A Note
Sunday, August 30, 2020
Having just finished my Summer Camp 2020 a few days ago, I was asked a question afterwards as to why I have been placing so much emphasis upon the Small San-shou for the last few years? Well, there are two very simple and logical answers: I haven’t finished teaching it yet - which signifies the vastness and depth of the subject matter! It’s a test to gain entry to the Erle Montaigue System! I’ll begin with the second point first - it being the easiest. Small San-Sau is one of the tests that one must take in the Erle Montaigue system… I regard this exercise as one of the most important training methods as it teaches, timing, balance and coordination, where to strike, how to strike, the direction of dim-mak strikes and the power to use. It must be stressed however, that although each technique could be used as a self-defense method, you must only ever treat the small San-Sau as a training method, never taking away or adding to it. It was designed by persons of martial genius to teach us something and to change it in any way is to take away from what it has to teach you. Erle Montaigue Internal Gung-Fu Volume 2 I’d say that the above statement requires no further clarification. Regarding Point 1… I started writing about the importance of the Small San-shou way back in 2014 and started teaching its ‘hidden’ principles in 2016 both here in the UK, the USA and in Italy, along with the associated training methods! I stated way back then that it takes around 5 years of study to develop and understand. So, here we are in 2020… and by my simple reckoning we still have another year to go! Whilst editing the current edition of Lift Hands Volume 15, I came across the article ‘How Long…?’, which I had written in 2017 and another note in 2014. It made me smile that I have consistently stated the importance of progressional learning for several years now - and yet still the same questions are being asked of me! Below is the revised and edited 2017 article.
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