News - 21st of March 2009
The 21st of March, 2009 saw Dai-Sifu Rainer Tausend return to Ireland for a series of WingTsun seminars. Saturday the 21st was devoted to instructor training with the seminar taking place in the Blanchardstown school. Sifu Tausend started by checking the three WingTsun forms, the Siu-Nim-Tau, Chum-Kiu and Biu Tze. One feature of the Siu-Nim-Tau is the lack of footwork with one arm moving at any one time or both arms doing the same movement. In contrast the Chum-Kiu form requires the student to use both hands and feet at the same time but moving in different directions independently of each other.
Students sometimes ask how fast should they do the forms however this will depend on the level of the student. One key method of learning any movement is to identify the starting position, the finishing position and the movement between the starting and finishing position. In the forms the finishing position for one movement is the starting position for the next movement and therefore it is important to identify the fixed positions between movements. Therefore the student should go at whatever speed that it takes for them to check all positions and movments. Someone beginning WingTsun should spend a longer time doing the forms than an advanced student. The study for advanced students involves deeper knowledge or insight of the forms and the ability to perform the forms to a higher degree rather than merely learning more forms at a basic level. Therefore Sifu Tausend emphasised the movements between the fixed positions rather than the positions themselves with the students expected to flow from one position to another.
Sifu Tausend also taught the basic Chi-Sau reactions and how they can be taught at an early stage to help students defend against non WingTsun attacks. Following this the instructors worked on the Lat-Sau exercise for the 7th programme. One key aspect of the basic student programmes is that more advanced WingTsun study can be superimposed onto the basic techniques. Advanced WingTsun is only the basics done to a higher level and therefore continuous review of the basics will put more advanced study into context. The participants also spent some time working on their individual programmes.
The student seminar took place the next day with participants from the Dublin City Centre, Larne and Blanchardstown schools. The seminar started again with Sifu Tausend and the instructors checking students' forms. While WingTsun is an uncompromising form of self-defence that deals with many worst case scenarios, students are also taught how to apply more gentle restraint techniques should the situation warrant it. This was the theme of the day where students worked on taking their opponent to the ground while controlling the head. The students were later divided into those above and below 7th student grade. The latter worked on recognising an imminent attack by studying their opponent's facial expression while the more advanced students worked on their Chi-Sau.
Following the break the gradings took place. Congratulations to the Blanchardstown students who successfully passed their exams.
| Austin Hanlon | 5th SG |
| Eddie Casey | 3rd SG |
| Derek Dorris | 3rd SG |
| Adam Nesbitt | 2nd SG |
| John Dennedy | 1st SG |
Sifu Tausend gave private lessons to the senior instructors on Monday before returning home to Germany. All students and instructors within the Irish WingTsun Organisation (IEWTO) would like to thank Sifu Tausend for the seminars and look forward to his next visit in the summer.
