Reports, Opinions, Subjects

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How Escrima according to Rene Latosa and Wing Tsun according to Leung Ting can be fruitful for each other - the analogy of the multilingual growing up

Very often the question was and is still asked today, why the combat arts Wing Tsun according to Leung Ting and Escrima according to Rene Latosa have found together as did in the past. That they are practiced by a major part of all actives simultaneously, is already normality today. A parallel development just occurs also in other, traditional combat arts, where the up to now unarmed discipline has picked up or has accepted one of the many Philippine disciplines.

Both arts could not differ more in their teaching-structure and organization, have however a list of common characteristics:

1. Both combat arts cover the art of the fighting in the unarmed as well as in the armed field.
2. Both combat arts are shaped by a realistic history in their development.
3. Both combat arts are based on a several human generations long process of development.
4. Both combat arts are based on comprehensive concepts which are brought to expression by techniques and tactics.
5. Both combat arts are only practical orientated, therefore functional combat arts.
6. The economy of the movement strive for both combat arts.

The greatest difference of both combat arts on the other hand lies however in the teaching programs that arose about the development history. So one deals in the Wing Tsun first with the unarmed concepts, and the armed concepts follow to the end. In the Escrima first the armed concepts are taught and finish with the unarmed concepts to the end.

While in the Philippines the most common arms of Escrima were also simultaneously being work objects (Machete example), the arms in China were mainly conceived for the use in war. One can derive the conclusion, that a culture that uses arms only for the fight or war is rather to base a combat art on unarmed work since the arms were used only for the war case, therefore the possible everyday conflict case is rather handled without arms. Considering the Philippines on the other hand, where arms or arm-like objects were used on a daily basis for work, then it is most logical, to base a combat art on the armed work since the daily work use makes it more easy to handle.

The questions which concern a symbiosis of these two combat arts regularly: What is more reasonable - first to learn the arms or on a weaponless basis? Is it not sufficient then, by deciding the preceding question to practice only one combat art? The normal homo sapien of today likes to wage: if then both combat arts pursue the same objectives and concepts, why I am supposed to practice both, and when only one - then which one? The quest for all-in-one-learning-device....

We have a very nice analogy from the language pedagogy or also from the music pedagogy. Similar to the above described question formulation one would like to have only one language to learn with pleasure, that is applicable on other languages as well. Or one would like to learn one music instrument with pleasure from which one can simply master music instruments.

The practice looks unfortunately a little different: If one has developed one language very profoundly, departing from a language core as for example the Roman languages, one is then in the situation to see this basis as a starting point for the learning of a further language since many words are very often continuously available in different languages. What very often distinguishes, however, all languages strongly is the grammar - applied to the combat arts the structure of the concepts and through that those of the teaching. The basic teaching-system is identical in all languages: Letters form words, words form sentences which are fixed by grammar reasonably together. If the grammar is distinguished from a language to the other one, this is, however, no disadvantage, but very often an advantage then! Very often one understands even the own mother tongue with regard to the contents better with the learning of a new language/grammar since other viewpoints are minted by that through language differences.

Transfering this onto the combat arts of Wing Tsun according to Leung Ting and Escrima according to Rene Latosa means, that both combat arts, if simultaneously practiced not hinder, but on the contrary, positive training effects and understandings can be transferred from one into the other system. While for example in the Wing Tsun from a certain stage the feeling training with continuous contact is defining a very strong part, a very beautiful compensation can be achieved through the Escrima through visual and distance training. Through core concepts of these two combat arts pointing into the same direction and working, distinguishing only through a different linguistic style, however, a contradictory training is prevented.

How is this achieved? Wing Tsun according to Leung Ting and Escrima according to Rene Latosa are two combat arts that have an intensive further development of traditional teaching-values left behind, but have also presented themselves together at the world front of the combat arts market in the last decades and by that found even closer together.

If one has now still the pain of choice due to lack of time or other reasons, which combat art finally one is supposed to decide for? Positive for the individual is always the strive to exercise both combat arts in his personal share of the penchant, when one, however, wants to practice exclusively only one combat art, then there is only the decision of the personal penchant here on basis of criteria as coach personality on site, training possibility on site,the willingness to take far travels on oneself, budget, etc..

The painful truth: Unfortunately everyone must make this decision for himself!

Text: Marcus Schüssler

Little strokes fell big oaks

How often have we already heard this saying and as logically that rings in our ears, but how often do we forget this if it is a question of achievment in this short-lived world. We want more and more, increasingly better, and increasingly more quickly, and that is not then enough either, because through the influencing environment (media) we want even the most, best, to achieve something most quickly or simply to own it. We do not hear with pleasure that in fact in real life everything is different and we do not get anything without previous process and development - who wants to climb up the difficult way up to a high mountain if one can simply be put on the top by a helicopter!

It is much more beautiful to make an effort for something correctly and to to walk the correct and not always easy way. So one can look back and consider the already gone way with pride and enjoy the beautiful view in a comfortable fashion. The one who did not walk the way, and did not establish any relationship to the mountain, who does not know the way, has made no self-experiences and does only hope for not falling from this height. He can not enjoy loosely and please himself on the moment without having to think continuously: it is to be hoped the helicopter gets me down from here again, otherwise I do not how to get away from here. Unfortunately the human being is a being, that repeatedly stumbles over the same stone again and again. E.g., at the school, if the questions of the upcoming exam, or on the work, if somebody tries to 'serve himself up', or in sports through innumerable doping scandals.

In my professional activity as private equity and insurance consultant (mastered insurance consultant and financial expert authorized by Chamber Of Commerce) I wanted also to come forward as quickly as possible. Unfortunately I made myself to blieve again and again by owners of the companies or sales managers, that for success no great knowledge would be necessary - only few well placed sales phrases without any foundation. That seems to work however only with a few customers on a short term. But as soon as the course of the sterotype learned conversation action is left, everything did not function anymore! On the long run the customer loses and by thus unavoidably also I, the sales responsable, because with dissatisfied customers one can not exist on the market!

Long speech short sense, what has all that to do with Wing Tsun? Let us imagine, someone comes up and introduces you: 'I can teach you Wing Tsun in a few months or generally short time'! It sounds enticingly, and there are that many that offer something like that. They do nothing else than using us by satisfying the wish that is in us all -to climb to the mountain quickly. That also here a process and a development must occur, is hidden. After some time, if one has learned an amount of techniques and then recognizes that as soon as the pressure of an other, not arranged direction operates differently, or the speed, the strength, etc. of the opponent changes in an unarranged way, the techniques then learned by heart work no longer as planned. Just the same as in my profession or generally other professions. I can copy the behavior and the statements of experienced and successful colleagues, but if I can not express that convincingly and understandably, it will not function then either.

Therefore I looked for experienced and successful people that have a long list of real lasting achievements - physical as also interlectual. All these have left an enormous route behind themselves - with many hours, days, months, years and decades of hard work, training and dedication to their activity. A whole process has taken place here , in order to be, where they are now. Today I also go to attempt my own way and invest in my personal abilities, into my personal development. In the professional field, in the Wing Tsun and in every other field of my life I make an effort for not copying the ones that are further than me but to take them only as a role model or example. Because the established way of everyone that they went, the relationship to the mountain that was built is a personal thing that is impossible to transfer. If I always compete with them, and attempt to be as good as them only by copying, I will be disappointed again and again, because every way (Tao - Do) needs its time, patience and dedication. The willingness to develop oneself and the knowledge, that is stored in everyone differently, spares us disappointments and gives us endurance. This is also the difference between perfomers and true actors that understand to convey a character role to us credibly!

Nicolas Alicke
Team leader IUEWT School Bergisch-Gladbach/Germany