Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Invitation
Soon, I was headed down south every other Sunday and it truly felt like an adventure each time. The trip was fairly boring, but later, I will tell you about some things I did to make it more interesting, to me, at least. One Sunday, at Don's house during one of my private lessons, he asked if I wanted to attend an upcoming "Chum Kiu" seminar which was to be held in the town at a local gym. I was thrilled to be invited! Don then started teaching me a few things related to the upcoming seminar. Chum Kiu is the second form in Wing Chun, and usually a trainee doesnt get training in it for at least a year. For our purposes though, Don usually stayed with the first form, Sil Lim Tao, for well over a year. Learning these things about the second form gave me a tremendous sense of pride and I also learned much more about Wing Chun, sort of ahead of time. We were still meeting on Don's back screen porch since the cold weather had not arrived as of yet and the training was beginning to click a little. The "Chum Kiu" that I learned that Sunday has stayed with me since then and I still think about many of the principles that I learned. Whenever I get bored at my office, I still practice some of the turning involved in the form. More about the actual seminar next time!
Friday, September 25, 2009
First Wing Chun meeting down south
After the first meeting in the small town with "Don" I was hooked! I knew that I wanted to learn more about Wing Chun! I arranged via email to meet with Don the next Sunday in the city about 15 minutes south of Lafayette, Louisiana and I was on my way to a 10 year journey! It really felt exciting to me, sort of like a coming adventure. That next Sunday, I drove down to the city which took about 2 hours from where I lived in central Louisiana. It really wasnt a bad drive, mostlly Interstate. When I arrived, I went to Don's house since he had earlier given me directions. It was fairly easy to find. The city wasnt really that big but was a very nice place to be. The people seemed very friendly there. I met Don and we went directly to his back screened portch. There was a "wooden dummy" there which was made famous by Wing Chun people long ago. There was also a few heavy punching bags, one for hitting and kicking, the other for knee work. The rest of the portch was fairly empty except for a wooden swing. Don wanted to know if I wanted to just learn Wing Chun or use a "directed" approach which could lead to a "Black Belt" or "Black Sash" in Wing Chun. I chose the "just learn it" approach at that time but later regreted it. I will explain more about that in the next blog.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Frank
One day when my daughter, Sarah and I arrived at "American Kung Fu Academy" for a private lesson (we usually went every other Sunday at 10 A.M. for a long time), we came into the Kwoon and a guy we didnt know was there. He introduced himself as Frank from New York. At first, I thought he was just a visitor, but as time went on, I found out that he was somewhat permanent in terms of being at the Kwoon (and maybe teaching). Frank was almost frantic about learning Preying Mantis and all the other forms of Kung Fu taught at the Kwoon. He learned it very fast and eventually, started teaching at the Kwoon. All of this happened in probably less than one year. Frank had been an Golden Gloves boxer back in New York, so he was also basically teaching a side course on boxing which I attended. A few times, though, I was scheduled to come to a class and somehow Frank was not there. He sometimes used an excuse that his in-laws in Natchitoches called with a flat time or something similar. I soon found that I could not count on him. He did seem to possibly have a shady past. Eventually, he used some money that he brought with him and started a fight school in Lafayette. I have not seen or heard from him since then. He is (was) a likeable guy though and he was good to Sarah which I appreciated.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Preying Mantis
The first time I saw "American KungFu Academy" in Alexandria, I was impressed. It was neat, and well represented with numerous Kung Fu weapons to be seen clearly through the large glass window. It also had a dummy with the school T-shirt on that was impressive. The outside was brick and glass and a very large Kung Fu sign was displayed at the top of the front of the building. Inside, the area was very spacious with plenty of room for students to stretch while others were working on technique or forms. Others near any of the corners of the large "Kwoon" could be working on Preying Mantis' version of "Chi Sao" which is called "Playing Hands" in the style. The Sifu, Charles or "Chuck" Perry, had his office in the rear of the building suite where a desk, copier, and room for gear and books to be sold existed. In this room, there was also a half-bath which could also be used for private dressing. In the main workout floor area, the walls were adorned with various Kung Fu pictures. One, which was very impressive, was a large picture of the "Wall of China" which caught my eye right away. At just about any time after 4 pm each workday, numerous children and some adults could be seen working on their Kung Fu at the Kwoon. More on the Kwoon next post.
Monday, September 21, 2009
Preying Mantis
Before I go into the trip I was talking about earlier and next meeting with Don, I need to digress just a little. Before I met "Don" I checked the local area of Alexandria, La for any Kung Fu schools and found one. I called and talked to the Sifu, Chuck Perry and he invited me over a few days later to talk some more. I went a few days later and met him. He was very nice and cordial and very clear and I like clarity. He did not teach Wing Chun but did teach many forms of Kung Fu, including Preying Mantis. I had heard that PM was a very good style (art, if you wish), so he agreed to start teaching via private lesson and I started a few days later. At first, I went on Sunday mornings, probably for about 5 years or so and then went to an after work time or whenever I could be scheduled by Sifu or one of his top students. I will tell you about one of these students later, although Sifu may not like it much! It's not really bad, just a sort of "rotten apple" and it is now in the distant past. Anyway, I started learning the basics and a few of the PM forms. Sifu also teaches "Longfist" Kung Fu and various other styles of KF. He now also teaches a Tai Chi form. After I had been there for awhile, my daughter, Sarah went along with me to a class. She was 10 at the time and was a junior Black Belt in Karate but she was curious and still is. She kept going with me for about 6 years and left as a level 7 (7 of 10) in PM Kung Fu. Much more about Sifu and the Kwoon later.
Friday, September 18, 2009
First Meeting and more
After our talk at Burger King, I followed Don and son over to his in-laws house in the small town and we settled in his garage area. He asked me if I knew SLT (Sil Lim Tao) which is Wing Chun's first form (and some say also the most advanced form, and I agree). I bragged that I did (actually I had learned most of the form from a tape), so he said, "show me". I went through the form and thought I had done terrifically. It was a great surprise when he said it had good elements but all of the energy was wrong. It took me about 5 years to understand what he meant by that. In Wing Chun, you don't always understand what is going on until you "get it" yourself. It can be explained to a degree, but until you understand every aspect of a principle and experience it yourself, you don't really know it. Of course, even after 10 years of private lessons with Don (meeting approximately every two weeks on Sundays) I freely admit that I don't even come close to knowing it all. I think the great Yip Man would say the same (not comparing self to him). We worked on the form and he asked me to show him one of my Karate forms which I did. He indicated that it was triangular which is common for forms. Don has an uncanny ability to see a form for the first time and understand it almost completely. Next time, I will go over more of the first meeting and talk a little about a trip!
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
First Wing Chun meeting
My first Wing Chun meeting happened after I had called the Wing Chun teacher who was recommended to me by the travelling Wing Chun teacher. The new teacher's location was/is about 15 minutes south of Lafayette, LA. but that is not where we met. I first called the original teacher who was recommended to me but he said he was getting out of teaching and going into computer work in Atlanta, GA, but he had left his school to Don. He gave me Don's number and I immediately called. He wasn't there but called me back the next night. He said his wife's parents lived about 30 minutes south of me in a small town and Don and wife would be visiting them to help them out. His father-in-law broke his leg and needed help with the yard, etc. We made arrangements to meet at a Burger King in this small town the next Saturday. I met Don and his 15 year old son there and the first thing he asked me was why did I want to study Wing Chun? I told him that I was interested in the art because I had read and studied it and felt that it was the best for me. I also told him that I was not interested in learning how to beat up people, even the ones I don't like. I think that did the trick. I had a 2 hour private lesson with Don that Saturday. It was a terrific beginning! (more next time)
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Seattle Story 3
As promised, the story about an incident that happened to the travelling Wing Chun Sifu. On the last part of his trip across the States, he ended up in a school in a mid-south state and was busy showing some students there a Wing Chun technique (although, it is generally considered that Wing Chun is based on principles, not techniques). Apparently, the Sifu at that school, which I understood was at least partially a Wing Chun school, didn't like what the travelling teacher was doing, so he came over and asked to be shown the technique. Before our guy could get ready the other guy hit the travelling teacher directly in the face. Our guy debated long into the night as to wheather he should report the incident. I understood that he finally did. I don't know if the guy was arrested or not. Anyway, it was certainly uncalled for to do that sort of thing. Our man was just being a great, friendly guy and maybe some of the things he was teaching didn't agree with this schools thought process or the unfriendly Sifu's process but it was not necessary to resort to this kind of violence. He could have just nicely asked our guy to leave and I'm sure that he would have left. More next time.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Seattle Story 2
My daughter and I had a terrific time with the Wing Chun teacher in Lafayette! He spent 4 hours with us and it was the first time I had even done any Chi Sao! It really piqued my curiosity about the art and I think my daughter, Sarah (who was about 10 or 11 at the time) enjoyed it too. She never did follow Wing Chun much but ended up getting her Black Belt in Karate (we tested and passed the same day) a few years later. Eventually, we got the 2nd Dan in Karate and she taught at the Dojo for a number of years before heading off to college. She still has a good relationship with the Sensei.
A few months after meeting with the Wing Chun man in Lafayette, he sent me email and forwarded a sort of small book written about his exploits on the trip. He gave Sarah and I a very good review and talked about us a lot. But it was from him that I learned of the "local" teacher of Wing Chun about 15 miles south of Lafayette. I will call him Don (as of yet, I don't have permission to use his name or school). In the next blog, I will tell you a true story related to me from the travelling teacher about what happened to him in Tennessee!
A few months after meeting with the Wing Chun man in Lafayette, he sent me email and forwarded a sort of small book written about his exploits on the trip. He gave Sarah and I a very good review and talked about us a lot. But it was from him that I learned of the "local" teacher of Wing Chun about 15 miles south of Lafayette. I will call him Don (as of yet, I don't have permission to use his name or school). In the next blog, I will tell you a true story related to me from the travelling teacher about what happened to him in Tennessee!
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Seattle story
As mentioned in my last post, the Wing Chun guy from the Seattle area was travelling all around the United States basically showing off the art. I never did ask him, but I think that he was also having a great time with the freedom of it all too. It was obvious though that he didn't have a lot of money to spend because he was always looking for inexpensive motels to stay in while on his travels. He did tell me one story about part of his stay in Lafayette, Louisiana, which is where we met him. He generally thought that a lot of people in the area were "low lifes" and many drank too much. I did not think (at the time) to mention that it was mostly that way just about everywhere in the U.S. because if you don't have much money, you end up staying in less desirable areas. Those areas also exists in Lafayette (and other similar sized cities). Naturally, if you go to an area that is considered more "upscale" you generally will not find much of that sort of activity (drinking in the street, etc.). Anyway, he told me that when he first arrived in Lafayette, a guy sort of accosted him on the street. Our Wing Chun guy was stopped at a traffic light and the other guy, who was obviously drinking, came up to him in a kind of hostel manner. He may have just wanted an innocent conversation, but probably not likely. The Wing Chun teacher was upset and somewhat nervous, but he delt with the drinking guy politely and went on about his business (both of them). It gave a bad impression of the area though. More later!
Monday, September 7, 2009
A Cenla (Central Louisiana) Wing Chun Kung Fu Journey
After receiving a Brown Belt in Karate (which also included Judo and some Jiu Jitsu), I became interested in Wing Chun Kung Fu. Naturally, I was interested in reading a lot about Martial Arts in general, but after reading four of Bruce Lee's books about his art, it was apparent that he received his knowledge(but not necessarily his ability) from his original art which was Wing Chun Kung Fu. Bruce Lee was a natural Martial Artist and probably could have done very well in just about any art that he wanted to undertake, but it was Wing Chun that he chose as a teen. In this art, he learned to fight and fight well. He did sometimes put his fighting skills to the test by fighting in "rooftop" fights in Hong Kong, and I understand that he won most, if not all, of the fights. In his books, even though he was touting his own "art" of Jeet Kune Do, he mentioned Wing Chun and even suggested that the reader start with that art. I wanted to find out more about it.
I did continue my Karate and eventually got my first Black Belt at the age of 55. I started taking Karate because my kids, Sarah and Ian (8 and 6 years old at the time) were involved in it. I was at the Dojo a lot because I took them to training, sometimes 5 nights per week. I guess I was talked into taking the art by the Sensei and have never regreted it!
After reading about Wing Chun (numerous books and articles), I tried to find instruction in the area of Cenla, but none was available. Later, I even called a guy who is an instructor in Houston, Texas to set up a private lesson. Later, I cancelled it because I found instruction closer to home. Closer to home, though, meant about 2 hours away by car. A digression, not long after reading about Wing Chun, I noticed on AOL that a guy from a Wing Chun school in Seattle was making a United States tour and was stopping in Lafayette which is 1.5 hours from Cenla. My daughter and I went to this and had a 4 hour private lesson which was thourougly enjoyed. I found out about the New Iberia school from this teacher. Actually he told me the name of the guy who was teaching it. I found his phone number, called him and he said he was no longer teaching. He was starting a new line of work in computers so was having to move. But he did give me the name of the new Wing Chun teacher in New Iberia, so I called him. More about this next time (a ten year journey)
I did continue my Karate and eventually got my first Black Belt at the age of 55. I started taking Karate because my kids, Sarah and Ian (8 and 6 years old at the time) were involved in it. I was at the Dojo a lot because I took them to training, sometimes 5 nights per week. I guess I was talked into taking the art by the Sensei and have never regreted it!
After reading about Wing Chun (numerous books and articles), I tried to find instruction in the area of Cenla, but none was available. Later, I even called a guy who is an instructor in Houston, Texas to set up a private lesson. Later, I cancelled it because I found instruction closer to home. Closer to home, though, meant about 2 hours away by car. A digression, not long after reading about Wing Chun, I noticed on AOL that a guy from a Wing Chun school in Seattle was making a United States tour and was stopping in Lafayette which is 1.5 hours from Cenla. My daughter and I went to this and had a 4 hour private lesson which was thourougly enjoyed. I found out about the New Iberia school from this teacher. Actually he told me the name of the guy who was teaching it. I found his phone number, called him and he said he was no longer teaching. He was starting a new line of work in computers so was having to move. But he did give me the name of the new Wing Chun teacher in New Iberia, so I called him. More about this next time (a ten year journey)
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