About Me

Chubby nerd looking to minimize wasted movements

I discovered Wing Chun by accident in August 2021 while looking to improve my social life after having moved to a new city. I’d never done martial arts before, so I figured it was the perfect time to give one of them a try.

As soon as the instructor told me that this was a system that didn’t require any physical strength and was thus perfect for women, it instantly became appealing to me.

But don’t think I dove head first in Wing Chun from the get go. Far from it.

Yes, I went to the training sessions almost every time they happened. And yes, I was having a great time learning the form, basic moves, and how my body worked.

But I was too involved with my new job and new life in that city to give Wing Chun the attention it deserved. I rarely trained at home or even thought about Wing Chun when I wasn’t in a training session.

I kept showing up, learning what I could, but it felt like just another hobby to me. Sometimes I didn’t feel like going to a training, but went anyway.

I was like this until January 2023, which is when I started attending fewer and fewer training sessions.

Life got in the way a bit too much and I had a very unhealthy relationship with work, so I had no time for my hobbies, and back then Wing Chun was just one of those hobbies.

It all changed when I started having health problems. I could no longer function or sleep properly. Every activity felt like a burden, even the ones I used to enjoy. Being overly exhausted was the new norm, even on weekends. So I stopped going to trainings altogether. That was in mid 2023.

…

Fast forward to June 2024. I was still recovering, and thought of Wing Chun again. „Am I ready to go back and train?“ I asked myself. I wasn’t. But I did it anyway.

Funnily enough, although I was exhausted before the training session, I felt less tired after it. My sifu sensed it and talked to me about it, even though I didn’t say a word.

I went to another training session. And another. And another.

And, in June 21, 2024, I fell in love with Wing Chun. 

I started training every day at home. I bought sticks to train Escrima, too. I started studying the principles behind the systems, noting down what was already part of my lifestyle and mindset and applying everything I could to my daily life. I squeezed in practice sessions anywhere I could, and at any time, the last one being in a restroom of a restaurant yesterday evening (a life saver, mind you).

I embraced the freedom of being average. I still have no idea what I’m doing or if I’m doing everything correctly. But it doesn’t matter. All that matters is what I can do about it right now.

So I correct what I can, ask what I don’t understand, and keep practicing every day, loving every second of it.

I don’t like thinking too much ahead, since I’ve only just started taking it seriously (it’s just been one month at the time of writing). But one day, I’d love to be able to teach these two wonderful systems to others. They have already helped me immensely, more than I’d ever thought they would, and I train for the day I’ll have the honor to help other people, too.

But I’m not in a hurry for that. I’ll take all the time I need. Remember, our greatest enemy is speed.