We all have to start somewhere in our martial arts careers – for me, it was through maelstrom and kali. Often referred to as ‘first loves’ for long-time martial arts practitioners, the first martial art may not always end up being the primary focus for an entire lifetime. A look through our instructors’ biographies will show how different arts can complement and mutually reinforce each other over time. In fact, one of the major tenets at maelstrom is to encourage cross-training, and to avoid the often competitive nature between and within systems and styles of martial arts.
I spent the last year in Beijing, where I trained Wing Chun with Coach Marco Lee. Not only did teaching methodology, fighting philosophy and overall club atmosphere shift, I also discovered a different side of martial arts. Namely, there was an emphasis on theory, nature metaphors, repetitive foundational drills, and a constant return to the idea of energies versus counter-energies. It was only when I returned to Vancouver that I discovered how much my own style had been influenced by my year of training, and how many different ways there were to apply what I’d learned.
Unfortunately in Beijing, most young people referred to Eastern martial arts as an avenue for improving health, while the Western export of MMA cage fighting was touted as ‘real fighting’. In fact, it is mainly foreigners that seek out Chinese martial arts during my stay there. Many reputable and longtime Eastern Martial Arts practitioners are harder to find, more underground. Having known MMA, BJJ, JKD, kali, Muay Thai, etc practitioners, I was bewildered at the rise of MMA and the way its televised fights overshadow the idea of fighting. But no matter how much I tried, I could only get the smallest glimmer of interest from people when I talked about Wing Chun.
As I continue to refine my own style, I’m consistently re-examining the teachings of my maelstrom guros and realizing how and when my Wing Chun techniques might be integrated. I’m grateful for the experience of learning another martial art, just like I was when I did classical Jiu-jutsu for two semesters at UBC. There’s much in the martial arts world – but my first love will always be kali.
Tiffany