This most recent Kung Fu Field Trip was a memorable one. After picking up a rental van the previous day, seven of us met in the school parking lot at 7AM on Thursday morning to make our way to Toronto, Canada.

In Dayton, Ohio, we made perfect timing to eat dinner with Benny Meng (whom I met in Chicago a few months ago) and get a tour of the Ving Tsun Museum. On display were the original "chops" (seals) of old grandmasters of the system...

During our usual 3 hour chinese buffet dinner with Benny ("Dang! This food is good", says Master Li), we learned that Master Li had not reserved a hotel room for the first night of our trip. Best understood from the eyes of Russ (who had worked many 13 hour shifts in previous days to afford the trip), we were not going to be sleeping when we reached our destination. I resumed the drive towards Toronto at about 10PM while plotting various scenarious for sleep. It soon became apparent that things were far too complicated to attempt a change in "the plan". Morgan was flying to Toronto early next morning and expected to arrive at 11AM. Jim was riding with us and had made plans to pick Morgan up from the airport after finding his old stomping ground in Toronto. Our waiting Wing Chun family was evidently expecting us at 7AM... So we drove on and did our best to sleep in various uncomfortable positions when possible.

On the other side of the Canadian border (near Windsor) was a restaurant named "Crabby Dicks". "Dang! That's a bad name for a restaurant", says Master Li.

Expected trip time was 18 hours but it ended up taking us more than 24 when we finally reached Toronto at about 6:30AM. We circled the suburbs of Markham for more than an hour trying to find the Grandmaster's house while Master Li deciphered the directions. Everything was funny - we had passed the point of exhaustion.

Taking our shoes off at the entrance, we poured into Ho Kam Ming's house and sat quietly around the dining room table while Master Li, Tso and the Grandmaster sat in the living room watching a Chinese soap opera. As luck would have it we negotiated for finding the hotel and getting a quick shower before continuing with the day's schedule.

Gathering again around the dining room table later that evening, the Grandmaster and Tso (as the translator) offered us an open Q&A session. This was truly inspirational. Everyone was very engaged in what was said. His answers were, in a word, "perfect" - and I wish I had taped the conversation.

• To a question regarding which movement was best for a situation, he gave the analogy that when you're driving and forced to stop suddenly, do you use the hand brake or the foot brake? You use what is right for the situation...
  
  
• When asked what movements were most versatile, he explained that everything is important and all things must be used together. Which movements are best is not important - it will depend on the situation, your opponent, space, time, etc.
  
  
• Morgan pointed out that Sifu was against weight training, and asked what his rules were. He said that weight training is good, but not when you're a beginner. Learning how to use force and muscles must come first.
  
  
• He gave an example of one the Wing Chun principles... throwing a punch into your opponents chest requires them to react or they will get hit. If they react, you can use their reaction (left hand or right) to control.
  
  
• Matt asked what movements he believed were often forgotten or misunderstood by students. The grandmaster said that you must always know wether you are cancelling or attacking. Never should you be doing anything else.

After this personal Q&A session, we filed downstairs to train with the grandmaster's newest students.

• Punches should come from the elbow only, with speed.
• Downward block is same principle - must come from elbow.
• Tan Sau should be lowered to widen the inner circle and offer more difficult practice. (It is easier to control a smaller circle).
• When the Tan Sau is low, the threat is not real. Response by upward biu or other strike has proper angle because elbow is low.
• Must feel the bone move during siu lien tau. Can try placing a quarter in palm to feel both ends of the bone during form.
• Triangular and sliding footwork offers 45 degree angle into the inside stance of your opponent - slide stops wherever necessary, but continues if opponents structure breaks. When you pick a foot up, it must come down somewhere...
• Lap Sau should be one motion. Elbow sinks to correct posture and hand strikes like hammer with springing force.
• Wu Sau should point finger directly back towards chest to gain greater control and canceling force of opponent.

Other notes... every door opened would emit a beep from a central alarm system - everyone on the family always dead bolted the door after shutting it as a matter of habit... very subtle, but telling nonetheless. All eyes were on us whenever we went out to eat. The all-Chinese community must either know of the family's importance - or be picking up on familiar words such as "Sifu". In any event, we always received extremely prompt and dedicated attention by the restaurant management - and every meal was complemented by numerous exclamations by Master Li - "Dang! This food is good, you should try this!".