Words From Francis Fong

Some of the advice, sayings, and philosophy I received or heard from Sifu Fong over the years...

On what is the best martial art: It's funny, people fight over which martial art is the best. The truth is that no one martial art is better than another. Different styles are good for different things. It all depends on the situation.

The best defense is right here (points to his head) or here (pulling on the trigger of an imaginary gun). That's all you need. You don't need to work out just one finger. You can get a black belt right away. A bullet is faster than a punch any day. But in reality, martial arts are good for more than self-defense. They can help you understand yourself, then you can use that knowledge to help your life.

Don't separate your training from the rest of what you do. Use your practice to help you develop in other areas.

Don't rush through the moves. It is better to take the time and understand what you are training. Some people get so stuck in rituals that they forget motions.

Use your martial arts practice to help you become a better person, that is what is most important.

You may never get into a fight, but you are always fighting yourself. That's the only real fight.

Answering someone asking about the term Grand Master. "You know I never heard this term Grand Master until I came here from Hong Kong in 1973. It's all marketing. People want to be better than someone else. So if somebody is a master, then they have to be a Grand Master. They always try to one-up somebody else. They compare. If they have a better title then they feel superior."

Don't try to be better than somebody else. Don't try to be the best. Whenever you do that, then you have to compare yourself to other people. You either think you are better. Or not as good. Who cares? Everyone should try to help each other get better. Why not concentrate on being YOUR best.

People try to master all these different arts They think they can master ten different styles. No Way, it's impossible. Maybe one, if they are lucky. If you want to be a master of anything -- a martial art, playing an instrument, business it takes a long time and a lot of practice. Years and years, there are no short cuts." What is important is being a Master of yourself. What does it matter how many people you can knock out if you're not happy with yourself? Nobody cares. If you aren't happy with yourself you'll never make anyone else happy either. You'll always be looking to get other people to make you feel a certain way. Like if they are a master, then you have to be a Grand Master to feel good."

Some people think if they acquire some advanced skills then they will become a master and they won't have any problems. Or they think that if they go sit next to a Grand Master then they'll get his energy" "Oh his energy is very strong. I got it" Hah, how idiotic."

Mastery isn't on the outside, mastery is something you uncover, it's within you already. So many of us are led to believe that we're not good enough. Only if you buy this product, then you will be perfect. So many people think that all their problems will go away just because they get a black belt or if they become a master. You know it's crazy. I don't even like the term master.

Technique means nothing. It does in the sense of martial arts but in life" he simple shakes his head.

Your character is more important, what you have in your heart.

Mastery isn't something you get, especially from somebody else. You already possess it. Believe in yourself, be true to yourself. If you are happy inside and are honest with yourself, loyal to your values, then everything will work out.

Remember, all of the work is for nothing if you don't master yourself. That's really the only thing worth mastering, and by far the hardest.

When asked if he were a master: Me? No, no! (shaking his head) I am only Francis Fong, a man who wants to help others master themseves through martial art.

On Sil Lum Tao:

"It means Little Idea If you don't get the little idea, you won't get the big one either."

No one is smarter than the heavens, no one is stronger than the earth. Don't fight against your opponent Don't use your muscles. Let him push against the ground.

Everyone wants to practice all the fancy stuff. That won't matter if you don't get the grounding, rooting. The power is not in your hands. It's in the centering, coming up from the ground through your legs. It's energy stored in your taun tien. Move from your lower diaphragm. That's where the power is.


It's better to relax, Just relax, don't fight against him. Let him fight himself. Redirect his energy into the ground. Practice, practice, practice. Until you get this, nothing else will matter.

From private sessions:

It's not just something for your mind to grasp. You have to understand it with your entire body. You must feel.

You can't just see the move. Many people want me to make videos, but I tell them that video can't convey the feeling. All you see is the movement, so your brain will know where to put your arm. But the feeling is something you can't get by watching. You have to feel it by working with someone who knows. You can't separate your mind from your body. If you think about hitting you will tense up, If you think about fighting then you can't relax, no way.

You have to work on your centering, your rooting. Once centered then you can control the mind. When your mind is disciplined you can control your body. Without control of your mind and body you can never master yourself. This isn't just for martial arts. If you aren't centered, you will get knocked off base very easily. You will get frustrated by the littlest things, you won't be able to do the things you know well. It's not what you know, it's what you do.

Don't give them any resistance, nothing to fight against. Sink and relax.

While doing Chi Sao:

Don't just think from point to point. From One to two. Not like this onetwoonetwo. (very robotic tone) Do it like this; one aaannnnddddd two." (feel the energy all the way through the motion) You don't go from step to step, that's not the goal. It's to flow freely and smoothly while going from step to step. Tune into the rhythm. Everything has a rhythm. Like breathing, in and out, in and out. Not just in, in, in, in,!!!"

Your movement should be balanced and smooth, like rolling a ball. Pay attention all the time, not just from point to point. Be present at all times, pay attention and feel at all times. This is physical and mental, so develop both.

Look without seeing, hear without listening. In wing chun if you get caught up in one thing you will over react or over commit and then you will be caught by the opponent. What ever you do will come back to you. If you push hard, you will get hit hard. Give what you get

There is a saying in Wing Chun "Stay with what comes, follow as it retreats, thrust forward as the hand is freed."

Be like water. It surrounds but does not contain. Don't judge, don't think about good or bad. As soon as you do you are stopping your mind. Just relax and go with what comes. Not just in wing chun but in your life. It is all the same. Don't over react to things. Stay centered and balanced. Practice your rooting. Practice chi sao with your eyes closed. Your will find that you always have balance and rooting. Then you can handle any problem. Your practice will help you to develop these attributes in your everyday interactions

Chi sao is a good exercise because it teaches you not to judge. If you judge you focus on an instant in time instead of looking at the entire person. You no longer feel and you will get killed. You don't think what is right to do, you feel. You must develop your intuition through sensitivity.

You must develop your sensitivity so that you don't rely on your mind so much. The mind can be evil or an angel. The mind always wants something, this or that. It judges and criticizes.

Relax when you are training. If you try to kill your partner on every shot, you won't understand the basics. It will be very difficult for you to acquire the sensitivity and timing you need to get really good. And no one will want to work with you! So when training go easy at first, Then Later when you have the technique down perfect, you can speed up. But don't rush or you will lose your technique, and your power, and your training friends."

When someone got hit at a seminar.

"No one likes to get hit. I don't either. I bleed just like you do. Only in the movies do people not get hit. If you don't want to get hit don't fight. Just walk away."

"When someone hits you in practice, don't get mad. Instead you better thank them. Somebody hits me, I say Oh thank you. You showed me what I was doing wrong." They are your best teachers Not the ones that sweet talk you and tell you how great you are. The people that point out your mistakes are the ones who help you the most. "

When I was accepted as an apprentice.

A master knows that he or she got to where they are through the help of others. Their humility is not just a downplaying of their skills, but recognizing that regardless of your level of expertise, you can always expand yourself through contact with others. A master shares freely his skills because he knows that with each person who grows from that contact, so will they be enriched. True masters want their students to surpass them. Why hold your knowledge to yourself, It only makes everyone go hungry. Be committed to sharing your knowledge and ask your students to do the same.

I'm am not giving this to you, I don't give instructorships. You have earned this by your hard work and dedication. I'm not teaching you just for yourself. I'm sharing what I know, my experience with you so that you can share it with other people.

When asked, What is the most important thing in the martial arts.

"Respect is most important. It's not about who's better than who, or who is afraid of who. It's about helping each other, teaching each other. That's the only way you can get better. You have to help each other. Not like this" (knuckles smashed together) This is no good. Cooperate Push each other, sometimes you will be better, so teach your partner. Sometimes others will be better than you so hopefully they will be willing to share with you.

When asked, What prevents people from improving in Wing chun the most.

"Trying too hard. People want to get results right away. Wing Chun takes a lot patience and time. It's not for everyone. People want to walk away dripping with sweat every time. They want a good workout. If that's all they want. That's easy, I can give it to them. First train your mind. If you develop your mind, then your body will come along.

Use your mind, train and develop it, it's the most powerful tool you have. Besides what is the rush? Is it the moves you want to learn? Why?

Don't compare yourself to me. You have already gotten a black belt, you know a lot of moves and techniques, but knowing them hasn't given you what you want has it? Remember, Master yourself. It doesn't matter if you can kick the sky if you aren't happy with yourself.

The desire is good just remember that before you can learn you must let your mind relax. Taking your time and slowing down so that you learn properly is much harder. Much harder. It's easy to work out hard and keep doing the same thing over and over, but that isn't how we grow. Keep doing that and you will never progress. Take your time Don't rush, go slow. When you practice don't worry if it takes a long time. The longer it takes to learn the longer it will stay with you.

In your life the will be situations that are new to you. Don't worry, go slow. Focus on what you can do. Ask for help. Watch others, don't stiffen up and think you have to know everything. The only way to get better is to practice and when you do you are going to make mistakes. That's the only way to improve. But you have to give yourself permission to make mistakes.