Presenter Bio: David Lovegrove

David Lovegrove is a Wing Chun teacher from Murwillumbah, Nth NSW who also runs the popular YouTube vlog “Wing Chun Mind Force”.

He has practiced CST lineage Wing Chun since 1997, and his major interests are in Sigung’s Chu’s “Yi Sik” (Intent Method) and the enormous power hidden in the ‘Everyday Mind’. David’s conference workshops will focus on these two concepts as expressed in the 6 forms.

Q&A with David Lovegrove

How does Wing Chun integrate with your daily life? Do you ever notice principles or movements of Wing Chun permeating your everyday?

I feel personally that I ‘am’ Wing Chun, as are we all. We are the living Wing Chun Kung Fu. Since the start it has felt like a destiny rather than a hobby, even though I felt that I was pretty crap at it for a long time. Yet, I would get encouraged by admirable practitioners and kept practicing. I am always meditating on the forms and the way of thinking, playing with whatever form or experience I am pursuing at the time. A major practice for me is to constantly mentally find my center point, be mentally there and always move from there, or be there whatever else I am doing (like practicing my keyboard warrior skills 🙂 )

How has training changed for you over the last 2 years?

I have noticed that I can ‘feel’ the rear of my brain strongly and stay there without effort. I have become obsessed with the dummy, knives and pole and have been really feeling how these force reinforce and amplify what we can do in the empty handed forms.

Any tips for training alone, or any favourite solo exercises?

Training alone I listen to traditional Chinese or Indian music as they have a timeless nature based feel that quiets my stressy conscious mind. Time stands still and you can more easily see and feel within. Sometimes I find a wild place with just wind and birds tweeting and leaves rustling, water burbling. I spend a lot of time just being mentally in my finger tips, palm skin and bottom of feet and mental moving those areas in the forms without any other thoughts.

What is one thing a martial arts teacher or fellow student has said that you’ve never forgotten?

Albert Chong – “Don’t think (too much)”
Peter Wong – “Nim Tau is a feeling. DON’T THINK, FEEL!”

If you had to recommend a book, an album, or a movie for everyone to check out, what would it be? (Doesn’t have to be martial arts related)

Zen In The Art Of Archery – Eugene Herrigel (PDF’s out there free). “It hit’s all by itself!”

Thanks for your thoughts David! We look forward to seeing you at this year’s conference.