Mastering Kung Fu

[reneritchie]

No info on a release date yet, but Amazon has the cover up. Congrats to all, hope you're on your way to a best seller.

[black and blue]

Nice picture of someone getting kicked in the eye!



(Roll my eyes at myself)

[reneritchie]

1) Photographing for print media is not the same as application for combat. In photos, range is often increased and angles changed to that the movement isn't obscure or confusing (who's foot is that? What's the hand doing back there?)

2) Covers need to sell. Cool looking kicks and stuff sell. Usually, the publisher, not the author(s) reserve the right to select the cover design for that reason.

3) Everyone will have opinions on everything. How many WCK people does it take to screw in a lightbuld? 100. 1 to do the work and 99 to stand around and say how wrong they did it. So why not just enjoy?

[Phil Redmond]

The photographer may have wanted the kicker to hold the pose until he could get a good shot. It looks like the leg is being supported by Sifu Gee. That's probably why the leg is so close to his head.
I had to hold my leg up for a considerable amount of time during a magazine photo shoot with Sifu William Cheung. I know how it feels to wait for the photographer to get the right shot. You can't always judge still MA pics.

[John Weiland]

Originally posted by reneritchie
No info on a release date yet, but Amazon has the cover up. Congrats to all, hope you're on your way to a best seller.

Snce we might judge the book by the cover. Perhaps it's not too late to choose a different picture.

[reneritchie]

Hey Phil,

I've had to do that on a few occasions as well. No joy!

I saw one creative solution for a TKD shoot once, where the photographer had the TKD person lying down on the ground in the kick (jumping spinning) pose, then they pasted it up as though he was in the air. (And to think how much time I wasted in my youth on levitation! LOL!)

[Rolling_Hand]

Every single thing is just the one mind. This picture represents the perfect harmony of yin and yang in combat. The art of WCK lives not upon close range alone, but primarily by the skill of intercepting. Others think you're too permissive. Yet victory lies in making an opponent believe he's winning. Thumbs up!

[reneritchie]

RH is correct, if an opponent thinks they are getting their way, then they are not resisting, either in body or mind.

[black and blue]

I know guys, I was just having fun. (hence rolling eyes at myself)

A bit like calling myself a d*ck.

How many Wing Chunners does it take to change a lightbulb?
1,001. One to do the job, 500 to debate whether the correct hand shape was used, and 500 to look at the feet to determine the correct weight distribution.

[rubthebuddha]

what about the other hundred to debate over elbow positioning?

[reneritchie]

EC - No, we have not yet released a revised edition. And I believe David Peterson's book was mainly available through him. The first printing of that has now sold out and the second has yet to be scheduled.

[captain]

rene,a sure fire winner wck book,would be a glossy paged book
that inlcuded both your "complete" and "yks" books.and a sligtly
bigger sized book.including the pics from the Sum Nung article.
and maybe some pics from your school.also some interviews!
[and all in time for that christmas ruuuuuuush!!]
Russ.

[Phenix]

Originally posted by Rolling_Hand
Every single thing is just the one mind. This picture represents the perfect harmony of yin and yang in combat. The art of WCK lives not upon close range alone, but primarily by the skill of intercepting. Others think you're too permissive. Yet victory lies in making an opponent believe he's winning. Thumbs up!

RH,

Can you please explain what is and how the technics works against in the picture? I am confused. not joking.

[duende]

Hello everyone.

I thought this would be a nice opportunity for my first post as there seems to be some confusion as to what is actually taking place in this picture. But that's understandable, considering all the various strains of Wing Chun going on in this forum.

Let me first preface this by saying that I in no way claim to be a master of Wing Chun, I can only give you an interpretation from my learning experiences thus far. Having said that, I have to say that Rolling Hand was very perceptive in stating that the cover "Mastering King Fu" demonstrates a harmonious use of Yin and Yang in combat.

Not only is it apparent to me that Yin and Yang energy is being shown on a large scale with the hard energy from Benny's TKD attack being absorbed and redirected by Sifu Gee's technique. But, on a smaller scale if you look at Sifu Gee himself alone, you can see the usage of both Ying and Yang energy in his technique.

On a side note, if any of you know Benny, then you are well aware that Sifu Gee is DEFINITELY NOT supporting his kick.

Obviously 3-dimensional spacial details become obscured when they are captured in the 2-dimensional medium of a photograph. But from what I can see, it looks like Sifu Gee has nuetralized Benny's kick in a Fat Sau trapping technique. The left arm being the Fat Sau (hard energy) and the right arm being used for redirection-absorbtion/safety-control (soft energy). Those of you who have been to one of Sifu Gee's seminars may have witnessed the enormous structural strength provided by a Fat Sau when done correctly. This of course is all present in our SLT.

It also may be of interest for you to know, that from what I see, Benny is in a dire situation. Sifu Gee's footwork is well set-up for an upcoming Storm kick to snap Benny's grounded leg at the knee.

Personally, the more I look at it, the more I can see why it was chosen for a cover as it demonstrates the nature of our system on both small and large scales. As a musician, I often have to formally analyze musical compositions, and more often than not, what makes a good score is the presence of a unifying theme or logic flow that is apparent at all perspectives (macro and micro-cosmic). In music theory and others, this is known as organicism. For me, this picture is a valid demonstration of the logic flow in our system.

Okay, aside from my little musical 2 cents, I hope I have helped you all in some way.

Alex

[Rolling_Hand]

<<Can you please explain what is and how the technics works against in the picture? I am confused. not joking.>>Hendrik


Hendrik,

You're confused, hahaha...that's nothing new about that. (hint:Phenix you started a thread on physics and then want to discuss strategy.)

A stable mind leads to better practice, which in turn can lead to samadhi. If your bodily karma and verbal karma are relatively undefiled, then your mind will tend to be more stable and pure.

With Ch'an one is aware of what one is doing, thinking and saying. It's just that you detach yourself from your problem. Most problems are due to attaching to a view of self, or to recurring thought or behavioral pattern. Alawys remember, but there be a harmony in the contraditions within you, than you will reach to the highest point and the highest peak in your art.