Tat Mau Wong Videos

[Drake]

Being an active duty soldier, I have almost no way of being able to train under one person for any length of time, since I've been jumping from obscure places in the USA to Europe, and points elsewhere for some time now. With this limitation, I've purchased a few of Tat Mau Wong's videos. They are pretty useful, and tend to echo what I've been trained on in the past. What I find curious is that, as far as I can tell, he uses a belt system. Has this become the norm in CLF? My last instructor always told me "Belts are for holding your pants up."
I'm not in any way saying Master Wong is a bad instructor. Quite the contrary. I'm just curious as to why he went to such a system, and if it is pretty common these days.
I also purchased a few Doc Fai Wong videos, but wasn't too satisified with them, except the plum blossom broadsword one. Anybody else have comments on his tapes?
Finally... what other videos/DVDs are good for training in CLF?

Thanks for reading my scattered and disjointed post. :cool:

Drake~

[sean_stonehart]

I don't think it's the norm for CLF but the norm for "mainstream" MA schools... "Mc(insert type here)" schools.

My sifu is working a series up, but we're still in the planning phase of things, so nothing now.

If you ever get a duty station at Ft Benning or Ft McPherson in Atlanta, look us up. www.hungsingatl.com

[19thlohan]

I think he made the sash system up for the panther video series. All the early kung fu series they put out claimed to teach all the requirments up to black sash. He learned from Lee Koon Hung and he never used a belt system like that.

I don't watch many instructional videos but lee Koon Hung's brother has put out a couple and if I was going to buy one I would go with his.

[David Jamieson]

Never seen any of the doc fai wong vids.

But tat mau wongs lion dance videos are really good.

quite detailed etc etc.

as for the kungfu forms, again, I haven't seen those. Just his lion dance stuff.

In fact I would recommend Tat mau's Lion Dance vids to learn about lion dance and how to do it and learn it.

As for forms, I have learned a few from videos, but learning that way for me is really boring...just personally. But I understand how you mean about no access otherwise and that is what vids are for really. Be aware that you are going to innately add your own flavour to any forms you learn from video simply because you don't get correction or you get limited reminders on sections in the video and those are subject to your own interpretation.

If at all possible, share and exchange forms with others. That is, if you like the forms. Pretty much every advanced practitioner who is able to exchange forms will know at least one that you are going to like and want to learn. This has been true for me at least.

[Mo Lung]

A lot of schools are introducing belt systems these days for two main reasons.

1. People expect it and, to make a living, you often need to give people a little of what they want.

2. As schools and organisations get bigger, it's easier for people to keep track of what people know this way and to have a more standardised curriculum of teaching.

Kung fu didn't traditionally have a belt system, but things change and evolve over time. As long as the instruction is good and the kung fu is solid, it doesn't really matter if and how a teacher marks his students' progress.

As for learning, if you like CLF, then Chan Family CLF has schools all over Europe and a few in the US now too. ;)

[Ben Gash]

Mo Lung, that's the most reasoned answer to that question I've seen here for quite a while (except for that last line :p Plum Blossom all the way ;) )
Of course, traditionally no martial arts had coloured belts. Kano adopted the system from swimming (:confused: ) when he created Judo, for the latter reason, and as Judo was probably the first mainstream martial art in the West, it's coloured our perception. Having belts doesn't necessarily make a McDojo (despite what people here may say ;) ) , however having expensive gradings with expensive belts and certificates and expensive "ceremonies" every 4 weeks does :mad:

[Drake]

Originally posted by Mo Lung

As for learning, if you like CLF, then Chan Family CLF has schools all over Europe and a few in the US now too. ;)

Have anything in the Wiesbaden/Mainz, Germany area? And for sake of asking... whatcha got in Balad, Iraq? :D

Oh, and the Tat Mau Wong CLF videos are much like the lion dancing ones. He's extremely detailed, and breaks the forms into slow, with step by step detailed instruction, slow w/o instruction, and full speed. He also takes the first part of the video to explain new techniques, done slow and fast, with explanations. He also tosses in drills, which are sections of the form he is teaching.
Annnnnnd... you also get an audio tape, some written text explaining the heritage and various CLF terminology, and a written exam. He does charge for testing at level 4 and 5, though. But I guess he has to make $$ somehow.
I own one from Lee Koon Hung's brother. It's an iron fan form, but for the most part it is just the form, and then the form in slo-mo. He also has a drunken style tape, which looked interesting.


Drake~

[Mo Lung]

I'm not personally aware of any in that area of Germany, but it could be worth a web search. I don't think you'll have much luck with Iraq. I don't think even Wong Doc Fai has got there yet. ( ;) Ben).

[CLFNole]

My sifu, the late Lee Koon Hung has a student that teaches in Germany. His kung fu is quite good. He is his info:

Master Michael Punschke
Fongs Kung Fu (Germany)
www.fongs-kungfu.de

Hope this helps you out.

[Fu-Pow]

In addition to Li Siu Hung and Tat Mau Wong's tapes my Sifu also sells tapes.

His website is www.makskungfu.com.

Look in the products section.

I think my Sifu's form is the best but , of course, I'm a little biased.

His tapes are pretty good. He shows the forms from several different angles and speeds.

Ciao.