Moving and shaking

Whew!! Things have been VERY busy these past few weeks. Been doing lots of training! Sorry I haven’t posted any training regiments lately. I’m teaching over 8 hours per week now so its hard to find free time to post much, but here is the latest news

1) I’m writing an article on Wing Chun Kicking. I was asked to share my wisdom (can I even call it that?) on Wing Chun kicks which I am more than happy to do.

2) Pump Gym is really starting to take off. students are starting to sign up there for the Wing Chun program called “Pump Kung Fu”. The program itself is cheaper than other local Kung Fu and martial art schools around and the quality of instruction is highly qualified and exceeds expectation, no doubt! The other good thing about signing up there is access to the gym and the facilities which are VERY well taken care of!!

3) Sifu Tim Santos and myself will be open a school together through the Ip Ching lineage of instruction hopefully in the summer. We will give out more information and hopefully a website as things start progressing there, but rest assured good quality Ip Man-Ip Ching Wing Chun Kung Fu will be passed on as it was meant to be passed on; as a fighting art and not merely about “confidence” and “health”, etc…sure, those are benefits of Wing Chun and martial arts, or activity in general…but Wing Chun has a purpose. As Grandmaster Kwok said at a seminar one time: Wing Chun is not a game. its for survival, its for fighting!

Hope all your training is going well and that continue to find your own path to Wing Chun that we are all one together.

God bless,

 

Sifu Moses

Pretty good explanation on Siu Lim Tao

This is Sifu Trevor Jefferson offering his explanation on Siu Lim Tao.  He is a student of Master Samuel Kwok.

First Third

Second Third

Last Third

 

Sifu Moses

Royce Gracie Seminar Report

Well this weekend was a very interesting and fast paced one. I hope that everybody had a great Valentine’s day weekend and was able to spend time with their loved ones and/or significant other.

I myself attended a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu seminar with UFC legend and winner of the first two UFC matches, Royce Gracie.  This was my third BJJ seminar, the first two being with Rodrigo Gracie. 

We started off with some basic self defense techniques against headlocks with a punch, then moved on to some of applications of techniques that you are most likely to find in a jiu jitsu match.  We learned how to get someone in a guillotine choke hold when they are pressing against you; we learned how to pass a guard and get into a side mount. Now, what we did that was a bit different in this seminar was that Royce made us aware of possible dangers in the techniques that the opponent can look for and then how to defend against those (probably the most appreciated part by myself since I am not a regular jiu jitsu practitioner but love to meet and train with the Gracies).

Over the past few seminars I have come to realize how much Wing Chun and Gracie Jiu Jitsu have in common in there theoretical approach and principles. For instance, in Wing Chun we train to attack what I like to call “the emptiness”. Wing Chun does it with hands and feet while standing and Gracie Jiu Jitsu does it while on the ground and with more of one’s body. There are some truly amazing techniques and ideas that anybody can appreciate in their training.

 

Sifu Moses

Master Wong…ummm….wow

Ok….when you train you need to train to “bury his leg” like this guy says! LOL.

Can you believe this stuff?

The Irony of Wing Chun politics.

In case you don’t know about Wing Chun politics, its pretty much the most brutal world out there!! Its probably worse than a Fan Sao attack from Ip Ching!!

Wing Chun politics are the worse because everybody is claiming to be of the purest lineage or have a better system to meet “today’s needs” etc…But not only among systems, but even the “in fighting” (no pun intended) is terrible!

I was once told that I was “hands down the best instructor in the association” and that I could “run circles around all the others” and that I was “the student to have at ones side during a seminar”.  But then you go from that to plain old instructor. Hmmmmm….Its quite ironic really.  The funny thing is, one’s skill doesn’t change just because they are no longer associated with a particular lineage or something. Skills is yours period if you earn it! 

Personally, I have enjoyed meeting and getting to know other members of the Wing Chun family from all types of lineages. We truly are one big family. The problem is egos the size of Alaska! It used to be that teachers wanted their students to be better than them even as a parent wanted their child to exceed what they had accomplished in their own life. Nowadays, because of the many frauds out there, many wing chun instructors (maybe even martial artist in general) focus more on controlling their students. Hence, they set up all these “don’ts” and “rules” about not associating with others who are not like them or don’t learn from the same instructor or system. “Oh, my way is the best…” I say, well lets see!!

Now, don’t get me wrong, I totally believe there are people who are such salesmen that they will say anything to take students away from you. However, I think the Bible speaks wisdom in the Proverbs when it says, “train a child in the way he should go and from it he will never depart.”  If one withholds from the student what they need to know, then of course you have to worry about somebody revealing your “secrets” (this is a GREAT SALES PITCH!). Grandmaster Ip Chun says, that any instructor who says they know the “secrets” doesn’t know anything because there are no secrets in Wing Chun (see Wing Chun Martial Arts, 1994).

My old sifu, Master Ron Heimberger said that one should be careful in selecting their instructor.  He once said, that if they try to “sell themselves large” or coming off as “larger than life” that they are ego driven.  Some good advice: stay away from the politics! Focus on the training and let your skill speak for itself. Wise words from Grandmaster Ip Ching.

Regards,

Sifu Moses

Royce Gracie coming to the Valley!!

The McAllen Brazillian Jiu Jitsu Academy is proud to once again sponsor Royce Gracie to the Rio Grande Valley!

Royce Gracie is the figure responsible for bringing ground awareness to Martial Arts and for building the UFC craze that is still gaining popularity.

He will be at the MBJJA on February 14th for a 3 hour seminar. For more information click here to visit the McAllen Brazillian Jiu Jitsu Academy. Cost is $75 and space is limited so reserve your spot right away!! I already got mine!!!

 

Sifu Moses