London I Liq Chuan workshop with Sam Chin: 5/6 March 2011

[Void]

I'm going to try and get to this - can anyone recommend anywhere for cheap accommodation?

[eddie mush]

that is not a photo from last years seminar bump...

priceless Yusuf!

[yusuf]

I'm going to try and get to this - can anyone recommend anywhere for cheap accommodation?

If there are others also coming you guys should do a short rent of a flat.. about 100 a day and you can easily sleep five in there... plus you get a fridge to store beer, i mean jow..

[Void]

No I'll be on my own - so any other suggestions of floors available or cheap hotels would be greatfully received!

[Rabbit]

Will it be ok to turn up on the day with cash / cheque?

I wont be able to commit in advance unfortunatley

R

[Gringorn]

Really looking forward to this.
Last year's seminar in Paris was a high point for me.

We will be three guys attending from Norway.
Can't wait!

[ashe]

Will it be ok to turn up on the day with cash / cheque?

I wont be able to commit in advance unfortunatley

R

if you can't RSVP, then paying at the door should be no problem (though slightly more usually). If you're paying at the door, "cash is king".

[Eric]

Just a quick reminder of the reduced cost of £125 for advance reservation by Friday 4 February.

The deadline for registering is Friday 25 February. We can only accept cash on the day in exceptional circumstances as any additional time spent registering participants and taking payment will eat into training time. If you absolutely cannot register and pay the workshop fee by Friday 25 February please get in touch as soon as possible via PM or email.

[Eric]

Just a quick reminder to register by next Friday 25 February. Look forward to seeing some of you there!

Eric

[yusuf]

almost there bump....

[Martin]

Thanks to Sam for the excellent training

[Martin]

Thanks to Sam for the excellent training

[ashe]

what did you guys cover?

[yusuf]

I wanted to write up a brief review of this weekends I Liq Chuan seminar. London 5/6 March 2011. For those with short attention spans the summary is lots of basics and a little bit of whacking,

Firstly thanks to Eric for organising, to Sam Chin for coming to London. It was a diverse gathering and I believe I heard at least five different languages being spoken. It was tough training, my second seminar with Sam, and the same high quality instruction as last year. I am amazed at how teachers with the highest skill levels seem to be the most open, the least esoteric and give away the sorts of exercises that makes one understand how to get that skill.


I am not an I Liq Chuan student, but this made no difference. The stuff being shown is applicable to all of the internal arts, and if I were to be so bold I would suggest it is directly applicable to all martial training.The principle of being shown something on the day that is usable, immediately, but can also be trained over a lifetime to a high level of subtlety should make all of us sit up and pay attention.


The basic idea Sam was trying to get across, is to realise awareness is all, using this we can generate movements that can neutralise anything coming in towards you, and which then put you in a position to finish with a single strike. Every movement is an expression of principle, and principle is what is being drilled. There seems to be a very intelligent structured approach behind the training. We started with body unification, stability at rest and in motion, together with how to keep that coiling power continuous and active. Various exercises to train this structure were shared, and Sam spent a lot of time with each participant, giving hands on corrections with that special laugh.

We got to see lots of various tips and tricks to get the body structure, then proceeded to go through the basic absorb/project, open close etc etc. These were also shared not just for form, but to generate power, and especially how to use when at the point of contact with an opponent.

Neutralise and whack. This is a basic tenant of the internal arts, but how many teachers do this, rather than go off into being some pale mix of IMA and MMA. Neutralise and whack is derided as unrealistic until you meet someone who can do it. If one were to summarise everything I would suggest that is ILQ. Sam's physical teaching is very clear, a few underlying methods that relate and expand to fill the available martial landscape. He was showing the very basics to match our beginner levels, but my gut feeling is that Sam and his system replace a huge array of techniques etc with a much greater level of skill and sensitivity. WHy learn rolling and ground fighting when anything that comes in can be neutralised and an opening created to finish. (the story of the wrestler who tried to take Sam down and knocked himself out on a well placed knee comes to mind).


Once the body unification had been covered we proceeded to spinning hands, and then onto sticky hands. These are the two aspects which allow for that sophistication in the neutralising. Again Sam went through all of this with a very kind spirit and answered any question, stuff which I have had other teachers say is so secret that only the inner disciples get that info. ANd here it is being shared openly.

So, it's Monday and my brain isnt working so I will end this mini review here. My recommendation to all would be go and see how this guy moves. Even if you just do one workshop it will change your understanding of what skill levels the masters of old actually had, and you'll get the exercises which will allow you to get that skill, if you train.


Thanks again to Sam. As I said at the seminar, One day I will unbalance you. ...btw Sam's response was "that is what I want from my teaching. For the student to get teh skills the teacher has..."

[Azer]

Nice review Yusuf! Definitely was a great seminar! Master Chin is a Legend!

I would like to write something more in depth, but I don’t think I would do it justice.

It’s funny when I compare this to my practice before I Liq Chuan, where I would constantly be grasping for some realization of the art. With Master Chin, he pretty much engulfs you in realization and you absorb as much as you can at the that point in time. The depth of his knowledge and ability to demonstrate everything and more is really something else.

Anyone who can meet Master Chin on a regular basis is lucky indeed!

Thanks to everyone who attended too, was good to train, chat, eat and drink with you all!

Happy training!