Club Direction Update

Following conversations with Jason Gowan - Head Coach of Applied Body Mechanics Ving Tsun/London on Sunday 24th April 2016 a decision was made that we sever our ties for the foreseeable future with training the ABMVT method by mutual agreement.

This is mainly due to a personal circumstances change on my part with less weekends being available for me for travel to London for my own training and development with the ABMVT method as well as a lack of finances to attend Training Camps around the country and abroad to fully absorb the system to the best of my ability.

I especially feel, as does Jason, that to really get to grips with the details in the content and develop the skills to a high enough confident level to allow me to effectively coach them and do the system true justice would require very regular attendance which is not at this time logistically possible as it was when we as a club began our ABMVT training 6 months ago.

The split is made with no hard feelings and I honestly cannot fault the support and friendship offered by both Jason, his London crew and Ernie Barrios (via online conversations explaining why their method is different to most Wing Chun/Ving Tsun and offering advice sometimes on a daily basis to assist with our transition)

It has been clear to me that ABMVT has taken a Wong Shun Leung Ving Tsun/Gary Lam Wing Chun base or engine and developed a very effective set of training methods to pass the skills on and has certainly been a positive experience for us all as a club to at least get a taste of where we can improve our Wing Chun approach and training but I will state here and now that I am not about to copy or replicate their training as this is not possible without a one to one feeling and exchange of skills.

I also admit that I found it hard to truly let go of 20 years of training and development in Wing Chun and retrain my ageing brain to adapt to a totally new way of training and thinking and I know many students did also, some to the point of ceasing training altogether.

I'm not one for politics or dwelling on the past, what is done is done and I'm thankful to all for supporting me on my continued journey and I encourage all students to build on what we have for the present and to develop your own Wing Chun and the future of our club, Next Level Wing Chun Academy.

ABMVT Module 1 Training Camp Review - Bury St Edmunds

I was very pleased to invite and host my Applied Body Mechanics Ving Tsun coach and friend Jason Gowan from ABMVT London up to our Bury St Edmunds location this weekend to hold a Module 1 Training Camp for our Suffolk crew.

My day began around lunchtime with Jason coming over to mine early so we could have a couple of hours training before the camp to go through any areas I needed clarification on and to tweak certain aspects of the foundation level.

In this session Jason provided a comprehensive breakdown of the correct stance set up and mechanics needed to fully integrate the stance to the upper half, adjustments to footwork, frame and punch line leverage, full triangle hitting and how those same mechanics are used in the kicking ensuring a direct line from ground to target via power from the waist.

We also worked Dan Chi stationary with the isolated striking mechanics focus, again stance use came to the fore and the clarity of balance, leverage, targeting and recycling apparent - then progressed to adding a step and attacking as one unit.
In this time we also ran through some spine and hip mobility work - activating the whole body but mainly the core and spine fluidity of movement and opening the hip girdle as a pre cursor to the kicking flows.  

Lastly we ran through a small amount of the legacy Pak Sau Timing Drill, Lap/Lop Sau and ABMVT version of Chi Sau or CPT (connected partner training) in which I got to feel a true sense of why I chose to explore this avenue of Ving Tsun development in the first place, effortless power release, core VT concepts such as Taan, Fook, Chiu Ying coming out naturally...Jason is strong, fast and powerful but I must add he didn't use any of these natural and developed attributes when training - in this method there is no arm grinding, no forcing the elbows into uncomfortable and unnatural positions, no hand chasing and no stress at all on the shoulder musculature - just simple full body striking mechanics  and stance supported framework.

Without repeating myself the main training camp followed a similar format, Jason presented the information in a clear, concise manner and was open to any questions that arose during the day.
In the same vein as our Discovery Day, it was a sheer pleasure for me to see the guys eyes light up at times and both myself and Jason literally saw everybody in the room improve to some degree from start to finish - that in my experience is special and something I have not witnessed in 20 years of attending these type of workshops or seminars.

This method, as all worthwhile skills, also needs constant attention and hard work, the bigger muscle groups such as the thighs and hamstrings, glutes and midsection get worked to large percent in all we do, cardiovascular conditioning comes as a part of the training process to some degree but assistance work will be beneficial to all training the ABMVT modules in order to maximise your potential, everybody has limitations to some degree, either mentally, physically or time, family constraints..so its uber important to make sure you give 100% effort and focus to when you are at training sessions and try to attend on a regular basis with some ancillary work in your own time ideally - remember these are perishable skillsets - and the magic happens OUTSIDE your comfort zone...as a coach I do my utmost to get one to one training time with you all and help you to understand what we should be focusing on - but for all you esoteric mother hubbards out there - 50% comes from your teacher - 50% must come from yourself - meet me halfway at least and be prepared to work your asses off at times for the betterment of the group - before you even begin swanning on about Bruce Lee, Wong Shun Leung etc remember they put a huge workload in on a daily basis, as did any well known martial artist or fighter who got anywhere...no shortcuts fellas....hard, consistent but enjoyable training..while we were all enjoying our camp content - ABMVT Salisbury coach Adam Gerken was being put through his paces to literally vomiting alongside Kev Bell in Southampton via a prowler session (a very heavy metal sled you load with iron and push across the room) and walking dumbell lunges with 33kg in each hand...leading by example if I ever saw it...

Everyone got to feel and understand their movement and body to a greater degree whilst enhancing their skill development and that of their training partners - make them - don't break them!
A truly egoless training modality...

If you look at pretty much all other endeavours from transport to nutrition, sports science to medicine or computer programming - everything has evolved leaps and bounds from where it was 50 years ago - yet Wing Chun/Ving Tsun is plagued with training that harks back to these times for the sake of tradition and nostalgia more that efficiency and practical evolution...or teachers add other systems in the hope of filling a perceived void, thus complicating and adding skillsets which dont always marry together in a natural harmonious way without contradiction (but may sell like hot cakes as a marketing model)

In my mind ABMVT provides a sane cure to much of this when it comes to modernising the training methods that comprise our front facing, close quarter fighting system that is VT.

For more information please check out the link below for details of the International branches and future training camp information

http://appliedbodymechanics.com/#1450163406145-4c9aaacc-e302

NEW Martial Arts/Self Defence Sessions - Sudbury, Suffolk

New adult training sessions starting in Sudbury, Suffolk in the close quarter martial art of Ving Tsun Kung Fu (Wing Chun)

We study and practice the modules and training cycles of "Applied Body Mechanics Ving Tsun" with support and guidance from ABMVT London head coach Jason Gowan and all the International ABMVT coaches.

Starting...... THURSDAY 4th FEBRUARY 7PM - 8.30PM

AT...... ST JOHNS METHODIST CHURCH HALL, YORK ROAD, SUDBURY, SUFFOLK, CO10 1ND

FIRST CLASS FREE!!!

Usual class fee is £10 per session or £30 per calendar month - payable by standing order or cash

(Current students in Bury St Edmunds paying monthly can either pay £10 on a pay as you go basis or increase your monthly fee to £40 to cover all sessions in either location)

These sessions are aimed at all experience levels but will focus on the new beginners.

To make this hall option viable we need a minimum of 6 crew members paying monthly to secure this venue use long term.

These sessions are based around a blend of modern and traditional training methods that focus on producing results via development of:

* STRUCTURE

* POWER GENERATION

* REFLEXES

* FOOTWORK

* STRIKING TO PADS

* CONTROLLED, PROGRESSIVE SPARRING

Contact Coach Paul Blissett for further details 07891 699272 or join our Facebook page for regular weekly updates "Next Level Wing Chun Academy"

Round up of 2015 and Christmas/New Year Classes

So, the training year for our club is coming to a close in the next few weeks so I thought I'd write a quick post to recap the year, give you the Christmas and New Year class times and a reminder of what's to come in 2016.

2015 started on a really positive note with my approach to Philipp Bayer and his UK based students with the intention of joining forces with their organisation.

Unfortunately this never came about due to logistical reasons mainly but they say things happen for a reason and it certainly fired me up to look around for further inspiration to develop our current Wing Chun/Ving Tsun training base.

In April I returned for a few months to cross training in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu with Carlson Gracie Essex and absolutely loved it, hard genuine training which pushes you to the limit and beyond but I found even with a fairly comprehensive level of fitness which stood me in good stead against the monsters on the mats, I was picking up injuries almost every session even by being sensible and tapping out when I had to (the CGBJJ group don't hold back I can tell you!)

This was beginning to adversely affect my Wing Chun so I took the choice to stop cross training and start to look at the root cause of what led me there again in the first place...which was I needed to be accountable for my training and be pushed for my own development, taken out of my comfort zone..

Fast forward to October and I wrote a email to Ernie Barrios of Applied Body Mechanics Ving Tsun enquiring into the method they train and how to go about learning more, I explained I wanted to be accountable and pushed but mainly that I had begun to reach a saturation point in my own training and coaching and with my group in mind wanted to provide them with a good chance of realising their full potential in their own training via a legitimate group that are getting results without the political infighting and squabbling.

I knew Jason Gowan from previous Wing Chun connections and so I hooked up with him at a training session in Sutton the two weeks after followed by our clubs ABMVT Discovery Day which is documented in my previous post.

I cannot tell you what an impact this decision has had in transforming the way I look at, train and coach VT already, but its clear to see improvement literally across the board in all students within the first month, moving better, hitting harder and recovering sharply in balance after barely scratching the surface of the Module 1 content. The support from all the coaches and Ernie has been outstanding and i've almost been in contact with him and/or Jason on a daily basis since approaching them.

2016 is shaping up already to be a cracking year of self development and VT skills training,

Ernie Barrios is due to come over to the UK from California the first weekend of June to hold a weekend ABMVT Training Camp in either Manchester or Salisbury that I would like as many of you to attend and experience as possible, 6 months notice should be enough time to save money, book babysitters, get a weekend off work, divorce your wife (joke) etc to make the most of this opportunity as well as Jason and one or two of his crew coming to us in Bury St Edmunds to take a session Feb/March time and I am arranging to hook up with Adam Gerken (ABMVT Salisbury coach) to go through some of the training cycles and method hopefully in January and I'm sure there will be more to add to this list in due course throughout the year as well as myself getting down to train in London as often as I can.

ABMVT is not trying to reinvent the wheel with its approach to Ving Tsun/Wing Chun, it is a perfect blend of traditional concepts being developed by modern training methods with a results based focus.

All the tools are there to be learnt and worked from the forms and drills to dummy, pole and blades with an key emphasis on individual body mechanics, hand skills and mobility, the engine driving it is pure WSLVT (Wong Shun Leung Ving Tsun Kuen Hok) - simple, direct and efficient science of VT.

Lastly...

Our Ving Tsun sessions in Bury St Edmunds finish on Sunday 20th December and the last Sudbury session is Monday 21st December.

I may be available for private tuition over the Christmas period should anyone want a lesson, please message me directly.

Classes resume from Monday 4th January and Wednesday 6th (Sudbury) and Sunday 10th January 2016 in Bury St Edmunds.

Our Christmas end of year meal is this coming Sunday 13th December 6.30pm at Full House Chinese Buffet BSE, from 6.30pm onwards..so far we have 12 attending with space for more if you want to join us last minute and fill yer boots ;)

I would like to thank all students/friends for their continued training, support and attendance this year and I cant wait to get 2016 up and running! Not to be missed!!!

Happy Christmas and heres to a busy training year ahead - Coach Paul Blissett

Quick write up on our ABMVT Discovery Camp

On Saturday 14th November 2015 - six of our group including myself travelled to the ABMVT London HQ in Sutton for our "Next Level Wing Chun - ABMVT Discovery Camp" - a 5 hour basic look into their training approach and modules/training cycles to give us a chance to see how they train their method in comparison to how we are are used to training and learn how and why it is different.

Although the journey there was a long 4 and a half hour trip via bus replacements and trains we all arrived ready to absorb as much as we could and were not disappointed.

We began with a brief full body warm up, mainly targeting the core and legs as these are used with a greater emphasis in every way than most Wing Chun/Ving Tsun I've experienced in the past.

The first element which was explored and coached was, as any VT class, the stance and guard but the way this is individual to each of us and tested through a series of checks highlighted instantly a difference from a more traditional set up to one which follows pure science and body physiology and full explanations were provided to back this up and then tested so we could feel that science wasn't simply "opinion" but proven fact.

Punch mechanics and power release using references to the kinetic chain and muscle irradiation were then covered and again tested (a painful, shocking but necessary test) utilising a "zipping up" body connection to absorb a powerful strike as well as deliver one.

This fed in nicely to Siu Lim Tau (Little/young idea) form again individualised with personal leverage lines with checks/balances with a partner to assess if we were using the correct "body mechanics" for ourselves while training the form actions. 

Dan Chi (single stick) was then the focus with the ABMVT method of training this area of the foundation (Module 1) which followed naturally what we had been introduced to in SLT - terms such as scissor/spiral/shield/sink/send are used and less Chinese terms making it immediately more accessible to anyone not up to par on their Cantonese.

Footwork drills followed to fire up the engine and work the legs, short fast, balanced steps and use of the upper body frame being delivered (in a similar vein to Laan Sau/Barring arm) to move the body as one unit whether advancing or retreating without upper body force being applied

Following a five minute water break we then had a comprehensive introduction to a basic focus mitt flow and how to lead and feed the mitts (or hands) to develop mobility/timing and balance/leverage/targeting/recycling or recovery while in motion starting with the basic step hit and one/two using a full body geometric triangle and light fast footwork to deliver the hits and recycle back to a safe distance - there is a much stronger partner training relationship being fostered in this method throughout all the training cycles and especially in the mitt work with both parties working equally towards the goal of improvement, much in the same way a boxer and his coach would operate in the lead up to a fight. The mitt work is also setting us up with the tools, footwork and mindset required for controlled, progressive isolated sparring which is introduced in module 1 and built upon and developed as we progress through the modules.

Lastly we had a brief insight into the way they (now we) train their Laap Sau and Chi Sau/Poon Sau which are referred to as CPT or Connected Partner Training - these are simply used as pure attribute development and not the endless tying and trapping, jamming and subduing, chasing hand focus, fighting Chi Sau vs Chi Sau unrealistic lines of attack that are normally par for the course in most WC/VT sessions

Overall a very insightful day and a pleasure to see everyone measurably improve within the first 2 hours, all moving better, hitting harder and more accurate, recovering position quicker even without barely scratching the surface of this method. I can really feel how the ABMVT methods bring your VT to life from day one and already I feel the difference and realism within my training and coaching.

Thanks again to Jason Gowan and all the ABMVT London crew for their help, coaching and support and of course Ernie Barrios for his ever present online advice, help and support and opening his arms to welcome us into the family.

Onwards and upwards with 2016 looming and lots of training opportunities, fun, friendships and VT self development to look forward to.

Our ABMVT Discovery Day/Training Camp - 14th November 2015

Ernie Barrios coaching a mitt flow with Jason Gowan

On Saturday 14th November 2015, I have arranged for some of our team to go down to ABMVT London (Sutton) to experience the Applied Body Mechanics Ving Tsun method first hand via one of their "Discovery Days"  

The camp will begin around 12.30pm and run until around 5pm giving Jason and his guys a good time period to run us through some of their modules and training cycles, how they train their VT in comparison to what we have been used to and what to expect in training from now on.

It will also give us opportunity to ask any questions we have regarding their approach and the transition to this method and get to experience a typical training session.

I myself have been down to train with Jason Gowan and their crew the last two weeks and am 100% certain already I have made the correct choice in joining the ABMVT family, both for my own growth and development as a martial artist and coach but also to give my guys the very best opportunity to develop to their full potential in VT.

Jason has a wealth of martial arts experience and many years of Wing Chun/VT training and coaching behind him. Following him leaving Kamon after experiencing a WSLVT weekend gathering seminar (on my recommendation ;) -  he learnt the hard way, privately with Kev Bell for over two years and was certified to teach WSLVT under David Peterson before himself transitioning to the ABMVT method under Ernie Barrios and has not looked back since. I can vouch that Jason is now a very good, thorough coach indeed.

This method of Ving Tsun "needs" to be felt to be fully understood, its all too easy to view a clip or two and convince yourself this is nothing original and that most schools are doing this, but you are very wrong. In over 20 years I have never experienced such a high level of skills and coaching nor an environment that fosters those skills and gets near instant results with everyone who takes time to open up, let go of their ego and preconceived ideas and work with these guys.

It should be an enlightening day for those who travel down for sure.

Jason has also agreed to come up to us one Sunday and coach a session for us in the new year (Feb/March time) for anyone who cannot make this Discovery Day, and im hoping Ged Kennerk, Adam Gerken and Adam Cope may also pay us a visit in the next year or so also.

Heres to a bright and promising future and as always remember, you get out what you put in..no more no less. Work hard, have fun and we can develop as a team of friends whilst gaining some real world skills that may save our skin one day!!

ABMVT - (Applied Body Mechanics Ving Tsun) - Coming Soon

"Applied Body Mechanics Ving Tsun"

Following conversations this week with the Founder and Head Coach of ABMVT - Ernie Barrios and old training colleague and Head Coach of ABMVT London - Jason Gowan I am in the planning stages of joining their organisation and setting a date to attend one of their "Discovery Camps" - a 5 hour training/learning session which provides prospective members, coaches and established schools the opportunity to understand how they structure their coaching and training modules and cycles in their curriculum as well as seeing how they can help and develop those attending, dependant on their individual requirements. (Anyone is welcome to join me should they wish to get the same insight and split the cost - talk to me for more details if interested - it will be a Saturday in Sutton, Surrey most likely)

As long as this all runs smoothly I will then be getting down to London/Surrey on a regular basis built around my current commitments to get up to speed on a practical and coaching level with Jason as well as having the opportunity to train at will with any of their other UK (or International) based coaches. (Manchester/Essex/Hertfordshire/London/Salisbury/Bristol - France/Argentina/Chile/USA)

 Akim Otmane, Adam Gerken, Ernie Barrios, Adam Cope, Jason Gowan, Ged Kennerk

I made this decision based mainly on developing myself as a coach of Ving Tsun, to ensure anyone who comes along to train with me also gets the very best in coaching and full opportunity to learn from a variety of sources should they wish but without pressure to do so if they want to learn only from my experiences.

ABMVT focus on getting results across the board for everyone....the complete Wong Shun Leung Ving Tsun system/forms/drills/dummy/pole/knives is a key part but system completion is not the main goal, any more than a boxers main goal isn't learning the 5/6 punches and footwork and then they magically become a masterful boxer. There is an emphasis on the training of combat attributes (balance,timing,accuracy,distance,power,recovery) concepts, strategy and structure as well as conditioning and delivered to the student via referencing the geometry (angle/shape - triangle, circle, straight line) over the myriad of Chinese terms to make it more accessible and obvious to relate to for the average Joe.

Early indications show that this is achieved through two main and associated areas;

1/ Solo Training - Legacy (VT) forms/striking/power development, core strength, balance, footwork, kicking with tools such as punch bags, medicine balls, weights, dummy, pole, knives, our body etc

2/ CPT (Connected Partner Training) - Legacy drills (Paak/Laap/Chi Sau) Focus Mitt Combination Flows, Isolated Sparring drills

It is honest, hard work and accountability that produces results, focus not on history (His-story)

a legacy or faith on anyone other than ourself to produce these results for us - there are no secrets, stories, suits, slippers and sifu-ism in the ABMVT family - all coaches have the same goals and same mission with everyone working off each other minus an obvious hierarchy to worship and cling to their every word - we are all free thinking adults, not trying to be clones of previous generations but learn from what VT can give us

One area I have mentioned in recent months I feel we all need to develop is balance in mobility, and this is broadly covered through their module approach to "Focus Mitt Flows" which vary dependant on what level of understanding and stage your learning and ability is at..... this is followed by "Progressive/Controlled Isolated Sparring" using VT with safety as a paramount consideration to develop the skills without fear or high chance of injury but can be pressure tested with protective gear also to hone that area.

The ABMVT method will/can also address other close quarter combat areas such as the clinch, takedown, ground game, stick fighting etc as many of the coaches (especially Ernie) are very well versed in Boxing, Muay Thai, Jiu Jitsu, Kali, Escrima as well as a Ving Tsun system via Gary Lam/David Peterson, both direct students of the late Wong Shun Leung 

Ernie Barrios with his long time coach Lam Man Hog (Gary Lam)

On a personal note when I began my initial research into the WSLVT methods in 2008 several well known, direct line students kept telling me of only a handful of people in the UK to go to for a true reflection of real skills and coaching ability in this method - Anthony Kan, Adam Cope, Ged Kennerk, Kev Bell - with the exception of Anthony, all the others are either ABMVT coaches or in the case of Kev a Professional Boxing coach with a mass of WSLVT experience and skill who assists in ABMVT training camps..so I feel we are in safe hands.

Everyone who has visited us linked to the WSL methods have been a massive help in getting us to this stage so a great thanks go out to all of them and I have many friends from Wing Chun circles who do not perhaps follow my views or these methods that I plan on staying in touch with.

I cannot make it a concern of mine what others are doing or saying, teaching or learning from as that is their choice, there's enough petty politics and squabbles out there already.

 I can only concentrate on my journey and development as a coach for my own piece of mind and that of anyone who wants to be coached by me.

I also feel that we are not a million miles away method wise and that any tweaks to our current understanding/forms should be minor ones - its not an alien system from another planet, its Wing Chun/Ving Tsun - although I'm honest enough to admit I may be wrong and open to adjust as required 

For those perhaps questioning why I chose this over my initial interest in Philipps VT - it was simply a matter of accessible support from coaches I know of, I am not in the position to drop or pass on my current coaching commitments that clash with Desmond Spencer's sessions and cannot jet off around Europe all year following Philipp wherever he holds seminars.

I urge my guys to check out the "Argentina Interview Series by ABMVT" on YouTube which will give a good idea of Ernies ethos in the ABMVT way 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lS6b-X85ZNU&list=PLC001DEE6333C6E86

Also support any ABMVT Facebook groups to keep upto date as I will be with any training camps, video footage, information etc.

http://wslwingchunlondon.com/about-2 - Jason Gowan - ABMVT London page

http://wslwingchunlondon.com/630-2 - Ernie Barrios Bio

Lastly, once this is truly underway and we're up and running with Module content to work on I will be holding free ABMVT Development Days for our existing member base on top of usual training sessions to supplement and bed in any tweaks to our current skill base.

Any questions or queries please message me or talk to me at training, if I cant answer you're question I'm sure Ernie, Jason or any of the ABMVT coaches will be able to.

Exciting times ahead - lets develop together as a team and get to work!!!!