MARTIAL ARTS
The martial arts is an integral part of my life and my teachings. I first got involved with learning martial arts at the age of 12 in 1984 and have never looked back. It's an incredible field of study that can enhance your life in numerous ways. One obvious way is that you learn to defend yourself, which is super important in this day and age.
Another is that it's an excellent way to get fit. Many people I've taught don't necessarily have an interest in learning martial arts for combat but rather as a form of fitness. HIIT, or High-Intensity Interval Training, has been scientifically proven to be one of the best, if not THE best, methods of losing body fat, and it is a key component of martial arts training. We often train in rounds which are between 2 and 3 minutes long, followed by a rest of 1 minute. That's the very definition of interval training, and it works great!
And the third, and in many ways the most important, is the psychological and spiritual side of it. I can't tell you the number of times I've experienced stressful situations, but the discipline of the martial arts got me through them. On top of that, by simply learning to unlearn and just "being", that is extremely powerful to helping you take control of your life. You can read more about that in my book Centreline: Live, Focus, Breathe, but I can tell you it's been a huge help for me. I also wrote a book specifically on my method of martial arts training called Centreline Boxing.
THE THREE MARTIAL ARTS YOU CAN LEARN FROM ME
So what are the exact martial arts that I teach. There are three arts that I teach. They are Ving Tsun (Wing Chun) which was the first martial art of Bruce Lee, Western Boxing (the Peekaboo or Mike Tyson style), and Baguazhang (or Bagua), a very fine martial art.
Wing Tsun (Wing Chun)
Ving Tsun is a close-quarters fighting system that is excellent for women (It's the only martial art I know of that was created by a woman) and people of smaller stature. You don't need to be extremely powerful to use this system. It takes advantage of the body structure, leverage, angles, and strategy to get the job done. The Centreline is the most important concept in the system. The goal is to protect your centreline while dominating and destroying your opponent's centreline. This is done through proper positioning and strategy.
Other important parts of the system are economy of motion and efficiency. We teach an expression in Ving Tsun: "Save time, save movement, save energy." Training in Ving Tsun is pretty no-nonsense. Punches, palm strikes, finger strikes, knife hand attacks, elbow strikes, low-line attacks, kicks, and knees are all part of the system. This is not a martial art for sports competitions.
This down-and-dirty street fighting system is designed to get you home in one piece. Scoring points and getting a decision isn't the point here. Survival is. Street situations are violent and brutal. Your first best option is to avoid it entirely or become invisible. If that's not possible, learn Ving Tsun and protect yourself! And as with the other martial arts, it provides a great workout!
Western Boxing
Boxing is another one of the arts I teach, and I find it to blend perfectly with Ving Tsun. Specifically, I teach the Peekaboo style of Boxing as I was taught. The fantastic thing about this style of Boxing is that it incorporates many of the same principles as Ving Tsun. But it also brings other things to the table.
While Ving Tsun is specifically a close-range self-defense system, Peekaboo Boxing has more of a "long-range game" but is also very effective at close range. With the constant movement and tight guard, the defence of this system is one of the best I've ever seen. If you've ever seen boxers such as Mike Tyson, Floyd Patterson, or Archie Moore, that's the Peekaboo style.
Our conditioning drills are absolutely fantastic, and their simplicity is truly beautiful. The system uses only a handful of techniques and footwork methods, but you can use a virtually limitless number of combinations. Whole-body power is the key here, and you'd be hard-pressed to find another martial art that trains coordination as well as Boxing. Also, the defence and body movement in the Peekaboo Boxing style is second to none. After all, a moving target is much harder to hit than a stationary one.
We believe that when you're not hitting, you're moving. This is great for self-defense and fighting and also a great workout. Believe me, a session of ducking, slipping, weaving, and pivoting is an unbelievable leg and core workout!
Baguazhang
The third art is Baguazhang (Yin Style). This is a more traditional art. While Ving Tsun and Boxing are fairly modern by martial arts standards, Baguazhang has a very old history and is one of the world's most highly structured martial arts.
Characterized by circular walking along with various hand techniques and stepping patterns, it is not only very good for health benefits but is also a highly effective martial art because it's rather unorthodox and very powerful.
Various joint locking and other techniques not present in striking arts are contained in Baguazhang, which can really help to round things out. As a traditional Chinese art, the animals and the elements are a big part of it, and there is an entire science behind it. It ties right in with traditional Chinese medicine. Although using the body as a whole is important for Ving Tsun and Boxing, I believe it's even more important for Baguazhang.
There is an expression in the internal arts: "One part moves, all parts move." The movements of Baguazhang are very rooted and very powerful. One little-known fact about Baguazhang is that it was the art that the ancient Imperial bodyguards of China used. It's ideal for dealing with multiple opponents. However, I feel the greatest benefit is its health benefits. The feeling you get from a session of this martial art is unbelievable!
