A Little Good Advice… from those who have gone before

A Little Good Advice… from those who have gone before
by the Wing Lam Kung Fu Federation

The Wing Lam Kung Fu Federation News asked the several of the instructors connected with the WLKFF what advice that would offer someone who is just beginning Kung Fu. The following are the answers that we received.

Sifu Kwong Wing Lam -- Headmaster and founder of Wing Lam Kung Fu School

"The main thing is know that you want. Investigate the different styles. Understand them on your own. You need to know for yourself what you want to do with it. What to you want from Kung Fu? Do you want to practice for your health, for self-defense, or for the art? Different styles offer different things. Remember, martial arts is for yourself. In the old days, it was for your family or your country. It may still be for your family. Now, it is mainly for yourself.

When you find the style that has what you need, investigate the schools teaching that style. Are they teaching a pure system or just mixed up stuff. Find out the teacher's background. Once you find the right teacher, just keep up with it. That's all."

Lence Bernard
Student of Sifu Lam for 8 years. Tai Chi Instructor at Wing Lam Kung Fu School in Sunnyvale

"1. Listen to your instructor.
2. Diligently practice your lessons.
3. Practice the "basics" ceaselessly.
4. Expect for important questions, keep your mouth shut.
5. Don't expect immediate results.
6. Avoid over enthusiasm: this often leads to early burn-out.
7. Show respect for the school, the school's masters, your instructor, senior students, fellow students, and junior students."

Gene Ching
Student of Sifu Lam for 17 years. Shaolin & Tai Chi Instructor at Wing Lam Kung Fu School in Sunnyvale

"Both the eradication of ego and the Expansion of self are prominent factors. When you practice Kung Fu egotistically, you will retreat when you experience discomfort or pain, since this is injurious to your ego. When you expand "self" to include your family, your friends, your culture and your environment, the nature of "self defense" escalates. Your ego seems insignificant amidst the vast concept of self. You endure greater hardships, increasing your level of sacrifice, since "self preservation" includes a much greater space than merely your physical body. You will be forced to be honest about your practice for any falsehood could be disastrous. The desperation of survival can be highly motivating. This commitment to righteousness will lead you to a greater level of skill and a deeper level of satisfaction."

Robert Daniels
Student of Sifu Lam for 19 years. Head Instructor at Wing Lam Kung Fu School in Tennessee 1922 Madison Ave. Memphis, TN 38104 (901) 726-6956

"Any new student should closely examine why they wanted to take Kung Fu and why a particular style. What are your expectations of the art?

This helps if a student becomes frustrated during the learning process. It can stem from unreasonable expectations placed on the art, at which the student may want to quit training, when in reality it stems from expectations placed on their own body and its capability to progress.

As there are many depths levels in a pond, Kung Fu also has many depths and can accommodate students of many types. Some are content to stay near the surface ("weekend martial artists"), and others wish to dive deeply into the art and extract the "essence" of Kung Fu - its history, culture, beauty, and significance."

Linda Darrigo
Student of Sifu Lam for 11 years. Head Instructor at The Center: An Institute for the Study of Martial Arts P.O. Box 1024 Aptos, CA 95003 (408) 685-1695

"Read the Tai Chi Classics." (Ed. These texts are included in Paul Tam's Tai Chi Chuan: Theory and Practice B501: $49.95)

Curtis Kautzman has been using Sifu's videos "for years". Head Instructor at the Chuan Hung Pai Gung Fu Kwoon
1300 Victoria Ave. Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada (306) 586-3073

"Never lose sight of the basics. There is an old Chinese saying that says, "Lin kuen bat lin gong, dou lou yat chenug hung." This means training in kuens (sets) only, with out basic skills, will cause you to be useless in old age. "Lin gong" -basic skills- such as stances, strikes, blocks, kicks, etc., and their practical applications are very important. So, to the beginning, or "si dai" students, basic are very important and should always be practiced every day. Other things, such as "Jin Luch" (fighting skills), "say moon" (four doors), etc. are very important as well. But it all comes down to basics. Don't forget about your basics."

Constantine Lolos
Student of Sifu Lam for 4 years, Tai Chi Chuan instructor at the Wing Lam Kung Fu School in Sunnyvale

"The primary advise to someone just starting out in Kung Fu is this, be patient with yourself. No matter how difficult, awkward and/or impossible it seems at the beginning you will improve. The one great realization I have learned is that with practice everyone improves. The level an individual can reach is set by ones personal actions. A part of the Tai Chi forms requires that I have a single leg stance on my left leg. When I started out it seemed that I could not go through these sections without losing my balance (old football injury on left ankle). This went on for what seemed forever (and I thought that I would always have this difficulty) but I kept practicing the form. Eventually I realized that staying with "the art" is what results in success and that indeed practice does make perfect.
In fact PRACTICE is "The Secret" of everything on this earth. To learn something one must practice. The more one practices the more accomplished one becomes. Someone pointed out that Bobby Bonds practices batting several hours a day even though this batting average is over 300. It was pointed out to that individual (and they agreed that the actual situation is just the reverse, Bobby Bonds has a batting average over 300 because he practices batting several hours a day.

Here at the school everyone has a clear such example in Sifu. I have always been shocked at how exquisite Sifu does any of the forms. It is also clear that this has been achieved by his daily practice."

David Simons
Student of Sifu Lam for 1 year. Head Instructor at the Bermuda Northern Shaolin Kung Fu School Reid Street, Hamilton (809) 23-66792

"My advice to someone who is just starting KUNG FU is that they try and make as many classes as possible and to train hard. MARTIAL ART is not just for self defense or to learn the flashy forms but, it also teaches co-ordination between mind and body, self discipline and self control which can be applied in their everyday lives. One who developed these traits would be on their way to becoming a complete martial artist. Remember the real meaning of KUNG FU is 'SKILL THROUGH TIME AND HARD WORK.'"

Lori White
Student of Sifu Lam for 6 years. Shaolin Instructor at the Wing Lam Kung Fu School in Sunnyvale

"Practice. Of course.
Patience. Understand that, even if you have taken some other style of martial art, you are asking your body to assume unfamiliar postures and execute new sequences of movements. Don't be discouraged if you can't get it immediately.

Perseverance. The rewards of kung fu grow greater as you pursue the art. Don't give up too soon."