Open Chi Sao days are happening more and more in the UK, The format is well established and the ground rules easy to follow. Every event so far has gone off without a hicth and every event has been cross lineage, The latest one was in Birmingham and was by far the biggest to date with a massive turn out from Shawn Rawcliffe Wing Chun schools as well as usual suspects, a few faces were missed but with so many events happening around the country it won’t be long before we meet again. I got to spend a good while chatting to Shawn Rawcliffe as well as some very light positional chi sao. We talked through positions and demonstrated alternative solutions and movements. Shawn has one of the biggest schools in the UK and is very well respected so it was a great honour.
Other highlights of the day were
Travelling around with my guys is always fun and getting out there meeting others has always been advocated in my training so I’m keen to keep that going. Myself Martian Blenkarn and Nathanial SW set off early for the 2 + hours journey leaving the wet and cold of Yorkshire for the wet and cold of Birmingham. The grey skies were a constant but we were happy to be getting out there.
Ged Smith is my long time student and friend who has recently moved away. We used to train at least one private session a week as well as regular classes and his level is good as one of my most senior guys so i miss our sessions and I’m always very happy to catch up and train and have a chat. This time it was all too brief but fun none the less. Ged organises get togethers in the Cambridge area so be sure to look out for them.
Jeff Alexander runs the JASMA schools in London is an authority on Chinese Martial Arts and an ambassador of Wing Chun. He had recently travelled to Hong Kong on one of his many trips to improve himself. I enjoy training with Jeff when i get the chance mostly because of the adjustments and improvements he is constantly making. Jeff”s passion for training and teaching and preserving Chinese Martial Arts means he is constantly evolving as a martial artist. Its an absolute pleasure to attend these events, i just wish there was more.
This is a clip of Jeff and myself in slow motion, using modern technology to aid our learning is a great advantage that i think everyone should be utilising. We are familiar with each others chi sao so its always a good roll at a good pace.
