A potential participant of our upcoming November 28th, 29th, 30th Hong Kong workshop posed the following questions. Sifu suggested that I pose the answers here so that everyone, especially newcomers, would benefit:
Are the content of teaching during Nov 28 – 30, 2017 (3 nights) is more or less identical? In Practical Method, we strive to get as close to achieving the lever as possible with our bodies and it doesn’t come overnight. It isn’t like most external martial arts where the practice is repeating a set of combinations of movements or techniques. It would require, through training, practices and experiments a change in our bodies. In that light, we teach nothing but the lever over and over again. The way that Sifu teaches, his demonstration and humour, however, doesn’t feel repetitive or boring because this principle could be interpreted many different ways with different parts of the body. The benefit of all three nights, other than cost saving, is that we would hear, and more importantly, feel or touch the same thing over and over again so that it would have a lasting impression on you. Personally, I have been practicing over a decade (the first four years were only through private lessons with Sifu) and I still benefit from touching, feeling and hearing over and over again. Also, personally, when I plummeted to the ground in my first visit and seemingly, Master had hardly moved, I was sold. The Hong Kong class practices every Sunday afternoon. I invite you to come for a visit (the first class is on me) and get a head start with the learning; by the time Master arrives, you will have a head start.
I am presuming that three weeknights might be too much of a commitment, you might consider some private lessons. We will plan a time that is mutually free between Sifu and you. Here is Master Chen’s Youtube channel, you should get a taste of the way Sifu teaches: https://www.youtube.com/user/Practicalmethod. Feel free to pose this question directly to Sifu. He is also cc copied this email. You could also use Chinese with Master and I, we are both fluent.
Will the Teaching mainly be conducted by Master Chen Zhong Hua? Yes, there is only one person who has achieved the bodily changes I mentioned above is Master. So, the teachings are going to be solely done by Sifu. Instructors might be leading some drills: here is last year’s video: https://youtu.be/VWknSBrfw1s
For the language of teaching, is it in English mainly? No, as the video above, he goes between Putonghua and English.
