Yesterday I wrote about the eternal dilemma of your martial arts “working” – a topic as grand and broad as this deserves more than a simple post. Those of you who read part one will know my views on the art being only a small part of the equation. Today I want to talk about the pitfalls and the benefits of cross-training.


Cross-training doesn’t refer to the gym machine of the same name but actually training in different arts, styles and more importantly ranges. Wing Tsun’s most famous son is undoubtedly Bruce Lee. Lee was famous for many things but his most appealing influence was his approach to breaking down barriers. Cultural and stylistically he did his best to ask questions and answer them. This was an admirable and brave decision given the cultural context of studying martial arts in 1970s Hong Kong.



Martial arts are riddled with egos, paranoia and mistrust towards not just other arts but other lineages within their own art. It is a sad, but somewhat understandable frailty of human nature.

Myself, having trained with various masters in different arts I like to think I’ve never shied away from facing up to the limitations of what I know and what I can do. Lead by my interests I have always complimented my Wing Tsun base with striking arts such as Muay Thai and Kickboxing – partly due to my physique being suited to them, partly because I simply really enjoy the contrast of pad-work and exercise with the methodical approach of WT, and partly because I wanted to see what these “simpler” arts have and do not have.

The answers were always enlightening. With a ‘white belt’ mentality I always try to approach a new training environment as best I can. I recommend this approach where possible. Throw away all you “know” whilst training and reassemble the pieces later in your own time. The big fear for people is that no longer being the top dog or even someone of average proficiency in the room can destroy all confidence. Being wailed on by guys with less overall experience but many more hours in your new art is a hurdle you must jump if you want to take away more than just bruises and worry.

I am always very impressed when a new recruit joins AMAC with this attitude, especially if they stay for any length of time. Therefore I try to embody this myself. But with this in mind what can another art be of benefit does it not simply distract and detract from time put in perfecting your primary skill set?

Yes and no.

For me it’s about satisfying my own curiosity. How can I as a teacher talk about other arts having never stepped into their world? I’ve seen it done suddenly often and respect for those martial artists is hard to come by. Secondly how can I say with any confidence that WT’s way is better? By training other things it helps me think about gaps in my own knowledge, faults in my own technique and lastly developing a greater understanding of my own body and how I use it.

This is crucial to the ideas I discussed in part one. The art I have studied changes as time goes by not just in content but in difficulty level too. Sometimes it gets harder, sometimes easier, by constantly appraising how effectively I can move and can learn new techniques allows me to use this knowledge when assessing whether my tan sau is as effective as it should be – it allows me to draw on a greater depth of knowledge knowing that other arts differ or concur with our way of thinking in WT.

This is important when trying new things out. Competition in martial sport springs immediately to mind. WT is well known for not fostering a culture or interest in competing. This is obviously down to the style and concepts behind WT being about disarming and maiming an assailant running at odds with the rules and nature of a sporting bout. While the MMA revolution may have made household names of various fighters and previously “unknown arts” such as Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and woke martial artists up to the possibilities and the panic of the ground game.

Even when I began training WT years ago the idea of fighting on the floor was snorted at derisively more often than not. Now it’s seen as an essential element for everyone. When one thinks about self defence though, the idea of rolling on concrete in the early hours of the morning as part of a self defence scenario seems somewhat ridiculous as well as dangerous. This is the main problem which causes so much angst.

Training should always be fit for purpose, if it doesn’t work, throw it away. If your experience and expectations are one of solely self defence, being king/queen of the triangles and chokes should be fairly way down the list. If like me you just love getting sweaty and up close and personal, they can become a fun and interesting exercise in the “what if” syndrome – mortal enemy of the “I don’t need” disease mentioned in part one.

People like to train in their comfort zone and as someone who loves and feel comfortable as a “striker” kicking and punching opponents until I can swarm all over them is my MO I feel the need to confess I don’t like the floor. It’s good for standing on and handy for bouncing other people off, but being down there isn’t for someone with long skinny monkey limbs like me. That’s why when the opportunity arises I get down there as quick and for as long as I can.

I know I can punch and kick – improving those is a simple case of reps now. I know my chi sau needs work, so I roll as much as I can. I know my form is always in need of polishing so I do that in my own time. But when there is floor space and a willing partner, ground-fighting is top of my list, because it’s still a whole new world to me.

So the next part of answering the eternal question is to ask you another one: what am I scared of doing in the training room? Go ahead and answer it in 2012.

A fellow colleague was asked by his student recently “how do I know [Wing Tsun] really works?” It’s an interesting and age old question. Many people start learning a martial art for a multitude of reasons but usually they pick Wing Tsun because they want it to “work”. That is, it must defend them as easily and effectively as possible.


This mindset while not unreasonable is fraught with huge amounts of difficulties. If WT was easy everyone would do it. If WT was all you needed everyone would be invincible. As a teacher juggling your students’ expectations with their needs and the needs of everyone else in the room is the kind of multi-tasking that takes heroic amounts of effort and focus.

Sometimes (and only sometimes) it is necessary to overwhelm a student to the point where what they do doesn’t “work”, so they can feel the limitations and see their potential to improve and build something much better. Usually a better understanding of WT and a better version of how they employ the art is the aim and end result.

It’s not something you should do often but it can be a hugely beneficial experience which pulls people out of a rut or pushes them over the next plateau into a place where they can progress. That said, for the 99% of training time how do you show a martial art is beneficial to a student?

The answer is honestly, you can’t. You can demonstrate how it works for you, for your students, for half the world but that’s of little relevance if you can’t help someone see how they can share in that experience. Often this is the subject of selling yourself, your club, and your art to someone on their first or second class – but business needs aside, your club needs fresh blood as often as possible. Convincing people of the benefits of WT is essential.

So what really is it about Wing Tsun that works? Well it’s quite simple it’s the execution of it by someone fit enough, well educated enough and committed enough to practice and perfect it’s simple, but hard won rewards.

Whatever art you choose is only a fraction of the equation. The investment must also be made of your time, your patience and your openness to really succeed. Some arts are clearly better than others, but that doesn’t mean they are more valid than others. Being able to fight is innate you have to want it and be prepared to do what the other guy won’t. That applies to techniques as well as training.

Society teaches us from a young age to resist all urges to fight, but as animals it’s in there and teasing that out as well as combining it with the right concepts of martial arts is essential and this is one of WT’s cornerstones. As arts go, WT has very sophisticated and effective ideas underpinning what it is and what it does. That’s the crux of what makes it so good.

Like any art worth its salt it allows you to be injured, weaker, slower and less athletic than an opponent and still overcome. All of those natural advantages can be overcome with the ideas and by proxy the techniques concealed in the forms and training of WT. The mistake too many make is the “I don’t need…” syndrome.

Dismissing strength, fitness, diet, looking after yourself etc in the belief that WT alone is enough is the fundamental flaw of someone just waiting to get an all expenses trip to A&E. While you don’t need to be a world class athlete to be able to defend yourself, making the effort to train your body and equip with the capacity to perform every technique to its fullest potential is something anyone looking to really understand any art has to embrace.

The pasty runt with a pot belly that hides behind chi shields and bluster is no better than the witch-doctor of old. Passing off tradition and superstition as fact is still rife in some dark corners of the martial arts universe. People are wiser and more educated now just by dipping into the media coverage, youtube videos and forums that are everywhere these days.

So how do we know our art works? Short of taking the Tyler Durden approach and provoking strangers on a regular basis we must look to our own training and ask “am I making it work?” How often does a student ignore our advice as teachers? How often as students do us teachers think we know better? Humility is the key and honesty is the open door you have to walk through to get there.

Through training you can develop your own techniques and ideas and reinforce your learning. By slowly ramping up the intensity between you and your partner you can push techniques further and see how they work, illuminating your own understanding. But until that day comes where true aggression and an attack comes you won’t know how you will fare in any given fight, you will also learn how much of your art you have understood and taken on board.

Even the world champions of old know that you can lose, no matter who you are and some days it just isn’t your day. That isn’t a reflection on the art the art is merely a set of tools. How you use them is no reflection on the toolmaker after all.

In the last few years I’ve moved into working in two seemingly different arenas populated with people who both have a lot in common; security guards and teachers. You may furrow your brow at this but bear with me.

‘Bouncers’ as we unfairly like to call them and teachers both have one fundamental issue in common when at work – safety. Not just the safety of ourselves but of other people. People who; are often smaller than we are (but definitely not always), emotionally fragile and potentially volatile. Whether drunk on alcohol or puberty, those in our care hold one common threat over our heads. The real but often overplayed threat of unpredictable and sometimes violent behaviour towards their peers, their surroundings and us!

What can one do? The policy of your employers can often differ wildly from that of the law in Great Britain. Much to my own annoyance the fear of litigation from those who cause problems, instead of the protection of those expected to deal with it seems to dominate the mind of them upstairs all too often.

Practically if people begin to fight in front of you the smart move seems to be to keep a wide berth, but if you have by your role a duty of care, that’s not always practical or possible. As a person with a certain inferred authority in the club or the classroom onlookers often turn their gaze to you to end trouble confidently, competently and in time.

My first consideration is to scan the horizon, know your surroundings and what you’re getting into. I’ve seen and heard of plenty of ‘white knights’ getting a good kicking for poking their nose into what they thought was a fight but was more a heated argument.

You need to understand who is involved, where they are in relation to you and who is in what danger at that given moment (you included). Your first mechanism of control is your voice. A commanding voice and direct commands can be powerful.

When people descend into a rage particularly a violent one they regress into mere animals their humanity is pocketed away and they should be treated as such. Like dogs a stern short command can provoke an obedient reaction in people. The word “Stop!” at the correct volume with intent can often cause people to do just that and stop in their tracks, maybe even pausing for thought and deflating the momentum of vicious intent they’ve blown themselves up into.

If you’re feeling oddly sceptical yet brave try shouting it suddenly in a public space with a crowd and notice that almost everyone will at least acknowledge the verbal command to some degree. Even if it is only expressed by them suddenly peering at you like you’re deranged. We cannot help but to respond even non-verbally with a turn of the head or body, it’s conditioned into us almost from birth.

The next step is to move as quickly and powerfully as you can towards the incident. This does not mean into it but just towards it so you are at a safe but workable distance to control the situation.

The next decision you must then make is whether to make any kind of contact with those involved. Typically the situation will involve two people one the aggressor and one the victim (this term should not be as morally loaded as it is, they might have started it after all).

What you need to be looking for here is typically “animal behaviour”. Are they actually fighting or merely sizing each other up? In nature animals will open their mouths, spread claws, arms and wings to show off their size and potential for doing damage. Often the spectacle of intimidation is enough for most to avoid coming to blows in what may potentially be a deadly situation.

Humans are no different. We evolved to kill and maim just like any other beast. Look and listen but don’t focus on what is being said. We all talk shit when adrenaline kicks in and I’m not ashamed to say I’m no different.

Observe how both people move and what they are actually doing, a good fighter will predict an opponent’s move because he sees the step or feint before the technique. He doesn’t wait for it to belt him in the mouth before making a call. This is a skill anyone breaking up a fight needs to some degree.

Often adolescents and partygoers alike are actually waiting for someone else to break up the fight before it gets going. It preserves their ego if they showed gameness but were prevented from actually engaging because of an external agent.

Take the example of the Saturday Night Neanderthal being held back by his tiny girlfriend imploring him “leave it, ee’s not wurth it!” It’s possible his companion is the fight equivalent of Moses to his Red Sea, but unlikely. If you want to kill the other bloke you always find a way to get a crack at doing it in my experience.

Potentially by your presence and use of authority a situation may disperse there and then but what if it doesn’t? There is no shame in not getting in there, too often people do a “white knight” and end up needing saving and or stitches themselves. I quite enjoy it, I won’t lie. But I have both the ego and flaw of feeling comfortable around flying fists etc.

Do not feel you need to morph into Bruce Lee and kick ass. There’s nothing wrong with trying to limit a horrible situation to involving just two people instead of twenty or worse. Using your voice and keeping others at bay whilst sending someone to seek help from colleagues is both sensible and effective.

Don’t be scared to let them tire each other out too. Sometimes a scuffle while unpleasant is not that serious. Once they’re both knackered you can pull them apart relatively easily.

But I can sense I’m dancing around the big anxiety, the massive ‘what if’ of you getting your hands dirty and physically separating people? Well let’s start by saying there’s no secret choke hold, debilitating but non-lethal strike that bouncers and teachers can use like some kung fu magic wand. If there was I’d have wasted my time typing all this out thus far.

What you must remember is there is at least one and by now, probably two massive forces coming together through fear, instinct and aggression – stepping in the middle of that is idiocy. Getting punched by two people at the same time generally hurts, if they’re not aiming for you it always hurts a lot more. Sod’s law perhaps.

Pick one, doesn’t matter who, as long as you feel comfortable that you can move them and do just that. Take one of the combatants out of the equation. Drag them or push them clear trying to make sure it’s not off a ledge, into a road, a solid object or anyone else. You’d be surprised how effective this can be if done correctly. The other person has no one to attack so the fight ceases and normality can begin to filter back into the room.

This needs to be combined with verbal prompts “Stop! Come here! Stay there!” etc as is appropriate. Actions speak louder than words but using both makes a right din.

Now there is a reasonable chance at this point you may get hit either on purpose or accidentally. Sorry. But you can worry about that afterwards. If you’ve jumped in, best start swimming. Distance or lack of it is your friend here. The closer you are the less distance their flailing limbs can accelerate over before crashing into you. That means for all you non physicists that they can’t hit you with as much force.

Again this comes with the disclaimer that you must pick an angle that keeps you away from errant blows where possible. Use their fixation with the other person to your advantage and ‘blindside’ them. Walk in on an angle where they don’t see you until you already have hold of their shoulders and are levering them out of harm’s way.

Don’t go for some complicated finger lock of doom, grab the torso particularly the shoulders and manipulate their centre of mass so that they have no choice but to step with you. Practice on some if you can and you’ll see what I mean.

With those pesky lawyers in mind I wouldn’t focus on the throat, the face or anything which might come off or snap in a struggle. Something big and manageable is the best bet in the heat of the moment.

Once the threat of violence has been dissolved you must conflict manage the hell out of the room. Let one of the combatants leave, its best if they aren’t together in case they are like Rocky and set on churning out sequels. The higher authorities can deal with chasing down people if necessary. Where you can let those involved be escorted away to give statements and face punishment etc.

Your first priority is to yourself and the onlookers, returning the room to normal literally and figuratively is tough. The physical effects of adrenaline can take a while to subside. But it’s important you don’t collapse into a gibbering wreck – not immediately you might have homework to set or a turn on checking the bogs to do.

As soon as you can write a report and get witnesses to do the same. Get as many facts down on paper as possible. It clears you of any accusation and wrongdoing and allows the mess to be sorted quicker if those investigating can present as many facts as possible.

It may surprise you to know that in my view martial technique and skill is not important in these scenarios it’s intelligence and presence of mind to take swift and affirmative action which saves the day. Do what you can and what you know which will help.

Obviously I’m speaking very generally but if you have specific questions, scenarios or ideas you’d like me to cover please let me know. I’d be happy to!

We've been a bit quiet on the blogging front but no news is good news as they say, and there's a lot to be going on with here at AMAC!

A Young Bruce Lee training with the late Great Grandmaster Yip Man in poon sau.

Last night as I was pulling into my home I was abused and threatened. As I was turning into the gate that leads to my car parking space a shout and crash met me just next to my driver's window. I looked down to see a middle aged man picking himself and his bike off the road.

He'd bolted up from behind me on the wrong side of the road, despite me being stationary and indicating to turn right he was incredulous as to how I'd dare to nearly knock him off a bike he was riding too fast, without a helmet and weaving around me, on my driver's side.

I wound down my window and immediately any concern I felt was met with aggression. Insults were traded and the posturing of "get out the car I want a word with you" soon followed. After pointing out the man was on the wrong side of the road sneaking up on my blindside he then decided he actually "wanted a word" with me because I had apparnetly "nearly put [him] in the kerb" somewhere vaguely down the road because I was "a fucking stupid clown". The incident leading to him falling off his bike was forgotten about once his culpability had been established.

I couldn't control myself any longer. As suddenly as the fool appeared on the floor beside me an urge swelled up inside me and I suddenly started laughing at him. Right in his contorted snarling face. It was clear he was losing the initiative. His undirected aggression was giving way to his embarrassment.

Lying would be unfair. I can't deny as I wound down the window I studied his body language, his lack of balance as he leaned all over my door. I Listened to him but didn't really process the words. I was already sizing up if and when and how I'd hit him first. Not out of spite but necessity if this man chose to keep escalating the situation. Interestingly as I spoke with him and tried to reason with him, pointing out the fact he was at fault for what was a small and inconsequential 'nearly-accident' he backed off. Choosing to insult me from further away instead.

To some of you I may sound worse than him, talking of striking first and hard if necessary. However the training and outlook I've been given is to make a preemptive strike if necessary. To do the right amount of damage to someone to protect yourself.

After the adrenaline, confusion and ludircrous nature of the incident had played out in my head back on my sofa,  I began to smile. I realised my training had come into play and I had 'won' by "fighting without fighting" as the kung fu movies might say. I put my point across, clearly and defiantly. I was not intimidated and I was under control of my emotions at least outwardly throughout the confrontation. But even better than that I risked neither my health, the man's health nor my liberty by  starting a fight or assaulting him. Nor did I give him the opportunity to do the same.

After realising I had been given no incentive "to step outside" in a classic duel way and that I was quite happy to get on with my life the man soon rode away, angry and upset. But instead of being baited by childish aggression and name calling I chose to let the man vent a little, come to terms with his mistakes and gave him the opportunity to move on.

Had I verbally or physically taken away his dignity, given him nothing else to lose then quickly I would have found myself fighting him and perhaps injuring one if not both of us. It was a very real and very out of the blue test of all I'd learned without throwing a single punch.

The real key as found in many philosophies is that it is possible to pick your battles and still win without going to war. That's what my training and pursuit of martial arts is all about. Being so good at reading and controlling a situation I should rarely need to use force.

Some of you may have noticed we've been rather quiet of late. Well it's because we've been launching a whole new club for the benefit of the Altrincham community.

The press release below will tell you all you need to know.



Altrincham Martial Arts Club (AMAC) Announces Free Open Sessions for Local Residents

27th March 2011 – A New Martial Arts Club has launched in Altrincham and is offering a free open session for local people wishing to try out this exciting form of martial arts. Practised by many celebrities over the years including Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan, Cameron Diaz, Robert Downey jr and even Peter Andre have all studied the art to varying levels.

The open session will be held on Monday 4th April at the Broomwood Centre in Timperley, 6.30-8.30pm. The club is open to all ages and whether it's traditional martial arts know-how, basic self defence or getting fitter alongside dedicated and like-minded people, AMAC has something to offer everyone. Even better than that, for the whole of April and May you can get one week of free training. You can also claim 10 lessons for the price of 7 - saving you £30.

Altricham Martial Arts Club (AMAC) uses a form of martial arts called Wing Tsun Kung Fu, an extremely effective and sophisticated art from China. Wing Tsun's specialty is in close contact combat, it doesn’t involve throws, breakfalls, high kicks or hard contact punches and yet remains a practical and highly effective fighting style.

Head instructor Matt Townsend says “One of the great things about Wing Tsun is its accessibility: it’s suitable for men, women, young and old. We’re really keen to encourage people from the local community to come down and try out this exciting form of martial arts and that’s why we’re offering this free session”

He goes onto say “We’re also keen to work with local community groups in the area, previously we’ve run a self-defence course for a girls school in Withington, a women’s refuge in Chorlton and a youth scheme in Collyhurst. We would love to build up relationships in the Altrincham area and ask for any interested parties to get in touch.”

AMAC was established in 2008 and has gone from strength to strength, becoming a permanent fixture in Altrincham. Lead Instructor Matthew has studied Wing Tsun Kung Fu and other styles all over the world, including New Zealand and the USA, bringing years of experience and dedication to hundreds of people in Altrincham.

AMAC training sessions take place on Monday nights 18:30 – 20:30 at the Broomwood Centre,

Mainwood Road, Timperley, WA15 7JU and on Thursday nights 18:30 – 20:30 at the Town Hall, Market Street, Altrincham, WA14 1PG.

For more information on Altrincham Martial Arts Club (AMAC), training sessions and community work contact Matthew Townsend on 07853 530886 or email matttownsend85@hotmail.com or visit www.amaclub.org.uk


Established in 2008 by Head Instructor Matt Townsend (1TG). Altrincham Martial Arts Club (AMAC) has been a permanent fixture ever since.

AMAC teaches Wing Tsun Kung Fu, an extremely effective and sophisticated art from China. Wing Tsun's specialty is in close contact combat: it doesn’t involve throws, breakfalls, high kicks or hard contact punches and yet remains a practical and highly effective fighting style. Wing Tsun is suitable for men and women, young and old.

Legend talks of two women who learned and systemised “Wing Chun” as a way for one of them to defeat a local bully. The focus has therefore always been on using an opponent’s strength and aggression against them, no matter how much bigger or stronger they are than you.

www.amaclub.org.uk

For More Information please contact –

Matthew Townsend

Head Instructor

http://www.amaclub.org.uk/
info@amaclub.org.uk
T: 07853 530886

In fact I like them a so much that we're opening up another whole night of training for the people of Altrincham and surrounding areas. Based at the magnificent facilities in the Broomwood Centre, Timperley (Broomwood Centre Map) we'll be running 2 hours of martial arts suitable for anyone and everyone.

For those who haven't popped down to see us yet there's no time like the present and no excuse! Whether it's one hour or four per week, every bit of training helps! For those who know us well then you can expect more of the same excellent Wing Tsun and self defence as well as the chance for more detail, better conditioning and a flexibility to your training schedule we've not had since the end of last year!

If you'd like more information please drop me or line or simply turn up on the night. Remember we still train every Thursday as always at the Town Hall on Market St. in Altrincham. Training is once again 6:30 - 8:30pm. We've also made training even cheaper allowing people to train from £2.80 per hour*!

Training costs (concessions in brackets):

2hrs per week - (£30) £40

4hrs per week - (£45) £55

PAYG - £5 per hour

There really is no excuse and no time like the present - spread the word!

*cost relates to a concessionary rate at 4hrs per week for four weeks in one calendar month (e.g. February)

However whenever I ask students particularly newer ones, to offer forward a self defence scenario they'd like to learn a solution for. 90% of the time the response is “how do I deal with a knife?”. Knife crime has been falling nationally, and sadly rising within inner city London this year. But people are genuinely (and rightly) scared of being stabbed by a stranger in the street for the sake of money/possessions.

It's a fear and notion easily preyed on by some less scrupulous “martial arts” experts who charge people decent sums of money for a weekend of “knife defence” and other such guff. Quite frankly they give us all a bad name.

This is the reality more often than not. People using weapons often don't really know how and when to use them and therefore are unpredictable. In panic or uncertainty they can stab and slash wildly which means attempting a defence is nigh on impossible and very risky.