Wen Hsiu Quan

Now here's something I have not yet written about. :D I have been interested in the Zen side of Japanese martial arts since the age of 16. It was about at this age when I began with Qigong as well. As a young karateka back then I did not have the confidence, strength or aggression of my classmates and looking back- I think it was a good thing. Because of that classes scared me. Now- had it not been to exposure to the mental training techniques provided to me by Zen- I would not have seen this hostile dojo environment as the ideal testing grounds for the things I have read. This is one major factor to which I attribute my development as a martial artist. One very important training tool that has always served me well and that continues to do so to this dat is Zen Meditation. This, in itself, has provided me with a number of benefits about which I can write in detail. One of those- was the development of intuition and sensory acuity. It is actually wonderfu...

In his book Spirit of the Empty Hand Stan Schmidt mentioned a lesson during which his Sensei asked what his hand would be if it stayed a fist all the time. I am certain that philosophers and martial artists alike will find a message in that. As a person practicing a martial art that employs strikes and that uses sparring as a training method- I have a very tangible example of what this metaphor can tell us. Practitioners of WSKF, Goju Ryu and Jeet Kune Do might know what I am talking about here. Most schools of Taijiquan and JKA Shotokan might not get it, though. Wenhsiuquan recognises the importance of relaxing muscles in order to gather energy for a strike, but a fair amount of tension is necessary in areas like the legs and abomen to protect the internal organs and to speed up movement. When facing a sparring partner head-on, a moderate amount of tension in the pectoral muscles protect the ribs as well. This tension cannot be excessive lest it slows down your movement...

From 2014 to now I have attended classes at two different Shotokan dojos and noticed something I did not like at all. First time it happened I was at a class headed by one of the junior instructors. At the start of the class he went for a book in his bag (well- it could have been a bunch of pages just bound together) and then went on to start the class with: "Your basics are..." This was at a JSKA dojo. At the WSKF dojo (where I currently am) a lot of time gets spent on preparation for tournaments and gradings. Around tournament time we get to do free sparring practice, which is always a good idea, but all the other times are devoted to competition techniques and- guess what- a bundle of pages in the Sensei's bag. My first karate teacher actually had me wondering what the syllabus actually required from me. The reason for that was because he kept the lessons ever changing. Those times I have spent learning the next kata and ippon kumite sequences for my grading ...

If you don't know me yet I just want to get you on the same page as me before you think this is some annual pilgrimage to renew my focus and to purify my soul etc etc. This particular trip to a temple was to celebrate Chinese New Year, show a new friend around, eat as many treats as I can and to get the WeChat ID of the girl at the bubble tea stall. This festival happens to have multicultural performances and among these a Chinese Kungfu demonstration is usually featured. This time around the demonstration was not given by Chinese students like all the previous years. The demonstration team was made up of South African instructors and students instead. It is a pity that these schools are mainly in Gauteng and the Western Cape. I would have liked to attend classes... Back here I want to show you someone who observes and understands the importance and sacredness of the Saturday Morning Workout. Can you see her? Look! Right there behind...