07/11/2025
Just a friendly thought for the day...
I was listening to a Filipino Martial Arts Master the other day and it got me thinking about modern attitudes to combat and the training of "Traditional" Martial Arts.
He was saying that when he holds a seminar, he's got to try compact 30 years of teaching's into 3 days. For e.g seminars for the military or other security services. Even my old teacher struggled getting people to just relax at military training camps. Something as simple as relaxing the shoulders and getting better results..
The Filipino Master calls this the "Short" path. The "Long" path however, involves years and years of practice, it requires dicipline, patience and in reality asking yourself the question "Who am I?"..
Wing Chun is only a small system in comparison to other TMA's. It's streamlined for a reason, as it's core principles are based on Economy of motion and energy.
Even though it's a small system, people think they can learn this stuff quickly and then come away with a watered down version as all they have is choreography, no structure, no power or real understanding.
Myself I have 15 years practice and I'm still learning and refining from others including my Mentor and American brother Sifu Tony Moses.
Martial Arts isn't a hobby, it's a lifestyle. It's a path to the truth of what works and what doesn't. But most importantly it's about making it work for you through putting the time in, and friendly exchanges. Becoming a better version of yourself than the day before. It's not about turning up and trying to impress Teacher or show off what you know in class.
Anyway my message to anyone interested in learning Wing Chun or any other TMA is that the Long path with the right teacher is very rewarding. I promise you, you won't regret it..
Mark 🙏☯️
