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Things have changed

On one hand I'm finding getting back into Kung Fu training a lot easier than I imagined. On the other hand, there are things being taught in class now that were simply not part of the style 4-5 years ago. What's changed is that our Sifu as well as being an uber Wing Chun master with his own style has also now become one of the highest ranked practioners of Brazilian Ju-Jitsu in the UK.

So tonight a lot of time was spent learning tehniques against throat grabs, putting on and reversing (getting out of) head locks and generally being up close and personal with your opponent. This type of grappling while not strictly speaking 'traditional' Wing Chun has been amalgamated into the Kamon system to expand the available techniques and try to provide a more rounded system. Even so, the concepts and basic shapes being applied had parallels to the more standard Wing Chun techniques so at least the concepts were easy to understand even if the actual practice felt a little awkward.

I must admit that grappling styles have never really appealed to me as when you see the typical bout on the UFC there is just something a little gay about watching two big guys in tight shorts getting sweaty and rolling around on the floor together. Perhaps that's a childish attitude as these guys are ultra tough but it's those stupid 'playground' thoughts that make training close up grappling techniques so tough for me. :)

Still sore

Man.. I must be getting old... at least I now have something to call what I'm going through, DOMS. Deep Heat cream is proving rather ineffective so it's time to raise the game a little a dig out the Tiger Balm.

Note to self: Do some extra warm up and cool down exercises and stretches next week.

First night back

Owww... my shoulders hurt! but other than that and being a little more tired this morning than usual, there are no other ill effects from last nights kung fu class. As my office is only a 10 minute drive away from the class I was the first one to turn up. Next came the instructor so I was able to chat to him for a while before the class which helped lessen my nerves about returning. In all there were 12 people in the class which is fairly small as classes go with grades ranging from complete beginners (2 joined last night) to green belt. The class followed a typical pattern of stretching, exercise, drills and then techniques. Once the exercise started I knew I was in a bit of trouble... for example, 30 push ups into 120 and my shoulders were burning and my arms shaking... as (technically) the second highest grade in the room it was a little embarrassing to be so unfit but it'll come back eventually.

The drills were a lot better, standard techniques such as punching and changing guard to the count, turning punches and footwork. I could still remember what to do and what basic errors to watch out for... but my shoulders and arms were still pretty beat up so I found myself tiring quickly and having to concentrate on relaxing.

What I really enjoyed was the partner work to practise technique. I was pleased at how easily I got back into the swing of things and several people were surprised to learn that I had not trained at all for over 4 years. Don't get me wrong, I wasn't great or anything and the yellow belts a grade lower than me were easily much more adept and able, but I was satisfied with how I did. Towards the end of the class I found myself working with some of the beginners and starting to give them pointers and explanations to what they were being asked to do... it was almost as if I'd never been away.

All in all it was definitely the right decision to go back to training and I left the class feeling pretty good about things (exercise induced high no doubt) but it's clear that what I need to do is work on my level of fitness which will be tough going. Looking forward to next week already but first I have a new Japanese Language GCSE class that starts tomorrow evening... more on that later in the week.

Kung Fu Fighting

I've always had a thing for martial arts in general and Kung Fu in particular. Perhaps not the greatest thing for a young kid to watch, but I remember in the 80's when we got our first video recorder some of the first films we hired and watched were the Bruce Lee films of the early 70's. Those along with the more family friendly Monkey and Water Margin series on TV really made me want to well.... hit people I guess.

As a young teenager I joined a local Kung Fu club in Milton Keynes after reading what must have been a small 30 word text only ad in the back of a martial arts magazine advertising a style called Wuchia. I was too embarrassed to call myself so had to ask my mother to call the number in the ad and find out about the class and how to join. It turned out to be a good choice though and I ended up training twice a week for about 3 years and took it pretty seriously. I kept it up until at around 16 I discovered the delights of underage drinking and the local 'alternative' night club where pretty much anyone and anything was welcome. Wuchia is a traditional family style of kung fu and the sifu (teacher) Raymond Goh was the head of this style, the 14th generation master. He really inspired everyone to train hard and take things seriously but at the same time had a great sense of humour and made each lesson fun. At the age of 14 I legitimately owned a pair of Nunchuks and knew how to use them. I also had a fighting stick which was pretty cool too. Although I won two competitions for performing traditional forms (like karate katas) in my age group I never had much success in the sparring competitions... in fact I was regularly and consistently beaten (quite literally). It didn't put me off though as I was really learning Kung Fu more for it's cultural aspects than it's practical application.

10 years later a guy at work showed me an ad in a local newspaper for a new Wing Chun kungfu class that was starting in Guildford. I knew that Wing Chun was the martial art that Bruce Lee originally trained in before forming his own style of Jeet Kun Do and that it was a relatively 'modern' style (being only a few hundred years old) that was intended to churn out able fighters in 5-10 years rather than the 20-30 years of the older more traditional styles. We both turned up for a free demonstration at this new Kamon Wing Chun class and the next week I signed up and trained with them for just over 4 years. There were a lot of differences between the two styles but the attitude of the club and obvious no nonsense effectiveness of Wing Chun was a real attraction to me. I quickly found myself getting fitter than ever before and, although we didn't take part in any actual sparring..., fancying my chances if I was ever 'put to the test'. Eventually though, my then bachelor lifestyle overshadowed any attempts to keep fit and expend any quantity of energy and I got lazy and quit. It was fairly inevitable but a decision that I always regretted.

Now after a break of 4 to 5 years I plan to rejoin a Kamon class next week in Basingstoke. I'm looking forward to it as I have considered returning several times over the last few years but have been held back by my ego and the embarrassment of seeing people who were once junior to me in the club now being senior students and far more accomplished martial artists. To save embarrassment I have often looked at other alternative clubs in the area but none of the ones I could find ever matched the quality that I knew was available at Kamon. Most recently I almost joined a Dragon style Kung Fu club but at the last minute decided against it as there really is only one club that I want to belong to. I've forgotten a lot of technique and I'm unfit but I have decided to swallow my pride and just get stuck back into it. I'm going into this knowing what to expect but with the recognition that I need to consider myself as a beginner again. Anyway... I'll post about how it turns out next week after my first lesson.