Sifu Lutz is a neurophysiotherapist, and he put things right by showing me some exercises that made my body fit again – many thanks!
 

Joy as a motivator

Almost 40 years of unbroken joy in practicing WingTsun was a major help in getting back in shape. I was determined to teach again as soon as possible, and also to train myself. The pain taught me what was good for me, and how I could practice so that things were not made worse afterwards. I found ways of performing movements, and later of teaching, that had to be done very gently, and that worked out well.
 

Joy and overeagerness

One of my great joys is teaching, and direct contact with the student. I want the student to feel me, and learn from that. I also want to feel the student so that I can better help him to change and make things work better.
Students in direct contact with the teacher are often very enthusiastic, and want to do everything superbly well. When a teacher likes to practice personally with a student – like myself – and lets him try things out, the teacher is physically very exposed. In other words, if the student does not have the necessary control, this can lead to injuries for both parties.

The two most prolonged injuries I have suffered in WingTsun came from such situations. A martial arts class is not an emergency scenario. The teacher can be the attacker in an exercise, but not an opponent. The student's reactions must be correspondingly downplayed.

Note: Incorrectly performed movements do not become correct by adding lots of power and impetus, but they pose a great danger of injury to your partner.

How to do it right: Perform the movement at low intensity, and let the teacher improve its sequence if necessary.
 

The joy of feeling movements

The injury at the beginning of this year made it even clearer to me that slow practice gets you much further. You can feel your movements better, and remain in the here and now. All in all you learn more quickly, and have time to observe yourself. In the forms and during ChiSao you notice it more readily when you e.g. lose your balance – perhaps only very slightly, but you certainly feel it. You become more aware of what is happening in your body. With this form of training you are less able to cover up and gloss over your mistakes. On the contrary, the clear feedback helps you to optimise the movement concerned.
 

The joy of working together

How you train together is of decisive importance for the success of both partners. It should be a matter of working together, not against each other. Take the time to discover the components that make up a movement – with the help of your partner. The results will prove you right, and it is also more enjoyable that way. Agree on what you want to practice, and how. Then there will be no disappointments and no accidents.
I experience this cooperation myself in SiFu's (GM Kernspecht's) classes, and it always opens up new perspectives for me. It gives me new ideas and findings. I see everything differently.
And thanks to the joy I get from learning and constantly working on myself, WingTsun gives me many new discoveries which I later share with my students. Only in this way can I fully process and develop them further.
 

The joy of doing something "wrong"

I often notice that students are afraid they will do things "wrong". But what is right and what is wrong? In my view we need what we call 'wrong' to recognise what is right. To develop further it is only important to recognise what is "too much" or "too little". And that is only possible with constant trial and error.
The joy I feel comes from constant practice, over and over again, and the urge to improve in everything I do.
Whatever student or instructor grades I teach, I am always trying to improve myself and bring everything up to my level. This means that I always enjoy teaching, and can connect with the student on his current level of understanding.
 

I wish you all a pleasant summer and look forward to seeing again you after the break.

Your GM Giuseppe Schembri