My wing chun distance learning involved a 2 hour drive weekly to visit a class nearly 100 miles away! Looking back now I think I must have been crazy! Such was (is) my passion for the martial arts and Wing Chun! I started learning Wing Chun in 1993 after meeting a Sifu in Leeds, UK. It was my first experience of Wing Chun and before finding the class I had trained in Judo, Karate and TaeKwonDo. I later found other styles but stuck with Wing Chun for years.
I was immediately impressed with the class and the level of skill there. It was unlike anything I had done. As an avid Bruce Lee fan, I knew this was something special. It seemed much more akin to what Bruce was doing in his movies than the board punching and sparing I’d been doing in the other styles.
2 Years after joining the class I left for my hometown which was just short of 100 miles away, expecting to find another instructor locally.
Wing Chun Distance Learning – Disappointment
I found a number of schools claiming to be Wing Chun, or Wing Chun related but was thoroughly disappointed with most of them. One of them was a vague mixture of some other styles with a tiny bit of Wing Chun thrown in – I can only assume for marketing purposes! Back then, Wing Chun was pretty rare.
I found another class but it didn’t have the same appeal. Another one was badly run and the Sifu was often cancelling classes. On the whole, it was a disappointing experience. Hence why I decided to commute back to the Leeds classes. If you’re in the US, this probably sounds like a small trip! But back then I was mostly unemployed and even getting the funds together for transport seemed like quite a task.
I made a habit out of the trip for several years and eventually moved back to Leeds.
Wing Chun Distance Learning – Forms
During my first stay in Leeds, I had received a lot of intense training. I was only 19 years old though and didn’t fully appreciate the quality of the school I had found! I loved chi sau (sticky hands), and the fighting elements; I was an angry young man after all! But I didn’t properly understand or appreciate the hand patterns. My absence from regular classes gave me the time and desire to practice my hand forms. I mostly drilled the first form – Siu Lim Tao.
I became pretty addicted to drilling Siu Lim Tao and it became a habit I maintained for years. The first form is the first hand pattern you’ll learn in a Wing Chun class. It teaches the basic positions, use and generation of “relaxed” energy and explosive energy. On my weekly trips back to Leeds from my hometown of Lancaster (UK), I noticed that my form training was improving my chi sau – even though I didn’t really understand why.
I later came to appreciate the wisdom behind the forms within the Wing Chun system.
Wing Chun Distance Learning – Siu Lim Tao
Siu Lim Tao – little idea form, teaches a number of things. But beyond the physical hand movements and use of energy, it also teaches you to relax your mind. This is similar to meditation where you calm your mind and focus on your hand movements. By focusing intently and concentrating on your positions and movement, there is no space for thinking. When you learn to calm your mind regularly through practice, you’ll soon realise the value in it.
A regular practice is a good way to learn how to remain calm under adversity, keep fit and mentally healthy. Checkout what Grandmaster Ip Chun has to say about how Wing Chun has contributed to his health and fitness. Even in his 90’s he is able to practice Wing Chun and remains fit and healthy.
Access Free Video Series
You can access the free video series of Siu Lim Tao here. You’ll get a video each day for 5 days which breaks the form into manageable chunks. Practice a little every day and move on to the next video once you’ve learned the previous one. Make it a regular habit and you’ll have taken a good first step in starting your Wing Chun distance learning practice. See also Wing Chun online training for more information.
