Ever Thought About Teaching?

 

If you’re going to teach, DO IT RIGHT.

 

Many years ago my Sifu (Ip Chun), said to me,

“Fifty percent of your Wing Chun will come from your teacher, and fifty percent will come from you”.

Now this is something I believe gets misunderstood A LOT.

 

This mysterious fifty percent may be played with, altered, developed, call it whatever you will, the important thing is that the fifty percent you decide to play with is YOUR fifty percent and not the core fifty percent.

 

As I’ve said in the past, let’s say you finally learn ‘All of Wing Chun’ (a sweeping statement I grant you), so you’ve now acquired, let’s say, fifty techniques (blocks, strikes, weapons, forms, attitudes, whatever you wish to call them) the truth is, you will only ever choose ten or twelve of these, without you knowing, ones that are your favorite, and that you personally CAN DO WELL. 

This is what Bruce Lee did.

 

Don’t try to be like Bruce Lee if you want to be a good teacher.

 

My point is this, when everybody saw Bruce Lee and how good he was, but as for Wing Chun, all they ever really saw was ‘HIS‘ ten or twelve and when he created Jeet Kune Do and started ‘teaching‘ Wing Chun, he only ever taught HIS ten or twelve.

Now if these people really wanted to be like Bruce then they should find a teacher who can and will teach them the WHOLE fifty techniques for themselves and then have them be able to choose THEIR OWN ten or twelve.

 

So if YOU want to be that good Wing Chun teacher, teach fifty/fifty, but always make sure the core is included.

 

Whenever you teach, always offer all of your students the full confection of fifty techniques, that way you allow each and everyone the opportunity to discover their own ten or twelve, time and time again, while still keeping it pure.

 

Think of this in the same way car designs differ vastly, but yet they will all still need an engine, wheels, steering, brakes and so on, THAT is the core fifty percent how you dress its body and interior is your fifty percent.