A personal reflection on what it’s really like to train Chow Gar Southern Praying Mantis in Hong Kong with Gatekeeper Grandmaster Ip Chee Keung, from daily yum cha to intense Sam Bo Gin corrections and unforgettable lessons in power, humility, and tradition.
train Chow Gar Mantis in Hong Kong Hong Kong trip from a student's perspective. by Phil Bridges Recently, I was fortunate enough to visit Hong Kong twice to train with the Gatekeeper of Chow Gar Mantis, Grandmaster Ip Chee Keung. Training mostly took place in an unassuming looking building that hides the Mo Kwoon, rich in history and instantly recognizable to practitioners of Chow Gar. Training also took place in hotel rooms, and even outside on one occasion. train Chow Gar Mantis in Hong Kong Training followed a similar pattern every day. First, meeting with Grandmaster for yum cha, something he really enjoys. Then we headed to the school for training. Chy Sau, Doi Chong, and Sam Bo Gin were the focus. Grandmaster explained that without power, the art is empty, so a great deal of time was spent on these very important basic methods. At times, Grandmaster would explain something in more depth. On one occasion, he gave a detailed lesson on the turn and how it has changed over time. Other times he would demonstrate releasing power, something which is far more impressive in person, or suddenly tell me to film him doing Sam Bo Gin so that I could study it later. After training, we would have coffee and sometimes a little more training, or we would go for dinner. Occasionally, he would share an anecdote about his training, or a story about his father and his students. There were often valuable little lessons within these stories. train Chow Gar Mantis in Hong Kong It was almost ne