The View From Space

One theme common to all Martial Arts is the requirement for hours of practice.  Any martial artist will tell you that nothing comes easy, there are no shortcuts to mastering a skill.  Hence the Chinese term Kung Fu, which means skill gained through hard work.  Westerners usually equate Kung Fu with martial arts, but the term can be equally applied to any endeavor.  An artist can have Kung Fu, as can a doctor.  Anyone who applies a skill to a trade can have Kung Fu.

More recently Malcolm Gladwell noted in his book Outliers, that it takes 10,000 hours of practice to become successful at anything.  From the Beatles to Bill Gates, the 10,000 hour rule applies.  What appears on the surface to be an overnight success is actually a product of years of hard work behind the scenes.

This brings to mind a story my Sifu tells when extolling the virtues of Kung Fu.

“As a very old, very high level master was nearing the end of his life all his students began wondering when he was going to share the secret to his high level skill.  Every day his senior students sat by his side waiting for him to reveal his secret.

Finally, the master called his most trusted students to his bedside, with great effort he beckoned them closer.  Drawing near, they queried the master “Sifu please, tell us the secret of your great skill so that we may follow in your footsteps”.  He motioned them to lean closer, “Sifu please tell us” they cried … with labored breath he whispered his long sought secret …. PRAAAACTIIIICE ! ….”

Just returned from a trip to London to attend a Chen Instructors Course given by my Sifu, Master Micheal Tse.  Having been to England only once back in the late 80′s, this was essentially a “first trip” for me.

While the main focus was to attend the instructor course we did have a couple of days to play “tourist”.

 

Westminster Abbey

 

 

 

 

 

 

Parliament

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Saint Paul’s Cathedral

 

 

 

 

 

 

River Thames

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(Correction) Tower Bridge

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tower of London

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Buckingham Palace

 

New Guard on way Buckingham Palace

Changing of the Mounted Guard