#wckuk

[sifuludwig]

Firstly, a massive congratulations to our first wave of #Coulsdon #WingChun #KungFu kids to move into the Green T-shirt Level Phase yesterday! Plus a nice visit from Irv, student under Sifu Keith Collyer at @crawleywingchun 🤘 . #wckuk #croydon #schoolsofkungfucroydon #wingtsun #kungfukids #kidswingchun #kidsclasses #antibullying #wingchundaily #wingchunkungfu #wingchunmaster #wingchunkuen #wingchunhongkong #sutton #carshalton #caterham #netherne #purley #kenley #wingchunguru #kungfumaster #martialarts #ipman #students #training #wingchunempire https://www.instagram.com/p/Bzu8JJXnTw9/?igshid=1gtxevvdia4ta

[mahonimatahari]

🔴Kidsclass Ving Tsun, with Grandmaster Klaus Dingeldein 🔴. . . . . #kidswingchun #kungfu #wingchun #martialarts #kungfukids #kidsmartialarts #ipman #wingtsun #wckuk #bjj #boxing #kidskungfu #thewingchunschool #fitnessdad #kidsclasses #selfdefence #kidsselfdefense #kids #students #kidswingtjun #kidsclass #fighting #champions #class #defense #selfdefense #training #wingchunkungfu #arts #saturdayfitness (hier: Hessen, Germany) https://www.instagram.com/p/BobjyzQjcPE/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1mhzo6ijtpws7

[wckuk]

Correct Posture

I am writing this article due to the fact that it has really helped one of my private Wing Chun students with his posture, which has also helped with his back pain.

Look at the Wing Chun basic stance, Yee Gee Kim Yeung Ma, and see how its the core that holds you in the stance, you should be able to feel rooted to the floor without being unable to move, its the basics of weight distribution and alignment when still, displacement and movement and alignment, you should be comfortable in your stance.

Sure it feels weird at first and the stance in its self is a workout, strengthening the quadriceps and other muscles, also working from the floor up grasping the floor with your toes, any movement through the ball of the foot, if you turn on the heels your stance will be to wide, if you use the toes then too narrow. This also helps with the principle of economy of motion, only using the opponents force to generate the amount of movement needed to repel and attack in a fluid motion.

Do some of you find that your basic stance is too wide or Narrow?

Open your stance and look down, your heels should be roughly aligned with your shoulders, as were all different weights, sizes and shapes you need to make this bespoke to you, so if your stance is to narrow, start with your feet slightly wider apart when you are starting your first form, this is a way of over compensating to get your feet under your shoulders, the opposite is the same with a wide stance, look and see how far apart both your feet are and open your stance, if its to wide, you need to start with your feet closer together.

Of course this is a general guide, but can help the majority of people, but you want your feet under your shoulders for good balance.

Now unlock the knee’s, notice I said “unlock”, this is how you want your knee’s when in your stance you do not want to bend them as this can give an unnecessary amount of weight on the legs and make it harder to move quickly if needed.


This is where the confusion can come in, as you know the first part of Siu Nim Tau is about opening up the basic stance (Yee Gee Kim Yeung Ma) but using the bending of the knee’s as knee strikes to the front, to the inside of the opponent’s knees and then also the throws.

So of course when going into Siu Nim Tau you would emphasis this as its a strike, however once you have opened the stance the knee’s should now be unlocked, not bent, this means I am still rooted but can move freely when needed. General rule of thumb, for Siu Nim Tau knees over toes, natural stance, unlocked, remember Sui Nim Tau is a training stance.

Notice how your shoulders roll forward and your looking slightly down?

Now tilt your pelvis forward, which in turn clenches the buttocks slightly, this will now not only help with the proper alignment, where you should feel like you have a string running through your vertical mid line, but by bringing the pelvis and groin forward it tucks in the coccyx and brings the spine into proper alignment, which also brings the shoulders not back and tense (like standing to attention) but the shoulders relaxed, elbows down and will naturally bring the chin up.

Now when performing any movements from any of the forms, by being naturally connected to the floor with good posture you will improve your balance, be able to hit harder, breath more deeply using the ”dan tian” (stomach) and diaphragm, being able to transition your weight to kick easier and less telegraphed.

Apart from all the martial benefits, firstly the health benefits you can get if you already suffer back problems can alleviate some of the pressure, bad posture is bad posture so this can help with walking, running and breathing.

In a self defence scenario, did you know that criminals and muggers are interviewing people as targets as we speak, they are experts at body language and look for weak targets.

If your walking down the road with your head down and shoulders hunched you have now made yourself more of a target, the opposite is true that if you are aware, walk with a purpose, good posture they then can see you are a harder target and they would have a lot more chance of getting caught if you put up a good fight or even they can't use a distraction as you are aware they are there!

Back to my student, he is a landscape gardener and runs his own business, has been to the doctors and told to give up his job due to his back issues.

When he started training with me, I noticed he had bad posture even just standing up, since I have corrected this he feels much better can get back to the job he loves, has got rid of the weight lifting belt he used for support, and jogs around the lake after training with me every week, and its all down to good posture, his Wing Chun has also improved!

So there you go guys, don't slough, don't lean on things, don't stand with one leg folded on the wall, stand properly, and your whole life will benefit by something as simple as just “standing properly!”.

Sifu Keith Collyer

4th TG Level | WCKUK Wing Chun Crawley | crawleywingchun.com

[mackfernando]

#Aikido #AikidoTravel #AikidoSeminar #AikidoEvents #AlexeiAlexandrov #Chelyabinsk #Russia #jo #jodori #aikido #wingchunsds #aikidomushindojo1 #ueshiba #miaikido #aikidord #miaikidobonito #ukemi #sakanashi #cdaaikido #sdswingchung #合気道 #aikido #aikidokids #aikidowoman #aikidotraining #aikidoseminar #aikidoukraine #aikidolutsk #aikidomushindojoargentina#wckuk #wingchunkuen #wingtsun #vingtsun #selfdefence #team #staff #fun #goodtimes #kungfu #martialarts #respect #sidcup #orpington #chislehurst #bexley #centrodedifusiondelaikido #mushindojoargentina #elvocerito https://www.instagram.com/p/BwCMP33FW-4/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1tm03990ivog9

[sifuludwig]

Nice action shots from Casey & Leon's double grading! . #wckuk #wingchun #wingtsun #kungfukids #sifujasonludwig #kidswingchun #kidskungfu #kidsmartialarts #kungfu #martialarta #training #grading #pressuretraining #selfdefense #hardwork #goodtimes #yipman #ipman #croydon #purley #coulsdon #southnorwood #crystalpalace

[sifuludwig]

For our final week of classes the students got to pick the theme from any part of 're system! Tuesday we incorporated advanced chi sau & kicking ideas, last night some pre-emptive attack variations & some long pole! Let's see what's in store this Saturday... . #wckuk #wingchun #wingtsun #kungfu #martialarts #training #everyday #croydon #purley #southnorwood #crystalpalace #streatham #coulsdon #yipman #ipman

[sifuludwig]

The Best Style In The World(?)

“I think Wing Chun is the best style out there…”

“Wing Chun would beat *X* because…”

I have heard comments like these many times over the years, from students & training partners of past and present, colleagues on film sets, friends in the security industry, casual observers of martial arts, and even from teachers of other styles. However, my usual response is ”Not necessarily…”, why? Here are some of my thoughts.

Factors And Outcomes

Generally, when someone calls a particular style of martial art the ‘best’ they are referring to its effectiveness in combat, but I have seen many people become completely disillusioned towards their chosen style/system/lineage/teacher, all because their self-defense failed them in a real confrontation. But maybe they just weren’t advanced enough to apply their skills yet, depending on the person, some styles just take a long time for one to become good at them, others much sooner, and the time in which you expect to become good at something is a huge factor. Maybe they spent too much time thinking about other martial ideas than training what they were taught, and in this case it is a very long road. They may have just been caught unprepared, after all we are only human and can’t be at 100% all the time. Or, they could just have had the wrong teacher for them - I’ve seen many students stay with teachers who I would regard as bad representatives of great styles, fully aware they’re not happy about where they’re training, yet don’t act on it because it’s become convenient yet bad habit for them, but that’s just the world we live in today I guess. But do any of these factors mean the style is no good? Not necessarily. Here’s the thing, with all the variables that go into a violent confrontation, such as fight or flight response, situation awareness, human error, timing, positioning, speed, power, numbers, weapons, exit points etc., there are no guarantees in a real fight - people with no martial arts training can fight, and it’s generally people like this that start them. Training martial arts will certainly make you better prepared, but in the real world it’s not the name of your style or teacher that will save you. Who cares how traditional your Kung Fu is if you’re the one that loses!

Beyond Fighting; Life Skills

Of course, the depth of martial arts stretches beyond just self-defense and fighting, referring back to the points I mentioned in my previous article ”Getting Your Children Into Martial Arts”; self-confidence – self-discipline – physical fitness – balance & flexibility – focus, concentration, awareness – social skills & meeting new people – overcoming adversity & problem solving - dealing with stress & conflict resolution, meditation & breathing etc. Whilst these characteristics do play a huge part in making your fighting skills better, many people value these assets more than the actual self-defense, and are fundamentally more important in everyday life. So certain styles are better for certain things, i.e. not all styles are equal or designed for the same purposes, and people will generally choose a teacher/style based on who/what they feel best suits their martial wants & needs. Ultimately, if the student fulfills everything they set out to accomplish through training martial arts, that’s all that really matters, but to be a complete martial artist is about the journey not the destination. You could also argue that the best style is defined by the one(s) who used their martial arts to improve the lives for themselves and those around them the best. After all, it is the teaching of Grandmaster Yip Man; “Use your martial skill for the good of humanity”.

To Conclude

I feel this is the healthiest way for any student of martial arts (and any art) to think; there really is no best style, there are simply way too many variables to account for. I like to think that all styles of martial arts are good at what they were designed for, otherwise they would not exist, this is why styles that are done well, regardless of their roots, will tend to have more similarities than differences. I read somewhere that the best style could be defined by how well it could develop any average person to become a great martial artist, which is also a fair argument to make, and many people around the world have found that with Wing Chun, hence its reputation. But if you want to prove that it is the best style, you’d better be able to prove it in every martial aspect! The better all your martial skill sets are all round, the better candidate you are in championing your style as being the best.

Keep an eye out for my next article, coming next month!

Sifu Jason Ludwig (WCKUK Organisation, 5th Practician Grade)

Articles coming soon…

“Longevity In Training” - “Finding A Good Teacher” - “How Much Should You Practice?” - “Debunking Theories Of Wing Chun” - “Martial Etiquette” - “The Syllabus”, and more…

[sifuludwig]

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A post shared by CROYDON WING CHUN (@sifuludwig)

Final private session for 2017, 2hrs with Kids Assistant Instructor Daniel working Student grades 1-3 . #sifujasonludwig #wckuk #wingchun #wingtsun #kungfu #martialarts #selfdefense #student #teaching #yipman #ipman #training #chisau #padwork #martialfitness #croydon #purley #coulsdon #southnorwood #crystalpalace #streatham

[sifuludwig]

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Class video sneak peak 👊 . #wckuk #wingchun #wingtsun #southnorwood #croydon #crystalpalace #streatham #womenselfdefense #selfdefense #martialarts #kungfu #hardwork #class #students #training #yipman #ipman @aminamckennaworld @serifeandben @jonnardinochipt

[sifuludwig]

Action shots from our last classes at Coulsdon Wing Chun for the year! See you all in 2018 😁 . #wckuk #wingchun #wingtsun #kungfukids #kidswingchun #kidskungfu #kidsmartialarts #womenselfdefense #familyclass #kungfu #chisau #martialarts #martialfitness #padwork #hardwork #training #selfdefense #students #coulsdon #oldcoulsdon #netherne #croydon #purley #yipman #ipman

[sifuludwig]

When you've still got some left in the tank for a 2am training session 🤘 . #wckuk #wingchun #wingtsun #sifujasonludwig #training #resistancebands #pullups #legraises #kettlebells #squats #bulgarianbag #kungfu #hardwork #training #croydon #southnorwood #crystalpalace #coulsdon #streatham #coulsdon

[sifuludwig]

A massive congratulations to the Coulsdon Wing Chun kids & adults who passed their grades today! See you in the new year 😁 . #wckuk #wingchun #wingtsun #coulsdon #purley #croydon #class #classes #kungfu #martialarts #selfdefense #students #training #hardwork #paysoff #padwork #fitness #martialfitness #womenselfdefense #kungfukids #kidswingchun #kidskungfu #kidsclasses #kidsmartialarts #yipman #ipman

[sifuludwig]

Chun in the cold! . #wckuk #wingchun #wingtsun #kungfu #martialarts #training #everyday #croydon #purley #southnorwood #streatham #coulsdon #yipman #ipman

[sifuludwig]

Congratulations to Richard, Dave & Harry who passed the 2nd Student Grade testing in class this afternoon! . #wckuk #wingchun #wingtsun #southnorwood #croydon #crystalpalace #streatham #womenselfdefense #selfdefense #martialarts #kungfu #grading #certificate #hardwork #paysoff #class #students #training #yipman #ipman

[sifuludwig]

Privage teaching Ed the 3rdSG this evening 💪 . #wckuk #wingchun #wingtsun #sifujasonludwig #kungfu #martialarts #selfdefense #hardwork #students #yipman #ipman #training #croydon #purley #coulsdon #southnorwood #crystalpalace #streatham

[sifuludwig]

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A post shared by CROYDON WING CHUN (@sifuludwig)

New video coming soon, til then enjoy this minij clip grom last week 👊 . #wckuk #wingchun #wingtsun #southnorwood #croydon #crystalpalace #streatham #womenselfdefense #selfdefense #martialarts #kungfu #hardwork #class #students #training #yipman #ipman @serifeandben @carlfrancisss @jonnardinochipt