As in other intensive courses, in many ways the first training session is the most important. Here the participants are initiated by Grandmaster Wong to enter Zen, or a chi kung state of mind, and enjoy chi flow. As a result of this initiation, the participants are able to perform all subsequent kungfu as chi kung.

Stance training, or “zhan zhuang”, is a very important aspect of kungfu training. Amongst many other benefits, it develops internal force — if it is performed correctly. Sifu highlights some crucial points in stance training as well as common mistakes to avoid.

Grandmaster Wong asks the participants why stances are important. Joe explains that it enables the exponent to be stable. Grandmaster Wong explains that stances also gives speed. He goes on to say that as moving in stances is not natural, one has to practice and practice it until it becomes second-nature or spontaneous.

Past masters mentioned about the subtle joys of stance training that practitioners experienced when they could relax in their stance training and derive internal benefits.

During a stance training sessions, a few participants have some extra-ordinary experiences. Leroy and David, for example, talk about their spiritual experiences. David says that a few times while he was at his Horse-Riding Stance, he found himself not inside his body but everywhere. Granmaster Wong explains that this is a satori, a glimpse of cosmic reality at a higher level of consciousness.

First Grandmaster Wong shows some common mistakes students make while moving in the Bow-Arrow Stance. Then he explains that one should differentiate yin-ynag while moving. Surprisingly, many practitioners do not pay attention to this important aspect of footwork, with the result that not only they do not get the benefits of balance and agility but may also harm themselves with tension and knee injuries.

Having familiarized themselves with stances and footwork, participants learn the four basic patterns of strikes and their four defend patterns. As Shaolin Kungfu is practiced as an internal art in Shaolin Wahnam, it is important to be relaxed. Having the right forms is important as this enables us to get the best benefits from the patterns, including benefits of energy flow and mental clarity. If you are tensed or bent, for example, your energy flow and mental clarity would be affected.

This is the second part of the pattern practice for strikes and their defences. If you know these four attack patterns and four defend patterns, which are representative of hand strikes to the top, middle, bottom and sides, and understand the underlying combat philosophy, you would know how to counter any hand attacks! This is economy of learning. It is also useful to know the names of the patterns as this will enable you not just to preserve an important legacy of kungfu, but to understand kungfu literature better.

“One-Finger Shooting Zen” is a very important method to train jing (essence), chi (energy) and shen (mind) in our school. But why didn't others who performed the same technique could not derive the benefits of internal force? The answer is straight-forward, although it may be difficult for the uninitiated to appreciate or even understand. They only knew the technique but lacked the skill. They mistook the technique for the art. This in fact is very common, and is one of the crucial reasons why many people do not get the benefits the art is purported to give.

The “One-Finger Shoot Zen” session is extraordinary. Sifu Michael Durkin, who is the most senior in kungfu age, thanks Grandmaster Wong for the session and reaffirms his conviction that we are so fortunate to practice a most noble art. In a moment of intense emotion, Grandmaster Wong laments that such noble arts are going to the dogs where exponents take pride and pleasure in damaging their opponents. He extols the course participants to preserve the noble art and pass it on to posterity

Spacing and timing are basic skills in combat. Surprisingly, many martial artists do not have any methods to train these skills systematically. They hope that with frequent free sparring, these skills will improve. Not only is this unsystematic and therefore progress is slow, it is also placing the cart before the horse. Effective free sparring is the result of good spacing and timing (besides other factors), and not the other way round.

The eight hand patterns learnt individually earlier are now linked together into a set, called “Lohan Asks the Way”. One should maintain the “six harmonies” when performing any kungfu movement, be it a pattern, a sequence, a set or in sparring or actual fighting. The “six harmonies” should also be applied in our daily living. The six harmonies are the three external harmonies of legs, body and hands, and the three internal harmonies of essence, energy and mind.