Beginning to learn gung fu is a special time in any trainee’s life. I can still recall my first lessons from my first teachers even though these were several decades ago. I recall the excitement, the mystery, the awe in which I held the art, my seniors and my teachers. I was utterly enthralled by the beauty of the art, by the way my teachers moved. The power, the speed, the confidence - these attributes utterly entranced me. I read everything related to martial arts I could lay my hands on. I discussed martial arts with whoever would discuss with me. It was a real love affair! In fact, it still goes on today!
As my martial arts training progressed whenever I met a famous teacher or a new teacher I can recall the renewed excitement. I was especially excited to meet and often train with the famous teachers I had seen in magazines or heard about in the legends that circulated throughout the much smaller martial arts world back then. Most were more magical than I had imagined. Some disappointed as poor human beings and sometimes as shams whose marketing far, far exceeded their actual abilities.
I remember fondly all the friends I made - the guys and the few girls - and the countless hours we spent sweating together, travelling vast distances to learn and the late nights as we sat up sometimes right through the night until dawn discussing martial arts. The girls are worth a special mention as not many women did martial arts back then and I really admired the ones who did. I recall them all fondly. Some were very close friends. I often wonder what became of them and where they are now. Later when I became a young teacher myself I had several really good students of whom I was very fond. If they had been able to persevere they would’ve been really good martial artists. Some were very good for their level of training. World class. Sadly, a few - fortunately only a few - disappointed me and my teachers.
I also recall the occasional training camps where we seem to have performed Herculean feats we couldn’t ever perform alone. We ate, drank and slept martial arts. Gradually learning not only the techniques of the martial arts but also the esoteric folklore, customs and history was also exciting. I recall dark gwoons where once I walked through the door I was essentially in the China of 1700! I recall Chinatown streets where I was the only gwailo, well known to the local shopkeepers who saw me every training session trooping to the gwoon through blazing summer sun or winter sleet. I recall Taoist and Buddhist temples that seemed to be of another world.
I recall old Chinese general stores that descended into the bowels of the earth where I pawed over gung fu books in Chinese which I couldn’t read, only learning anything from analysing the pictures. Who knows what rare martial art literary treasures, unrecognised at the time, slipped through my fingers! I recall watching masters of various arts perform their arts during visits to our gwoon or at Chinese New Year. They’re all gone now but are very much alive in my memory.
Whilst the newness, the novelty of those early days is difficult or impossible to recapture, it is still fondly recalled. I learnt in an era in which there was the added dimension to learning any martial art that it was incredibly rare for most people to ever encounter them. So it was doubly exotic back then.
Yes, beginning to learn gung fu is a special time. Our enthusiasm is high, as is our curiosity. Commitment is also high. We really want to learn the martial art! It’s infectious. Your teacher and senior classmates will see your enthusiasm and it’ll remind them of their experience at your stage and they’ll likely help you out. I know I always become very keen to help a student who tries hard, who attends as often as they can and who exhibits the correct attitudes.
“How best to begin learning gung fu?” is the logical question. The answer is simple and really no different to the one I’d have been given when I was a young beginner. Attend training sessions as often as you can. Gradually increase and maintain your fitness. Keep the club rules. Listen to your teacher’s advice. Watch your teacher’s movement and do your best to copy it as closely as you can. Train hard - push yourself. Be proud of your style and gwoon. Hold the correct attitudes. Train as much as you can within reason at home. Think about your martial art. Help your teacher out in whatever ways you can. Help your teacher with your club. Enjoy yourself.
I think it’s the last point I’d like to stress for my beginning students - enjoy yourself!