WingChun Club News
WingChun news from 2009
Sifu Ed Pettitt and Sifu Tony Hollander were once again proud to host Grandmaster Klaus Brand on his most recent visit to the UK. The visit consisted of a seminar for Technicians, a Technician testing day and a seminar open to all students. In the Technician seminar students were introduced to a newly conceived training idea for mid-level students as well as applications and details from the 1st Technician programmes.
The Technician testing day consisted of 4 hours of intense basic training up to the 7th Student Level, and included the forms and solo training exercises as well as the partner programmes. The testing was concluded the following day.
The main seminar was a mixture of general application training and some free combat ideas as well as aspects from specific student levels. The atmosphere was great, with all attendees (sometimes quite literally) throwing themselves into the training. The seminar concluded with the presentation of three new Technician Levels:
Congratulations to Dan Grace on passing the 1st Technician Level and to Natasha Morling and Julian Weston on passing the 2nd Technician Level. It was a well-deserved recognition for the years of training each of them has put in and another proud moment for Sifu Ed and Sifu Tony.
The last week in July saw the most recent gradings for students of the IAW-UK. We were once again very pleased with the standard of the students and with the effort and motivation they displayed during testing. Congratulations to all those listed below:
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Level 4 Cédric Chamaillard Siraj Chowdhury Craig Collins Steve Cumings Marion Eeson Jon Mantell Stuart Wharton Level 5 Graham Mills Jane Orsler Level 6 Ben Green Sam Green Ant Jacobs John Marshall Chris Montgomery |
Level 7 Shaun Croucher Neil Tuff Douglas Urry Level 8 Marcel Baker Alan Carter Mark Darby Sam Darby Christine Davidson Guy Record Level 9 Adam Medhurst Level 11 Colin Dawes Pre-primary Simon Orpen |
Sifu Ed Pettitt and Sifu Tony Hollander were again proud to represent the IAW-UK at the annual training event in Germany on the weekend of the 27th and 28th June 2009. A full 10 hours of seminar training meant that all who attended were tired, but highly motivated by the end of the weekend. Many thanks to our Grandmaster, Sifu Klaus Brand, and to all the other instructors from Germany and the US for a fantastic and very informative few days.
On Saturday June 13th 2009, the first group of instructors and aspiring instructors took the Assistant Instructor Degree Test with Sifu Klaus Brand. The test lasted approximately 4 hours and consisted of teaching and training points for student levels 1 and 2 as well as theory pertaining to the WingChun system as a whole. Congratulations to those who passed this test. Good luck with your classes now and into the future!
Sifu Ed Pettitt and Sifu Tony Hollander
Back row left to right: James Burgess (Assistant Degree), Mick Bayliss AD, Sihing Peter Jackson (AD), Dan Grace (AD), Steve Bowler (AD), Sihing Steve Rose (AD), Sihing Julian Weston (AD), Simon Orpen (AD), Sihing Steve Robinson (AD). Directly behind GM Brand L-R: Sihing Ralph Dahl, Sifu Ed Pettitt, Sifu Tony Hollander.
On the 14th June 2009, Sifu Klaus Brand, accompanied by his long-term student Sihing Ralph Dahl, taught the first Escrima seminar to students of the IAW-UK. The seminar was an introduction to the basics of student level Escrima and comprised various attacking, defensive, distance, timing and footwork drills using a single stick only. As with all of Sifu Brand's seminars, the emphasis was on the practical, and the ideas taught were, as with the WingChun, direct, fast and immediately applicable. There was a fantastic atmosphere at the seminar with all attendees taking to the idea of weapons fighting straight away. It looked as if some inner warriors were awoken on the day! We look forward to many more in the future...
Many thanks for a great day to Grandmaster Brand and Sihing Ralph.
Sifu Ed Pettitt and Sifu Tony Hollander
On Friday 15th May we (Sifu Tony Hollander and Sifu Ed Pettitt) were once again in Germany to attend training sessions held by Grandmaster Klaus Brand. The six hours of intensive tuition included private lessons and the group Master Class (pictured). As always, Sifu Brand's tuition and explanations were both highly informative and extremely inspiring, as was the warm welcome we received from our friends in Germany. We look forward to the next time!
Sifu Tony and Sifu Ed
Group photo below from left to right:
Sihing Marc Brandt, Sije Nina Wortmann, Sifu Dirk Illig (Master Degree), Grandmaster Klaus Brand, Sifu Alex Lemuth (Master Degree), Sifu Tony Hollander, Sifu Ed Pettitt
Congratulations to the following students who passed their respective grade levels on the 22nd, 23rd and 25th April 2009. Again, the enthusiasm and commitment was clear to us and the standard of WingChun here in the UK improves with each testing cycle.
Sifu Tony Hollander and Sifu Ed Pettitt
Level 1 Jason Blake Levels 1 and 2 Matt Aydon Ricky Clark Sara Greasley Phillip Judges Tony Malpass Ashley Wells Level 2 Charles Scott-Wilds Peter Scott-Wilds Levels 2 and 3 Cédric Chamaillard (Distinction SL 2) |
Level 3 Curtis Allcorn Stuart Bigg Craig Collins Steve Cumings Siraj Chowdhury Marion Eeson Jon Mantell Stuart Wharton Level 4 Jamie Brown Graham Mills Jane Orsler Level 5 Ant Jacobs Peter Little John Marshall Andy Wooding |
Level 6 Gary Starling Neil Tuff Douglas Urry Level 7 Alan Carter Samantha Darby Mark Darby Isobel Mee Guy Record Level 8 Adam Medhurst Level 9 Mark Heathcote Level 10 Colin Dawes Level 11 Simon Orpen |
All IAW-UK students are invited the the first UK Escrima seminar on Sunday 14th June 2009. There you will be introduced to the weapon fighting system taught by Grandmaster Klaus Brand. Escrima teaches you how to defend yourself against weapon attacks using any kind of weapon, and the seminar is sure to be exciting as well as informative.
Congratulations to the four students who passed their respective Technician Grade Tests on the weekend of the 21st and 22nd February 2009:
Dan Baines 1st Technician
James Burgess 1st Technician
Peter Jackson 2nd Technician
Steve Rose 2nd Technician
After a mentally and physically demanding seven and a half hours over the two days, the above students were awarded their certificates by Grandmaster Klaus Brand. Sifu Brand was very pleased with the standard they all achieved. The grades were well deserved and the sweat and bruises and sore muscles were a testament to the effort that went into it. They certainly did us proud!!
View the gallery
Sifu Tony Hollander and Sifu Ed Pettitt
Technician testers
Congratulations to those who graded for their 1st and 2nd technician levels with Grand Master Klaus Brand at the Seminar weekend in February. I was particularly impressed when watching Peter Jackson and Steve Rose training together. This is because they come from two different classes. Peter from sifu Ed’s and Steve from mine. They showed ability and compatibility to totally immerse them selves in their set tasks this despite the fact that they are not training "partners". Their training showed a good understanding of what they had learnt which confirms that the teaching in our classes in England is good and uniform.
Sifu Brand who commented that each time he sees members of IAW Academies outside of Germany all of the WingChun looks very similar also noticed this fact. And naturally this is how it should be.
Dan and James also worked their 1st Technician material enthusiastically throughout the Saturday and Sunday seminar. And all there could see how much the passing of this test meant to all four of these students when presented with their certificates.
Really, really appreciate your training partners
Watching the Technician grading at the February seminar totally demonstrated the importance and value of having regular training partners. To see James, Dan, Peter and Steve receive their certificates was obviously a proud moment for them but, Sifu Ed and I feel this also as their respective instructors. I also know how great it was for their training partners who have been there all the time in class and contributed to helping them to reach their goals.
Training partners are the necessary "tool" that keeps everyone going forward. Without them to test at technician levels would be almost unachievable. Whether the partner is taller, shorter, stronger or weaker they are all vital through the regular drilling in of WingChun class and thus developing the correct position, technique and understanding. In private lessons with students Sifu Ed and I are able to correct mistakes and improve understanding through slow and careful demonstration but afterwards it is always the training partner in class that helps to complete the task.
So, congratulate yourselves, you the training partners for helping these others reach these new heights for without you it would probably never have happened.
