MCC - 383 Black Dragon (Sifu Charles Wilk demonstrates)

The Olympia Session
DISCLAIMER:
These clips are for entertainment and general informational purposes only. We are not instructing you, or encouraging you to do or to believe anything, except to view, enjoy, and think. Never forget that martial arts, like any rigorous course of physical activity, presents the risk of injury, sometimes serious, disabling, or even fatal. Actual techniques should only be practiced in a controlled environment emphasizing safety, under the direct supervision of a Black Belt instructor (in whom you have trust and confidence), and only after you have been cleared by your personal physician.
Archie at 52
Extracts from the "Evergreen" continue, and here I am honored to present my good friend and colleague, Master Charles Wilk. He is still a young man here, and shares the spotlight on what I assure you can be a very challenging, and daunting stage. You can see him here in his early years already manifesting the unlimited potential which he eventually fulfilled over a lifetime of martial arts adventures. He remembers:
"...I was 19 or 20 years old at the time. Although I was a student at Evergreen during this period, the demo actually took place at South Puget Sound Community College. I was teaching a gung fu class at the college, part of their physical education program. I had been learning with Archie for several years and we had just finished a lesson out at his place. I asked him if he would like to come along with me and show his stuff to the students at the college. He happily agreed and the rest is on the tape. We really had fun that night....He liked to do demos with me and we did quite a few of them. Archie liked my 'gung fu' and always gave me praise on my developing skills. Of course he would tease me at the same time. 'Your stance is too wide,' and 'You kick too high, you are going to end up on the ground!', and such. The 'old man' took good care of me. He wanted me to learn the martial arts inside and out. Nothing was ever the same and I never knew what I was in for when I would go to visit [Master] Archibeque. Good times!"
Though only a young man at the time, Sifu Wilk eventually became a recognized teacher, and heads Black Dragon Kung Fu of Portland and the Yama Kawa Ninja Clan (sssshhhh! It's a secret!). He has achieved advanced levels in Aikijujitsu, GunFu and several other Gung Fu styles, and is a genuine Ninja. We celebrate his youthful enthusiasm, so obvious on the clips, and commemorate his evolution and growth in the martial arts by also sharing his performances of "Dragon Breathing", "Drunken Monkey" and "The Black Dragon Form." Be sure to check out: / madchazproductions
Perhaps Master Wilk says it best. When asked about the history of the "Black Dragon Form" he responded, "The good old days. This form was improvised on the spot. My training with Archie included creating forms for meditation training and to help demonstrate my understanding of our lessons."
That's how it was. The hardest thing to learn was "You are your Art! Let go of what others do, and think, and start trusting yourself!"
For those who know him, it goes without saying that Master Archibeque always improvises while executing. It's like witnessing a performance by a master jazz musician. The forms and techniques he shares are entirely made up on the spot. On another day, in front of another audience, all would be different and new. His art truly lives in the moment!
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