09/02/2026
Sil Nim Tao.
When I first played Sil Nim Tao.
My mind was racing.
Why ? Came up a lot.
Shouldn't I be working on techniques, conditioning , sparring ?
I thought Ving Tsun would drive me crazy and I would just stay for a year at most.
The theories made sense , but the 1/2 hour to hour of playing Sil Nim Tao didn't.
Until it did. It took time for Sil Lim Tao to make sense
I had to give the little idea time to develop.
So much of our martial arts experience is focused on the fastest way to get to be a great fighter . But none of us when we focus on our conditioning, fitness and technique do we actually focus on actual conditioning, fitness and technique.
Maybe it's because we focus on fighting other beings first instead of our first real opponent. Our first real opponent is ourselves...the I. The I , the ego which says you already know how to fight and not trusting a Sifu and 2,000 or more years of ancient knowledge about conflict. It's easier to play two man drills then it is to sit in a horse and play a form , slowly and steadily ,attempting to empty the mind. The real empty the mind. The real still was.
Sil Nim Tao is the text book for all your theory and techniques , fitness and discipline among a myriad of tactical and other knowledge . It even has your Chi Gung in it.
You will run from it for years. There are those that say they embrace it , but have they ? Can one ? Is it physically or mentally even spiritually braces until you practice it wholeheartedly for thousands of repetitions ?
Yes , maybe if we just taught you
Which is ok ,maybe you as an individual don't , or your Sifu is another Uncle Bruce ,IDK. everything but , maybe you are so much a natural of fighting you don't need it ?
Most martial arts have a series of exercises put into a routine , but many Ving Tsun Practitioners think they don't need Sil Lim Tao.
It's your kung fu ,not mine
But it's in a system that has survived battlefields, rings, the street, and other places where everyday people ,needed it. It's used by militaries , and police forces that have proven its value.
So there is something to the little idea
Even if the little idea is causing your patience to waiver ... It's supposed to be hard to do on many levels it's Kung Fu.