Yuen Kay San Passing Footwork

[Kung Fu Wang]

What do you expect? A new student walks in, never done martial arts before and so you show them all the forms and associated techniques and drills and then do some full contact sparring all in the first 2 hour lesson? If we don't do that we are withholding secrets?

I'm talking about situation like this.

A: This is the way that you do technique X.
B: If my opponent uses technique X on me, how should I counter it?
A: The counter for technique X is a secret. I can't teach you that.
B: ...

I can understand why a teacher may not want his students to learn how to counter the teacher's best technique X. May be some day his student will challenge him. He wants to make sure that his best technique X can still work on his students.

 

[Kung Fu Wang]

so by your logic training gives you no control at all over how your body reacts? you sir are a funny man.

Of course you can cheat in fighting. But when a knife is stabbing toward your chest, your body will respond as you have trained.

 

[APL76]

I'm talking about situation like this.

A: This is the way that you do technique X.
B: If my opponent uses technique X on me, how should I counter it?
A: The counter for technique X is a secret. I can't teach you that.
B: ...

I can understand why a teacher may not want his students to learn how to counter the teacher's best technique X. May be some day his student will challenge him. He wants to make sure that his best technique X can still work on his students.

Well, maybe there are people like that out there but I'm not sure wing chun really works in such a 1 to 1 manner as Technique X is countered by Technique Z so I won't show you Z.

This is where we get all these people going on about wing chun being a "conceptual art". I suspect any martial art is a "conceptual art". But certainly if your students understand the principles behind techniques and have good foundations any decent student will be create their won technique to counter Technique X.

 

[obi_juan_salami]

Of course you can cheat in fighting. But when a knife is stabbing toward your chest, your body will respond as you have trained.

now your going to STAB you teacher?

im wetting myself hahahah

 

[Kung Fu Wang]

wing chun being a "conceptual art".

So what kind of secret that a conceptual art teacher may try to keep?

 

[APL76]

So what kind of secret that a conceptual art teacher may try to keep?

Well, again I suspect all martial arts are conceptual arts, I don't think wing chun is special in that regard, but lets say I teach a student to do what we call single centreline punches.

I first get them to simply throw the punch while pulling their retreating arm up to the resting arm position. At first, if a student can get the two arms coordinated and going vaguely in the correct directions I'm happy with that. I don't bother telling them to keep their shoulders still, to turn their elbow down, to not close their fist around their thumb, and any number of other things they are getting wrong. All in good time (well, I might point out the thumb thing).

So, am I keeping secrets from my student?

The withholding things from outsiders is what I'm talking about. Some people just show someone something roughly like the technique and don't do it fully, or with all of the details (which is what I suspect Kwok Wan Ping was doing in the original video). People like my Sifu on the other hand, would just decline to meet you in the first place. Is that keeping secrets from students? Keeping stuff from people who are not your student, or not showing stuff publicly?

 

[Kung Fu Wang]

if you are challenging your teacher to fights id say you have bigger problems than just learning technique x. such as 'growing up'.

When I was 14, the 1st year of my senior high, I joined in my senior high school long fist informal class. During the first day of my long fist class. I asked my long fist teacher, "What will you do if I punch at your face?" My long fist teacher said, "Come and punch me."

I might be the only student who challenged the teacher during the 1st day of that informal class in the past 30 years. I believe even today, I still hold a record on that.

I was in the front row, the 5th from the right.

 

[obi_juan_salami]

When I was 14, the 1st year of my senior high, I joined in my senior high school long fist informal class. During the first day of my long fist class. I asked my long fist teacher, "What will you do if I punch at your face?" My long fist teacher said, "Come and punch me."

I might be the only student who challenged the teacher during the 1st day of that informal class in the past 30 years. I believe even today, I still hold a record on that.

I was in the front row, the 5th from the right.

congrats but you didnt challenge your teacher. he invited you to try and punch him. would you have hit him if he said "shut up and get back in line?"

 

[obi_juan_salami]

When I was 14, the 1st year of my senior high, I joined in my senior high school long fist informal class. During the first day of my long fist class. I asked my long fist teacher, "What will you do if I punch at your face?" My long fist teacher said, "Come and punch me."

I might be the only student who challenged the teacher during the 1st day of that informal class in the past 30 years. I believe even today, I still hold a record on that.

I was in the front row, the 5th from the right.

cool photo though your teacher looks like a badass

 

[Kung Fu Wang]

cool photo though your teacher looks like a badass

He is 93 years old today and still in good health.

Grandmaster Li, Mao-Ching (李茂清)