Wing Chun Kung Fu & Kali Eskrima
In Reading (Berkshire, UK), Wycombe (Buckinghamshire, UK), Dartford (Kent, UK), Agrino (Greece), Paris (France)

Here is my account of this "wicked" International Wing Chun Seminar and holidays in Greece as Rob Cheung nicely put it. First I have to say that FINALLY I was able to attend a seminar in Greece.

So thanks Lucas for organizing it. The first thing which comes to my mind is that it was both an intensive Wing Chun Seminar as well as a very enjoyable holiday. The pace of the seminar and the time table was very well thought: we had time to visit Greece and Athens, to go to relax on the beach, to have fun in the evening and of course to train efficiently. Indeed, although we all arrived on Wednesday, the Wing Chun seminar "officially" took place on Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 9:00 to 14:00, leaving us a few days as well as the afternoons and evenings free ! During the 3 days of the Seminar, we covered concepts and applications of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd forms, as well as some from the wooden dummy and the long pole, and each time we tried to put them into Chi Sao. I find that playing Chi Sao after being introduced to some concepts and applications, i.e., while they are still fresh in our mind and hands, helps to try using them in Chi Sao. For my part, one of the few things I brought back from Greece and which I am trying to emphasize when training myself is the solo footwork we did on the 1st or 2nd day, and which involved stepping and punching several imaginary opponents. I've been working on my footwork for some time now, but strangely since Greece I can feel it is easier and more comfortable now for me to move around.

I guess that accepting (finally !) to lose my stance and to find it again when moving helped. So, thanks Lucas and Franco for keeping repeating the same things over and over again ! At last, this time, I managed to received the message. Moreover, I think that seeing everybody working hard, do their best, helping and correcting eachother created a positive atmosphere which in turn made me more receptive to reprogramming my mechanics and I am sure I'm not the only one who felt like this.

On the other hand, one thing which is rather new to me as I haven't quite practiced it yet and which I will try to pay attention to in the future is to take any step or leg I see as a kick and therefore a threat. Another interesting concept which Lucas and Franco demonstrated wonderfully during the seminar is the "do not resist or oppose your partners's force" and by doing so, they were able to use the strength and force coming toward them to their advantage.

The funny thing is the more forceful you are, and the harder it backfires on you. I find this kind of demo and drills very useful and reassuring as it reminds me why I don't want to tense and why I want to become even lighter. Besides, it is good to see that it works even if you may not yet be good enough to do it. I also liked the explaination about the meaning of being light: only the forearms are light and shouldn't pose any resistance, but the elbows stay in position near and guarding your central line.

As Franco puts it: to be light and soft doesn't mean to be weak !! So definately, getting lighter is something I will try to improve. Another useful explaination from Lucas about being rigid which caught my attention because it clarified a few things I felt sometimes when playing Chi Sao but wasn't quite sure if it was good or bad, was: when your partner throws a punch and you are on your central line, then may look and feel like you are rigid, but in fact you are just maintaining your central line.

I remember a demo by Franco, though, I don't remember wether it was during the seminar or during the improvised training session some of us had on Monday morning after the seminar, which illustrates exactly that point: Franco was on his horse stance with his tan sao in position. Then someone (Big Nick) tried to punch through the tan sao, but no matter how much force or weight he throws in, he was just sliding on the side of Franco's tan sao, who standed still so effortlessly. Two other interesting tips I got from Lucas and Franco, which I would like to share are: - when your hands are pushed away from your central line or when your partner has disturbed your central line, if you try to recover it only by using your hips, you will very likely receive a punch. Here, I am talking from a first hand Chi Sao experience with Lucas in the sea in spetses... yeah, well, I was more under sea level than above... but the point is what I missed in order to be on the safe side was to step back while recovering my central line, which is logical because in this situation, if someone wants to hurt you, he will step forward. So stepping back while recovering your central line is safer and it creates the space for the next shot. - when playing Chi Sao with a taller opponent with longer arms, you have to lower your stance as much as possible and don't raise. The idea is to bring him down to your level rather than raising up to his. This way you leave him with 2 choices: either he fires above your head leaving his ribs and lower body open to your strikes, or he plays your game at your height... Also, keep being light and mobile. I find that the regular seminars are fun, particuliarly the summer and Christmas ones, but it is nothing like this one. Although I haven't been to the previous Seminars in Greece and only heard of them, I believe that what makes them standout and a good time for learning and improving your Wing Chun skills, is that it is different from the other seminars in Reading in one specific aspect: we are all concentrated in one hotel, Sifus, Seniors and Beginners ! Which means that no matter what, you are also training and exchanging ideas outside the "official training hours". I remember particularly one improvised Chi Sao session involving a few drunken students desperate to find a spot which will accept them on Sunday night or more accurately on Monday morning, and who ended up playing Chi Sao on the beach, from 3:00 or 4:00 until sunrise ! So, I am really glad I managed to attend this seminar in Athens as, besides the great time we all had, it has been very beneficial for me and I can feel that my overall Wing Chun skills have improved: central line, steps, awareness of the other hand, removing myself from my partner's central line and any potential threats while trying to keep mine pointing at his... which are in fact some of the concepts the seminar covered through drills and Chi Sao applications. What is also funny is that during the Seminar, I could feel that my Wing Chun was improving a little bit, but I know now that it has improved more than I originally thought. How do I know ? Well, being away and on my own in Paris :( has one advantage: I have a good way to measure my progress through the people I am training with here in France. And they told me that my Chi Sao is better now, after Greece than before Greece, and I can clearly feel and see it too when I Chi Sao with them.

I want to share this thought mainly with the people less experienced than me or more or less the same level as me, because as you are training with people who are much more experienced than you, such as the "Big Four" in Reading, i.e., Big Nick, Dave, Craig and Dan, as well as the other seniors, you may not be fully aware of how much you improve because as you progress, they will also raise their level. So, know that just as I know I have improved, you too you have improved and more than you think, and I know that for sure ! So keep up the good work ! Finally, to Conclude, I would like to say a big Thank You to Lucas and Franco for sharing their knowledge with us so passionately. Also a big thank you to my Wing Chun Brothers from the UK and Cousins from Italy for the great times I had in Athens, and especially to Oli and Riccardo for the fun in Spetses, the spaghettis cooking sessions, the sea urchins we ate, the scooter rides, and for waking me up (and probably not just me) at 6:30 on a Saturday morning, because a nice very gay black american guy called Tim slipped a few nice notes (more precisely, invitations) under their door... Oops I think I just talked to much ! ;) So I am looking forward to the next one i next year, and I will recommend it to any Wing Chun practitionners ! See you in Reading Berkshire

Cheers

Alain