Ving Tsun Kung Fu: Focus On The System

There are thousands of Moy Yat Ving Tsun practitioners, but very few of them will achieve the caliber required to become a legitimate Moy Yat Family Sifu. It takes around ten years of dedicated training under one’s Sifu and literally thousands of training hours (10,000+).

The Sifus of the Moy Yat Family put an extraordinary amount of work into passing down the Ving Tsun system. Grandmaster Moy Tung has spent his entire adult career dedicating himself to the art of Ving Tsun under his Sifu, Moy Yat, who did the same with his Sifu, Yip Man. Sifu Moy Sup Tung of the Austin school continues that tradition of hard work, dedicating himself to his Sifu, Moy Tung, and the Moy Yat Family by passing the pure, unchanged Ving Tsun system down to his students and grandstudents. Because of the dedication of Sifus, the Kung Fu that is taught today is the same as the Kung Fu that was taught to Moy Yat by Yip Man.

In order for the Ving Tsun system to continue to be passed down to future generations and preserved in its purest form, it is important to remember that the focus of our school should always be on the Kung Fu.

During the course of your training, you will encounter distractions. One of the most common is the temptation to socialize. Talking during class should be kept at an absolute minimum out of respect for the Ving Tsun system and to avoid disrupting the focus of other students. The Ving Tsun school is a place of study, not a social club, or a networking opportunity for students to build their own interests outside of Kung Fu. 

Another common distraction is the tendency of students who are young in their Kung Fu to compare their progress to others’. Seeing other students playing more advanced forms or working on chi sau can be exciting, but it can also distract by making you want to skip over your current training to “advance” through the system more rapidly. It’s good to be excited about what you’ll learn in the future, just be sure to stay focused on the Kung Fu that your Sifu wants you to work on at the moment. Everything else will come in time.

Remember that your Sifu is passing the Ving Tsun system down to you. The details that he teaches have been acquired over the course of decades of study with his Sifu and the Kung Fu family. It’s these details that combine to make up the Ving Tsun system; they’re very important and students should pay careful attention to them. If Sifu gives a detail in class, it should spread through the school like wildfire, with students putting effort into actively focusing on that detail until it becomes ingrained habit.

While details should be shared between students, it is never a student’s job to teach another student. Only Sifu, or people he has specifically trained to instruct the system, should be teaching. This ensures that the system is being honored and passed down pure and unchanged.

Do your best not to fall for any distractions you may encounter inside or outside the school; stay focused on your Ving Tsun. To show respect to all the dedicated work of your Sifu and the Sifus that came before him, all you need to do is show up to class on time, wear your uniform, pay attention to what’s going on around you, train consistently, and represent the school well. This Ving Tsun work ethic will serve you well in all areas of life.

Month 24: I Made It.

{Prologue, Week 1, Week 2, Week 3, Week 4}

{Month 2, Month 3, Month 4, Month 5, Month 6, Month 7, Month 8, 2016 WSD, Month 11, Month 12, Month 18}

Kung Fu Story Time:

I kicked a car.

In my defense, the car totally started it.

One fine morning, I’m walking my kids into their school (they’re in elementary, so they’re still young enough to enjoy being seen in public with their Mom), and I have one kid holding each of my hands. We’re about to cross the line of cars dropping off their respective kids, so I clock which car we’ll need to walk in front of and catch the driver’s eye. My hands are full, so I gesture with my head as if to say “Hey, we’re gonna walk past you”. The driver nods. The three of us start to walk in front of his car when it suddenly lurches forward and -

BAM!

- I shove both kids behind my back, plant one foot on the ground in backhorse stance and slam the other foot into the bumper of this guy’s car so hard the sound of it turns every head in the school drop-off line. I don’t even think about it; just get the kids safe and kick.

The driver is staring at me, all wide eyes and dropped jaw. I’m staring at him, my heel digging into his bumper like it wants to punch a hole through the engine block. Everyone, teachers and kids and other parents, is staring at both of us. Slowly, I take my foot off the car and hold the driver’s gaze with a hard glare while my kids and I finish crossing his path. Only once we’re safely past do I glance down to make sure I didn’t leave a dent on the bumper (nope, not that strong, more’s the pity).

As we walk away, my son asks, “Mommy, why did you kick that car?”

My daughter answers him, “Because that car wasn’t Being Safe, so she had to kick it to make it stop. Right, Mommy?”

“That’s right,” I reply, with all the quiet satisfaction of a Mama Bear polishing her claws.

~fin~

So, okay.

Maybe his foot slipped off the brake accidental-like.

Maybe he misinterpreted my eloquent head gesture to mean “Hey, you in the car, go ahead and drive by while my two young children and I stand here in the middle of a parking lot because that’s totally safe” and was honestly surprised when we walked in front of him.

Maybe he got swept up in the Lord of the Flies-esque entitlement warzone that is the elementary school drop-off line and tried to intimidate us in retaliation for the two-second delay we were causing him.

I’ll never know. We did not have a conversation. My inner Mama Bear was in charge at that moment, and she didn’t give a shit what the driver of the car that nearly ran over her two children had to say for himself. He seemed to sense that and wisely stayed in his car.

To be clear: I am not saying that kicking cars is a good strategy. It’s not. Don’t kick cars. There is nothing a wee human foot can do to stop a half-ton of moving metal. I’m very lucky the driver stopped.

What I am saying is that, once upon a time, my reflex would’ve been to grab my kids by the scruff and jump back. Maybe squawk a little. Definitely scurry out of the way and splutter with impotent terror and anger at our near-collision. But nowadays, when confronted with an incoming threat while my hands are full of my beloved offspring, my reflex is to calmly plant a solid horse stance and kick the bad thing as hard as I can till it stops coming at us. Apparently.

That is a fundamental change. A thorough rewiring of basic caveman-level functions. Somebody took the time to tinker with my Fight or Flight responses, bypassing Flight entirely and adding a complex option tree of aggressive defenses and crippling techniques to Fight. That somebody was me, and my Sifu, Simo, a small army of other students, and Grandmaster Moy Tung. And the time it took was two years.

I have completed the Two Year Training Program at Moy Yat Kung Fu Academy.

According to the structure of the Two Year Program, based on the consistent time and effort that I’ve put into my training, I am now a basic expert in Ving Tsun kung fu. Which is quite possibly the strangest sentence I’ve ever written about myself.

At first, it didn’t feel real. For a while now, I’ve been cruising on a wave of steady momentum in my training, only somewhat hampered by my wackadoo health. Somewhere along the line in the past 24 months, kung fu became less about physical therapy for my lupus-addled body and more about genuinely enjoying the training. I’d been happily trucking right along on my kung fu journey, so interested in the new bits of road beneath my feet that I missed the milestone as I passed it by.

Then Simo reminded me to stop wearing my dingy white training shirt (for 2nd year students) and start wearing my bright blue training shirt (for 3rd year students). I blinked. That couldn’t be right. No way that kind of time had passed. I mean, sure, I had been attending class three times a week, almost every week, for as many weeks as it took to add up to two years. And yeah, finishing the Two Year Program had always been the goal, but … surely that was still in some kind of hazily defined distant future, like always?

Grappling with my own warped kung fu space/time continuum, I slipped my old training slippers off of my feet, the ones I’d been wearing since my third week, ready to replace them with a brand new pair. I stopped. Stared at the soles of my slippers, old and new. There was all the proof I needed.

One hour of training (left) vs 500+ hours of training (right)

My old slippers had been through some tribulations. The seams were frayed, the insoles were shredded, and somehow the hard plastic soles had been worn paper thin by floors made of smooth wood and slate. Unless some mischievous fey creatures had been sneaking into my home at night and gnawing on my slippers, this damage was all done by me. By my training. For two years.

Well hot damn, I actually made it. Me. The middle-aged overweight chronically ill suburban mother of two. I did that.

Technically, I could stop here. Having completed the program, I have all of the basic tools of kung fu that will serve me well for the rest of my days even if I never set foot in another class again.

Physical Protection - While I have no desire to know if I could kick someone’s ass, I’m confident in my ability to keep someone from kicking mine.

Health - My mind and body have reconciled, and now my body is stronger than it’s ever been. Not in terms of raw power, so much as what it can endure and how easily it can recover. And when you’ve got a forever-disease that’ll drop-kick your body through the seven layers of hell just for funzies, that comes in pretty handy.

Patience With My Limits - Used-to-be, I’d rage against anything that tried to limit me, fling myself against barriers just because they dared to thwart me and then sulk when I couldn’t get past them because that’s kind of how barriers work. Now, though, I know what I can handle (a helluva lot) and what I can’t. I’ve figured out that if it’s bigger than what I can handle, it’s probably pretty damn big. I’ll either try again when I’m stronger, or just ask for help.

Doing Less Harm … - I’ve been hit really hard, many many times, by people who are much scarier than me. The world didn’t end. In fact, I kept going, knowing that if I got hit again I’d be just fine. Bruised, maybe, but fine. The calm that comes with that knowledge seeps into my everyday life. I’m nicer than I was two years ago. Not too nice (*cough-car kicker-cough*) but certainly more patient, more helpful. Less cantankerous now that I don’t feel like I have to gnash my teeth and swipe my claws at the whole world just to keep myself physically and emotionally safe.

… Taking Less Shit - All of those things - self-defense, health, knowing my limits, being at peace - add up to a person who can’t easily be pushed around. It’s hard to intimidate a woman who happily spends her free time learning the most efficient ways to make an attacker swallow their own blood.

All of that is my kung fu. Every student has their own kung fu. There are others like it, but this one is mine. A big shiny treasure trove of skill and experience that I’ve spent the past two years building, gathering bits from other students, catching pieces from instructors. My own personal hoard of calm badassery. I could stop my training right here, and for the rest of my life I would be a better person for what I’ve achieved.

But …

… why in the WORLD would I stop now?

Now, when I’m finally comfortable enough with my own kung fu to enjoy the work so much that I forget to compare myself to other students.

Now, when the voice in my head that used to be so loud when it told me how fat and slovenly and ridiculous I look can barely be heard over the roaring quiet of my kung fu.

Now, when I suddenly realize that the amount of effort I once spent scrambling for a white-knuckle grip on just one or two concepts in a class, I can now spend on absorbing multiple new details and integrating them into known techniques and flowing comfortably from one drill to the next because I’ve either done them before or I know the pieces that make them.

Because it turns out the more kung fu you have, the more kung fu you get. Which means that there is a potentially infinite world of kung fu out there, an endless landscape of wisdoms and humilities and epiphanies and tricky brutalities, all waiting for me to learn it … if only I have the will to keep training.

My choice is pretty clear.

Moy Yat Academy Austin's 10th Anniversary Victory

by Sifu Vyvial
and Mary Ceallaigh

Back in June we began to get busy with preparations for our upcoming 10th Anniversary with an  interesting convergence of meaning around the number 10:  Moy Tung's school number given to him by Moy Yat is the number 10, Sifu's kung fu name given to him by Moy Tung is the number 10 and this is our tenth year in Austin.... That makes 3 number 10s and in Ving Tsun the number three is very auspicious.  So we collaborated and improvised in anticipation of the weekend, to make it one of great training and memorable celebration for our kung fu Family Reunion August 10-12.

Time flew by, and the day came when our Sigung Moy Tung arrived in town, along with Sibak Hayleigh and Sisuk Ryan from Richmond, VA and Owen, Sifu of the Detroit school, for a weekend of digging deep into training.  Joining our faithful Austin crew and local Dai Sihings Neil and Heath were Nic & Beebee, Sifu & Simo of the Houston school along with several Houston students.  We were also really happy to be joined by early Austin Dai Sihing Anne from Austin, and Dai Sihing Galen from North Carolina!  The seminar went from Friday evening through Sunday evening, with a candlelight dinner party on Saturday night at a rented hall across the street from the school. 

Opportunities such as the weekend immersion experience are the equivalent of a month of training in a few days - or, as you may have experienced, a month of sweat in a few days!

For students who attend all seminar days, it is definitely a transformational experience on various levels.  Along with our old students in grey and white shirts, there were plenty of redshirts (around 30 officially registered), all ardently training onwards into intense new ground. 

Though we gathered as a mixed group several times in one room, we also utilized both studio spaces for specific training groups as well, which was of great benefit.  

Throughout the weekend, Sigung Moy Tung conducted the schedule/curriculum in communication with the various Moy Sifus (including many hushed phonecalls) and while students trained in both studios, the Sifus and Sihings all had individual mentorship sessions with Sigung.  

And, in the middle of this massive sweatfest, we took time out for a catered banquet at the church hall across the street.  

Thanks to the creative improvisation, donations, and physical efforts of Simo, Mary, Jessica S., Neil, Heath, Rubin, and Stina, the church hall was touched with magic and rose petals. 
While awaiting the arrival of Sigung that evening, our Sifu and various guests arrived all cleaned up/dressed up.

We admired the spectacular plum blossom cake:

and relaxed to music from saxophonist Raymond Johnson (also of the band First Flight) and guitarist Andy Schneider (with a song sung by first year student Marina Schneider).  

By the time Sigung arrived, the vibe was high and then the feasting began (with some definite catering glitches despite a contract otherwise, but thankfully you were all understanding). 

The highlight of the evening?  Sifu Vyvial and the giant plum blossom cake with a big "10" on it ("sup" in Cantonese) – and he cut it with a bot jom doa knife...  

The cake was a very tasty Hong Kong whipped cream cake and it paired well with the Fujian Golden Monkey tea we had brought in from The Steeping Room.  And it was followed by a very touching surprise presentation of a framed inscription plaque for Sifu with a beautiful message on it from Dai Sihings Nic, Beebee, Neil, and Heath.

We celebrated ten years in Austin, and the evolution of a thriving Moy Yat Ving Tsun kung fu community out of simple beginnings.  

We celebrated the journey of Sifu Vyvial's early days and the arrival of Simo and then Kingsley Vyvial, the opening of the Houston school, and the growth of two locations in Austin.  We celebrated old students, and new students, and a flourishing women's program (the only one of its kind in Texas).  

We celebrated the Ving Tsun Kuen Kuit, and the Ving Tsun Saam Faat.  

And then we cleaned up (many thanks to Stephanie, Camden, Justin, Joshua, Rubin, and Stina's husband Dane), and the next day began.

On Sunday, Sigung personally visited the training studios and at one point directed that the women and men be divided into two groups, saying that it is better that way for best learning.  He mentored some first and second year students in Tan Sao-Gaan Dar grab releases, and referred to the women's section as 'master killers' - to their delight.  By the time of the advanced training session at 7:30pm, we were down to 4 redshirts and 6 senior students and the Sifus and Sihings and, as they say, the best was saved for last as those who there got to experience.  At 10:30pm the radiant new students were released and senior students closed out the evening in an advanced-advanced session that only they know about.

Ving Tsun has now been in Austin for 10 years, and we feel very fortunate for our beautiful school and for having such an amazing community of Moy Yat Kung Fu peaceful warriors who are making the world a better place, together.

P.S.  We took hundreds of photos over the weekend, and will be posting an online gallery for our students soon.

Martial Arts at the Park: The 4/28 Recap

Martial arts is portable, and we train and condition in order to be able to respond well regardless of environment.  But there is a special power to practicing outside, with the dirt and grass right under our feet – maximum Chi, as they say.  Last week, Sifu Forrest Caudill, head instructor at Austin Impact Jeet Kune Do, invited Moy Sifu Vyvial to guest co-host at an ongoing and FREE monthly event where teachers, students, and the general public gather outside at Ramsey Park.  The intention was to offer a taste of the martial arts that both sifus specialize in, and the unique connection between JKD and Ving Tsun through our shared Uncle, Sifu Dan Inosanto (Moy Yang Yee) and the Bruce Lee legacy.  A great idea, and a blast for those who were able to show up.  

The exchange supported by this event was community education in full effect.  Also wonderful was the diversity of the crowd in ages, ethnicities, and body types.  Some Moy Yat young masters were continuing their class practices on the fringes of the grown ups, and among the adults were some that had shown up because they’d just seen a flyer, including one elder (a basketball association organizer and retiree).  Outside of the main participants, various park-goers could be seen curiously standing around and watching the martial arts action, not an everyday thing in the park… There were also spring breezes and happy dogs, always good.  And some power-heavy metal sounds wafting out of Sifu ipods and car stereos, along with the many voices of children at a playground under the giant oak tree.

To top it all off, the event closed in a picnic, with food generously provided by Sifu Caudill and whoever else wanted to pitch in.  

Due to the short notice around Moy Yat Academy, and our same day FB announcement, our Saturday class students hustled to get to the park, two miles away from the school, and many Moy Yat students didn’t even know the event was happening – so we wanted to be sure to post the recap for your benefit, because it was a lot of fun.

The morning began with Sifu Caudill introducing JKD with an obvious love for the form, distributing a ton of protective gear that he brought for people to use while practicing.  For VT students, it made us appreciate even more the simplicity and directness of our form, while being an exercise in adaptability.

Then Moy Sifu Vyvial was introduced to the crowd, and took us through the power points of VT self defense principles, calling upon Sihings Neil and Heath for demonstrations.  The audience responded with a whole new level of riveted attention at the simplicity of the centerline, and the visuals of effectiveness as Sihing Heath nobly received Moy Sifu’s punches and pushes.  The highlight of the VT segment was the triangle headgrip crumple, for which Sifu Moy Vyvial jumped Sihing Neil to demonstrate a quick takedown.  This was followed by 6 more examples as Moy Sifu Vyvial invited all the female students to practice on Sihing Neil, and they sure did!

As one of our Moy Yat students wrote in:  “This was fantastic!!!   People recognize Ving Tsun as the real thing when they see it!”