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On Saturday December the 4th a new friendship started with Master Steve and Sifu Clive Potter. It began with a enjoyable dinner in the evenening and continued Sunday 5th with a seminar and training. The introduction was based on direct, simple, effective movements, no gimmocks just honesty and Sifu Clive's students had many questions to ask from medieval to modern weapon techniques. A few had studied other Escrima systems and could see that Escrima Concepts is different. Everyone seemed to adapt quickly and understood why we teach a direct system.
After the seminar Master Steve, Sifu Morten, Wayne and a few others went back to Sifu Clive's private training hall where Escrima Concepts and Ving Tsun was discussed openly and compared to other systems. A unique meeting in many ways and a pleasure to meet other arts without the politics. Leaving only friendship for the future. |
After the weekends training Sifu Clive kindly made the following comments on his web-site:
"Steve Tappin has done for Escrima what Ving Tsun has done for Kung Fu. That is, refined it to make it more simple, direct and efficient. Gone are any rounded movements or fancy moves. Everything is practical and straightforward. It was interesting to find how many of the concepts, ideas and approach was similar if not many times the same as those of Ving Tsun. Owing to this, the students found it comparatively easy to learn the techniques and footwork necessary to execute the approach that Steve Tappin taught. Ninety percent of the seminar was "hands on" with escrima sticks being handed out for the students to practise with. For a Ving Tsun person this method of Escrima meant it was just an extension of Ving Tsun rather than a completely new style of martial art. Though most of the seminar was concerning the practise and approach of stick fighting, the subject of fighting with knives and machetes was also covered.
Special thanks goes to all who attended as some had just returned from a training trip from Hong Kong and being so close to Christmas showed an openess to other arts. Thanks also goes to Sifu Mik Lane and his three students John Mitchell (Boy Band), Steve Gaitskell and Richie Ho who travelled to support Escrima Concepts. Thanks to you all. |
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