The first wall!

People all over the world has always been attracted to the beautiful movements, speed and power of the martial arts. Taiji and Silat with their graceful flowing movements, Taekwondo's fantastic kicks, Karate's and Boxing's punches, Wing Chun's speed and short range techniques and many many others.

With those ideals in mind they join a martial arts class so they can do the same things. Here many encounters their first wall, "stance training". Imagine walking into a class, expecting to do the wonderful stuff others do and then we're asked to STAND and HOLD the position until the instructor says otherwise! I have seen many come and go soon after the first lesson, and I'd like to start my blog with this lesson.

After doing this for 17 years, I will say that this is the single most important training any master can teach you! Stance training will benefit you several ways:

1. When we are standing, running, walking or sitting down our body subconsciously collects information from the surrounding (foot pressure, distance with other objects, touch, feeling, sway and anything else). By standing still in a position, our brain screams for information which causes it to heighten all our senses. The longer we do so, the more natural this heightened sense will become to us.

I can only use my limited English and martial experience to explain this. Surf the net and you'll be able to find articles that better explain stances and structure.

2. Body Structure is the most important thing in life. It helps in stability, improves blood circulation, increases focus and a whole lot of other things. The proper stance practice will give you a better body structure that will give rise to many other good things in life.

3. Power comes from the correct body structure. I believe, the power in martial arts (by that I mean Wing Chun because I've only done those), comes when you are able to "throw" your body weight forward. There are two components to this. First is acceleration and the second is weight. When you can connect your body weight to your fist and accelerate to top speed in the least amount of time, you have attained full power.

4. Proper structure will also help us defuse any strikes and/or energy applied on us.

I didn't like my first three months of Wing Chun classes either because we only stood in one position at every class! But now, I wish I had done longer...

Now practice that stance!

A need to improve along with others...

Hello world!

My name is Kahar and it is my sincere hope that by sharing my vision, ideas, experience and research, I would be able to learn and see more and also possibly give ideas and help others improve in the martial world.

Due to my experiences when I was small and at high school, I became a timid, shy and introverted person who is fearful of most things. I was even afraid to go into shops and places I am not familiar of! I couldn't talk to people and even look at anybody in the eye. It was a miserable feeling that I wouldn't wish on anybody, even my foes.

My father is a Silat master who learned silat (mostly Javanese origin) from 30 masters! He had the same problem as me when he was small and he conquered his fear by learning any silat he could put his hands on and then confront everything he feared, head on, by beating everybody and everything up. Even his masters!!! When he was older he told me, that if he were to do everything again, he would learn Traditional Chinese Kungfu.

That came as a surprise, but it became a starting point in my journey. After high school I looked everywhere in Kuala Lumpur for a Traditional Chinese Martial Arts teacher. Anybody I could I met, despite the fear. I am lucky to find my Kungfu Father, Grandmaster Yip Fook Choy and a fantastically wonderful journey started!

The style I practice is Yip Kin Wing Chun Kungfu. I wrote a rough history and methods in my knol (http://knol.google.com/k/kahar-saidun/yip-kin-wing-chun-kung-fu/2kqkwsq8k58s9/2#) which I am still trying to improve and would appreciate comments and views.

This blog will correspond with Zaf Abbas' blog Wing Chun Diaries and also soon to be released blog on Yip Kin Wing Chun. By reading all three you would be able to understand the Yip Kin Wing Chun martial arts system and at the same time see a student's and an instructor's point of view of the training and discipline. I would also input my thoughts, findings and experiences in Yip Kin Wing Chun together with experiences with other truly wonderful people and their styles in the Martial Arts World.

I welcome any comments and thoughts that you might have, and by sharing I hope we can all improve ourselves and our arts better!

Now follow me in this journey... towards martial excellence!