses will achieve the same.

      Best

      Robin
      "The Power of Tai Chi Chuan. com"

      Comment


      • #4
        Great thread Siheng.

        Comment


        • #5
          Thank you Markus for raising this point, I too have addressed this as a concern for practitioners who have not yet booked on to the Choe Family Wing Choon Project.

          There is a notion that taking many courses can be distracting, but as it has already been said it is quite the opposite. Choe Family Wing Choon has taught me many things about our own syllabus. In fact when we open our eyes and minds to it we will see that much of what is taught on these special courses are an extension to our already excellent system.

          For me it has been a classic case of:

          At first a punch is a punch a kick is a kick.
          Then a punch is no longer a punch and a kick no longer a kick.
          Later, a punch is a punch and a kick is a kick.

          A simple Mirror Hand that we learn in level 1 becomes an incredible pattern later on when put together with good force, skill and stances. It can open, control, tame and even fell an opponent and give opportunity for counters and attack. No longer is a mirror hand a mirror hand.

          Take the force you learn from Triple Stretch, Iron Wire and Wing Choon and melt it back into what you already know and it changes again.

          There is no doubt in my mind that these courses enhance your Kung Fu/Taijichuan, Chi Kung, meditation and your life.

          The greatest difficulty is not should I do these courses but can I do them (time and financial). If all things were equal and my own time and money did not get in the way then I would do them all.
          Tim Franklin

          http://www.theguardianlions.co.uk
          A story of finding Courage and Wisdom

          www.zenarts.co.uk Classes and Courses for Shaolin Kung Fu, Taijiquan and Qigong in Bognor Regis, Chichester, West Sussex

          Fully Alive on Facebook Energy Flow for Health and Happiness

          UK Summer Camp Qigong, Taijiquan, Shaolin Kung Fu, Spiritual Cultivation with Grandmaster Wong Kiew Kit

          sigpic

          Comment


          • #6
            Excellent points, thank you brothers!


            In particular I remember Tim Hoorens who had at best a good basic level of Kung Fu before the course. Since that course I have literally seen Tim’s progress ‘Sky rocket’.
            - I've noticed the same with some of the students that took the Iron Wire / Taming the Tiger course - now they're practicing both the specialized arts as well as our normal syllabus, and doing great at both.

            Of course, this is first and foremost due to Sifu's great ability as a teacher; it may seem incredible, but learning these intricate arts the way Sifu teaches them doesn't remove the focus from our basic training, but actually sharpens it.


            There is a notion that taking many courses can be distracting, but as it has already been said it is quite the opposite. Choe Family Wing Choon has taught me many things about our own syllabus. In fact when we open our eyes and minds to it we will see that much of what is taught on these special courses are an extension to our already excellent system.
            - Absolutely. And it is such a fantastic honor to have the opportunity to learn these special arts.

            I've said it before, I'll say it again: This is a great time to be a part of our school, now when Sifu's transmitting us the scope of the Shaolin arts.


            Best wishes,
            Markus Kahila
            Shaolin Nordic Finland

            www.shaolin-nordic.com

            Comment


            • #7
              Dear all

              During training, Sifu told us, without us even having to ask:
              "We are able to learn and profit from quite a few different things at once, thanks to our chi-flow".
              He didn't add anything to it ever since and there's no need to as well, for it is a profound statement, yes, but still simple to understand.

              This thread reminds me again of how lucky we are for our teachers and siblings to be this perceptive and caring about our/each others needs=).

              Maybe something a little bit more relevant to the subject: Even though I still very much am a "Kung-Fu-Baby", I was still able to make experiences of our Praying Mantis-training to benefit me greatly.

              This is naturally due to the amazing and balanced teaching we recieve every week, and it manages to make me feel proud about the achievements we (my honored sifu, my siblings and Shaolin Wahnam as a whole) have achieved so far=). I sincerely hope that my statements will not be perceived as patronising, but rather as an attempt to express how blessed I feel and have felt for the last 8 months.

              Warm greetings and a smile from the heart

              ~Fabienne~


              Comment


              • #8
                Hi Fabienne!


                "We are able to learn and profit from quite a few different things at once, thanks to our chi-flow".
                This, I think, hits the nail in the head.


                I was amazed at the recent Summer Camp, how the "basic" skill of chi flow is actually the key to a huge number of advanced arts.

                Once we have this skill, using it to build internal force, to make chi move form, to "shoot" chi with a punch, is just the matter of deepening it and practicing the relevant method.


                The entire strength of our training is in the fundamentals. Once they're systematically developed, we can expand our training in any and all directions without loosing our footing.


                Best wishes,
                Markus Kahila
                Shaolin Nordic Finland

                www.shaolin-nordic.com

                Comment


                • #9
                  Sifu has posted a third installment in discussing the special arts currently being taught in our school.


                  WE HAVE REACHED A VERY RARE AND PRIVILEGED STAGE IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF OUR SCHOOL


                  Highly recommended reading.


                  Best wishes,
                  Markus Kahila
                  Shaolin Nordic Finland

                  www.shaolin-nordic.com

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Touched

                    Dear Sisook Markus

                    I feel incredibly touched by this.
                    It opens my heart to see such a big step towards the goal that our beloved Sigung has been working for for years and years.

                    Seeing my Sifu and other, lovely people among these names boosts my enthusiasm, morale and pride to be part of this beyond-amazing family even more.

                    I believe I'm too choked up with happiness to be of any coherence, so I'll leave it this way=).

                    Many, many warm greetings

                    Fabienne


                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Dear family,


                      Sifu has posted another important installment that touches upon our training in specialized arts.


                      IS IT NECESSARY TO ATTEND SPECIAL COURSES?


                      Notice how it is a direct continuation of the themes in Sifu's previous articles introduced earler on this thread. If you read all of them, you'll have an idea of what great plans Sifu has for our school, and what a privilege it is to be a student.


                      Best wishes,
                      Markus Kahila
                      Shaolin Nordic Finland

                      www.shaolin-nordic.com

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        New phase

                        Thanks Markus for bringing this up.

                        Indeed, I’m very happy because as yet I have not publicly thanked Sifu for responding to my questions that I asked him recently, and also for posting a glimpse of the answers and information to come, which is found on this link, which you already posted on this thread Markus, so thanks




                        Sifu, the information is golden, and I have taken it to heart and will try my best to follow the advice, the passage is certainly inspiring and I really look forward to when all my questions and the answers are posted in March. Thank you Sifu.



                        Markus, the new article you posted a link to that Sifu wrote in reference to training the advanced arts in our school is very useful.

                        Along with Sifu’s recently produced

                        Shaolin Kungfu against Other Martial Arts and .Wahnam Taijiquan against Other Martial Arts series.

                        We have a lot of resources!



                        I have an interesting story.
                        Quite recently, before Sifu posted the Wahnam Taijiquan against Other Martial Arts series, I did some training with my partner who is a good boxer using Taijiquan to counter some basic boxing techniques. I used my Taijiquan approach to deal with some fundamental boxing strikes in our friendly training. They worked OK but just didn’t feel right, I predict that it would have taken me 2 months or more of regular training in this specific area alone to improve my method significantly.

                        However, this week I looked (as suggested by Sifu) at Wahnam Taijiquan against Other Martial Arts and Sifu had developed a far superior method than I had (unsurprisingly) to deal with fundamental boxing attacks. I tried the method from Sifu out today with my training partner and it worked so much better than what I was trying! Of course you have to follow the method that Sifu has laid out and train it systematically to get good results.
                        I will follow the rest of the material that Sifu has laid out and expect to get excellent results.

                        I highly recommend that other instructors look at this material and train it. I’m confident we will get great results. I know I’m going to enjoy training it a lot!


                        Additionally, I think this next phase that Sifu has initiated in our school is amazing.

                        When I think of Sifu’s knowledge and skills in Kung Fu, I think of them like an ocean, incredibly deep and vast.Some of Sifu’s higher levels of knowledge and skills in Kung Fu are now being passed on to us in a way that is basically unprecedented. Sifu is passing these skills on unreservedly in special courses. Sifu isn’t holding anything back! It’s incredibly inspiring, and why I try to take as many of these courses as I can. They may not come around again.

                        Best

                        Robin
                        Last edited by Robin; 27 November 2010, 07:57 AM.
                        "The Power of Tai Chi Chuan. com"

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          This thread is so amazing!
                          Thank you very much Sisook Markus for starting it!
                          And Robin Sisook! Thanks for your enlighting and very inspiring post!

                          Originally posted by Robin View Post

                          I have an interesting story.
                          Quite recently, before Sifu posted the Wahnam Taijiquan against Other Martial Arts series, I did some training with my partner who is a good boxer using Taijiquan to counter some basic boxing techniques. I used my Taijiquan approach to deal with some fundamental boxing strikes in our friendly training. They worked OK but just didn’t feel right, I predict that it would have taken me 2 months or more of regular training in this specific area alone to improve my method significantly.

                          However, this week I looked (as suggested by Sifu) at Wahnam Taijiquan against Other Martial Arts and Sifu had developed a far superior method than I had (unsurprisingly) to deal with fundamental boxing attacks. I tried the method from Sifu out today with my training partner and it worked so much better than what I was trying! Of course you have to follow the method that Sifu has laid out and train it systematically to get good results.
                          I will follow the rest of the material that Sifu has laid out and expect to get excellent results.

                          I highly recommend that other instructors look at this material and train it. I’m confident we will get great results. I know I’m going to enjoy training it a lot!
                          I felt a lot the same: trying out counters, visiting my Sifu (Sifu Kai) and recognizing that my counters were not good enough! Every time this happens, I feel astonished, how much KungFu Knowledge lies in the hands of great masters and how little I know. It opens my heart again and again

                          Enjoy your practice!
                          Anton
                          Engage and maintain joyful practice!

                          May all of you get the best benefits from what you do.

                          Anton Schmick
                          Shaolin Wahnam Germany Nord

                          shaolinwahnamchina.com
                          http://chikunghamburg.wordpress.com
                          http://shaolinwahnam-nord.de
                          http://kungfu-luebeck.de

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Dear Brothers and Sisters

                            Recently I was asked by a student (as I have specialized in Dragon Style and I'm well versed in Wing Choon and Northern Shaolin) with which style would I answer if I would be attacked in real? Actionly a question I asked myself before. But the answer is simple: with skill and strategy, deepened and brought to a higher lever in the Special Courses (and if the actual answer is from Dragon Style, Wing Choon, Northern Shaolin,.... doesn't matter, the Chi-Flow let me do the right answer)

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Hi

                              Hello brothers!

                              Hi Anton, yep you are right, in terms of Kung Fu knowledge we basically get everything handed to us!

                              We don't have to go through the decades of working everything out because it has already been done for us!

                              The thing is we need to make the effort to benefit from what is being handed to us by actually training it. If we do this correctly we will literally bypass decades of testing and training, and probably avoid many blows in the process, had we had to develop the method on our own.

                              Ronny I agree with you, we are should be basically practical in our application of Kung Fu and not worry in the heat of the moment what is 'Dragon, Wing Choon' etc. and be more concerned with "does it work effectively in that moment?"

                              For me, in my experience, in some combat situations it is sometimes it is more appropriate just to grip someone firmly in some painful places.

                              But "Oh No!"

                              Taijiquan which is what I primarily train is not famous for grips! should I worry about this? No, I'm just concerned if it was a practical technique and if it achieved the result in that moment.

                              All the best

                              Robin
                              "The Power of Tai Chi Chuan. com"

                              Comment

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