Moi Fa Martial Arts Academy - Questions and Answers with Sifu Paul Tennet

Q: What does Kung Fu mean?

A: Kung Fu literally means skill developed through time and effort. It is a slang term that is used to describe any martial art originating from China. Hundreds of kung fu styles exist and different terminology has been used to describe the martial arts of China. Common terms are Chuan Fa (Fist Art), Kuo shu (National Art) and Wu shu (Martial Art).

Q: Can you tell me more about Wushu?

A: Wushu is the term used by the modern sport orientated styles that are popularised from mainland China. These modern interpretations contain the main fighting techniques of Kung Fu but not the correct and complete linkage between movements. The movements are also modified to be pleasing to the eye unlike old battlefield skills that do not always look pretty. Actually Wushu is the best term to describe Chinese martial arts and Wu translates as to "stop fighting". 

Q: What is the difference between Wing Chun and Praying Mantis? Which one will be best for me?

Wing Chun and Mantis share many principles and techniques as the truth in combat is unavoidable no matter what style you choose. You can say Mantis has a much wider variety of technique and training material than Wing Chun and is in some ways it is much more physical. The best way to find out about them is to watch a couple of classes. Then you can make an informed choice and train in the one you think will suit you best. If after three or four months you think that another art is more suitable for you, you can change.

Q: So which art is best?

A: That depends on the person, their aims, their physical and mental abilities and lots of other individual variables. The best art for you is the one that you feel most comfortable and confident with. In my opinion, the teacher is more important than the style. Ask yourself what you want from training.  Maybe list them in priority.  Fitness, Self Defence, Competition, Confidence, physical skills, health.

Q: Do I need to go to a gym and get fit before I start training?

A: Definitely not. General fitness will be a help but you will gain the fitness required for the martial arts only by doing them and you should take it easy for several weeks and build up your fitness along with your skills. After a couple of months you should start seeing and feeling a difference. Additional training for strength and Cardio are always helpful for your health and sports performance but not essential for class training.

Q: How often should I train?

A: I recommend that beginners train twice a week. If you have the time I would advise you to run through any new material you have been taught at home between training sessions. Many of the senior students train at home as much as they train in regular classes.

Q: What if I can only attend one lesson a week or I cannot make any of the lessons?

A: My Wing Chun teacher always told me that family and work come before training. This is how life is and you must take the rough with the smooth. If you miss a session try and make it up the following week or practice at home. Some students cannot attend regular classes so they organise one-on-one training (Personal Training) with their instructor.

Q: What clothing do I need to wear for training?

You need to wear loose comfortable clothing and clean soft shoes (training shoes/gym shoes). Jogging pants and a T-shirt are fine. We do supply all of the equipment and clothing if you want to purchase kung fu pants or books etc. Infact we have a full range of books and videos from beginner to advanced that we recommended to students. It is also useful to bring a towel and a drink to class for after your training session.

Q: What can I expect of a normal training session?

A: This will vary a little depending on the kung fu style and the teacher. Generally you need to cover solo drills, forms, two man drills, reaction and sensitivity drills and equipment drills along with basic conditioning such as stretching and strength drills. You may find that more advanced students also do more weapons training, research sparring and advanced equipment drills such as the wooden dummy.

Q: How long will it take to be good or get to black belt?

A: It depends on how often you train and how quick you learn. Generally three to four years will get you to about black belt level but its important to remember black belt level is when you begin to really learn. It's like leaving high school, you can go on studying to A Level and beyond or you can be happy with a basic knowledge. So getting your black belt can be seen as the equivalent to finishing your secondary school education.

Q: How do you learn weapons and what weapons do you teach?

A: Most of our weapons come from the Praying Mantis system and you will be taught this at different levels throughout the praying mantis training system. We also have a dedicated weapons class for members of the academy and this is open to Wing Chun students as well as Mantis people.. This is to teach the traditional Chinese weapons. The primary focus is on the Broadsword, Straight Sword, Spear and Staff. Once you have a good understanding of these you can move on to many other weapons such as whip chain, double broadswords and 3 sectional staff. We teach over 18 different weapons and also have over 10 two person sparring routines and lots of basic drills. We practice in a safe way and all of the weapons are practice weapons.

Q: When can I learn sparring?

A: In Chinese martial arts you must develop the kung fu body, that is the correct full body movements and the correct reactions and energy. If you don't have these your sparring techniques will be of a poor standard and you will probably use more strength and natural reflexes. Using strength seems ok until you come up against someone better than you and you will loose. Your natural reflexes might seem ok until you come up against and more determined and skilled opponent then you will also loose. Full sparring should be an occasional test of your skill and to gain the most from the drill you should have a coach or instructor monitoring your movements. At the academy we make sure you have a good basic knowledge before you can free spar but right from the beginning you will start off with lots of drills to develop your skills. Sparring is great fun but it also has the greatest injury rate within the training so students must have enough control and skill before sparring begins and this will reduce your chances of getting hurt.

Q: Does the Academy have a grading system?

A:Yes the academy has a full grading syllabus for all of the systems. These are technical grades rather than what I would call fighting/competitive grading.

Q: How do you grade?

A: We grade every three months for each of our systems. These are not compulsory but are highly recommended as they help both you and your instructor gauge your progress. Sifu Tennet grades students in Wing Chun and Praying Mantis. Tai Chi grading are currently performed by Sifu Frearson. Grading in Doce Pares Eskrima are performed by Danny Guba and Bill Lowery.

More questions and answers coming soon.....