The Siu Lim Tao

SIU LIM TAO INTRODUCTION Wing Chun is such, that it allows one to discover for oneself the truth about Wing Chun by dissecting the movements of Siu Lim Tao. All the principles of Wing Chun is outlined in Siu Lim Tao. Unimpressive as it may look, the "secrets" of Wing Chun are imbedded in Siu Lim Tao. If you don't understand Siu Lim Tao, you will never understand Wing Chun. If you rush through it, you will pick up bad habits. The bad habits remain with you all through your Wing Chun life. You cannot possibly execute the other forms without a firm foundation of Siu Lim Tao. Ironically, the most important and best part of Wing Chun, "Siu Lim Tao" is given away easily to newcomers, while the other forms are held back sparingly. In actuality, all you need to know about Wing Chun is in Siu Lim Tao. If you understand and master Siu Lim Tao, you can apply the principles to whatever style you've been doing and enhance it. In fact, that's what Bruce Lee did. Apparently he had learned only the first two sets of Wing Chun, Sticky Hands and some dummy moves, and went on to become one of the best martial artists that ever lived. His "Jeet Kuen Do" is based on the principles of Wing Chun, i.e. Siu Lim Tao. Some students of WC think the secret of WC is in the Biu Jee, the third form, and pay large sums of money to have someone teach them it. One can "learn" the "moves" of all three sets in three months, but will have gained nothing from it. Without the slow process of learning, understanding and practicing the sets, one will not be able to apply any of the moves. What good is a sword to a person who does not know how to use it? One of the most common faults of most martial arts students is impatience. The main reason they join martial arts schools is to enable them to defend themselves against aggressors. Therefore, they are anxious to get into the "action". What attracts them the most is the sparring part. This is like someone jumping into a software program without going through the whole manual, and practicing it. While one is able to figure out and execute various actions doing it this way, he/she will never find out all the special features the program has to offer, and therefore, never master it. Stylist of soft martial arts, like Taiji, although not into free-sparring as much, also rush to complete their sets. Completing the set is hardly knowing it. It's like reading a manual versus studying it. Traditionally, when someone committed himself/herself to martial arts, he/she prepared himself/herself for a very long process. That was the first characteristic a master looked for in an individual before accepting him/her as his/her student. Today, people are not as patient. They want everything given to them fast because they are "paying" for it. As long as they are the customers, they are the masters. With this kind of attitude, masters of martial arts dish out either diluted or pure garbage to this type of customers. On the other hand, teaching the traditional way usually results in low attendance and enrollment, which equates to low income. This is the Catch-22 situation a master faces when running a martial arts school. The Siu Lim Tao lesson is usually split into three sections. From my experience, I feel that the set should be dissected even more. Learning one third at a time is too much to soak in for a student. They end up using their minds to memorize the sequence rather than dwell on the purpose and details of the moves. I've met many WC practitioners who have learned all three sections but are unable to apply any of it when sparring. The purpose of Siu Lim Tao is to establish the basic principles of Wing Chun in oneself, so it becomes second nature. All the sections are to be done repeatedly with full understanding of each move. You use your conscious mind at first when you're learning the set. You consciously tell yourself what each moves are for and do them PERFECTLY. When you are doing the moves without having to search the memory bank and prompting it, you've got it. The actions must run ahead of the conscious mind. This can only happen when you practice, practice, and practice. My the Siu Lim Tao lessons will contain several sub-sections I call Movements. The only equipment you need to invest in is a full-length mirror. This would be the best investment you've made towards Wing Chun. It would be your assistant teacher. You will be your own teacher. You will watch your moves and correct them according to illustrations.... For more please visit www.wingchunX.com