I am often saying to my students that after they exhibit the appropriate character and attitudes to merit their acceptance as a student they must demonstrate continued Mo Duk to remain a student. It is very rare that I have to ask a student to leave, but it has happened. Admittedly only a few times, but it has happened - and my students either know this or have been told. In fact, I am so committed to the ideal that my students must genuinely display appropriate moral attitudes, thinking and behaviours that I have even dismissed ex-students who have trained quite a lengthy period. If they are immoral, they go - no matter how “privileged” they think they are. There can be no compromising one’s ideals!
Amongst the character traits a student has to consistently demonstrate is perseverance. Logically they have to keep attending regularly to learn. Irregular attendance will only lead to patchy skills and gaps in knowledge. They also have to demonstrate appropriate attitudes to be taught - respect, humility, helpfulness, courtesy - to all at the gwoon. (This especially included the sifu and assistant sifus who must model behaviour which cannot be faulted). I have unfortunately met and known those who thought being a “sifu” meant they had privileges and excuses rather than responsibilities and obligations. Such folk are decidedly not sifus! Genuine sifus serve their art and students!
And, logically students have to persevere to progress. No sifu can simply give any student gung fu. No sifu can guarantee selling gung fu skill to any student. No student, no matter how rich nor how much they pay, can buy gung fu skill. “Discipleships” can be bought - but those that can, are not worth having. Like university qualifications, they have to be earned. So the message is obvious - the student has to achieve their gung fu - skill acquired through effort over time. Perseverance is the basic component of acquiring admirable and effective skill.
Perseverance has to be applied to keeping training during a demanding training session. It has to be both the physical effort and the mental concentration. Letting the mind wander or thinking either self-defeating or arrogant thoughts - comparing with others or evaluating others - are both mind-killers. Not self evaluating and checking off the essential component features of a given technique or sequence will lead to mediocre or incorrect gung fu. Not pushing oneself to maximum effort is not going to yield maximum results. So the training is difficult? So there is pain? So there is stress? Yes. But suffer in the gwoon so as not to suffer on the street!
Perseverance also has to be applied to keeping training over time. The cold winter nights, the nights when you are tired before you start, the nights you are not feeling well, the hot summer nights, the nights your friends invite you to a tempting social event - what do you make of these temptations to excuse yourself from training? How good do you want to be? Whilst you aren’t training the guy who may eventually attack you will be further developing his criminal mindset which will lead him to attacking you! So your leg is hurt? Train your arms! So you have an arm injury? Train your legs! So you are feeling a little off colour? Train anyway - explain to sifu you need to take it easy. Or attend training and watch the class. If you’re too sick, read about Wing Chun, physical fitness, or biomechanics, watch a video or DVD, or even just think about your training from your sickbed! Some of my more dedicated students have done all these things.
So, perseverance is vital to success. It has to translate beyond the mental commitment to the notion of training into action, however! It’s one of those simple, obvious things - it often needs highlighting to ensure it doesn’t slip beneath our radar.