# The lights are still on. Is anyone home?



## geezer (Jul 23, 2019)

My own involvement in Wing Chun is about as lively as this sub-forum has been lately. I'm still getting together with a couple of students a couple times a week, but I'm going through ...I don't know? ....an apathetic phase? 

So tomorrow I'm flying out to an annual summer event run by the head of the organization I belong to. Usually these things get me jazzed. But not only am I out of shape and out of practice, but my whole perspective on the art has been evolving ...and diverging from the guy who runs the association, so I'm not sure how this will go. 

I'll be back on the 28th, ...my 64th birthday. Whoah... that's old! Anyway, I'll update this thread with a report then. In the meantime, anybody want ot jump in? Or has everybody else just wandered off?


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## Danny T (Jul 23, 2019)

geezer said:


> My own involvement in Wing Chun is about as lively as this sub-forum has been lately. I'm still getting together with a couple of students a couple times a week, but I'm going through ...I don't know? ....an apathetic phase?
> 
> So tomorrow I'm flying out to an annual summer event run by the head of the organization I belong to. Usually these things get me jazzed. But not only am I out of shape and out of practice, but my whole perspective on the art has been evolving ...and diverging from the guy who runs the association, so I'm not sure how this will go.
> 
> I'll be back on the 28th, ...my 64th birthday. Whoah... that's old! Anyway, I'll update this thread with a report then. In the meantime, anybody want ot jump in? Or has everybody else just wandered off?


LOL...I'm still here.
My wing chun group has dropped off as well I have several students who train in other arts interested in using wing chun as a second training system but about half as many just W/Chunners. Camps are great for invigorating the spirit for certain.
Just had a WC Instructor training camp with the organization I with. Being a Senior Instructor in the organization I teach some of the breakout sessions and serve on the evaluation board for student and instructor evaluations. Always enjoy getting with my sifu and other senior instructors to share what we have been working on. My sifu presses us (senior instructors) to be experimentative & innovative in multiply areas and environments...striking, clinching, on the ground, with weapons, and vs multiple opponents of all types (get out of the wc bubble and experience other martial arts) and we come together and share what we have gleaned from a WC perspective.

I also leave next week for a Pekiti-Tirsia camp where I'll be instructing one 4 hour session and assisting in all of the other sessions. 

Hope your camp is a great experience for you and look forward to anything you wish to share about it.


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## donald1 (Jul 24, 2019)

They're home.  The chances of any of them answering the door is slim to none though.


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## yak sao (Jul 24, 2019)

geezer said:


> My own involvement in Wing Chun is about as lively as this sub-forum has been lately. I'm still getting together with a couple of students a couple times a week, but I'm going through ...I don't know? ....an apathetic phase?
> 
> So tomorrow I'm flying out to an annual summer event run by the head of the organization I belong to. Usually these things get me jazzed. But not only am I out of shape and out of practice, but my whole perspective on the art has been evolving ...and diverging from the guy who runs the association, so I'm not sure how this will go.
> 
> I'll be back on the 28th, ...my 64th birthday. Whoah... that's old! Anyway, I'll update this thread with a report then. In the meantime, anybody want ot jump in? Or has everybody else just wandered off?



I don't know, but it's sounding more and more to me like you've outgrown this organization thing.


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## jobo (Jul 24, 2019)

geezer said:


> My own involvement in Wing Chun is about as lively as this sub-forum has been lately. I'm still getting together with a couple of students a couple times a week, but I'm going through ...I don't know? ....an apathetic phase?
> 
> So tomorrow I'm flying out to an annual summer event run by the head of the organization I belong to. Usually these things get me jazzed. But not only am I out of shape and out of practice, but my whole perspective on the art has been evolving ...and diverging from the guy who runs the association, so I'm not sure how this will go.
> 
> I'll be back on the 28th, ...my 64th birthday. Whoah... that's old! Anyway, I'll update this thread with a report then. In the meantime, anybody want ot jump in? Or has everybody else just wandered off?


it may be time for a change mate ,mayb,  not just another ma maybe another keep fit pass time is in order, yes I've wandered off from many things in my life including a few ma, its either doing it for you or it isnt


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## Xue Sheng (Jul 24, 2019)

I'm not a wing chun guy, although at one time I did train it, but I'm still here and read this section. 

I find that these seminar things, even though some parts of them, if not all, have little to do with what I train, I do enjoy them, I learn something and they give me a much needed shot in the arm

Oh and Happy Birthday geezer...4 days early.


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## jobo (Jul 24, 2019)

geezer said:


> My own involvement in Wing Chun is about as lively as this sub-forum has been lately. I'm still getting together with a couple of students a couple times a week, but I'm going through ...I don't know? ....an apathetic phase?
> 
> So tomorrow I'm flying out to an annual summer event run by the head of the organization I belong to. Usually these things get me jazzed. But not only am I out of shape and out of practice, but my whole perspective on the art has been evolving ...and diverging from the guy who runs the association, so I'm not sure how this will go.
> 
> I'll be back on the 28th, ...my 64th birthday. Whoah... that's old! Anyway, I'll update this thread with a report then. In the meantime, anybody want ot jump in? Or has everybody else just wandered off?


it is " old" but it's my current ambition to get to 64, when I was youngish I made a big deal out of  birth days, then not so much when I hit 40 , now it's back on again, serious amount of the people I grew up with are dead or at least using a mobility scooter , , being old and healthy is cause for celebration , there was serious doubt I'd see 30 , such were my youthful excesses


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## Callen (Jul 24, 2019)

geezer said:


> My own involvement in Wing Chun is about as lively as this sub-forum has been lately. I'm still getting together with a couple of students a couple times a week, but I'm going through ...I don't know? ....an apathetic phase?
> 
> So tomorrow I'm flying out to an annual summer event run by the head of the organization I belong to. Usually these things get me jazzed. But not only am I out of shape and out of practice, but my whole perspective on the art has been evolving ...and diverging from the guy who runs the association, so I'm not sure how this will go.
> 
> I'll be back on the 28th, ...my 64th birthday. Whoah... that's old! Anyway, I'll update this thread with a report then. In the meantime, anybody want ot jump in? Or has everybody else just wandered off?



Organizations can do that to a practitioner. Personally, the culture adds a large part to my Wing Chun journey. If it wasn't for the enthusiastic attitudes from those that I train with, along with a supportive community, it would be a completely different path for me. Also, traveling to Hong Kong, training and learning from native Cantonese speakers and Chinese customs in general have also helped me retain my desire/passion to stay the course. In the context of Wing Chun, I find it important to remember that _it is_ Gong Fu, and Chinese Martial Art traditions are its roots. I have learned that so much information is literally lost in translation, it has a profound impact on the experience of fully understanding the concepts of the system and training in general. That's something often overlooked or even unwanted by Westerners.

That's not to say I haven't been there... After discovering that the first group I was with wasn't a fit and I had no chance at completing system, I had to part ways. I was out to discover and explore the possibilities of what Wing Chun really had to offer, not what an organization had to offer me. During that time I was Ronin, but that actually helped me to grow. I never gave up investigating, researching and training Wing Chun with as many people as possible. I discovered that for me, it was about Wing Chun and sharing knowledge, not about the individual (myself or an organization). After meeting several people, making friends within the community and traveling, I was eventually welcomed into a lineage that is full of practitioners that simply want to expand their knowledge and get better at their craft. It's infectious.

I know I have said this before, but If you still have the passion don't hang it up, your situation can improve. I'm still encouraging you to get out of your zone, fill the gaps that have been held back from you, experiment and work with other groups to gain different perspectives on Wing Chun. Travel for a weekend, go to a workshop, meet new folks with a completely different explanation about sections, a training method or concepts and then take them back to your group for R&D. I know of several friendly workshops that accept anyone from any lineage, and I can promise that you will walk away smiling and ready for more. You can always moonlight while you explore your options, none of your WT people have to know anything 

I have trained with several high-level practitioners well into their 60's that owned me in Goh Sau, because of experience. Most of them think way outside of the box, so much so that they don't have to define all the terms, set limits or adhere to the rules that some organizations have misinterpreted over the years.


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## yak sao (Jul 24, 2019)

Callen said:


> ......In the context of Wing Chun, I find it important to remember that _it is_ Gong Fu, and Chinese Martial Art traditions are its roots. I have learned that so much information is literally lost in translation, it has a profound impact on the experience of fully understanding the concepts of the system and training in general. That's something often overlooked or even unwanted by Westerners.......
> .



Now that sounds like an interesting thread... just sayin


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## jobo (Jul 24, 2019)

Callen said:


> Organizations can do that to a practitioner. Personally, the culture adds a large part to my Wing Chun journey. If it wasn't for the enthusiastic attitudes from those that I train with, along with a supportive community, it would be a completely different path for me. Also, traveling to Hong Kong, training and learning from native Cantonese speakers and Chinese customs in general have also helped me retain my desire/passion to stay the course. In the context of Wing Chun, I find it important to remember that _it is_ Gong Fu, and Chinese Martial Art traditions are its roots. I have learned that so much information is literally lost in translation, it has a profound impact on the experience of fully understanding the concepts of the system and training in general. That's something often overlooked or even unwanted by Westerners.
> 
> That's not to say I haven't been there... After discovering that the first group I was with wasn't a fit and I had no chance at completing system, I had to part ways. I was out to discover and explore the possibilities of what Wing Chun really had to offer, not what an organization had to offer me. During that time I was Ronin, but that actually helped me to grow. I never gave up investigating, researching and training Wing Chun with as many people as possible. I discovered that for me, it was about Wing Chun and sharing knowledge, not about the individual (myself or an organization). After meeting several people, making friends within the community and traveling, I was eventually welcomed into a lineage that is full of practitioners that simply want to expand their knowledge and get better at their craft. It's infectious.
> 
> ...


yet the Chinese managed to pick up the concept of soccer , with out much difficulty


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## yak sao (Jul 24, 2019)

jobo said:


> yet the Chinese managed to pick up the concept of soccer , with out much difficulty



Yeah but let's see if they can understand cricket.


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## jobo (Jul 24, 2019)

yak sao said:


> Yeah but let's see if they can understand cricket.


it appears so 
China national cricket team - Wikipedia


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## yak sao (Jul 24, 2019)

jobo said:


> it appears so
> China national cricket team - Wikipedia


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## Eric_H (Jul 24, 2019)

geezer said:


> My own involvement in Wing Chun is about as lively as this sub-forum has been lately. I'm still getting together with a couple of students a couple times a week, but I'm going through ...I don't know? ....an apathetic phase?
> 
> So tomorrow I'm flying out to an annual summer event run by the head of the organization I belong to. Usually these things get me jazzed. But not only am I out of shape and out of practice, but my whole perspective on the art has been evolving ...and diverging from the guy who runs the association, so I'm not sure how this will go.
> 
> I'll be back on the 28th, ...my 64th birthday. Whoah... that's old! Anyway, I'll update this thread with a report then. In the meantime, anybody want ot jump in? Or has everybody else just wandered off?



Happy early birthday Steve! 

As for WC, I still train it a few times a week but the writing is on the wall: I started when I was 19, now I'm in my late 30's. In that entire time, my org has yet to promote a full Sifu or train one decent fighter that I'm aware of. I looked around and found that reaching the top of that mountain may not be worth it anymore - who cares if I finally get the secret sauce if I'm too old to do anything with it? Started training BJJ and have been having a ball with it, making that my focus for the next while.


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## geezer (Jul 24, 2019)

Wow- some excellent comments. I’m traveling with no computer access and hate texting replies so I’ll hold my responses till I get home.


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## wayfaring (Dec 28, 2019)

ah yes.  the wing chun.  what to do.  sifu’s bridge skills - they need to be passed down and trained with attributes.  then there’s the ninjas.  they need to be choked.  and more ninjas that need help with more leather in their diet.  surrounded by dilemmas.  I’ll have to sort them out.  new location in new year will allow a reset.


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## Nc1992 (Dec 28, 2019)

Wandered off? I just got here! New to the forum, studied martial arts for going on 16 years but still in my first year of Wing Chun. Started training early this year and shifted it to my main focus in training.


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## yak sao (Dec 28, 2019)

Nc1992 said:


> Wandered off? I just got here! New to the forum, studied martial arts for going on 16 years but still in my first year of Wing Chun. Started training early this year and shifted it to my main focus in training.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk



Hey welcome!  We could sure use some new blood on here, go ahead and start a thread and see if we can get things kick-started.


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## geezer (Dec 29, 2019)

Nc1992 said:


> Wandered off? I just got here! New to the forum, studied martial arts for going on 16 years but still in my first year of Wing Chun. Started training early this year and shifted it to my main focus in training. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk



So tell us a little about what yourself and what you train. What´s the lineage of your school? Or, if a blend, what do you like best about your WC training?


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## ShortBridge (Dec 29, 2019)

donald1 said:


> They're home.  The chances of any of them answering the door is slim to none though.



That's about right. Still here now and again. Still teaching and training, but there are no open discussions on traditional martial arts here, only troll bait.


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## Nc1992 (Dec 29, 2019)

geezer said:


> So tell us a little about what yourself and what you train. What´s the lineage of your school? Or, if a blend, what do you like best about your WC training?



Well previously I’ve trained in Korean Han Mu Do mainly but I’ve switched to training mainly Wing Chun. I was out of training for a few years and only started back in the last year.

My Sifu is Jack Roberts from Montgomery, Alabama; he is a student of Steve Lee Swift who studied under Ip Chun.

I’ve been interested in WC for years as a system but the best thing for me has been the teacher, I’ve looked at other styles and they were nice but there is something to be said about the finding the right teacher. The class stays dynamic and upbeat, challenging, and my Sifu does a great job of explaining things in detail. I’ve done a lot of things related to joint locks and throws in the past and I like a lot of the close range stuff in WC, some is very familiar to me from other places but a lot of it is different or takes ideas I’ve seen before and shows me a different look at it.


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