Dragon Family Wing Chun – Training Floor
This is the central training environment for all Dragon Family Wing Chun students.
Beginners. Advanced practitioners. Online members. In-class students.
One floor. One standard.
This is where we build consistency.
Inside this group you will find:
• The Weekly Focus• Daily Training Accountability• Technical Clarification• Announcements
This is not a social feed.
It is a training floor.
Show up.Train with intention.Refine your understanding.Support others who are doing the same.
Progress is earned through repetition.
If you are here, commit to the process.
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Thoughtful Thursdays: Delicious, nutritious P.I.E.!
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Thoughtful Thursdays: Delicious, nutritious P.I.E.!
Heyo folks. Another Thursday, another thought.
This time, it’s about pie. No, not the dessert. I’m talking about P.I.E. that we dragons partake in. Perseverance, Integrity, Education. There have been times that I’ve meditated on those three facets. To persevere through a long Siu Nim Tao, to have the integrity not to fudge the numbers in my practice log, the learning of myself that comes with the practice. So this week I offer you three questions, and I will add my own answers to it too:
On perseverance: What aspect of your training have you found yourself having to persevere through the most? This could be an empty hand form, trying to go for duration or intensity. Anything! For me, it’s been having to learn how to work with my own mental and physical obstacles. You’ve all seen my profile picture by now. I’m not exactly in the best shape. I also have an issue with my left ankle that pretty much stifles my dorsiflexion, making it hard to bend low on my left side. I’ve learned to adjust with it as best I can. It’s something that, quite frankly, I have to live with. It has definitely made some of my long Siu Nim Taos grueling because I can’t push it too hard. My entire left side has shaken because of having to balance pushing it, but not pushing it too hard.
On integrity: What has been the hardest thing you’ve had to own up to in this journey? For me, it’s honestly been having to go back to basics on some things. Nobody wants to do that when they were doing so well for so long. I won’t get into the nitty gritty of it (this would be a big wall of text if I did,) but the gist of it was adjusting to some big changes–poorly–as well as covid when that all went down. There was a lot of depression that severely hindered my ability to train. I never stopped training, but I did stop the intensity at which I used to train, and it’s been a big struggle trying to get there again.
On education: What have you learned about yourself so far? Something mental? Something physical? Again, I have to bring up the status of my weight here. I’ve learned how to navigate things despite my weight. It isn’t ideal, but then again, rare is the situation that is ideal for us. I’ve also learned that you are the last person to notice your own progress, especially if you don’t document it like I have in the past. Why? Because you’re with yourself every second of every day, and as a result, there is a psychology there that sort of blocks you from seeing it. Using weight as an example again, part of why losing it can be so hard is because you see yourself in the mirror so much, you look the same, but even just someone living in the same house as you will see differences before you do. It is both incredibly frustrating and incredibly gratifying. Frustrating because you aren’t seeing the progress at first, gratifying because when you finally do see the differences, it hits you hard that you did well in the best way.
Just a heads up to wrap things up here. There will likely be no post next week for Thanksgiving reasons. And yes, the other pie will be involved.
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3 Replies
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2802
Dragon Points
Ah, PIE—now you’ve got me thinking about dessert and philosophy at the same time! 🍏🥧 (Apple and pecan are my kryptonite, by the way.) But seriously, I love how you framed perseverance, integrity, and education. Those three words have been the backbone of my own Wing Chun journey since I read them on the Dragon Institute intranet.
Perseverance: For me, it’s been pushing through pain—literally. Coming off shoulder and knee injuries and 90 days of physical therapy, I knew I needed something to keep building strength and mobility. Enter Wing Chun. Let me tell you, my body has been sore every single day since… but the good kind of sore. The kind that whispers, “You’re growing.” Warm-ups? Brutal. Stretching? A comedy show. Squats and kim sut? Let’s just say gravity and I have had some heated arguments. But the more I power through, the more results I see—and that’s addictive.
Integrity: The hardest part? Being brutally honest with myself about practice. No fudging the numbers, no pretending I trained when Netflix was the real winner. Logging my sessions and feelings is my way of saying, “This is for me.” I want to look back and say, “Yep, I did this. I changed my life.”
Education: Right now, I’m living in the education zone. Trying to absorb Sifu’s wisdom without sprinting ahead like a kid in a candy store. Bite-sized chunks, daily practice—that’s my mantra. And honestly? I’m loving every second of this journey. This community is top-notch, and I’m grateful to be part of it. Huge thanks to Sifu Adam for creating a space where we can learn, grow, and become Wing Chun together.
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6854
Dragon Points
Hey Dustin!
I’ll try to be succinct since I’m thumb typing on my phone… But first I’d like to acknowledge a 2 out of 3 cross over with my old TKD school motto: “Courtesy, Integrity, Perseverance, Self-control, Indomitable spirit” 😲
Back on topic though…
Perseverance: Actually putting in the daily practice, especially when I’ve had dinner late after a long day at work and really want to veg out on the sofa. “It’s a lot harder to get going, than it is to keep going” is a saying that gets me off the sofa on those nights.
Integrity: Accepting that I don’t “already got this”, and maintain a beginner’s mind and do pay close attention to the details and keep working on the things that I don’t got (yet).
Education: I’m a voracious reader, so this one’s the easiest. I read about 50 books a year, so I make at least one every month at least a martial arts book, preferably with Wing Chun or Wing Chun adjacent material in it.
So awesome that you keep coming with great ideas for new threads like this week after week!
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3739
Dragon Points
All thought-provoking, authentic, helpful comments gents – keep ’em coming!
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