My first Onecote weekend, 23rd 25th Sept 2005
By Rosie Wilks
Click the photos for larger versions. More photos can be found in the gallery.

We arrived in Onecote late on Friday evening, the first visit for two of our group, to be greeted by Sifu Rand. We quickly realised that a major part of this weekend would include the making and consumption of vast quantities of tea. And as more people arrived, the kettle was never far from the Aga, but after a hard week and a long drive it was very welcome and it wasn’t long before we all headed for bed.

Saturday morning saw us introduced to one of Sifu Rand’s tougher practises; there was to be no breakfast (tea was allowed though, of course) before morning training. Soon after seven, I was outside warming up and doing some personal training.

After another cup of tea Sifu Rand took the group through the Lam short Form a few times, then explained some principles of body coordination to us, whilst we stood in a Chi Kung position. We then practised some exercises to help develop this coordination. Some of us were more successful at this than others!

At this point, I seem to remember more tea, then it was down to the Village Hall, where morning training began in earnest. Sifu Rand, assisted by Sifu Robertson explained various principles of forces, and showed us some applications from the short form. It was enormously helpful to me to be able to practise these techniques with many people, all of whom imparted knowledge and experience, and hopefully, watched me improve a little.

The morning went very quickly, and I left this session with a new resolve to get to grips with the art of falling and rolling properly, something that has eluded me thus far! Lunch was my first introduction to Matthew’s marvellous catering. Thanks to him and all who helped.

After more tea and digesting time, it was back to the hall for a session led by Damon, which involved tuition in Hsing-I Five Elements Fighting. Damon and his group from Leeds joined forces with the Yongquan Association earlier this year. The footwork seemed very complex. I might not have got very far with this aspect of training, but I thoroughly enjoyed myself. I have probably left out a lot of details. Apologies if I have missed anything vital.

After supper, I attended my first AGM. Damon gave a speech, and presented Sifu Rand with a gift. It was all most jovial. Sifu Robertson took us through the meeting; I felt a burst of pride when two of our group were presented with instructor certificates. After the meeting, we all chatted, before heading up to bed. I slept very well.

Sunday saw another early start; thankfully the rain held off long enough to warm up outside, and I felt the benefit of the previous day’s intensive work. Sifu Robertson had left early, to attend a book signing, so Sifu Rand led the morning session. When we eventually got into the hall, we went through the Form a few times at normal speed, then speeded right up, curiously it was something we had to do “without rushing”. Is this a part of slowness? Anyway, it was another first for me. Some push hands, Tibetan wrestling and another exercise in coordination followed. I really enjoyed this opportunity to practice with a whole load of different people.

Finally, we watched several people go through the North Shaolin straight sword Form with my tutor, Graham, receiving a round of applause for his effort.

After lunch (and tea), it was time to clear up and go home. We were all quite tired by this point, and yes, I was very stiff by the time I fell out of the van back in Bath.
I would like to thank everyone for the weekend, especially Sifu Rand, who made sure that I took away a wealth of positive experiences from the event. Thanks also to everyone who spared time to help me.

I am looking forward to the next weekend, and hope to have built on the lessons of this one before then. See you all soon, love Rosie.

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