27 October, 2018

Kung fu nosh-up ~ 14 Oct 2018


Left to right:
Rachel, Shereen, Kevin, Moo.
Photographer: Beau


Left to right: 
Anthony, Brendan, Ange, Red, Shereen, Kevin, Beau, Rachel.
Photographer: Moo

18 October, 2018

Foreword to "The Invincible Man"


How is it that Kevin Earle can pay me a brief visit and leave me with enough to work on for the next year or two? How is it that he can make a couple of simple observations in training that set me on a path to greater understanding and depth? How can there be “nothing new to learn” – as he writes in this manual – yet he always has something valuable to teach me? 

I first met Kevin in the latter part of the 90s when he visited Dunedin for a training workshop. I was a student at the local kung fu club, and Kevin was the founder and chief instructor of Earle’s Academy, the pre-eminent Ving Chun Kuen kung fu school based in Christchurch. Although it might be accurate to say that his reputation preceded him, I had no more than a sketchy second-hand knowledge of him. 

With first-hand knowledge came the realisation that there was much more to this kung fu method than I had experienced up till then. With seemingly little effort, Kevin demonstrated to me that I was missing something. His undeniable depth and superiority in Ving Chun Kuen left me feeling both inspired and dissatisfied. 

In terms of where I was currently training, I realised I had progressed as far as I could go. What’s more, that point had been reached some time ago. And so I made the decision to “up sticks” and move my entire household to Christchurch so that I could join Earle’s Academy. 

What did I find there? 

I found many of the things Kevin writes about in this manual: I found the essential idea that binds the elements of Ving Chun Kuen together. I found out about the cultivation and control of force. I found concepts that could be brought to life through diligent training. I found signs that pointed towards important destinations without detailed instructions on how to get there. 

Above all, I found a deeply knowledgeable and experienced teacher who continues to have an enormous influence on my expression of kung fu. 

And further, it’s the way in which Kevin guides me that helps to explain why he can pay me a brief visit and leave me with enough to work on for the next year or two. He observes, he suggests, he demonstrates, he imparts knowledge, he influences – but he does not tell me what to do. He leaves me in charge of my own progress. 

Now, even given all that, I would be remiss if I did not mention possibly the most important part of my connection with Kevin, and that is in the way he inspires me. In handing down his Ving Chun Kuen method, he has given me a gift. Like the master in Matthew 25:14, he expected me to develop my talents, and develop them I have. Pivotal to this development is how I have derived ongoing inspiration from him. 

In my twenty years of training so far, there have been times when I’ve been discouraged. There have been times when I have been tempted to devote the energy kung fu requires to other pursuits. There have been times I have wanted to bury my talents in the ground and let them vegetate. In looking back, I won’t underestimate the importance of my sifu (my teacher-father) in acting as a living example of continuing progress and growth. For as surely as I grow in power and skill, Kevin pulls ahead of me that much more. 

Eight years ago, living back in Dunedin, I picked up the phone and rang Kevin. I rang him to ask him something. I believe I felt slightly anxious before making the call. I had come around to the idea of opening my own kung fu school, and I asked him if he would give me his blessing to do just that. His response was essentially, “Of course! What took you so long?” This really is the highest compliment I can pay him, that I would ask another man permission to do something. 

In my own school over the years, I have taught many people kung fu and self-defence. Most of the students that have walked through my door have been content to scratch at the surface layers of kung fu; in effect, to learn how to fight. A rare few have demonstrated the desire and motivation to go on a deeper journey with me, to grow the five talents I have given them into ten. Through their own initiative, these senior students begin to become more self-reliant, more introspective, more imaginative, and more dedicated. So, in some ways, they parallel my own journey; but, more than that, they tap into the ongoing inspiration provided by my own instructor. 

And they start to get a sense of their real potential… 

This manual is about realising your potential. It is for the Ving Chun Kuen practitioners who are approaching a rarefied stage in their training, that of integrating the three forms at the level of practical combat. As you will discover in the pages that follow, wooden man training is essential in this process of consolidation and refinement. You will also discover that although there is “nothing new to learn”, there is a distinct advantage in having the words and ideas of Kevin Earle close at hand as you tackle this challenge on your kung fu journey!

 

Anthony Revill

Chief Instructor, Southern Kung Fu

Dunedin, New Zealand

January 2018

The Invincible Man ~ a book by Kevin Earle


scan of front cover



THE INVINCIBLE MAN

Published this month (October 2018) in New Zealand, The Invincible Man by Kevin L. Earle is a Ving Chun Kuen kung fu training manual par excellence.



scan of back cover

Kung fu get-together and barbecue


Left to right:
Kevin, Brent, Beau, Anthony
14-10-2018