Are You Really That Good?

 

Or are you being carried?

 

Are You Really That Good??

 

What I mean by this statement is this, how much do you really know what you are doing and how much are you being carried?

 

Have you ever tried to teach what you know?

 

I can watch two students playing Dan Chi Sau and it appears to be quite good between the two of them, until I then ask them to split up and partner with the new students with the aim of trying to help them.

This is when we see that physically they may know what they are doing, but mentally they can be way off course.

By asking my students to teach, there is a win/win for all, as it allows the beginner to have some personal time with a senior, and it allows me to see if the senior is correct in their understanding or has lost track of what this exercise is actually about.

 

YOU need to know what you are doing for YOU.

 

Make everything you do precise and know why you are doing it, otherwise these exercises (what every they may be) become a pointless robotic repetition.

 

The more you improve within a subject, the more you should know about that subject, and the more you know about that subject the easier and straight forward you should be able to explain it to others.

NOT to bombard a beginner with information that is not only unnecessary, but also overcomplicated and often even incorrect!

 

This is not just for the benefit of helping newcomers but for your own understanding too.

 

Dan Chi Sau

 

Dan Chi Sau is one of the most simple exercises to drill and yet also carries with it huge amounts of skill development.

 

A training of the main defensive positions of Wing Chun (Tan, Bong, Fook) combined with an awareness of not overcommitting in either attack OR defence, as well as stance, structure and the ability to create and match energy.

 

The most important of these we need to understand as a beginner and onward, is not overcommitting.

 

This is what should be being emphasised to new students, to be in range and gain confidence, in both their ability to defend plus their control in not attacking their partner.

 

So the next time you help out in class, ask yourself what do you NEED to be passing across, and when was the last time you listened to this yourself.