What Come First

My senior brother, Mr. Tan Soo Chong taught me traditional wushu on behalf of my master, Mr. Yong Boon Toh. I picked up whatever form that he passed unto me. So, to specialize in the Seven Stars Mantis Boxing routines wasn’t me intention then. I just go accordingly with what my senior brother planned for me back in the 90’s then. I’m not only the student but he has got many other students to attend to at the same time. What I learnt then was all being decided by my senior and not me.


As time passed by, I can’t help but to notice that nowaday childrens’ tendency to overestimate themselves and their capability as well. But here I do not mean all the children have such tendency as being mentioned above. What I mean was there are a number of them. They have been thinking that it’s their right to choose whichever routines they want to learn first. What I can say here is this is a very wrong thinking indeed. As a practitioner, you need to evaluate yourself always. As a beginner, you are suppose to build up a strong foundation first before you are able to move up higher and higher. You need to have a right order of mastering a knowledge, a skill or an art in order to succeed in it . I am sure this rule applies to all field of knowledge in the world. Instead of having a thought of what routines you would like to learn first, why don’t you channel the same attention into consolidation your foundation aspect being the handworks and legworks. Also learning the coordination between these two. Once, you make yourselves real good at foundation level, you’ll be good all the way up to the higher level automatically. So, the first and second routines would usually take up more time to master. And I will usually teach slowly at the foundation level as well. And that is what I can tell you frankly.