JULY 2008

Welcome to the Ealing Nam Pai Chuan Website. Nam Pai Chuan, or "North South Fist", is a traditional and pragmatic martial art based primarily on Northern and Southern styles of Shaolin derived Kung Fu. This site has been set up to promote classes taught in Ealing, West London. It also provides a basic resource of current and historical information about the system, both locally and internationally.

The next introductory class for new adult students will take place on Tuesday 5th August. Children can join the unique kids program anytime. If interested please contact the instructor for further information.

NAM PAI CHUAN ON TOUR

In October 2007 a large group representing the system travelled to Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia to visit and train with our Southern Shaolin Grandmaster, Quek Hen Choon, a truly inspiring teacher. Training was intense and carried out in a traditional manner twice every day. The journey continued on to Palmerston North to train with Master Lai and many of our Nam Pai Chuan brothers and sisters based in New Zealand. This included a senior grading with some students taking tough high level exams, quite an occasion for those particpating and spectating. The trip proved a great success and memorable experience for all involved. We will be returning to Kuala Lumpur in the summer of 2008.

NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS

This year the system is holding a National Competition on Saturday 22nd November 2008 at the Welsh Institute of Sport in Cardiff. It promises to be an unforgettable event for participants and spectators. Clubs and members will have the opportunity to compete against each other in Nam Pai Chuan forms and full contact sparring. Formwork will include empty hand, classical weapons, and paired categories. Sparring will consist of individual and team events with different rule sets based on rank. The occasion will be followed by the annual Cho Si remembrance meal. The previous championships took place in 2001 and are still talked about to this day, book early, get involved, and don't miss out! Details can be found at the competition website.

QUALITY NOT QUANTITY

Too often people get set in the mindset of "if some is good, more is better". This is especially true in Chinese Martial Arts. People are wrapped up in a "pain based paradigm" rather than a "performance based paradigm". In short they follow the old adage, no pain, no gain. They're just convinced that if they're "suffering" in some way, they must be moving in the right direction.

Instead people should be focusing on performance, and progress, and not the level of discomfort they're experiencing. Working "hard" and working "long" are not the same. And neither one means working effectively.