Monday, November 19, 2012

Fist of Will


Shing Yi or Hsing Ie (Literally Form-Will Fist)
Is one of the oldest internal martial arts and is based upon the 5 element theory of Chinese Cosmology. 

I have spent the past 12 or so years looking for the deeper path in martial arts (before that I was more focused on the physical). I asked questions like “what is the over-riding message in this particular art”. I remember meeting with a group of my senior instructors in 2000 or so. I shared my frustration with teaching the internal arts. I said we needed to create a more straightforward path to understanding for students by teaching classes in certain ways, focusing on certain drills and emphasizing certain mental states over others. The had a look of confusion on their faces similar to the one you might have right now.
            You see the previous year I had passed into 5th degree black belt in 1999. I was feeling the need to deepen my own approach with that new weighty title of Master. I spent the next 12 years expanding myself in every possible way. Each piece of knowledge was used for martial art training and greater understanding. Each time I discovered something profound, I was embarrassed to realize I had heard it several times before from Grandmaster Sin or Master Bill in a slightly altered form.
            I was NEVER satisfied with an answer that didn’t seem to be a universal principle or earth shaking revelation for my training and understanding. I wasn’t just looking for new applications to grab the sparrow’s tail in tai chi.
            Now I teach these internal and indeed sparring and external arts from this altered perspective. It has not been just profound for me, but in the private lessons and classes I teach I can see massive changes in the way my students perform. 
            All of this is a lead-in to my two part series “Form of the fist depends on the Will. I spent years gaining more understanding of the physical parts of Shing Yi and we will cover that in part one on December 8th 3-4:30PM. I spent twice that time working on my understanding of the internal part of Shing Yi and we will cover this the second Saturday in January (12th) at 3PM-4:30PM as well

WHAT IS SHING YI GOOD FOR?
Shing Yi is perfect for any level of kung fu or tai chi student. You will learn all you need to practice the highest internal art for years to come. If you are a black belt and already learned Shing Yi, it is time to make good on the promise of what you r were originally so excited about. Time to actually let the Shing Yi lesson deepen your martial art practice.

You can register at the door
North Austin School
Part One December 8th 3-4:30PM
Part Two January 12th 3-4:30
$75 overs both seminars

Find Out More  http://austinkungfu.com/hsingiseminar.asp