Beimo Preparation: Mental Toughness

Posted by: Mark Phillips In: Articles 04 Sep 2016 Comments: 0 Tags: Beimo, Mark Phillips

YOU HAVE DECIDED TO TEST YOUR WING CHUN SKILLS, BUT HOW DO YOU PREPARE PHYSICALLY, AND WHAT DO YOU TRAIN IN PREPARATION FOR A CONTEST? REGARDLESS OF THE TYPE OF CONTEST, WHETHER BEIMO STYLE CHALLENGE FIGHT, A MULTI-STYLE FULL-CONTACT COMPETITION, A SANDA TOURNAMENT, OR MMA CONTEST, THE CONCEPT OF HOW YOU PREPARE PHYSICALLY AND PSYCHOLOGICALLY WILL REMAIN THE SAME.

There are four phases that combine to create a training cycle when preparing for Beimo. These involve the physical and psychological preparation of the athlete, which are factors crucial to Beimo preparation. Following these guidelines will help to improve your approach to training for Beimo.

Preparing for Beimo: Where is the Science in Wing Chun?

Posted by: Mark Phillips In: Articles 07 Jul 2016 Comments: 0 Tags: Beimo, Mark Phillips

THIS DISCUSSION IS NOT INTENDED TO FUEL A DEBATE ON WHICH MARTIAL ART IS THE MOST SUPERIOR. RATHER, THE INTENTION HERE IS TO SUGGEST THAT ACTIVELY ENGAGING IN A COMPARISON OF SKILLS DEVELOPS A MARTIAL ART IN A POSITIVE MANNER.

In this view, contemporary Beimo may facilitate a further improvement of the central theories in Wing Chun. In this sense, Beimo is a scientific process of development. However, training for Beimo does not necessarily require that you change your Wing Chun style. It may simply mean that you change your approach to training your style of Wing Chun.

Give Me Face: Should You Hit to the Face in Chi Sau?

Posted by: Mark Phillips In: Articles 30 Apr 2016 Comments: 0 Tags: Chi Sau, Mark Phillips

THE TERM “FACE” COULD MEAN VERY DIFFERENT THINGS TO DIFFERENT PEOPLE. “GIVE ME FACE” IS A COMMON TERM. THIS COULD LITERALLY BE A DEMAND FOR RESPECT. OF COURSE, THIS IS A COMPLEX STATEMENT, BUT IT DOES HAVE AN INTERESTING INTERPRETATION FOR TRAINING WING CHUN.

To some, the term, “face”, can refer to the concept of facing, as indicated in the first form. Alternatively, it could mean giving face as a form of respect and not humiliating your opponent or training partner. Furthermore, the term could, quite literally, mean not hitting the face when practising or comparing Wing Chun. It could even be a combination, that is, pay respect by not hitting the face.

Interestingly, there are different perspectives on whether you should focus primarily on hitting to the face in Chi Sau. One school of thought suggests you should not hit the face in training, as this is not only disrespectful but detracts from the true purpose of Chi Sau. Yet, this is in stark contrast to those that believe it is an important part of the training process.