Ip Man Taught For the Love of It

Bruce Lee was a natural, and was trained under the best, Ip Man to be exact.  His movie can be found here.

Bruce Lee was obliged to move from Hong Kong to Seattle, where he continued his studies.  He is remembered for studying under Old Man Young in the afternoon and teaching what he learned in the evening.

1961 http://www.wingchundo.com/

I've had the pleasure to train with Jessie Glover (standing left) and James DeMile (kneeling left), I took a log cabin building course from Skip Ellsworth (standing immediate right of Lee), and I must say it was one of the funniest weekends of my life.  Glover still teaches in Seattle's Chinatown, if you can get in.  Taki Kimura could be met anytime behind the counter of his grocery store in First Hill, and he had free classes but few could cut the requirements.  Never had the pleasure of meeting Bruce Lee or the other two.

These people all got good by simply training, over and over, knocked down, get up, and down and up. Can't tell you how many times I wanted to quit, but there is just something that keeps one going.  How often I wondered "Will I ever get better?" and then somehow, something clicks and there is a new plateau.

Also, I could not waterski until I began practicing aikido, and figured out how to not disgrace myself at a dance from aikido.  So those things are side encouragements.  But the key to sticking with it is instructors who teach for the love of it.  I think of Wally Jay and Frank Doran in the Bay Area, Paul Kurose in Seattle as exemplars.  Does your instructor love the art?

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