"The Perfect Vehicle" by Neil Wettenkamp
A martial art can be many things to many people, as it is for me. Some focus on the potency of fear by training for strength or speed, others on ego with a focus on how things look or who is the most famous. I would argue that true practitioners of the art seek a vehicle for self-improvement, one that nurtures growth while providing the martial knowledge that our world requires.
In Wing Chun I have such a vehicle, and as I train I am consistently amazed at how learning this art, with the right instructor, not only fulfills the need for martial knowledge, but also gives a framework for overall improvement; spiritual, emotional, mental, and physical.
To the uninitiated the words I use to describe this practice may have other meanings, so rather than beginning with confusing terminology I will ask the reader to perform a simple movement.
In Wing Chun I have such a vehicle, and as I train I am consistently amazed at how learning this art, with the right instructor, not only fulfills the need for martial knowledge, but also gives a framework for overall improvement; spiritual, emotional, mental, and physical.
To the uninitiated the words I use to describe this practice may have other meanings, so rather than beginning with confusing terminology I will ask the reader to perform a simple movement.
Raise your arms so that they are even with you shoulders, forming a “T.” If you have done this the way most people do (and I used to too) you will see your shoulders rise and your muscles tighten. Now relax your shoulders, dropping while extending your arms.
Stretch your elbows, knuckles, and fingers further, taking care not to force but rather extend outward. Your fingers seem to elongate and you have to remind your shoulders to drop. Though it is unusual or uncomfortable you continue to extend them, and you experience tingling sensations.
Imagine that on either side of you there are buttons that must be pushed just beyond your fingers. You can give yourself any reward or crisis you like for doing so, but the added incentive will make you extend that last bit.
Stretch your elbows, knuckles, and fingers further, taking care not to force but rather extend outward. Your fingers seem to elongate and you have to remind your shoulders to drop. Though it is unusual or uncomfortable you continue to extend them, and you experience tingling sensations.
Imagine that on either side of you there are buttons that must be pushed just beyond your fingers. You can give yourself any reward or crisis you like for doing so, but the added incentive will make you extend that last bit.
If you have followed the instructions you have performed a simple example of Wing Chun, stretching into a space in a relaxed way. The tensions in your body may have deceived you in what was possible. Despite the extension your arms had mobility and you discovered how strong the tendons and body could be. When you localized one joint you noticed how you could release others, and when you tensed your hands you felt how difficult it was to stretch.
What you performed was a physical effort, yet you can feel that there may have been more to it, and you saw that the idea of strength was not entirely in the muscles. Afterward you will probably feel some encouraging changes in muscles as well as the limbs. For a time they are more flexible and alive, and able to respond to direction. You may now have glimpsed upon other possibilities that such a practice can afford; a new way of thinking about the world.
This process of localizing has many of the concepts of Wing Chun; squeezing into space, connecting your whole body, generating flexible power while remaining relaxed, and few more that you’ll have to practice to appreciate. Imagine these applied to your whole body, coupled with martial techniques and you can see the potential.
Our Wing Chun differs from many arts (including other Wing Chun styles), taking its practitioners away from the fighting with muscles and response and into a discipline that allows a more free, natural response with internal power. It doesn’t take much to know that there are better fighters out there, or that you are only a situation from being at disadvantage, so the more flexible the style, the more likely we are able to counter such threats.
You could equally apply the ideas to other areas of your life - how many times have we "muscled" our way through something when more flexible, or direct methods were better? How many times did our focus shift to another direction and we became disconnected? The vehicle is there if we want to use it.
Ultimately a practice is a subjective matter, but as I have said, Wing Chun can be a vehicle, and any vehicle eases our travel. This particular vehicle does far more than ease travel. It carries an incredible journey as well a martial art.
About Me
My experience in martial arts has been varied, at times diverted from one art to another out of curiosity or necessity. All the arts gave me some measure of control over your body and each of them began in the same way; emptying your cup and suffering awkwardness as you told your mind and body to do new things.
I can say with certainty that my training has saved my life on several occasions, but it is the focused and seemingly universally applicable art that I practice now that excites me. In it I see the potential to minimize risk and better tools for managing risk. In the short year plus of training with David I have found an excellent and effective vehicle.
What you performed was a physical effort, yet you can feel that there may have been more to it, and you saw that the idea of strength was not entirely in the muscles. Afterward you will probably feel some encouraging changes in muscles as well as the limbs. For a time they are more flexible and alive, and able to respond to direction. You may now have glimpsed upon other possibilities that such a practice can afford; a new way of thinking about the world.
This process of localizing has many of the concepts of Wing Chun; squeezing into space, connecting your whole body, generating flexible power while remaining relaxed, and few more that you’ll have to practice to appreciate. Imagine these applied to your whole body, coupled with martial techniques and you can see the potential.
Our Wing Chun differs from many arts (including other Wing Chun styles), taking its practitioners away from the fighting with muscles and response and into a discipline that allows a more free, natural response with internal power. It doesn’t take much to know that there are better fighters out there, or that you are only a situation from being at disadvantage, so the more flexible the style, the more likely we are able to counter such threats.
You could equally apply the ideas to other areas of your life - how many times have we "muscled" our way through something when more flexible, or direct methods were better? How many times did our focus shift to another direction and we became disconnected? The vehicle is there if we want to use it.
Ultimately a practice is a subjective matter, but as I have said, Wing Chun can be a vehicle, and any vehicle eases our travel. This particular vehicle does far more than ease travel. It carries an incredible journey as well a martial art.
About Me
My experience in martial arts has been varied, at times diverted from one art to another out of curiosity or necessity. All the arts gave me some measure of control over your body and each of them began in the same way; emptying your cup and suffering awkwardness as you told your mind and body to do new things.
I can say with certainty that my training has saved my life on several occasions, but it is the focused and seemingly universally applicable art that I practice now that excites me. In it I see the potential to minimize risk and better tools for managing risk. In the short year plus of training with David I have found an excellent and effective vehicle.
