How true!!!

Have a look a this video on youtube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z9Wspd7GOb8

I especially like what that old long bearded uncle said,

"Learning kungfu is like studying. You will experience it slowly, you will gather the knowledge slowly, and you will understand it slowly, then you can achieve greatness".

And also the chubby brother,

"Chinese kungfu is very unique. Its a total art form. its not just about fighting its a way of life, its philosophical, its spiritual, its physical, its everything!"

I believe these to be really2 true.

In the face of McDojo type certification and training, young people are very much inclined to think of their greatness. I've read many times and met many people saying that they are the best, they're unbeatable, they've found weaknesses in their chosen art so they're coming up with their own style, they've become sifu/master in record time etc. They want to be Bruce Lee in double quick time (They forget Bruce Lee practices 8 to 10 hours a day when he's not acting).

Many do not know that, in the old days, for you to be a martial arts sifu (father) you have to have a few things.

1. Empty hand skills

2. Weapon skills (North China says you must know 18 weapons, while the south says you must know at least 9 weapons)

3. Lion Dance

4. Medicine and Healing

If you a lack even one, you can be an instructor but not a father (the original meaning of Sifu). It is like a check and balance system telling people who are the 'masters' and who are the 'practitioners'.

Some might say it is not relevant these days but I beg to differ. Scroll down this blog so I may remind you that, each time we learn a new weapon, we will experience different sensations/energies in our hands. We learn a totally different and unrelated type of weapon, then our own kungfu will be screwed up.

So when we complete the whole course (empty hands, 9 weapons, lion dance, medicine), imagine the myriad of energies you'll acquire at your disposal. Not only they make some of us invincible, what's more important than that is, they give deeper understanding to what you are learning and practicing, and thus you'll be able to apply those same principles in life to give you total success and thus, make us a true "father" (if we were to teach... that is). Maybe this is the reason why old masters are revered almost like gods (some like Guan Yu actually became a god).

What I'm trying to say here is, "There's always a higher mountain (some even say the mountains are growing! True also!) so LOOK FOR THEM, and climb some more! If we feel we are the best, we only have 2 directions left, sideways or down. Neither works for me. And I feel both shouldn't work for you too.

It's not about being the best now. Its about getting better and better and better and better tomorrow, the day after tomorrow and everyday after that.

Thank you Allah for showing me this path!

Environmental Training

Where is the most exotic place you have ever practiced? What is the most interesting condition that you have put yourself and your martial arts in?

For me, I’ve practiced in very very heavy rain (Last one was 10 minutes ago... hehehe!), In a snow blizzard, on top of mountains, during earthquakes, inside jungles (the mosquitoes make interesting partners), back alleys (where drug addicts roam), on ships, on small suspension bridges, on steps, beaches (sandy and otherwise) and so many other places and adverse conditions.

It’s one training component some people neglect because they might feel shy, not wanting people to see, want to keep his/her art secret and many many different reasons.

However, it’s the most wonderful and fun way to practice! You get to know about yourself and your art. You get to see yourself in action in different settings. You get to learn what to do in different environment. Your senses become heightened because you might not want people to see what you are doing or you do not want trip over an obstacle. You get to practice using your art while wearing different types of shoes or even barefoot on different ground conditions. You might feel great calm due to the beautiful setting (Mountains and sunsets do that to you). A bit of stress in a dangerous surrounding (practicing at a beach with 2 meter waves did that to me. It is scary because I can’t swim at that time!)

MOST IMPORTANTLY! You get to enjoy your chosen art! Have fun with it and let your creativity rule! When we are having fun we will stick to what we are doing and practice more! That’s the key to becoming good at what we do. Practice more!

So, go grab your swimming trunks (or whatever you find comfortable or uncomfortable) go outside and practice! Grab a partner and go outside this holiday! Enjoy you art! ENJOY YOURSELF!!

For all Muslims, Happy Eid Mubarak! For all that reads this blog, forgive me if my words are harsh, insensitive, useless and not caring. Those with intent are done so we can all go forward and improve ourselves. There might be some that unintentionally hurt somebody’s feelings out there, please forgive me. Do leave a comment and tell if it is so.

Where to find Wing Chun Class in Malaysia!

Recently I read a forum in PJNet titled "Looking for Wing Chun class". A group advertised themselves as "The only Ip Man Ving Chun in Malaysia" and that started a big argument on the net which later became a big game of I accuse you of this and that. Even my organization was accused! Hahaha...

First things first. You are ALL giving martial artist a bad name. Everybody accusing everybody else and no one listening to each other. That's not the martial artist way!

For those wanting to find Wing Chun classes, my dear friends Chow Wai Yip (www.pendekars.com) and Jon Dep (A student of Ken Lau. Ken Lau is a certified instructor of Grandmaster Ip Chun's Wing Chun in Singapore. Check out http://www.geocities.com/wingchun_sg/) conducts a Wing Chun meetup session in either Taman Rimba Kiara in Taman Tun Dr. Ismail, PJ. or in Jalan Klang Lama almost every Saturday. There, wing chun practitioners of almost every school in Kuala Lumpur goes to practice with each other without prejudice. No politics (nobody saying theirs is the best) and no animosity.

Currently, among others, we have students from Grandmasters Stephen Chan, Wong Shun Leong, Leung Shung, Ip Chun lineages come by. All these grandmasters are respected Ip Man students. This is why, I try to join as much as my time and resources allow. The students are great, friendly and very good at what they do.

However, there have not been students from "The only Ip Man Ving Chun" group come yet. My only hope is they come soon to practice, share and if there are people who come to look for wing chun classes, they can market themselves there.

For information, checkout the following sites: Both groups are on facebook.

The Malaysia Wing Chun/Ving Tsun Kuen Study Group／大馬,馬來西亞詠春网络

Fellowship Of Malaysia Wing Chun 马来西亚永春拳术研究会

So Malaysians don't despair! There are many Yip Man students practicing and teaching here in Malaysia! Join the groups and come to the meet ups! You won't regret it!

P/S: I'm not doing myself much good here promoting other wing chun. Hope sifu don't mind. But, I love my friends and I love ALL martial arts (wing chun especially! and among wing chun, Yip Kin wing chun especially! hehe).

Be Water My Friend!

My good friend and fellow Yip Kin Wing Chun Practitioner Danson Phang recently gave a video of Bruce Lee. The quote was somewhat like this;

"Empty your mind. Be formless, shapeless. Like water. When you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup. When you put water into a bottle, it becomes the bottle. When you put water into a teapot, it becomes the teapot. Water can flow, or it can crash. Be water my friend" Bruce Lee

The big question is "How do we "be water"?". I believe the answer is by understanding and applying the principles of the art we learn. I say this because, water reacts and becomes what it is because of the interaction between its molecules in relation to the stress and pressure put forth by outside forces. So in martial arts, what are the laws that govern it? The answer is, its principles!

For Wing Chun, the principle lies in the interaction of Yin and Yang. For Yip Kin Wing Chun the students are taught of this interaction by learning the forms. The changes within the forms follow the principles of Yin and Yang (i.e. A"Yang" type technique will come after a "Yin" type technique which consequently came from a "Yang" type technique"). After the students understand the relationship and the changes, the continuous change is further drilled using weapons' forms, mok yan jong and a two man form we call "Chi Sau". Students will come to a natural state of change and it comes without thinking.

Taijiquan (especially Chen style Taijiquan) uses the same methods as Yip Kin Wing Chun but their principles and laws are different (well, they are a different martial art and is slightly older than us anyway!). But the basic training principles are the same (empty hand, weapons and later Tui Shou). I see the same principles applied in other Tradional Chinese Martial Arts.

For Hong Kong Wing Chun, the principles are introduced in the form but drilled separately with a partner/(s). The teacher will guide the students through the drills to make sure the students "remember" the principles at muscular level and is able to change at will without thinking.

So understand the basic principles and the LAW that govern or apllied when your martial art was created. Then, YOU CAN BE WATER MY FRIEND!

p/s: If you want to understand more about the basics of becoming water (Wing Chun way), join our 3 days 2 nights training on the 11th to the 13th of September 2009. For details, log on to,

http://yipkinwingchun.blogspot.com

Comparing Martial Arts

I'm blessed with visitors and calls who wants to learn and know more about wing chun. There are those who just want to watch. And there are also those who come to compare what they've learned to wing chun. I value all three groups of visitors and/or callers. I believe in a small way, this helps create more awareness to wing chun and to what we're doing. I also hope that small time spent calling or visiting benefits them in some way.

However, all these calls and visits have taught me a big lesson. One that I think is and will be useful to my martial travels and will help me understand others and other arts more. Hope this lesson will also help you when you visit other schools.

1. What number of classes is that class/group at?
We can also ask what level they are at (at that moment) but martial arts curriculums are so vastly different, what they focus at are different depending on their own objectives at the different levels.

I recently have a student of a different martial arts come join my class (trial). I was happy because he had a lot of questions but most of the questions was comparing that very first lesson to the 100th lesson of the art he's learning. My question is, is it fair? In my humble opinion, it is not even fair to compare even the first lesson of two different martial arts because their focus is different. However, if you still want to make a comparison, compare the very first class of your own art to their first, your second class to their second and so on.

However, the first few lessons will show the core of the whole art. Those are the ones I want to see. And lessons taught at the fourth year are usually the most advanced level for the basics of the art.

2. Get YOUR ego out of the equation
If you are visiting, this is the utmost importance. If you cannot do this, don't visit other schools. The ego of yours is better, simpler, faster, stronger, older and all the other "...er"s will block any good information that you can get. Or worse, you'll get into a fight.

Sometimes, the person might have great ego and might offend you and/or your art. First thing is, take a deep breath and relax. Remember, you are there to learn. So, focus on learning. If you can't stand you can always come again another time. Right?

However, if you are open, usually the other party will also be open and share. At least, that's my experience.

3. Ask for opinion
Politely ask for their opinion for certain techniques that you are learning or have learned compared to what they are doing. Key word "POLITELY". Remember, ALL martial arts works. ALL martial arts are great. If not they won't exist in the first place! They might not as effective depending on:
1. the teachers knowledge and/or experience

2. the original reason/principals of its creation has been changed or is not taught
(example: an art created for big battlefield has been changed to sports or vice versa. They might not work because the objectives are different and therefore certain principals needed change, thus effecting the techniques).

3. different conditions
(example: an art created to fight on horses might have a hard time fighting on mud. An art requiring a large area might be a little hard to apply in closed spaces)

Understand your own art's requirements by asking for their opinions and analyzing their answers. Understand the above 3 conditions (the teacher's knowledge and experience, the original reason the art was created, and the conditions that makes it work). Keep your opinions to yourself unless asked.

Lastly, always focus on making friends when you visit. By making friends, we would be able to share more and have a deeper look into the art without actually learning it. But be sincere about it.

Treasure your time with your sifu!!!

I just found out that a good friend of my sifu passed away about 4 weeks ago. I know him personally too and I felt a great loss. But his passing is a great loss not just to his family, friends and students, but also to Chinese Martial Arts and Chinese Culture in general.

The late Sifu Lee Wah Kui was the master of Chow Gar Ng Loong Pakua Kuan. Roughly translated it means the Chow Family Ng Loong 8 Triagram Pole (please correct me if I'm wrong). It is a pole form that originated from spear techniques in the Song Dynasty (again correct me if I'm wrong).

I was told that the style comprise of:
5 sets of individual pole forms
1 pole form that combines the elements of the 5 individual pole forms above
2 sets of 2-person pole forms (applications)
2 sets of advanced pole forms

Sifu Lee died just after performing 1 of the 2 sets of advanced pole forms listed above. Unfortunately, it will be last anybody on earth will see the 2 sets of advanced forms as it was so secret it was never taught to anybody. What a big loss that is!

What I'm trying to say is, be loyal to your sifu and spend as much quality time as it is possible with them. Learn as much as you can and share it to the next generation so none will be lost.

Let's share and improve!

I visited a Wing Chun master in Kota Damansara recently. He trained in Wing Chun for years in Australia and Hong Kong. First look I could see he LOVES Wing Chun and it is more evident in his class, from the way he speaks and his actions.

I believe for those who are looking for a sifu, this is the first criteria. PASSION! Second, his/her love for the martial art he's teaching. Third, his/her love for his students. I could see this sifu has all three criteria and sat there anxiously for the class to finish.

At the end of the class we (the sifu, some of his students and me) sat down for a chat on the theories and philosophies of Wing Chun and why it is effective. He also graciously showed the ideas in a practical manner which are easy to understand. The sifu's passion and love for wing chun brought down any wall or ice which is always prevalent when discussions between styles are conducted.

Because of that, we could present our ideas freely without animosity. What did we find out? We have the same ideas even though our styles (even though both are wing chun) look very different from each other. Our approach, however, are very different. And the good sifu graciously invited me to train with him so we could both practice and see what we can learn from each other. An invitation from a great guy like that, who could say no? I just hope I can make him happy with what I have.

Conclusion. Look for the 3 criterias when choosing your sifu for martial arts. Any martial arts. It will help you in learning the art because of the openness and willingness to share attitude that comes with passion,love for the art and love for the students brings.

P/S: Thank you Sifu Kenneth and students of the Crush MMA Gym, Kota Damansara for receiving me.

I could use it when I'm 90!

There are many reasons why I'm learning martial arts but there are only a few reasons why I choose Chinese martial arts. One of them is, I know I could use it when I'm 90. Here's why I say so,

My first experience in Chinese Martial Arts is with a Sifu who teaches at the Chee Fee Tai Chi Choy Li Fut association. The sifu looked preety old (maybe about 70 or 80). This is already 18 years ago so I can no longer remember his name. But the experience is etched in my memory and hopefully it will never be removed.

I was learning Choy Li Fut while the master teaches Tai Chi at the side. I asked 1 stupid question which was, "How can you use that in a fight?". The master suggested an exchange which totally changed me. Having both Tae Kwon Do (green belt) and a little bit of Choy Li Fut (I started about a month before that) training and my youth to back me up I was cocky and over confident at the very least!. However, I was stopped and thrown before I could finish and BOY was he FAST! I still remember floating backwards with my soles about 1 feet above ground and landing about 3 or 4 metres away from him! I was beaten by a very old man!

That was not the first time I was so called bullied by and old man. I can no longer remember how many times I've been thrown up side down by my sifu. I've sparred and fought many people of many different martial arts, but none, no matter how big, strong and well conditioned they are, who has thrown me up side down. And my sifu is 66 years old this year with a limp on his leg due to an accident.

I have seen Grandmaster Yip Man's son Yip Chun do Chi Sau with people twice his size and half his age. Relaxed and in control. I have seen my Sibak (sifu's elder kungfu brother) who is 81 this year, pick up the 6 and a half point pole and bully my sihengtai (kungfu brothers) with it.

I can use this when I'm 90. My dream is to have many other 90 year olds practicing with me and continue to improve. Care to join me?

Official Yip Kin Wing Chun Blogspot!

At last it's done! Please run through our Official Yip Kin Wing Chun Blogspot by clicking here.

Forms? Or collection of techniques

My sifu made an interesting comment which got us thinking, and changed our whole view on traditional Chinese martial arts forms. My Sifu said, "This look like a collection of techniques rather than a form?". We asked him, "What's a form and what's the difference?". He said, "A form is a form and a collection of techniques is a training method you use to internalize the form". Ha? I'm confused...

But after a deeper look we can see something.

On the whole, I used to practice at least 1 hour a day and usually for about 3 hours every day. Many years ago I used to do about 2,000 to 5,000 punches a day or forms' breakdown (i.e. I take a form, break it down into single techniques and do lots of repetitions with it. I changed that routine to doing more forms and breakdown repetitions now due to the following reasons:

1. Experience
I have many kungfu brothers who come to me when they feel disillusioned by their training. My Sifu only teaches the forms and never conduct sparring sessions so the students do not get to feel or try what they've learned. I was the same but my my experience in the UK has taught me otherwise. Practicing just forms CAN make you a good fighter.

So, what I did was put attackers in a line and each of them has to fight the defender for 2 minutes, no breaks between attackers. The defender had to fight 4 guys in continuous 2 minute rounds! And we have a Karate and San Shou instructors in the group!!! The other guy is 6 feet tall with size 14 shoes and many years experience in many martial arts! You can see the fear in his eyes but he could handle the attackers well. He has only practiced forms but the result was just amazing!

2. Reaction Time
I always conduct training with other Wing Chun styles in Kuala Lumpur and in these sessions I do the most common thing all Wing Chun styles have which is Chi Sao. And from these sessions I get feedback on my kungfu. I always find that I react better on weeks where I focus on forms and the feedbacks I get from my friends confirms it.

Recently I managed to get one of the practitioners to come to my class for a small session of Chi Sao and I was pleased because he was saying good things about my chi sao, even though I've not done chi sao or sparring for almost 2 years. Only forms.

I also find that I could easily catch falling objects which slipped from my hand or react to fast moving items better when I do a lot more forms' training.

3. Health
I have many instances where my students' blood pressure normalized after training the small flower form (saifakuen) and the Qigong. I've seen it so many times in fact, now I will offer to teach the Small Flower Form and Qigong everytime I meet somebody suffers a stroke or has high blood pressure. And it hasn't failed me so far.

Everybody who is in love with martial arts knows that Taiji is a martial arts form that many people have adopted for health purposes.

4. Technique
Of course by training the form we are also training the techniques behind them. I find it easier to apply techniques and only needing minimal amounts of energy to execute them whenever I practice a lot of them. Also, because we are focusing on the form, we are also focusing on the detailed aspects of the form, which would lead to good structure, strong foundation and a sharper mind and body.

I can't tell anybody what the difference between Forms and Clooection of Techniques yet. But I know, FORMS WORKS! Even though we don't understand them!

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!