06.19.08

Every journey begins with the first step.

Posted in Greg's World at 11:47 am by Greg

Every journey begins with the first step. My first beginning step towards my destiny was learning the art of Wing Chun Kung Fu. The year was 1971, my first year of high school. My teacher and uncle Grand Master Chris Chan, told me that if I found the internal power myself, it will be worth more than gold.

For 5 years in my father’s garage, before I began training, I played with the children of the private students taught by Uncle Chris. Because of cognitive learning, learning by watching, I found understanding the forms of Wing Chun was not difficult. When I practiced the first form called, Siu Lim Tao, my arms would move into positions by themselves. It used to scare me. No one had ever talked about chi gung or energies in the early 1970’s.

Uncle Chris is the greatest motivator with his pure emotion while teaching the class. Even though there were many students during group training, it seem like he was talking to you directly, giving directions to correct you orally. It was amazing how much he knew and had to offer, but only if you understood what his words meant. During hard and heavy training, it was difficult to remember most of the instructions. You can only work on correcting only a few things under that kind of pressure. Concentration was the key. Sifu Chris always said that it was more in the mind than the body. He said Master Yip Man told him that if he practiced the Siu Lim Tao daily, he could become the strongest man in the world, and Chris believed. Chris has never been defeated in challenges and street combat fighting.

Wing Chun specializes in teaching “Gum Gok” in Cantonese meaning sensory perception. Blind folded training while practicing “Chi Sao” in Cantonese meaning sticky hands and wooden man training was the secret. You better have a good practice partner, someone you can trust with your life. Accuracy, speed, and power are the name of the game. Have self confidence and courage beaming from your eyes. With the eyes of a tiger and the heart of a lion, you will be in a state of fearlessness.

In Oriental medicine, the heart is the housing of the mind. Your mind must be clear, quick, and decisive. Stay calm during duress, relax, and go with the flow. Position yourself securely, well balanced, and stability is the key for a solid foundation. Knowledge of the ancient philosophies in combination with modern science, eastern culture in combination with western culture, finally healing and killing will reveal the secret of the holy grail of the martial and healing arts. Find it for yourself and you will travel your own path filled with life giving energy. Maybe you will be able to live a quality, wonderful, long healthy life while living your dreams too. That is what I found out during my 36 year journey so far. Who knows what tomorrow will bring. It is always a blessing to be alive, breathing, and well.

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