LAST STUDENT

I have recently had my last student to be taught at least some aspect of Wing Chun.  I no longer accept private students.  I am, however, still an ardent supporter and student of the art!  Thanks for a good listen!  (Sifu Jim)

Past three private students
These past few years has been almost fun for me and hope the same for my previous private students!  I won't mention names because of privacy terms but can explain some of the issues and happenings.  The first student, I will call was about 13 at the time I started teaching him.  He stayed with me almost to the end of SLT form and then had to leave due to school pressures and grades, etc.  He was a quick learner though and was especially good at catching onto drills.  He did know SLT by the end of his journey.  I mentioned to him and his Dad that he could move on to another level (with a new teacher) when he gets older and wants to continue.  I probably will not still be teaching then.
The next student, I will call Karl.  He was a bit older but still in 20's.  He had to travel some distance for lessons so I knew he wanted to learn.  He did stay about six months but had money problems and was unable to continue.  He had some physical problems from birth and was unable to get his elbow in center which is a big problem when attempting to learn Wing Chun.
The last student I had wanted to learn but just did not have the money.  I will call him Tony.  He only stayed a few months.  He probably didn't need WC though.  He was already a black belt in Kenpo Karate and seemed to know it well.  He had also been in the Army and had fight training from that, so was well versed in fighting methods.  He lived about 30 minutes away from me.
Not sure if I'm going to take on new students anymore.  If I do, I will probably have to insist on getting a certain number of months paid up front.  That way, it will be worth my time for lesson planning and having to stay at home on Sunday's--because a few times, students did not show up.  I would have been waiting all morning if I had not called to check on reason why they were not on time.  A true Wing Chun student just does not do that!  A major tenant is integrity!

Shameless Advertising-redux

To me, it's an amazing feeling to know that one (like myself) can easily switch from being a student of Wing Chun to a teacher of the art! Of course, I have found that it is not so easy, but what makes it easier is that I know quite a bit about the art, having taken private lessons in New Iberia for over 10 years. I also have studied other Sifu's and how they teach it and have learned a great deal from that. Reading does not hurt either. I alwasys tell my students though, that you can't learn Wing Chun from a book, but you can learn ABOUT Wing Chun from books. And there is nothing wrong with that. You just have to be careful though, because some of the stuff you find in books and dvd's is just plain wrong.
Well, here goes with the shameless advertising. Of course I have a google add but am poor, so it is very skimpy. I teach mostly private lessons Sunday mornings in my garage. I call it Garage Kung Fu and this is nothing unusual. Many (I would say most) WC teachers got started and some stayed this way, i.e. teaching in the garage or back yard. It is almost a tradition. Anyway, I can be reached via email: vanceap3@sudddenlink.net, OR my cell at: 318-446-1236. Leave a message and I promise to call you back. I am fairly old, but remember that Yip Man started teaching Wing Chun when he was 56 and taught until the year of his death when he was 79!

New Private Student

It is a delight to be teaching a new student. If ever I believed the following, I certainly do believe it now! In most endeavors, including and especially Wing Chun, a "teacher" or sifu learns more by teaching than ever as a previous student. There is now no doubt in my mind that this is true. I have also found that it takes very much preparation for private lessons (and I'm sure regular lessons). I spend several hours each week going over notes, memory, and even tapes of other disciplines and then typing it up so that I can give the student a copy. This will go on until we have reached the point where the student is no longer a beginner and does not need these things. At that point, the student throws the forms away and can certainly take care of himself. I have also determined (found out) that the teaching/learning starts out with a whole lot of basics and information, practice (and on his own too), and then is whittled down to just a few very important things, like Centerline, Chi Sao, Chi Gerk. Eventually, we will get there, and in the meantime, I am enjoying as much or more than when I was a student!

Attack Proof

Sometimes in life we all need to "veer off" a bit. This is also the case with studying and learning "one" martial art. Even though I started with Karate, I found it good and, frankly, almost necessary to start learning Wing Chun. I was almost "led" to it by some invisible force (well, maybe not)! Anyway, what I am getting at is, we all grow and change at just about everything we do or even study. Wing Chun will probably always (as long as I am here) be my 'favorite" martial art but, yes, there are others out there. I especially like "Attack Proof" which also has other names (but won't go into those now). I like its simplicity and its use of common language to explain its principles and techniques. For instance, one of the stances is called the"Jack Benny" stance which relates to the former comedian himself. If you are over 50, you know the stance. The basic use of it is: getting into a stance without showing your possible attacker that you are doing that. And I think it is a very good stance and idea. Other arts have similar stances. I also like the way Attack Proof uses principles to show its methods. They are basically: Balance, Body Unity, Looseness, and Sensitivity. Wing Chun has these too. They are just used and/or developed in a different way. AP also has many, many techniques for developing these principles. One of those is: "Washing the Body"...which helps with balance, body unity, looseness, etc. If you are interested, get the book! It is now in the second edition. There are also many DVD's associated with the art and all are very good! Go for it!

Sleepy Times

This is sort of one of those brag things! Many times during my Wing Chun journey, I would not get much sleep the night before the travel. I have one of those things like a bad bladder or large prostate (don't know which yet) that keep me up at night (sometimes). I usually had to make a quick decision when awaking whether or not I would be making the trip, but usually I did make it. Many times, once the trip would start, usually on the Interstate 49, I would get very sleepy. I would have to use many "tricks" to stay awake, like singing out loud, or thumping on the steering wheel, etc. Invariably, I would resort to using Wing Chun techniques or "hands" to stay awake and at the same time, practice the art. One of those is Huen Sao using the steering wheel. Try it sometimes; it is very interesting and fun! Anyway, once I would get to New Iberia and start my hours of practice and learning, I usually forgot about being tired. That is, until I would get in the car to come home, a two hour trip! Of course, I usually had some coffee left in my thermos to help keep me awake. And here I am, so it helped!

2 of my favorite Martial books

Of course I have many, many favorite (and not so favorite) Wing Chun books, but more about some of them in a later post. Today, just to mention a few (2) of other martial books that have been favorites over the years. They are: Martial Power, by Steven Pearlman (and) Fighting Science, by Martina Sprague. She, of course, has written many other famous books, including "Complete Kickboxing" and others. I will start with her book, Fighting Science. It is basically the "Laws of Physics for Martial Artists" as explained on the front cover. I'm not going to go into the specifics other than it is a terrific read not only for martial artists but, I think, for anyone interested in physics and the way things work, especially the human body.
The other book, Martial Power, is basicallly divided into "principles" including physiokinetic principles. Take it from me; it is well worth the read and even a second and third read. It is a keeper just like Fighting Science is a keeper. I recommend both of them highly.