Self Defence – WingTsun anti-grappling,

Traditionally Wing Chun does not contain a lot of grappling, anti-grappling or ground fighting however fortunately my Si-Fu, having a wrestling background, recognised in the early 80s that a good wrestler is one of the most dangerous opponents to face. This was highlighted when Michael Fries, one of our higher WingTsun instructors at the time, was invited to the German Ministry for justice to demonstrate WingTsun and its application. The Justice Department organised a local freestyle wrestler to attend the demonstration and requested to take down the WingTsun fighter. The WingTsun fighter, not expecting the quick takedown, could not actually prevented it but during the fall managed to land several chain punches on the nose and eye of the wrestler, who was not used of being punched and immediately surrendered. So instead of implementing elements of a sport like jujitsu or judo to fill the gap GM Kernspecht, together with his senior students, some of them also former wrestlers, develop the foundation for the WingTsun anti-grappling and ground fighting based on the WingTsun principles and on the requirements of a self defence system versus a sport. This is what I started learning as part of my WingTsun training in 1992 and this has constantly evolved over the past 18 years still staying true to the WingTsun principles.

Some people question the name anti-grappling and were wondering why we are calling it that (since I can remember) but these is easy to explain. WingTsun is a self defence system not a sport so we do not prepare for match fights but for the trouble you can run into everyday on our streets. This kind of confrontations cannot be compared to tournaments like the UFC for multiple reasons which some of them are listed below:

1. Both opponents are mentally and physically well prepared to fight and there are no surprises
2. Both opponents are in the same weight class
3. There is no interference of 3rd parties
4. There is a referee and a strict set of rules
5. Protection year like groin protection and mouthguard is worn.
6. No weapons are involved
7. Controlled environment,  no obstacles, Stairs, bad light
8. break between rounds, cornerman for advise
   and the list could go on

In a real self defence situation on the street or any public place for that matter the last place you want to be is on the ground.
If you have not been involved in many street fights, or worked on the door as a bouncer you may ask why,  so let me elaborate a little bit and give you a couple of reasons why you probably don’t want to be underground.

Just imagine your are in that nightclub and on the dance floor you get into an argument with that fella who bumped into you for the 5th time. After he starts threatening you and preparing for a wide swinger you dive down, you evade that punch and go for double leg takedown and end up on the ground with the fella and end up in a wrestling match. The only problem you did not consider the fella actually had a whole bunch of friends with him which take their chance and start kicking your head in. You being on the ground and tied up with that 1st fella have given up all your mobility, one of the biggest assets against multiple attackers, and have very little means to defend yourself against incoming kicks to your head. Not to mention the severe cuts you received from the broken glass on the dancefloor which you happily rolled in fighting with that fella. This scenario would become even worse if we would bring weapons like a baseball bat, bottles or glasses into the equation.

I personally did not have to go to the ground often in my career as a bouncer, however I still remember one situation where I, shortly after I started training WingTsun, worked in a nightclub in Germany/Weinheim by myself (as the owner tried to cut cost). This little town close to Heidelberg and Mannheim did not have much to offer beside that one nightclub and a mental health facility. The word on the street was that a some of the inpatients which where not housed in the high security part took weekend trips out and frequented our nightclub. So to cut a long story short the guy pushed past me without paying and run-off, I chased him, caught him and asked him friendly to return with me to settle the bill, which he initially agreed to just to dive down and take me to the ground (at this time I had no clue about anti-grappling or take down defence) the guy ended up on top of me, and him being much heavier than me I really wanted to get him off so I went and tried to get into his eyes which in the dark did not succeed and I ended up in his mouth with my index finger. To my surprise the guy used the split second to start chewing off my index finger so I went with my other hand into his eye (and this time found it) and managed to reverse the position with the guy still having my finger in his mouth. There was no way to persuade him to let go of my finger so I started kneeing him to the temple and render him unconscious so that I could finally remove my finger. Fortunately there were no other people in the vicinity so it did not became a multiple attackers scenario. The scare is still visible today and at the time it really made me look forward learning the takedown defence as I did not fancy ending up on the ground again.

After that incident I attended every seminar, and took many, many private lessons with the top WingTsun ground fighters of the time and learned all what WingTsun had to offer in regards to anti-grappling an ground fighting. These knowledge I further refined and improved over the past 18 years and forms the WingTsun anti-grappling and ground fighting as I teach it now.

Please keep in mind that, in Australia, it is an offence for a person to have custody of a knife in a public place without reasonable excuse (No, you need it to defend yourself is NOT a reasonable excuse).

The traditional WingTsun knife techniques like the Bart Cham Do (double knives or butterfly knives) come quite late in the traditional WingTsun training program and have limited practical application for modern times as not many people run around with butterfly knives or with long poles (one objective of the traditional double knives is to defeat the long pole).

At WingTsun Australia, I have always taught a very practical version of knife defence and using a knife. For example, it would be useful in a scenario where you have an intruder in your home and fear for your life or your family’s life. This is taught to my senior students from the 12^th student level onwards as well as to law enforcement or government agencies. I can’t see how any responsible instructor would teach new students, without thoroughly knowing their character and mental maturity, how to use a prohibited and potentially deadly weapon that you are not allowed to carry in the first place. If you know a little bit about WingTsun and its effectiveness on the street, you probably can imagine how effective and to the point our knife work is.

Over the years, many students have asked me whether they could learn pure knife defence at an earlier stage of their training due to the fact they felt threatened by the perceived “increase in knife attacks” on our streets as well as a couple of incidents that have occurred not too far away from our WingTsun headquarters. In response, I introduced two new knife defence clinics earlier this year. The new clinics deal solely with defending a knife attack from medium and close range when you are not carrying a knife or any other obvious weapon yourself.

The introduction of the new clinics coincided by chance with the arrival of a new WingTsun student from Germany, Dr. Peter Brendt. Dr. Brendt is a 2nd technician grade in WingTsun who moved with his family to Dubbo NSW to become a Royal Flying Doctor. Dr. Peter Brendt has a particular interest in knife defence as part of his WingTsun training, but even more so because he has been in the position several hundred times where he has dealt with and helped the unfortunate losers of knife fights and assaults on a professional medical level.

Dr. Peter Brendt worked as a paramedic in Juelich, Germany, as a surgical intern in Durban, South Africa, as an anaesthetist/intensevist at the University Hospital in Essen, Germany, as an anaesthetist at Dubbo Base Hospital and as a Retrieval Doctor with the RFLD. He has also lectured about blunt and sharp trauma for the EWTO in Germany. His perspective provided valuable insights into a subject many claim to be experts in but very few actually had the chance to gain much practical experience with or really know in terms of the results of such actions. A big thank you goes to my student, Dr. Peter Brendt, for providing statistical data and sharing his professional experience as a doctor with us.

Personally, I do not consider myself a knife expert, but I have trained with knives now for nearly 20 years. I have had two incidents in my life where I successfully defended a knife attack as part of my job as a bouncer in the nightclub, Cigarillo, in Heidelberg, Germany.

The Problems of training to defend a knife

 Have a look on YouTube and search for knife defence and you will find plenty of videos where so-called “knife specialists or experts” who perform the most elaborate and complex knife routines. The videos show multi-dimensional cuts in various directions and angles with grip changes and often in close range distance not to mention all the fancy ways they come up with on how to hold a knife. This is all performed with rubber or wooden knives, which give you a complete false sense of security to what is actually possible in real life, because these do not involve cutting yourself or getting cut or stabbed to pieces.

We are limited here in Australia in the way most of us can train as some of the more realistic training methods like the electric shock knife (training knife that delivers up to 7500 volts) are restricted and can only be used by government agencies. I certainly would also not recommend starting to practice your regular knife defence with a live blade. So, as a teacher, this means I should constantly question myself whether what I’m doing is realistic and can be applied under pressure and stress. For instance, someone with two balisong knives in front of me certainly sent my adrenaline levels through the roof year’s ago! So, everything I teach needs to comply with the following basic rules:

1. If possible, escape is always the best option.
2. Do I use simple motoric movements?
3. Does the movement serve a purpose?
4. Does my movement minimise the risk of being cut or stabbed by my or opponent’s weapon?
5. Does my posturing expose the least amount of vital organs and arteries and allow the best protection possible?
6. Is the majority of my body out of reach for a stab (if distance allows)?
7. Can I control my opponent’s weapon or hand (close range)?

The different types of wounds caused by sharp objects

The forensic definition of sharp trauma are categorised as follows:

• Incised wounds – caused by any implement/object having a sharp edge. This can include knives and broken glass, for example.
• Stab wounds – incised wounds where the length of injury on the surface is less than the depth of penetration into the body.
• Slash wounds - incised wounds that are longer than they are deep.
• Chop wounds – caused by implements, such as machetes, meat cleavers, swords, axes, etc. They are often severe in nature and can lead to extensive soft tissue and bone damage. They represent a combination of sharp and blunt force trauma; the sharpness of the cutting edge influences how clean the wound edges are.
  

What can incapacitate or kill you?

It is a common misconception that a couple of slashes to the wrist, arms, or even neck will immediately disable or kill you. In reality, the only sharp trauma that leads to immediate incapacitation is a decapitation, which is reasonably unlikely to occur except if your opponent manages to place you under a guillotine or is an absolute professional Ninja with a top-quality samurai sword.

To immediately incapacitate someone quickly through targeted cuts is actually quite unrealistic, and there are many very graphic images in the medical literature that show horrendous looking slash and chop wounds where you may assume this would have killed or at least immediately stopped any person but that was not the case. If you go pig hunting, like I do with dogs from time to time, just imagine how many slashes it would take you to incapacitate a charging boar not held by any dogs. To be honest, I’m not that keen to find out. The so-called biomechanical cutting, which attempts to stop mechanical functions of the body by cutting certain body parts like fingers and wrist actually has no medical proof. According to Dr. Peter Brendt’s experience, this is not really achievable.

The most common causes of death after knife assaults are:

1. Internal or external bleeding;
2. Haemato pneumothorax (blood/air entering the chest cavity);
3. Pericardial tamponade (fluid enters the sac, which the heart is enclosed in);
4. Aspiration of blood or injury to the airway;
5. Air emboli; and
6. Injuries to brain and central nervous system.

The most people who die from knife assaults also have the criteria below in common

• Most severe injuries through stabbing in chest, abdomen, and neck;
• Multiple injuries, i.e. stab wounds; and
• Typically, most people die from stab wounds not slashings.

So, what does this mean for us as a defender?

How do we achieve disablement or prevent an attack with a knife?

When faced by an attacker with a knife or other sharp weapon like a screwdriver, broken bottle, etc., we have a couple of basic options to prevent the attack or disable attacker:

1. De-escalate and/or RUN (in most cases, this is the smartest option, which should be trained diligently).
2. Render attacker dead or unconscious (not so easy if you do not have a longer range weapon like pistol, etc.).
3. Afflict physical damage to offender like broken bones, dislocated joints, or damaged nervous system…. (This is our chosen method if option 1 fails or is not possible. This should lead to option 4).
4. Offender is disarmed.

5. Offender becomes frightened, suffers from too much pain, and stops attack (you should not hope or rely on this).

Three Different Scenarios for Knife Defence.

We should distinguish between three different scenarios as this will determine our cause of action.

Scenario one: Someone tries to rob you at knifepoint and threatens you with a knife.

The objective is usually to threaten and obtain valuable goods like a wallet, watch, or shoes. It is reasonable to assume that no harm will be done if you comply with the robbers’ demands and, in most circumstances, no defensive actions should be used. You should comply and use de-escalation techniques or immediately remove yourself (run, if you are a quick runner).

Scenario two: Hostage or high jacking, e.g. 9/11 air plane high jacking

Count yourself as quite unlucky if you happen to be caught up in something like this as the statistical chances are very low. This is again a different scenario. You have highly motivated perpetrators that are committed to using force and to harming or killing you, so you better choose the right time and do whatever you can to disable the perpetrators.

Scenario three: Surprise and premeditated attack to kill you

You probably best take a good look at yourself, acknowledge that you are mixing with the wrong crowd, and realise it’s time to change your way of life. This attack will quite likely not give any warning or any real time for you to start any de-escalation, so after the first stab or slash, you better use the remaining time you have to disable you attacker.

All of these scenarios can be further complicated and the risks greatly enhanced if you are confronted by problematic offenders who are under the influence of drugs, have a mental illness, or are highly motivated.

Have Knife attacks dramatically increased in recent years?

If you read the newspapers or watch our current affair programs, it may seem that knife attacks are well on the rise as you constantly read or hear about it. However, according to the Australian Institute of Criminology, general statistics show that overall knife attacks have actually dropped substantially over the past 10 years. 2001 saw a peak of 6,133 knife attacks compared to 3,360 in 2008, so, in general, you are less likely of being attacked by someone with a knife today as you where in 2001.

Where you get stabbed depends on where you get stabbed!

Pardon the pun, but it seems like where you get stabbed (which body area) is greatly increased, depending on which city and country you are attacked in. For example, there were 1,550 stab injury admissions to Alice Springs Hospital during a seven-year period. Mortality rate in this study group is nearly 3%. The most common site of the stab injuries was the thigh with a total of 605 (38%). Stab injuries to the abdomen account for less than 1%. The study showed that 99% of Aboriginals have a particular pattern of traditional stab injuries; medial thigh to kill, posterior thigh to permanently disable, and lateral thigh to punish.

(ANZ J Surg. 2007 Aug;77(8):621-5.Epidemic of stab injuries: an Alice Springs dilemma. Jacob AO, Boseto F, Ollapallil J.)

However, data from the Department of Trauma at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Sydney, New South Wales shows a slightly different picture with the most common location of injury was on a public street, but 52 % of patients were injured in more than one anatomical region with the abdomen being the most common site of injury (53%)

ANZ J Surg. 2005 Apr;75(4):225-30.Severe trauma caused by stabbing and firearms in metropolitan Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Wong K, Petchell J.

In the UK, for example, we have a quite different picture, according to a study focused on the rise of assaults with sharp object about 30% and around 4,500 cases a year. The observation period for this study was from 1997 to 2005. It also found that 0.5 % of patients died; 63% of the deaths were related to stabbing to the head, neck, and chest; and 80% of patients died before they arrived in the hospital.

Trends in admissions to hospital involving an assault using a knife or other sharp instrument, England, 1997-2005.

Maxwell R, Trotter C, Verne J, Brown P, Gunnell D.

J Public Health (Oxf). 2007 Jun;29(2):186-90. Epub 2007 May

So, to summarise, in Sydney, you have a bigger chance of getting stabbed in the abdomen so you should train for that (not exclusively obviously) versus in an indigenous community in Alice Spring where you should learn how to defend your thigh as well, and, in the UK, make sure you focus on the neck and upper body.

So, how do we use all this in our knife defence?

First of all, I like to say that, in my opinion, the chance of being in a situation where you really physically need to defend a knife attack is reasonably slim for the majority of the population. In my mind, it is important that training for defending a knife attack does not alter your mindset and make you more likely to expose yourself to scenarios where you will need knife defence. Nor will it subconsciously provoke it or lead you to not do everything in your power to prevent it in the first place. De-escalation and/or escape should always be your first choice and should be possible in most situations. After all, you don’t drive your car into a wall to see whether the airbag does its job, so do not wish to be in a situation where you can apply your training.

Second, prepare yourself mentally to get cut or stabbed if it comes to the actual defence and to soldier on (if you can) because you definitely want to prevent multiple stabs. If you have been slashed or stabbed, effectively use your remaining time to either flee or disarm and incapacitate your attacker.

And, third, make sure you control the weapon hand and preferably try to break or dislocate the associated, hand, wrist, elbow or shoulder. Again, try to prevent repeated stabbings as this has the highest risk of killing you!!!

The whole defence takes less then a second. Have a look at YouTube at

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f1ONmMemK0A

During the second weekend of September, Si-Fu Fischer visited the WingTsun Kung Fu School in Brisbane. One of the reasons for his visit was to test if Si-Hing Juergen Baha’s students were ready to move up to their next grade.

On Saturday, more than half of Brisbane’s AWTN members took the opportunity to prove that they deserve the student level that they were training so hard for since Si-Fu’s last Brisbane visit in March. Congratulations to all 25 participants for their successful achievement!

Knife Defence Seminar

On the Friday night before the grading, 15 Brisbane members participated in a very special event. Si-Fu Stefan held the second installment of his two part Knife Defense Workshop for the first time in Brisbane, following on from the first part that he introduced last year to a group of Si-Hing Juergen’s students. Real-life knife defense is definitely not a walk in the park and requires quite some skill, which is why knife defense was usually only taught to the highest WingTsun student levels, as part of their 12^th student program. However, due to the rise of incidents involving knife stabbings in Sydney last year, Si-Fu determined it was necessary to giving WT students from all levels the chance to prepare themselves for the possible worst case of facing an attacker with a knife and learn the WingTsun knife defence regardless of graduation.

The initial workshop dealt with how to defend and disarm an aggressor that was trying to stab from a distance. This time the students learned knife defence within a very close range. In order to drill this new skill that the guys and gals learned that night, Si-Fu lined them up in two opposing rows. One side was the defender, while the other side simulated being the potential aggressor, ready to attack with their training knife. When Si-Fu gave the command the attacking side immediately tried to stab their counterpart in the opposing row. After everyone’s defense came to an end, the defending row had to rotate, causing them to face a new opponent waiting for Si-Fu’s next “STAB” command.

And, to push the already very high adrenalin levels, Si-Fu started to ‘play’ with the light dimmer to dim the lights down and even switched them off completely during the action. Although this was very challenging, all the students were pleasantly surprised at how successfully they applied their new learned knife defence skill under high pressure, even in absolute darkness!

Si-Hing Juergen is planning to hold monthly refreshers for those who participated in Si-Fu’s Knife Defense Workshops so they can maintain their newly acquired capabilities. Brisbane Members stay tuned…

Knife Defence and Grading in Brisbane

knife defence, knife defence, knife defence, knife defence

Wing Tsun is an ancient Chinese fighting system developed over 250 years ago in a Shaolin Monastery.  Given its humble provenance, the style is rooted in the concept of practical self-defence, focusing not on the garish forms of its predecessors but a more adaptable, reflexive system.  Although remnants of Buddhist philosophy are still reflected in the art, Wing Tsun is not a style that is confined to intractable rules.  Today, it is these rules and regulations that paints the line between arts created for self-defence and those designed for sport like MMA.  

Based on this philosophy of practical self-defence, the European Wing Tsun Organisation has chosen to abstain from participating in competitive fighting.   In sporting competitions, participants must abide by safety rules to protect the health and well-being of the fighters, often times at the expense of skill and true fighting prowess.  Although in recent years full-contact MMA events such as the UFC and the raise of Mixed Martial Arts MMA have increased in popularity, there are still rigorous guidelines that prevent fighters from employing lot of the most practical and realistic techniques to defend themselves.

For example, the UFC and most MMA competitions forbids its fighters from using the following techniques:

• Head butting
• Biting
• Hair pulling
• Attack to the groin
• Eye gouging
• Grabbing the opponent’s clavicle
• Kicking the head or kidney area of a downed opponent
• Throws that result in head or neck contact with the ground
• Downward elbow strikes
• Taunting or spitting at an opponent
• Finger or toe manipulation
• Striking an opponent in the back
• Sticking a finger into an orifice
• Attacks to the throat or clutching the trachea
• Pinching
• Clawing
• Finger or toe manipulation
• Striking an opponent in the back
• Sticking a finger into an orifice

Moreover, the very setup of a competitive sporting match like in MMA runs contradictory to the nature of a true street fight.  There are no objects to use or maneuver around.  Fighters are discouraged from avoiding contact as a strategy.  Regular respites are taken after timed rounds.  Referees are put in place to uphold the unified MMA rules, and security guards are put around the perimeter to ensure no interference from the crowd.  

Ironically, the techniques prohibited by these fighting organisations are far and away the most effective ones in a real fight.  Unfortunately, attacking the known weak points on the human body goes against a sort of antiquated notion of sportsmanship and fair play in MMA.  Yet anyone ensnared in a street fight or bar brawl will soon discover that the real world is not a place for gentleman and pointless etiquette.  In a real fight, the only goal is survival, and even the most decorated mixed martial arts champions will admit having to alter their strategy dramatically when outside of the ring.  According to MMA champion Forrest Griffin, street fighting requires pure aggression, using a combination of punches, elbows, and head butts, much of which is prohibited not only by boxing and mixed martial arts (MMA) organisations but deemed inhumane and illegal by the governments that regulate them.

Rules and Regulations of MMA Disarm a Wing Tsun Fighters

If a Wing Tsun fighter were to participate in a fight under the unified MMA rules, he have to let go of some of his most effective weapons.  Wing Tsun is a system that focuses primarily on striking the opponent’s neck, an area that is forbidden in sporting competitions.  In fact, beside use of chain punches to the head, the rules would strip a Wing Tsun fighter from most of his available repertoire.

Crippled by the rules, a Wing Tsun fighter might attempt to catch his opponent off guard by unleashing a series of chain punches, yet an experienced fighter familiar with the Wing Tsun style would attempt to duck the initial blows and counter with a well-timed wrestling maneuver in hopes of bringing the fight to the ground.  Naturally, an unmuzzled Wing Tsun practitioner may escape such an assault with several sharp elbows to the spinal area and neck.  Yet as these types of blows are outlawed in MMA, the fighter would have little choice but to be brought to the ground.

Nevertheless, even if a fighter were taken to the ground, he could still hypothetically counter his opponent with further elbow strikes, a finger stab in the eyes or punches to the groin.  Alas, these and other critical Wing Tsun techniques are barred from use in competitive MMA fighting.  For this reason, much of the ground wrestling and grappling that takes place in these events is slow and vapid, in sharp contrast to the spectacular ground wars that occur in a real fight.

Once again, the problem lies with the twisting of what combat is.  It’s looking at fighting through rose-coloured glasses, trying to fit war into a marketable product.  Only the very idea of selling fight as sport is in itself a paradox.  A fight is visceral, primal.  It’s part of our basic instinct for survival.  A fight isn’t something that might be dangerous, it’s something that’s supposed to be.  It isn’t the colour of a rose, it’s the colour of blood.

In the end, whatever methods that can be used in a sporting MMA competition can never be considered dangerous, because they must operate within a legal system that prevents crippling, maiming, and killing for sports and entertainment.  A true fighter, on the other hand, must embed this notion of danger and survival in order to be effective.  He cannot be throttled by arbitrary rules, or concerned with the safety of his opponent.  He must be willing to kill if he wants to live.

This is why any real combat system belongs nowhere near a sporting competition.  The line you cross is more than just practicality versus sport.  It is a line of life and death.



Competitive Fighting in a Realistic Paradigm

If we lived in an uncivilized society with little concern for safety, it might be feasible to simulate a real fight in a controlled competition.  It could technically be called sports, but would hardly resemble what we witness on our television screens today.   Instead of a ring, the fight would take place in a bar, complete with all the amenities one might find in a typical watering hole.  This includes chairs, tables, bottles, glasses, and ashtrays.  There would be no referees, concealed weapons would be allowed, and the floor would be comprised of unforgiving concrete.  Third parties situated throughout the bar would be allowed to intervene.

On the other hand, a real fight begins whenever one of the competitors chooses to start it, typically with a surprise attack.  There is no designated starting point or distance that needs to be traversed in order to begin such a melee.  In a competitive bout, a fighter is given time to prepare himself and develop a stratagem for maintaining that distance, such as using his feet.  In a real situation, there is no guarantee that a fight would even occur, and it is that uncertainty that allows an opponent to bring himself into attacking range via talk or deception.  Employing the element of surprise as a tactical manoeuvre is impossible to replicate in a competitive sport, as both fighters would be on guard upon entering the designated fight area.

In addition to distance and surprise, the following are other factors that exemplify why real and competitive fighting are fundamentally different:

• Fight Time – Real fighters have the ability to strike vulnerable spots on the body with limitless force and the element of surprise.  Given the opportunity, an experienced fighter will generally knock an opponent out with a single blow delivered at close range.  In fact, in principle the fighter needs neither experience or otherworldly strength; any bar brawler or small town thug can knock out a trained fighter by focusing on a weak point and providing a modicum of force behind their blow.  All of this translates to a bout that is over before it even begins.  While it is conceivable that the victim may demonstrate a minor shock delay before collapsing, technically the mind is already in an unconscious state before the body can stumble around in defence.  

Even in bouts where the element of surprise is removed, the fight is normally over in under five seconds, with one party gaining an advantage and proceeding to pummel the other with punches.  The weapon of choice is not a jab so much as a full force haymaker, with no gloves to soften the impact.  This emphasis on the knockout is in stark contrast to competitive fighting, where outlasting your opponent is as good as beating them.  In a sport, timed rounds and breaks make endurance and metabolic conditioning a critical component to winning.  Whereas in a real fight, with stamina being mostly irrelevant, an overweight, wheezing, human fat depot can still pose a threat if not taken seriously.

• The Ground is Fatal – Losing your balance or your feet in a real fight leaves you at the mercy of your opponent.  A stomp or boot to the head, particularly from an opponent wearing steel-toed footwear, can be deadly.  

Unlike competitive bouts, there is no wrestling on the ground.  Engaging an opponent in this manner is pointless in a real fight, as you can be easily removed by a third party.  Real fights are hardly ever solitary affairs, and a fighter can more effectively attack and defend themselves from third parties by staying up and dealing blows to the head and neck while shifting position.  Conversely, a fighter who is taken to the ground must quickly find their feet to avoid being assaulted in this manner.  Attempting to bait an opponent into a ground wrestling match is not an effective tactic.

• 

Sparring is Not a Suitable Training Method  – In conventional sparring, two parties alternately attack and defend in order to hone that particular skill and build stamina.  This is consistent with traditional boxing philosophy, which clearly demarcates movements designed for attack and defence, the latter of which preaches avoiding attacks or mitigating their damage.  Wing Tsun, on the other hand, is a fighting style that utilises the opponent’s strength and channels it into a counterattack.  It’s philosophy is not to fight against but fight with an opponent, the combined force of the combatants redirected into a pull or strike.  Sparring is like an alternating monologue, each person taking a turn to speak their thoughts while the other patiently listens.  Wing Tsun training is a dialogue between fighters, a repartee where one must convert the opponent’s words into a quick retort.

Furthermore, philosophically Wing Tsun is not concerned with stamina or fights that occur in a drawn out, sequential exchange of blows.  As it was originally developed to help women defend themselves from stronger male attackers, Wing Tsun bouts are designed to be over in a matter of seconds, with the defender utilising the attacker’s strength in a singular, devastating blow.  Consequentially, Wing Tsun practitioners focus on developing speed and timing more then strength and stamina as you need speed to recognize the attacker’s flow, timing to properly redirect it.  In practical terms, this means the knockout blow must occur at the moment the opponent intends to move or at first movement.

Fighting As a Last Resort

The ultimate goal of a Wing Tsun practitioner is not to win a fight.  It is to survive.  When facing multiple attackers, a Wing Tsun fighter may deal an initial blow and use the commotion to retreat.  Outside of those hired to be part of a security, police, or military unit, a Wing Tsun fighter does not actively pursue conflict.  They have no concern for money, fame, ego, tradition or honor.   When challenged to a fight they will not accept.  Every fight they participate in is not one of choice, but a battle forced upon them by an outside aggressor.

It is this dogma that allows a Wing Tsun fighter to use every means within his disposal to defend himself.  There is no barbarism in such a philosophy.  The respect for life is evident in the desire not to fight.  Yet when assaulted, a fighter cannot worry about the lives of his attackers.  He has no choice but to do everything in his power to protect his own.

Competitive MMA Bouts Are Not a Proof of Concept

Scientifically, a competitive bout in no way proves the validity of a self-defence system.  As stated before, competitive fighting is littered with arbitrary rules, safety regulations, and arenas that share little resemblance to real life situations.  Moreover, no two practitioners are alike.  Even if real life situations were taken into account, a self-defence system is merely a strategy, and its effectiveness can vary wildly depending on the user’s mind and body.  In essence, it is nearly impossible to evaluate one self-defence system versus another given each is reliant on both human and environmental variables.

It’s conceivable, however, that at some point simulations could be carried out in a computer programme, similar to chess tournaments.  To do this, every technique, strategy, style, and principle would need to be put into a complex algorithm.  In addition, every body type, or optimal body type for a given self-defence system, and every environmental situation must also be part of the ultimate equation.  Unlike chess, where moves happen sequentially, the simulation must move seamlessly, only adding to the difficulty.


Recognising a Self-Defence System’s Strategy

Much of the problem of inputing a strategy into a computer programme is that very few masters can articulate exactly what the strategic principles of their style are.  This can lead to a wide variance in how a style is interpreted and applied.  The exception to this being in internal styles such as Wing Tsun, EWTO Escrima, some swordplay, and oddly enough, Muay Thai. With Wing Tsun, you have a system of logical fighting principles and a subset of principles that are derived from them.  This strategy is such a fundamental part of fighting that it dictates the actions you take in combat.  This provides another immeasurable advantage, as it relieves the user from having to formulate decisions in the midst of a fight.

Wu Wei

Not only does a sporting competition fail to prove which style is superior, the EWTO refuses to compete for the entertainment of mass spectators for ethical reasons and respect for the sanctity of life.  Furthermore, due to the stress, expectations, and publicity that come with being a professional athlete, fighting for sport contradicts the very philosophy of Wu Wei, which mandates that action come without intention.  In sports, the aspect of a crowd can influence one’s intention, particularly the desire to impress.  The timing and speed Wing Tsun demands of its fighters requires the mind and body to act without effort, thought, or tension, something that is virtually impossible in an arena setting.

MMA, MMA, MMA, MMA, MMA, MMA, MMA, MMA, MMA, MMA, MMA, MMA, MMA, MMA, MMA, MMA, MMA, MMA, MMA, MMA, MMA, MMA, MMA, MMA, MMA, MMA, MMA, MMA, MMA, MMA, MMA, MMA, MMA, MMA, MMA, MMA, MMA, MMA, MMA, MMA, MMA, MMA

EWTO the European Wing Tsun Organization web site

Grandmaster Leung Ting’s International Wing Tsun Kung Fu web site

Silvaback Australia premium martial Arts store which also offers the full range of WingTsun uniforms, Books, DVD’s and the NSD Powerball range.

Shock Doctor and WingTsun practitioner requires top notch protection gear and the best we have found so far is the Shock Doctor Mouth and Groin Guards. We can only recommend them.

Wing Tsun

Wing Tsun

Wing Tsun, Wing Tsun, Wing Tsun

Shaun in a full mount postition Si-Fu controlling his wrist

Shaun drops a right hand punch Si-Fu intercepts with BiuTz Sau

Deflects punch with simultaneous control and punch to groin

Armlock and Bridge to get Saun off him

Finishing with Si-Fu’s special lower back crank

Over the Christmas and New Year period we have been very busy setting up the HQ for WT in Australia. Work is still continuing at this point. The new premise has 650sq meters to house our training and administration needs. This includes two separate very large open training areas. Those who have visited the old HQ in Chippendale will get an idea when I say that the new HQ is nearly 3 times the size of the old.

The whole refurbishment process has been made so much easier with the volunteer work put in by some of the students from the Parramatta and Chippendale schools. It really has been and awesome display of teamwork to get the work done. Sifu Fischer and the HQ team would like to thank the volunteers for the energy and time they have put in.

The new HQ is located at 67 Botany Rd Waterloo Sydney.

View Larger Map

New Friday Class at Waterloo HQ

Regular Wing Tsun training class commenced last April 17, 2009 around 6:30PM. Si-Hing John Simonides, who is one of Si-Fu Fischer’s dedicated instructor students and fully qualified to instruct Wing Tsun with a certificate, facilitated the Friday night class. Now, the HQ has training 6 days a week. All those students on unlimited training passes can now revel in training Monday through to Saturday.

Wing Tsun Lunch Time Training at HQ
“Energize yourself over your lunch break with a 45-minute Power Wing Tsun class.”

The Power Wing Tsun Class will have a different structure to the regular class due to time frame. But no less action packed than you have come to expect from a regular Wing Tsun class which started last 14th of July every Tuesdays and Fridays at 1PM. The Wing Tsun HQ offered two lunch time classes per week for 45-minutes which gives a lesson about the need to power through for the rest of the day. What a perfect way to get more training even when the week nights are getting full of all the other activities that need attention.

WingTsun Headquarters Waterloo News
from July 2009 Newsletter

The (chilly) winds of change are blowing and it brings new opportunity (to train in the dark). For every door you walk through you must walk past many others, so choose carefully and don’t let the weather decide for you.

The new headquarters has been a hive of activity over the last few months. The new rooms are more spacious and we now have a much bigger administration area and conference rooms, male and female change rooms, showers, a kitchen and more room to house training gear.

On Anzac day Si-Fu rewarded those who helped with HQ renovations, with a seminar on defense against glass and bottle attacks. Everyone who attended is now better equipped to deal with this kind of encounter.

Yet another example on how our Si-Fu strives to bring all students training that is based in real world scenarios and has usable, practical application.
Number of students increased as winter draws near with many people returning to regular training after being distracted by summer and life’s many demands.

“Welcome to all new comers and welcome back to all prodigal sons and daughters.”

WingTsun Headquarters Waterloo News
from November 2009 Newsletter

Si-Fu has added a new set of weights to the school and has been showing us how to train with them in many unconventional ways. Traditionally weight training is not stressed in wt and most isolation type exercises don’t benefit our power delivery methods and in fact can make you slower and less effective. However, there are ways to incorporate heavy objects into our training regimes that increase core strength and agility without negative effects.

WingTsun Headquarters Waterloo News
from March 2010 Newsletter

“Its the mark of an educated mind, to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it” Aristotle

This is a busy time of the year for most of us and its easy to be lackadaisical about training. Especially when the focus is on relaxation and various kinds of recreation. Training can take a back seat to other forms of enjoyment. One of the truly great features of the WT training system is that it can be done almost anywhere and requires no specialised equipment. (NB Please note within the WT system there are 3 empty handed forms, one Wooden dummy from and two weapons forms. The first two forms are learn t in the first 12 student grades.) Which means you could get a private lesson in a toilet cubicle and you can practice you Kup Jarn whilst peculating coffee.

Getting good at WT requires practice and instruction. There are probably self made masters out there. However they are one in a million freaks. The rest of us must go to school and be guided (sometimes poked and prodded !!) into becoming bonafide wt pugilists.

WingTsun Headquarters Waterloo News
from July 2010 Newsletter

There are lots of exciting new developments taking shape in the Waterloo HQ kwoon.

Chin up bars and Hanging bags have been installed to compliment specific aspects of the various programs (Blitz, Lat-sau, Chi-sau, Reactsun). Though WT does not focus on a persons physical strength, this type of apparatus is useful for improving general health and well being as well as providing more options for fitness training.

Si Fu is working on a series of Seminars aimed at students who want to take their training and understanding of WT core Principles, and application a step further. The Seminars will be on various techniques (some from within the student programs and some taken from the more advanced Programs like knife defense and power generation) and the principles that dictate their application in specific contexts. The aim is to provide an opportunity to explore your WT at a deeper level than is available in a standard class.

WingTsun Headquarters Waterloo News
from November / December 2010 Newsletter

The last Specialist WT seminar held in October was another huge success. The seminar was dealing with the 1st section of chi-sau and reflex training, with Master Fischer. Defining the difference between the two, Master Fischer also pointed out how both training programs work together to make the WT’s auto pilot and tactile responses to attacks and pressure street ready. As usual the training could have easily been double the length, with 2 hours more than enough time to fill the heads of students with valuable information.

The Specialist Seminars will continue in the New Year. The next one scheduled will be on WingTsun Footwork. Stay tuned for the exact date!!

Wing Tsun

Wing Tsun

Wing Tsun, Wing Tsun, Wing Tsun, Wing Tsun, Wing Tsun, Wing Tsun, Wing Tsun, Wing Tsun, Wing Tsun, Wing Tsun, Wing Tsun, Wing Tsun, Wing Tsun, Wing Tsun, Wing Tsun

Grand Master Kernspecht’s thoughts on timing. In part one he spoke of the emotional aspect of human reaction in a physical confrontation.

This reminded me of a cataclysmic car accident I had years ago. Even though the events transpired in a few seconds, my memory of them is like a slow motion film; time seemed to slow down. This effect is caused by the flood of adrenalin and other neurotransmitters our body produces at times of stress.

This effects our ability to engage in the moment and can enhance concentration and reaction time. It happens in a time frame much quicker than conscious thought. Our thoughts must play catch up and the ability to physically react can be hampered or completely suspended by a “startle response”. Like a rabbit caught in the headlights of a car. This is also a very common human response to a stressful situation and can have the effect of giving us a front seat, slow motion view of our own demise.

The practice of WT enables us to take full advantage of these physiological responses while not being overwhelmed by them. The Blitz program and de-stress training, the solo and partnered forms and training sets all contribute to this end and the benefits go far beyond a fighting context. The more we practice the better we can engage with life on our terms. The message is clear once again. Practice practice practice ..!!!!

Part 1: Surviving with the right timing “Self Defence”
from March 2009 Newsletter

This month GM Kernspecht start as an extract from my next book a series of different articles on “Timing”.

“The attack of a good warrior is akin to the drawing of a crossbow. Full of power and tension. When he pulls the trigger, the bolt flies with a precise calculation of the distance, time and target. Not too early, not too late.”
Sun Tzu (5.12)

Surviving with the right timing

We are confronted with a superior and remorseless opponent. We know that if any at all, we will only have very few opportunities to strike him so effectively that he is out of action.
We also know that the few opportunities we will have to strike him are not all equally good, but rather that we must find the right moment and use it with the utmost determination, otherwise he will destroy us without mercy.
This makes the vital importance of the right timing clear.

Time and emotions

A fight is greatly influenced by emotions. Powerful emotions such as fear and anger etc. make the time appear to pass more quickly. The opposite happens as soon as we have gained control over ourselves and the opponent: for the master, the interaction with the opponent happens in slow-motion, which means that he can recognise all the gaps in the opponent’s guard in good time, and exploit them without haste.

Chinese masters in strategy make three distinctions:

1. Taking one’s time

Anybody who wants to speed up events out of fear or impatience will create further problems with his hasty actions, and these must first be resolved before he can turn to the real problem. This means that the entire process actually takes longer than if he had taken his time. It is not for nothing that the Wu-Wei principle, i.e. relaxed, ‘intentionless’ doing-nothing or doing-little, characterises classical Chinese thinking and behaviour. Even in the face of imminent danger, waiting and doing nothing for the moment is often the better option (unless one is among those who tend to go rigid in the face of danger – in this case one should launch an attack before the first heartbeat has flushed a cocktail of stress hormones into bloodstream). As time passes, options almost always arise which nobody would have considered beforehand. And by creating a little distance for oneself, it is possible to perceive and exploit these opportunities!

2. Putting the opponent under time-pressure

The object here is to gain time by stealing it from the opponent.
The experienced strategist uses the following three variants:

He harries the opponent, forcing him to make mistakes for lack of time.
He lets the opponent wait and delays matters, gaining time and energy for himself while the opponent fidgets around impatiently and loses energy.

He disrupts the opponent’s perception of time by attacking with a broken rhythm*, starting slowly and then accelerating, or starting fast and stopping abruptly, so that in his blind actionism, the opponent under-reacts and does too little, or over-reacts and does too much. As we know, doing too little or too much is one of the “cardinal sins” in the three Chinese philosophies.

3. The “time to strike home”

We can wait for the right moment as patiently as we like, we can harry and delay the opponent and seduce him into doing too little or too much, but all these efforts are futile if the decisive third factor is missing: actually striking home when the gap in the defence opens up. The Chinese use the mental image of a bird of prey, as it circles its unsuspecting victim from on high and stoops at the right moment to sink its claws remorselessly into the flesh and carry the prey away victoriously.

Extract from Prof. Kernspecht‘s next book in four parts.

Timing – Part 2: Timing beats speed “Self Defence”
from July 2009 Newsletter

“Timing is the ability to seize an opportunity when it is offered.” – Bruce Lee.

Timing beats speed 
Most fighters will not be able to define it precisely in scientific terms, but somehow they know what is meant by “timing”. Bruce Lee called it “the ability to seize an opportunity when it is offered”. Timing is the (almost Aristotelian) requirement to be in the right place at the right time, so as to strike the right target with the right weapon at the right speed and with the correctly metered energy. If our timing is good, this is apparent from its effects. To the victim and the spectator it seems that a miracle has happened: the opponent is struck like a bolt from the blue, and he is flung several metres with no apparent effort on our part, as if it happened of its own accord!

When the opponent commences an action; I am already there to intercept everything he does. When the opponent moves, I anticipate him! 

Age, speed and physical strength lose their importance. 
A timing expert is able to beat his opponent even if he is only half as fast. Timing beats speed almost every time. Speed is a very fine thing, but it is not a decisive factor in WT. Neither must it be, for otherwise WT would only be suitable for young people and those who are genetically blessed with above-average speed thanks to fast-responding muscle fibres.

With the right timing the old master can say to the young man “I am already there”, even though he is by no means as fast as he used to be. All that is important is that all the factors producing the effect are timed to come together to the millisecond: the gap in the defence, the angle, distance, concentrated force, looseness and balance. Timing is not the same as speed, but even the naturally fast benefit from timing – though only if they possess patience in addition to speed. More haste, less speed should be a WT motto. Otherwise there is a danger that we will run up against a door that is still closed in our haste, warning and frightening the opponent who was just about to open it to us.

In Wing Tsun we never beat down closed doors, we patiently wait for an invitation and then enter the door without haste. Our Man-Sao (the arm that points towards the opponent, looking for contact) asks the opponent, “Please show me where you want me to hit you”.
 We are sensitive to the cadences of the opponent, and even breathe in the same rhythm, to lull him to sleep like a child or a domestic pet. But we also try to induce our own cadence in him.
As you can see, having a vague idea of timing is not enough for us to learn or teach, as we need to know what we can achieve with timing, what it encompasses and what it takes to acquire timing. 
How else are we to know whether we have researched the field of timing adequately, and whether it might not be possible to achieve the result in only one third of the training time.

Timing – Part 3: The preconditions for timing “Self Defence”
from November 2009 Newsletter

“Timing may not be everything, but everything is nothing without the right timing!” Martial arts adage

The preconditions for timing

Before it is worthwhile to discuss timing in real situations seriously, the five preconditions on which timing is based must be in place:

• Consciousness
• Nimbleness, looseness, agility, deftness
• Physical balance
• Physical control, i.e. the ability to project one’s entire force into the smallest movement
• Tactile sensitivity

Since everything is interdependent in the final analysis, and leaving fighting spirit apart for the moment, one could view timing not only as the sixth precondition for fighting ability, but indeed as the culmination, the overall, below-the-line result. 
The WingTsun master recognises timing to be the highest of all the necessary attributes: the king of all disciplines.
While timing may not be everything, everything is nothing without the right timing! Or almost nothing, for we have to admit that even a WT fighter whose timing is not yet quite right has excellent chances against the average opponent if most of the other factors mentioned are in place. However, this means that he must compensate for the lack of perfect timing with speed, power, aggression etc.
A student who fails to give the necessary attention to timing will find that his progress comes to an end in a blind alley. Timing, on the other hand, takes you from success to success, however old and naturally slow you might be.

The 4th and last part of the series on timing will appear here next : “The hands of the clock turn differently in WingTsun.”

Timing – Part 4: The hands of the clock turn differently in WingTsun “Self Defence”
from March 2010 Newsletter

This month the series of different articles on “Timing” as an extract from my next book ends.

For a master of timing, time seems to go more slowly and even stop to reveal a gap to him. Or does he actually move on a different time plane?
In normal life we can only be in the present – we never experience the past and future.

A normal person cannot imagine the hands of the clock turning to the left, with time running backwards. Does the “arrow of time” not always have to point towards the direction of developments? Scientists such as the English physicist Stephen Hawking or the German cosmologist Jürgen Ehlers of the Max-Planck Institute for Gravitational Technology in Potsdam see a relationship between the progress of time and the expansion of the universe. Lawrence S. Schuman of Clarkson University in New York takes the view that time would run backwards if the universe stopped expanding at some point, and began to collapse upon itself. Would the fragments of a cup that had just broken be joined together again in that case, as if nothing had happened?

In the same way our opponent finds that the target he has aimed at, and which he can almost feel his fist touching, moves away from him the further his fist advances: space itself appears to withdraw from him and expand. And at the same moment as the attacker just fails to strike e.g. our solar plexus, our counter-attack strikes home with the defending hand and the further development of the fight goes in his direction, i.e. the time arrow is turned around and flies towards him.
The present in WT is “during”, while the past is “afterwards”, a time disadvantage we do not want to incur, and the future is “before”.

If I am practicing Chi-Sao with a partner, we are both in the “during” phase if I am able to withdraw the target from his attack without hampering the attacker in his action. I then immediately turn the time arrow around (like a U-turn) and direct it towards the opponent, letting him continue his movement in the original, but now opposite direction – the “afterwards” – while my counter-attack is already seeking its new target in the “before”.

Grandmaster K.R. Kernspecht

Self Defence

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Dean Bullok successfully graded on the 10th student level and joins the ranks of veteran Senior WT Students.

The reinvention of John: Wing Tsun

What you are never changes; who you are never stops.

New year’s day three years ago I awoke in the St Vincent’s neurology ward with tubes coming from my nose, to find the world I had known replaced. The world that greeted me each morning, that I had taken for granted, now looked and felt different in ways that I often struggle to articulate. My discharge report reads “acute by-lateral occipital infarcts” with the effect of legal blindness (dead brain bits).

The areas of my brain that process information from the eyes has been severely damaged by lack of oxygen; caused by some kind of blockage of normal blood flow. At first I couldn’t see anything and found walking difficult. Brain injuries are often mysterious in their effect. I spent a month in a rehab ward getting my balance back and having a battery of test to find any abnormalities; of which they found many including a hole in my heart and missing arteries, but none they considered relevant. I was being observed to see if I only shaved on one side or thought my right arm belonged to someone else, as happens to some stroke sufferers. In the end they came up with a blank page of definitive explanations. Another anomaly? Maybe not. My idea of normal has gone through some changes. I have come to understand that it’s the way you look at things that makes them what they are and each of us looks from a different place that is subject to constant change.

What you are never changes and who you are never stops. After a year of rehab and white Cain training with Guide Dogs and a weight increase of 40 Kg I felt a calling. I have always had one thing that I do on a regular basis that seems to make everything else OK; that brings peace and some amount of internal harmony. It’s taken various forms: surfing, hang-gliding, yoga. I started training at a gym in the city. I wasn’t exactly welcomed with open arms, but I am tenacious if nothing else. I took the kickboxing classes and then Brazilian Jujitsu. My childhood fascination with the martial arts rekindled; having trained in boxing, Wrestling, Judo and Tae Kwon Do as a kid. What I was looking for was some thing new and Google (my computer talks to me J) took me there.I accepted the offer of a free week of classes and the more I learnt, the more intrigued I became. I knew this was something I could do. I bought and devoured every book on sale at the school and watched every video I could find (in slow motion). I scoured the planet as best I could and found mountains of information (and not a few minefields). In the last three years of training I’ve suffered injury and self-doubt. Just getting to class is an ordeal that often takes hours. My Seeing Eye Dog Angie gets me there now and saves me the regular frustration of late arrivals and missed classes.

To this day I search for truth and meaning and have found it elusive. I have trained with many Wing Chun masters in Sydney at schools and behind closed doors and have always returned to Master Fischer and my WT brothers and sisters.

I have been practicing WT now for 3 years and every day brings something new to understand and learn. I no longer grope around in the dark for I have found new ways to look at the world and move around in it. Wing Tsun has made me fitter, faster, smarter and more comfortable in my own body.

Kim Marshman “Wing Tsun”

John: How did you first hear about WT?

Kim: Through Corrin (WT girlfriend) I was talking to her, because I hate going to the Gym and I used to play netball, but my knees were getting too sore and she said why don’t you come and do the trial week. So I went to the Demo and signed up the next week.

John: Had you done any other kind of martial art before?

Kim: Nothing at all.

John: So you were looking for something athletic to replace the netball.

Kim: I Hated going to the Gym and everything else was team sport and you had to depend on someone else. This was something I could do and not have to rely on anyone. And …. Its different.

John: so the main reason you started training was physical fitness?

Kim: Yes.

John: What do you like best about training now?

Kim: learning new techniques. The people. The instructors. Fitness and self defense. Fitness was the main reason I started but then I started learning about self defense. And the psychology behind it. I like the doing … the practical part as well as the theory.

John: How has WT changed you.

Kim: Its given me more confidence. Walking down the street and with people in general. WT helps me to be myself and not judge other people.

John: That’s interesting. Its given you new ways of looking at your relationships with other people.

Kim: There are reasons why people do what they do and its not always obvious.

John: Is there anything you don’t like about training?

Kim: When it finishes. Maybe some people are difficult to train with but there is really nothing I dislike about WT because its common sense. Its just so logical.

John: Do you get many injuries?

Kim: No. I don’t mind getting sore muscles cause that lets me know I’ve actually worked them.

John: Do you think it’s an easy thing to learn?

Kim: No it’s not easy, but that’s why I like it too. It’s a challenge that’s achievable. It looks easy but actually physically doing it is another thing.

John: Do you have any specific goals.

Kim: To get as far as I can and to be really good. Not to be just good. To be excellent. To represent the T-shirt.

John: What’s the difference for you between training with men and women?

Kim: Most men have more physical strength so you have to get you technique down pat. It’s a martial art for women and its all about technique and using you opponents strength against them.

John: Thanks for letting us inside your head Kim.

Kim: No worries mate. See you in class.

Rod Rush “Wing Tsun”

Rod is one of the Waterloo schools most senior students and is proof that you can teach an old dog new tricks. He successfully graded on the 10th student program at the last grading seminar and now proudly represents a Black T-shirt as part of his WT uniform. Rod takes a no nonsense approach to training and can always be relied upon to give his best to his Si-Fu and training partners. His attainment of the 10th grade is a significant milestone and we take the opportunity to talk to him about how he found WT and why he still trains.

John: ”What was the incentive to start training in a martial art ?”

Rod: “The reason I started a martial art was that, at the age of 50, I could feel the onset of arthritis in my fingers and I got it into my head that a martial art may help. I had this in my mind and as I was walking down the street a local Karate school was handing out fliers. When I went up to him he basically ignored me; because of my age I imagine. I thought OK he’s not interested I’ll keep looking. I got the local paper and there was an add for WT that said For All Ages and I thought that’s me, so I rang Sifu.”

John: “Did you know anything about WT ?”

Rod: “I had no real idea about any martial art. I had heard of Karate, of course, but I had no Idea what martial arts training involved.”

John: “What about as a kid ?”

Rod: “As a kid living in the western districts of victoria, in a little country town, the only martial art they had was boxing and I did a bit of that.”

John: “Did you play football? I’ve noticed that students who have played full contact sports are much more comfortable with Infighting and grappling.”

Rod: “I grew up in regional Victoria. My dad was the town baker and it was Australian rules in the winter and swimming,tennis and cricket in the summer. That was it. That’s all we did.”

John: “So you started for health reasons mainly. What about self defense ?”

Rod: “No initially I didn’t have that in mind. Sihing Otto did the demo and my first few lessons and as soon as he explained what WT was all about I new this was something I wanted to do.”

John: “In the 10 years youve been training, have you ever felt like chucking it in and going to learn something somewhere else ?”

Rod: “Not to learn something else, but at times it’s very difficult to get out of the house; especially on a cold wet winters night or when I was tired. Up until a couple of years ago , I was shift working and I was always tired. Now that I’m retired I have much more free time.”

John: “What is your favorite part of a typical class? Fighting, Lat-sau, Chi-sau, the Blitz Program ?”

Rod: “I like it all because it all has a purpose. I like the anti-grappling and ground fighting; it scares me but when I’m actually doing it and its working for me, I really enjoy it. I like it all because its all beneficial. I like the people I train with and I have a high regard and great respect for all our instructors. I think our Sifu is a very impressive person and I fell fortunate and proud to be one of his students.”

John: “Have you suffered any serious training related injuries ?”

Rod: “No I’ve been lucky.”

John: “Do you have any goals or objectives with regard to your training.”

Rod: “I’d like to get to the Technician Levels (Technician Levels 1 to 4 follow the 12 student grades) I just want to be as good as I can at what ever I’m doing. I’d be pleased with myself if I got through the student program to Technician.”

Thanks for letting us into your head Rod. See you at Waterloo.
Wing Tsun, Wing Tsun, Wing Tsun, Wing Tsun, Wing Tsun, Wing Tsun, Wing Tsun, Wing Tsun, Wing Tsun, Wing Tsun, Wing Tsun, Wing Tsun, Wing Tsun, Wing Tsun, Wing Tsun, Wing Tsun