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These pages will address the more frequently asked questions (FAQ) concerning “Sanshangong”. |
| 1 - How can I learn Sanshangong? |
| You can learn Sanshangong by attending lessons held four times a week. I would encourage you to attend at least two lessons per week although three or four is obviously better. One is fine if one is all your life-style permits. But to be true to yourself you should make the effort to attend two classes per week. Private classes is also an option if you cannot make scheduled classes. Intensive day-long classes are an option if you live far away from the “Wushuguan”. |
| 2 - What should I wear to the lesson? |
Whatever allows you to feel both comfortable and mobile. Loose-fitting clothing such as a tracksuit, jogging-suit, or loose trousers and a sweatshirt would be ideal. If you wear a sweatshirt then please wear a tee-shirt underneath – in the event that you become too warm the sweatshirt can always be taken off. There are no gi’s (white martial arts pyjamas) worn in Sanshangong because Sanshangong does not concern itself with such an image or cliché. There is no official Sanshangong uniform as yet apart from a “Sanshangong” tee-shirt. |
| 3 - How is a typical lesson conducted? |
| The group class is a two-hour session where several topics are normally covered. Gentle exercise provides the physical and mental warm-up, and this may last up to fifteen minutes. Alternatively, the class may well begin with a two-person exercise called ‘tingshou’ (listening hands). This is not competitive nor is it an excuse to for one student to challenge another! From here we then turn our attention towards one or two of the Xing (forms) before we move on to looking at the various interpretations of the Xing by way of paired practice. After an hour of training we the have a fifteen-minute break whereby we drink some warming and rejuvenating traditional Chinese tea. This break provides time for discussion and feedback from the physical training whilst we often discuss other aspects of related martial arts or matters concerning the School. Training resumes with more paired practice or, alternatively, more Xing. The lesson finishes approximately 50 minutes later. |
| 4 - Are you insured? |
| Yes. Having well-researcehgd this matter the “Wight Wushuguan” is insured with the UK-based AMA (“Amateur Martial Association”). |
| 5 - Are there any books or videos on Sanshangong? |
| No, not as yet. I a writing a book and I am also preparing a series of videos and CD Roms. Hopefully I will release these early next year (2005) |
| 6 - What are the most common and most serious injuries? |
| Injuries are UNcommon whilst the most serious has been bruising on the upper arms. This always looks far worse that it really is, and to take away any discomfort I do ‘brew’ my own authentic ‘Tiedajiu’(traditional Chinese bruise-healing Wine) which is always available to my students in the event of such an irregular occurence. With a heavy accept upon respect, control, and skillfulness, accidents are almost non-existent within Sanshangong. |
| 7 - What kind of person is attracted to Sanshangong? |
| Sanshangong attracts the more mature kind of person. Someone who has lived a little, done a few things in his or her life, and now wishes to knuckle down and immerse their self into something different – something, perhaps, of far more substance.Absolute beginners form the overall majority of my students although I do also attract learned and skilled martial artists who consider their own practice to be either somewhat lacking or grossly imbalanced.Persons seeking a quick fix and a simple answer do not understand the complexity of their own question! Such persons are teachable if only they would give theirself a chance… but their own impatience and impetuousness drives them away. |
| 8 - Can anyone learn Sanshangong? |
| Yes and No. Whilst my door is open to everyone – men wome, boys and girls. I will never turn anyone away (unless they are of a sub-human nature!) yet only a very special breed of person will choose to stay with Sanshangong! Many come along and ‘give it a try’ but their own lack of self-confidence, their lack of self-trust, and their craving and obsession for a ‘quick fix’ normally proves too much for them. They do not stay. Anyone can try Sanshangong, but not everyone will succeed. Sanshangong requires discipline, commitment, regularity, strength of character, effort, and time. In other words, it requires real gongfu! Whilst one may not possess all of the above, one can develop such qualities – but not overnight. Sadly, we live in an ‘Overnight’ society and most individuals find it impossible to break free from that. It has often been said, the martial arts are for everyone. If this is the case, it should also be said that ‘everyone’ is not for the martial arts! Anyone can drink a bottle of Gin if enough water is added so as to dilute it....but then it ceases to be gin – or real gin. Sanshangong will never be ‘diluted’. |
| 9 - Sanshangong sounds really interesting and I would like to come along and give it a try, but all that screaming and yelling really doesn’t appeal to me. Do I really have to do all that? |
| There is no screaming and yelling in Sanshangong. Neither are there any kicks (as such) and punches as I do consider that to be missing the whole point! So do not be put off by such cliched images…Sanshangong is not ‘your conventional martial arts school’, and neither it is a commercial one! |
| 10 - Is Sanshangong like Taijiquan (Tai Chi)? |
| Yes and no. In concept it may well appear like taijiquan but, in fact, it is not. Sanshangong is, in no way, a new name for an old practice. It is not a re-invented wheel. In certain areas it may appear to be like taiji, it may appear to be like qigong, it may appear to be like karate, and may appear to be like aikido. It is not, however, any of these although in terms of certain aspects it may appear like all of these. The value of Sanshangong cannot be realized by way of the visual but by how it feels, and this can only be understood by the student. |
| 11 Is Sanshangong an ‘Internal’ or ‘External’ martial art? |
| It is both. Some individuals may say that we are not Internal whilst others may say that the Internal is realized and acquired by way of the External. What I maintain is that Sanshangong is both Internal and External. I also maintain that after a period of Sanshangong study, such questions may well prove to be excess baggage! Personally, I am not a great fan of this concept ‘Internal and External’. Sanshangong is not Internal when compared to real Taijiquan, real Qigong, real Baguazhang, and real Qingyiquan…but then Sanshangong is not ‘External’ and ballistic in the same way that karate and gongfu (kungfu) are normally taught. Whilst Sanshangong promotes health to the same degree as authentic ‘Internal’ Chinese martial arts, it does not encourage (but positively DIScourages) the damage, trauma, and long-term injury often promoted by ‘External’ martial arts. Such terms as ‘internal’ and ‘external’ as well as ‘hard’ and ‘soft’ may seem useful for the beginner, but once a student has been training for some time, such terms reveal themselves as being somewhat redundant!. |
| 12 - Do you teach weapons? |
| Weapons do feature in Sanshangong training as this is an essential part of our applications and explorations. So, knife-work, simulated gun-work, and stick-work (the principles of Filipino arnis de mano and escrima are highly compatible with Sanshangong) feature within the Sanshangong training programme. Traditional Chinese weapons such as the broadsword, nunchaku, and nine-section whip do not feature within Sanshangong. |
| 13 - I already practice martial arts. Can I learn Sanshangong at the same time? |
| Yes, you can. If you are already studying martial arts, I would never encourage you to give up your in-place practice, but I would encourage you to try Sanshangong and, if possible and if necessary, to use Sanshangong as a means of reinforcing or adding dimension to whatever you are currently practicing. One day you may decide to make a choice – or perhaps that day will never come – but I would not try to poach you from another school. |
| 14 - I have studied Internal Chinese martial arts for quite some time. Sanshangong sounds most interesting, but will it do me any good to study with you as well as keeping up my own practice? |
| Practitioners of Internal Chinese Martial Artists may suspect that Sanshangong is too ‘External’ for them, and this a fair enough observation. If you know which road you are on - or need to be on – you may decide that Sanshangong is not for you. On the other hand, you may that what I am teaching provides you with further and deeper insight into your own prcatice. I have had accomplished Internal Chinese martial artists studying under me, and they have walked away with a lot of useful knowledge and experiences. |
| 15 - Do we really need another martial art? aren’t there enough to choose from already? |
| As the World insists upon destroying itself, ‘Yes’, we do need Sanshangong! Sanshangong does not promote ego and does not prepare the body for self destruction in later years. Sanshangong is a ‘total study programme’ and a physical form of medicine that allows the individual to work with his or her body and not against. With no expiry date and with no limitations or restrictions imposed, it is a vehicle for self-knowledge and self-improvement that can be taken into so-called old age as this is, indeed, for which it is designed. Indeed, Sanshangong promotes and encourages continuity through strength of mind, body, and spirit as one takes it all the way to the grave.Sanshangong preserves and promotes tried, tested, and Time-honoured techniques, concepts, and skills over and above the restrictive title of martial arts as Sanshangong addresses other subjects that are of far greater importance. |
| 16 - How old are your youngest and oldest students? |
| My youngest student is fourteen years of age and my eldest student is 64 years of age. Youngsters do not take to Sanshangong unless they are prematurely mature. |
| 17 - How long will it be before I can get my black-belt? |
| Sorry! There are no belts at all in Sanshangong. No belts, and no dogi’s (uniforms) as with conventional martial arts schools. If the black belt is your prime concern then this school is not for you and you are not what we are looking for. |
| 18 - If there are no belts, how do you know how good you are? |
| At first you will not know until I, or another student, will tell you. Later on, you will know, yourself, how good you are – or how good you are not! If you need such dangling carrots as belts in order to convince yourself as to your worth then you are not yet mature enough for this class. As a way of acknowledging a student’s input to the school and dedication to their practice I do issue certification after he or she has completed each block of thirty-six hours’ training. This, to my mind, is of far greater value than a coloured belt. |
| 19 - What are the benefits of Sanshangong? |
| The benefits from studying Sanshangong are far too numerous and diverse to be listed here. However, a thorough reading of this website should provide you with all the answers you require. If not, call me or Email me and we can go from there.But perhaps the real question you should be asking is “What do I need from a serious study such as Sanshangong?” If you can identify your needs then such a positive and directioned mindframe can result in you extracting precisely what you need. As they say, identifying a problem is halfway to solving such a problem. It is when you don’t know it is there that one starts to go acutely downhill. |
| 20 - I’ve seen of the things you do. For example, I’ve seen one of the Tiger forms. How do you remember al that stuff? My memory is very short…I just don’t think I could remember al that! |
| One does not ‘remember’ the form, one learns the form so that it becomes instinctive and intuitive. You may well find, however, that Sanshangong training will improve your memory – certainly it will improve your focus and attention-span as well as many other things too numerous to list here. |
| 21 - When are your classes and where do you practice? |
| I teach three times per week – Monday and Wednesday evenings from 7pm until 9pm. Friday evenings 7.00pm until 9.00pm, and Sunday mornings from 10am until Noon. We practice at the “Wight Wushuguan Academy” located in Ryde. For directions, please call (01983) 882550. |
| 22 - Do you teach privately, one-to-one? |
| Yes, I do. If a student wishes to practice one-to-one, that is fine with me. I do, however, encourage students to attend group classes as there are obvious benefits from practicing in a group environment. In such cases, students often decide to practice twice a week – one lesson being as a private student, and the other being at a scheduled group practice. |
| 23 - I would like to join your school but I live overseas. What can I do? |
| You are very welcome to visit me, or have me visit you. No matter where you live in this World, if you are keen to learn then I am keen to teach. It may prove not so straightforward if you are living on the other side of the World, but as far as I am concerned, this need not be such a big issue. Please contact me for more details so that we may discuss this matter. |
| 24 - live overseas and am very interested in what you are doing and where you are taking traditional Chinese martial arts, but obviously cannot make it to you classes! I would like to stay in-touch with you and I would like to be kept informed as to what you are doing in-case I can make it along to a seminar, or whatever. What do you suggest? |
| I suggest that we stay in-touch via email. If you like you can join the “Wight Wushuguan” School. Annual membership is UK£ 50. Upon receipt you will receive the official “Sanshangong” handbook together with the latest of the “Sanshangong Newsletter”. Eleven subsequent Newsletters will then be Emailed to you upon publication. In this letter you will read of Sanshangong’s progress together with other input such as research ventures and topics of associated culture. Aside from the handbook and Newsletter you will also receive regular dialogue from me as you will be considered ‘one of the Sanshangong ‘Family’. You will be kept well up-to-date should be able to visit and undergo an intensive (extended) training programme. |
| 25 - Do you not have anyone teaching Sanshangong anywhere else in the World? |
| No I do not. No-one knows what I have learnt and no-one from overseas has expressed any interest. In time I would. Of course, I would like to expand beyond my own front-door, but for now this is not happening. |
| 26 - If I study Sanshangong, how long will it be before I start to see a change in myself? |
| If you practice twice a week you will see a positive change in yourself within a year. Others may well see changes in you (for the better!) sooner. BACK TO TOP |