Eddie

The opportunity

Sifu Waller offers every martial student the opportunity to become a lineage student.
The student must meet certain criteria:

1. 3rd dan black belt
2. A good level of skill
3. A pattern of ongoing progress
4. A nice relationship with both the instructor and other students
5. No attitude problems/ego/arrogance

Suitable candidates will be told what lineage training entails.

Peter Southwood's tips #7 Intense sessions

If you have a week off, train in the afternoon and evening as well.
The benefits of a really hard training session will echo throughout your art.
A hard week of intensive training affects what you do thereafter.

'External' shuai jiao

Not all shuai jiao practiced in the world is internal.
It is often taught as an external martial art in its own right, akin to judo.
Force, tension and aggression are used. There are even fighting competitions.

This is not what we teach.

Why bother with heavier weapons?

They make you use your body a lot more.
You must compensate for the weight of the weapon - without tensing up - and still move in a lithe, nimble, strong manner.

Unless you work with a heavy sword, you are essentially 'playing'.
A lightweight wushu sword doesn't tax you much.
You can perform any manner of fancy moves that would be downright impossible and non-viable with a heavy weapon.

In a very real sense, a genuine sword grounds you: in terms of connection and in terms of its functionality.

Running

Running does not necessarily in and of itself improve posture that is already poor and constricted. It often exaggerates problems due to the substitution of inappropriate muscles. The repetitive inappropriate development of the musculature (as in body building or weight lifting) often leads to diminished sensitivity. Stress occurs in the knees and lower back, encouraging injury.

 (Liz Koch)
 

Preparation

There is a story about a king who wanted an artist to paint a bird.
The king asked the artist how long it would take him to produce the painting. The artist said "One year."
A year passed and the king called upon the artist.
The artist promptly proceeded to paint the bird whilst the king watched.

The king asked, "Why did you tell me that it would take you a year?"
The artist took him into a room. The room was littered with practice paintings, sketches of birds and research material.
The year of preparation enabled the artist to paint the bird spontaneously.

Qigong

In addition to recovery from injury and illness, regular practice of qigong  promotes a feeling of dynamo-like energy, lessens the need for sleep, reduces the tendency to become sick, and makes the whole body physically resilient and strong.

 (Robert Chuckrow)

Locks and holds

Many martial arts employ locks and holds successfully.
They are an effective way of restraining an opponent and/or damaging the body.

Unfortunately, locks and holds require commitment.If you hold somebody, you are committed to maintaining the hold using sustained strength.
At some point you must let go and your opponent is free.

We do not use locks and holds.

Begin with a clear idea

Every exercise, drill or form posture (pattern of movement) has a simple purpose.
Determine what this is and start from there.

Many drills are training a wide variety of skills simultaneously.
Do not be put-off by this.
Focus on the most basic, simple concern and work on that.

If in doubt, ask the instructor for clarification.