Pictures for 1974

Sifu Fiedler Started in Hung Kuen before meeting GM Chow

Sifu Fiedler started the Martial arts when he was thirteen yrs of age. However it was martial sport, not martial art, there is a very big difference. After getting into a little bit of trouble at 17yrs, he left for out west, left all of his old friends, and started a new life.

First he found a Hung Kuen school, which he started only a week after reaching Edmonton Alberta. But after he was in Edmonton for only three months, he met Grand Master Chow and started with him when he was 18yrs of age, Sifu Fiedler could not believe the difference of what was taught in a style, "Hung Kuen", compared to a system of martial arts, "Ying Yee".

The difference was night and day. But then again the difference between a style and a system of martial arts is supposed to be different. You see a style of martial arts can take someone who trains hard three years to become expert, which is excellent for police and military personal. The style is much better suited for this type of person.

Where as a system of martial arts is better suited for those who want to make the martial arts their life's work, to make the martial arts a part of their lives by doing it every single day. This of course takes time and dedication for anyone to accomplish. So with that said, a system of martial arts is not for everyone, just as a style is not for everyone, they both have their good and bad points. For instance, what would be a bad point against a system of training. Take a look at what you have to learn in a system, it would become apparent that one has not only martial technique to study. One has to study philosophy, medicine, acupressure, calligraphy, art, weapons training and music, it is a life time of study.

Remember however if it is a true traditional martial art style, they do touch on each one of these topics, but it is but a touch, not in depth training one would receive in a system of traditional martial art.

One has to be very careful when starting to learn martial arts, you have to find what you want to learn and do some research before you start. The martial arts is one of the most amazing adventures one can run into, so please start it properly, find the right teacher, and school and you will be blessed for the rest of your life.

To end this page, Sifu Fiedler always said, it matters not what you study, just make sure you go out and study something. Some like sport, others like modern martial arts, and yet other like traditional, it matters not what you do, just make sure you do it.

Grand Master Chow just before coming over from Hong Kong, and in the first picture, second picture, and third picture he is in Canada, Edmonton Alberta, he came too Edmonton one month before Sifu Fiedler did. He started to work in a Hospital, and that is where Sifu Fiedler and GM Chow met.

In basement of first home in Edmonton

That first year that Sifu Fiedler started to learn traditional Chinese Martial arts was as if he was hypnotized. Even when he worked all day, he would make sure to do two classes a day, and at the club he had to go so he would be there at six every evening, and leave at ten at night. As soon as he would get home, he was told to go into the basement to get ready for class again, but this time with Sifu Chow. Sifu Fiedler did that for years and years. As soon as GM Chow got his club full time he allowed Sifu Fiedler to stop going to the Hung Kuen club, and start working for GM Chow in his club, teaching only black belts and Sash students from all of the other Kung fu clubs in the area, however many were Chinese from Hong Kong, who did not go to any clubs at all until Sifu Chow opened his, and that was when they found the club they wanted to study in, with Sifu Chow and Sihing Fiedler.

GM Chow, master of many Traditional Chinese Martial arts systems

Sifu Fiedler and Kim

Sifu Fiedler met a friend while training at the Hung Kuen Club, his name was Kim. Once Kim and Sifu Fiedler started to train together, they never stopped for years, and all of a sudden Kim was gone. That is the one thing that happens when training, you find a good partner, he learns as you do to move properly, which makes it easier for you and your partner to train together, one day they are gone, and all that work seems to be down the drain. However it happens again and again, throughout your martial arts training you will always find someone who wants to train hard too.

Aside from training in the clubs, every chance that Sifu Fiedler and Kim could get together they did. Sifu Fiedler had only trained for six months at this time, Kim had trained for four years at the Kempo Karate School in the children's class on Saturdays.

You know how they say you never forget your first, well it is the same for Kung Fu training. You never forget the person that was your first real training partner, someone who trained with you, not against,  someone who wanted the same, to be great at martial arts and to always try no matter if you could do it or not.

Sifu Fiedler 1974 when first taught by GM Chow

This is the type of basic block in GM Chows systems when Sifu Fiedler started with him, a block with a strike at the same time was the norm, the Chinese had a saying for this, block and attack together. When GM Chow explained this to Sifu Fiedler, Sifu Fiedler was excited again, another revelation. The fact being if you block and then punch, it is much slower then doing both at the exact same time.

Another picture of a technique from GM Chows systems of Kung Fu.

When Sifu Fiedler first started with GM Chow, GM Chow taught him various arts for a foundation for his Ying Yi. Above is another block and strike, from snake

Sifu Fiedler after one year, holding side kick

Sifu Fiedler said the hardest thing he found was flexibility. In this picture he started to get results, he could pick up his side kick and hold it out in the air for ten seconds, then bring it back to the crane position and do it again, then the other side. He was able to do this from Running every day, and after the run to always do the Full Stretch program. If anyone wants to have a stretch much faster then what you would if you did not do this. And that is to run, then stretch, and then go to class. I can only promise you results.

Sifu Fiedler GM Chow

First winter together in Edmonton for Sifu Fiedler and GM Chow. I know Sifu Fiedler must have been far more used to our weather so much better then someone who came from the tropics. But as Sifu Fiedler says, he must have been crazy for moving to Edmonton, the cold in Edmonton, is cold, cold.  The weather in Pembroke was bad, but not even close to Edmonton. In Edmonton the snow comes very fast, around Oct, first few times in Sept.  In Pembroke it does not come until late Nov, or around at that time, most of the time it has not come until much later. Like the end of Dec. And when he says it is colder in Edmonton, it is colder by a lot, not a little bit. He said that it takes half an hour to get your car warmed up, and to take the ice off of it. Plus when walking along the streets, you can see the exhaust from the cars so thick that it is hard to see the other side of the road, same with your breath, it is amazing when you breathe in that type of cold. When you breathe out, it is so thick and it slowly rises into the air as long as there is no wind.

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