David Bearce

The Power Of Workshop Training

- Adrienne Stauffer

DAVID BEARCE started training Ving Tsun in 2009 with his Sifu David Clay, in Burlington, Vermont. He became an Inner Circle student a year later and trained heavily on the workshop circuit with his Sitaigung, Grandmaster Moy Tung. In 2012, he started a club in Portland, Maine, and officially opened a full-time school there in 2014.

What’s a training workshop?

In the Moy Tung lineage, we consider a training workshop to be a gathering of Kung Fu students who come together for intensive training. Workshops can last anywhere from an afternoon to an extended seven-day programme. They’re an excellent opportunity for students to get extracurricular training outside of their regular class schedule. It’s often the type of thing people will travel from around the country for, sometimes even the world. But it can also be a simple weekend gathering at your local school. The important distinction is that, in a training workshop, people are there to train and train hard.

What are some of the major benefits of workshop training?

One major benefit of going to workshops is that you gain a new perspective on your Kung Fu training. You get the opportunity to do workouts led by senior level instructors, often your Sigung or Sitaigung, who draw from a wellspring of experience to help you on your own Ving Tsun journey. You train with students from outside your regular training circles, all of whom have different skill levels, body types, and favoured techniques. This exposure to different energies helps you gain new insights into the Ving Tsun system.