Who Are You Training For?

Who are you REALLY training for?

So many times in class I will demonstrate a technique, give detailed tuition and then get the class to start drilling the moves.

And at the same time, so many times, in the distance, at the far end of the school there will be someone slacking, not giving their training 100%.

Now I do not mind the fact that some people really enjoy the social element of classes, that’s great, and should be encouraged, BUT, I would prefer it if you chatted for one hour and trained for one hour, instead of allowing your overall quality to suffer due to distraction.

But as I head off down the school to discuss improving their performance, the strangest thing occurs, the closer I get to them, the better they appear to be training?

How odd?

Now this is the point, why is it that when I am standing over them they give it their all, and as soon as I leave, they drop?

Let’s look at this in three stages:

Scenario one/

This first stage of potential improvement could be as simple as when I take the time to stand right there with them and offer verbal encouragement, no doubt, a definite increase in performance and even more so when what they do is being scrutinized by myself and my instructors at a grading OR assessment.

Scenario two/

Jet Li and Jackie Chan just happen to be driving past my school when their car breaks down (stay with it), and while waiting for recovery they notice my Wing Chun school and decide to pop in to say hello.

Having celebrities in the school suddenly gets everyone excited and the standard rockets skyward.

Scenario three/

My Sifu, Grandmaster Ip Chun, announces to my class that he will travel to my school one last time to give his most refined and detailed advice and tuition.

How well would my students train then eh?

The real issue here is that, when you need it, and I mean REALLY need it, your teacher will not be there,

you will.

The street is not be a classroom or a grading, Jet Li and Jackie Chan are not watching you, and you do not have the wisdom of the Grandmaster advising you on what is the best course of action.