1. Try to attend a workshop with Sam FS Chin. Bring a friend if possible!
2. Once you get home, continue to practice with your friend some of the things you learned at the seminar.
3. Repeat 1 & 2 as often as possible, and your level will slowly improve.

Good luck!

Peter

PS: I also recommend you get a copy of the system guide.

Thank you Peter,

hi progne, 

welcome to the ILC forum!

as a distance student there are SO MANY options available to you now that weren't available when i first started training.

distance learning workshops are now being held in NY that potential future group leaders and instructors can attend to make sure they understand the material to be able to train on your own and continue to make progress in between visits with Master Sam FS Chin ir other certified instructors.

the sheer amount of video materials alone make it so much easier to begin training on your own.

also, if there's enough interest, certified instructors like myself are also available to travel to your area to present the material in private lessons or workshops, just as Master Chin can do.

i'm putting the final touches on a distance learning program. you may find it interesting. http://chi-factory.com

call or email me directly with questions.

Great stuff thank you.

Hi guys,

sorry that I have to object, but I think we should be honest.

There is almost no way to figure out something as comlicated as an internal martial art without a trainer nearby.

There are some very small self-defense systems that can be learned in a seminar and can be trained with a friend thereafter. But I Liq Chuan? Comeon, get real!  

the beauty of the system is that you don't have to 'figure it out'. the explicit quality of the curriculum and the availability of intensive training makes it possible to learn internal kung fu remotely.

the right information is there and a few training partners is all you need to get started.

Well, practically speaking there's no such thing as an "internal" martial art, but I see your point.

The thing is though, is it IS absolutely possible to learn as a distance student.

I know because I did it. When I started there was no one on my area interested in training I Liq Chuan, at least not regularly.

So I organized workshops twice a year to bring Master Chin to the area, worked hard in between workshops, and now I'm one of the higher ranking, more senior students. It took me about three and a half years to start to get "something", but I did get it.

And that was when there was no forum, no DVD's, no intensive retreats and only one instructor who could travel to your area for a workshop. Now there's at least three.

It's not that its not hard or even slower to learn, but it can be done if you're hungry.

Gotta agree with Ashe on this one. Attend seminars whenever possible, and then work on a regular basis with training partners to master the skills which are taught at the seminars. Over time, you will make substantial progress.

There's actually many good role models within I Liq Chuan of successful distance students. Alex Skalozub number one, Ben Fisher of North Carolina, Johnny Kuo of Pennsylvania, Miro from Vienna, and others.

Hi

Distance learning? What and how in ILC?

For Progne who lives in Wisconsin and looking for recommendation how to get started training in ILC. If he gets into this distance learning at his virgin voyage of ILC, it can only produce students like I have witnessed during the American grading event. I missed the whole point of ranking. Please don't tell me what rank, show me how the ILC skill is done.

Peter's first suggestion to Progne is a good one. It is enough for Progne at this 'moment' to start up his first step to realize his ILC dream come true. The future step will unfold as it should, if he follows what the Founder of ILC GM Chin Lik Keong's repeating advise " man man liang" (slow slow practice/study)

Since I am a beginner with only 7 workshops with GM Sam Chin. I have learned a great lesson from the young Master Dasha in my latest 2011 Intensive Retreat workshop. During the grading event through my camcorder lens I witnessed Dasha's skill and her high standard to uphold the ILC true ranking as it should. She asked the students in question about the difference between the 3 kicks. "yes, you have already said that, now show me how" said Dasha. When the student failed she showed us all how it should be done.  AND HOW! I marvel at not so much her powerfull kick that shook the steel post that held Sifu Chin's Kitchen  above. I was awed how she maintained her neutral as calm as the eye of the storm. She is the product of her hardwork under the great master guildance none other than Master Alex. There is a great difference when one practices with a great hand-on master.  There is no short cut to achieve that kind of true essence of ILC skill.

 I agree with Jadetiger whole heartily

Thank you Dasha. Martha and I will treasure it in our hand to hand combat with King Kong.

Ciao and have a nice day

yslim

in defense of the students testing

1. just standing in front of everyone watching can be nerve wracking and distracting to a student who otherwise knows the material
2. due to the language barrier there were a few questions were the way the question was asked was a little unclear, even to me.

Remember Sifu designed the ranking system himself and each level has it's purpose and requirements.  The early levels (1-3) are just a gateway into the system.  The real skill on touch doesn't become apperant until the students who are level 5+.

Lim:

Distance Learning wikipedia definition here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Distance_Learning

Chi-factory.com is actually a hybrid approach using web video to deliver the curriculum and intensive retreats to begin build the 'skill on touch'. We all have to start somewhere.

Hopefully, this program will provide a solid foundation to student practice and bring I Liq Chuan within reach of more people.

If ILC followed a traditional curriculum and teaching method, I would agree with you 100% that it can't be done. ILC can be taught successfully at a distance. I am another example and only see sifu maybe 3 or 4 times a year.

i hope this helps clarify the approach.

Best regards,

Oops, I clicked 'edit' instead of reply.

<I accidently removed your post Lim.>

Thank you lim... You always make me laugh. See you and Martha soon.

I will be posting the 'Tucson 1.5 Day Pre-Workshop Intensive' details this week, (or as soon as possible, whichever comes first.).

HI KELLEY,

WHAT DO YOU MEAN ACCIDENTLY REMOVED MY POST!!! WELL, BRING IT BACK OR I CRY FOR 40 DAYS AND 40 NIGHTS AND SEE HOW DO YOU LIKE IT... SO GO AHEAD AND LAUGH, HA HA

LIM

Ok, with a hybrid approach (Distance Learning + Retreats) it could work out. I absolutely agree with you in that point.

I thought the approach was to learn ILC purely from videos and webinars (which does not work on ANY martial art!). 

Regarding the pure-video approach: When I see the subtle little corrections my sifu gives me I can absolutely not imagine how you could train by yourself and only a video.

Spoken honestly: It's much more effective to search which teachers are available in your immediate area and to choose the martial art to train after that.

i'm crying with you... on the inside. 

Agreed 100%. I'm not sure where the confusion came from but I don't think anybody did, or would suggest a video only approach.

Wow
this has become a very popular thread, I want to thank everyone for
their honest input and direction.

 I
recognize two legitimate philosophies or directions here. One is that
an internal marital art is not your dime store Karate or some other
blatantly external style (Nothing wrong with Karate or external
styles if that is what you like). The other direction is that one
cannot learn a martial art, especially an internal one without,
correction, monitoring of movement, and a mentoring on energy flow
and power generation methodologies. I still hope to make a weekend
seminar as a start and then explore options from there.

One
other idea expressed which I regrettably might have to accept is that
I am practicing something good in my area, I have been looking for
something different something that spoke to some things I felt
lacking in some other practices. I will continue to explore possible
avenues for training in I liq chuan. Sometimes you have to manifest
the possibility, I will work on that. I have looked at the distance
learning site, it looks great, not only because its built on Drupal
but the info is good. I think in combination with some (read that
many) seminars with live interaction and perhaps a few private
classes to head off any bad habits forming that distance option could
be very helpful. 

Thank you everyone again.

We should be thanking you for the opportunity for some great discussion.

Sounds like a good plan. Keep it up! Thanks everyone for the nice discussion!

hi to all.

thank you for that someone who so kindly to iformed me plavitely in emial that ALLCAPS is generally considerred to be shouting therefore it was lude. solly about that.

i decide to use ALLCAPS for my own short cut to laziness and very bad english glammum. i sometime getting tired of Martha keep telling me "this should cap and that no need to be cap. here should has a 's' there is no need 's'." so i thought i get smart and ALLCAPS and be done with it once and for all. just like chinese wliting. there is no cap and CAP. old habits is hard to bleak but it is fun to tly it flom time to time just to see if i can get away with it...to be lazy i mean.

the most importent leason i ALLCAPS it was that when i tly to use 'quote' flom the post to answer that post. it turned out that the 'quote' and my leply are look the same as the typing go. i lack of computer skill to make them look different. when i did tly some more and the whole dame thing just disappeared on me! so i thought i tly the 'iSMART' and Voila! it work for me but not to the others now that i lealize. i was going to copylight it. one who know myself a fool is not a great fool. now that i can see it will lead me into my retirement for posting.

my self imposed punishment for this ludeness is band flom this posting for life or english glammers improvement,whichever die first. since i am an artist...a picture is better than 10,000 words. and as i stated i am tlying to be lazy..hope you all can see the picture.

Goodbye, and solly to ALL those i CAPITALIZED.

yslim (without martha's prove leading and censor. he he... she went back home-visiting to germany)

There are many ways to see everything. Yes generally ALL CAPS is considered yelling and rude.  But maybe you were excited about speaking your mind and you got up on your soapbox and shouted it out for all to hear.  What ever the case I think this group is hearty enough to take your enthusiasm.  

You guys should all be so thankful to have such a great international group. 

no worries lim, we love you anyway.

actually i just assumed that maybe it was easier for you to see the larger text of ALLCAPS.

fo' sho.