Unlike most twelve year olds, instead of being interested in video games, I was interested in Martial Arts. Before I started going to Wing Chun Kung Fu class I went to another type of Martial Arts. So far I’ve been going to Wing Chun for a little over a year, and I love it. Two other people in my family also take classes with me; this is how I was introduced to Wing Chun. The two people are my father and my uncle.  My uncle and father would work out every Sunday, during those times I had nothing really to do, so I watched them. Every time I watched them I became more and more eager to practice with them. My father finally said that I could start training when I turned twelve. Now here I am, practicing Wing Chun with my family, loving every minute of it.

The first day I came into the class, I was really nervous because everyone was older than me. After a while I got over the nervousness and became friends with the other students. One of the many people that I have to thank for enjoying the class so much is Sifu Gorden. Sifu breaks down the moves so it’s easier to understand and makes it more enjoyable. Other people that are always there to help are the senior students. Ever since I’ve been taking classes everyone has been very nice and patient with me.

The classes are on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. The class starts around 6:30PM and ends at 8:00PM, but sometimes Sifu stays a little after and then it ends at 8:30PM. Many exercises and drills happen during this time. If you have taken a style of Martial Arts before, then you know that everyone gets hurt once in a while, so there are times where I get hurt. Nothing major, just little bit bruises here and there. In the beginning of the class we stretch and warm up with the first form. The first form is called Siu Lim Tao, also known as “Little Imagination” or “Little Idea”. The reason it is call little idea is because everything is based on something in that form.  After the first form we practice any other forms we have been taught. I myself have been taught only 2 forms, while my dad and uncle have been taught 3 forms. After the forms we go on our own for a little bit and practice whatever we have been taught already. About 5 to 10 minutes later the Sifu comes and tells us what we’re going to be practicing, who we’re going to be working with, and where we’re going to practice. Currently I am working on a move called side step punch followed by a low kick. In Wing Chun Kung Fu system, the individual moves have names, but many of the combinations don’t have specific names. This system it’s a lot like the alphabet, the letters alone don’t mean anything but together they make words; once the individual moves are connected they can be a technique and used to protect yourself. Throughout the class we switch partners and work on different drills. At least once every class we work with Sifu. Whenever I work with Sifu I sometimes get yelled at because I either don’t understand the movements or techniques that he is saying or my mind wanders and thinks about events that have happened earlier that day.  Usually toward the end of class we all participate in the exercise. The exercise changes every now and then. Sometimes the exercise is different for different people. I mean that the exercise seniors students do are different than the ones that the new students do, the exercise usually depends on the moves we’re learning and mainly to train us to have better speed, power and reflexes. The next thing we do usually depends on what day it is; because on Mondays and Wednesdays my father and I leave a little earlier than when the class ends, because either I have to go to school or he has to go to work. On Fridays we stay till the end of class and stay a little after to discuss different moves we learn that day and various other things. This is a very good time to ask Sifu questions and get more detail on the answers.

There are many tools and equipments we use to train. Some of them are the Tire which is a tire connected to a wooden frame, we use that to practice kicks. The Wooden Dummy which is a wooden figure that has three arms and one leg, we use this to practice the many moves we learn. The “Spring Arm” is a piece of wood connected to a spring; the spring allows the piece of wood to move freely. This is used to practice certain moves and techniques use in Chi Sao (sticky hands), contact feeling and footwork. Besides these three tools there are many more such as the punching bag, target pad, kicking shield, and the swing stick. Out of those tools I use the Wooden Dummy the most.

            One of the many things I have learned in Wing Chun is the art of Chi Sao. Chi Sao, also known as sticky hands, is a unique style of training that Wing Chun applies. Two students practice with each other, arm or arms always in contact with each other. Without using rough power and strength, the goal of Chi Sao is to control the other person’s movements and cover ourselves’ opening; the student tries to control the other student’s arms by trapping or having better reflexes to react to the student’s moves.  This taught me that there is always another way out of every situation, and it teaches to cover openings and to minimize the risk of getting hit so it’ll be easier to fight back. Also Chi Sao taught me that for every action there is a countering reaction.

My experience in Wing Chun has really helped my life by showing me how to relax in the tensest times.  Not just that, Wing Chun has also taught me that there is more than one way out of a situation, and that I don’t have to use force or strength to solve a problem. There are many things about Wing Chun that I love; such as the benefits of faster reflexes, that it raises my self-confidence, and the simplicity of the art.