Sometime around 1980: Rick was sweeping the floor of the Wing Chun Academy hall. He lived in the Academy in the role of what the Japanese call an Uchi-deshi. He trained, ate, slept and lived in and for the Academy and Wing Chun. Sifu entered the hall. He took up a position where Rick could…
Category: Wing Chun
Internal Kung Fu and Invisible Jiu Jitsu
As an avid student of Kung Fu (Wing Chun since 1989, other styles since 1977) and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (since 1998), I have sought out the higher level subtleties as well as the fundamentals. An ongoing quest. Travelling such a path, one continually comes across claims of “Internal” Kung Fu, and “Invisible” Jiu Jitsu, and…
Creativity and Martial Arts Training IV
This is part IV, the last of a four part article. Part I Part II Part III Limitations and Constraints Unlimited freedom paralyses creativity. You need somewhere to go. You need a problem to solve. I was rebuked as a black belt by a highly ranked instructor for not being able to immediately think of a…
Creativity and Martial Arts Training III
The third article in a series of four. SCAMPER In Part I and Part II of this series, we looked at how rearranging or reversing the sequence in which the movements within a technique are performed can sometimes lead to superior results, specifically referencing the kimura from under half guard, and the front kick. We…
Creativity and Martial Arts Training II
“You can’t use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have.” Maya Angelou This is part II of a series on Martial Arts and Creativity. Part I. Me? Creative? You may not think you are creative, but you are. Every time you work towards a new goal, or find a unique (to you)…
Creativity and Martial Arts Training I
The Natural Order of Things? A recent seminar with John Will brought home to me the value of imagination and a creative approach to martial arts training, and, specifically, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. The seminar was on half guard on the bottom – more specifically, a type of Z guard – and we were looking at…
431
Yesterday morning, Sunday 7th August, 2016, was my last training session at Rick Spain’s Red Boat Wing Chun Academy, at 431 Elizabeth Street, Surry Hills. Sunday Jiu Jitsu. I joined the Academy in July 1989, while it was in smaller premises at 342 Elizabeth St. A couple of blocks away, if that. I can’t remember exactly…
False Paths and Blind Alleys
I wrote an earlier blog post on advice for beginning or prospective martial arts students. Most of us that have trained for a while could bore people for days on the subject, but I did feel I left something out. It got too big for an edit on that earlier article. That is – martial…
Advice for new martial art students
Which martial art should I do? Which school should I go to? There is no supreme martial art. Different martial arts suit different people. Find one that suits you and your goals. Look at a few different arts and a few places before signing up. Often, the instructor’s character, teaching style, knowledge of their art…
Do unto others
I had cause to take a fellow Jiu Jitsu student, Iain, to the hospital last weekend. He tore his Achilles tendon while we were training. Just a freak accident – we weren’t rolling, just drilling toreandor passes. Another student, March, joined us at the hospital. I’ve taken similar trips, including one ambulance ride, before, with…