Build A Strong Foundation
The Foundation Stage is the first of four stages which together make up the Apprentice Level of the FWTS Training Programme.
The purpose of the Foundation Stage is to impart the fundamental skills and knowledge upon which all future training will be built.
As a comparison, children learning mathematics start out by first understanding whole numbers from 0-9. They then manipulate these numbers in the simplest ways, using addition & subtraction, in order to solve simple problems. Likewise a newcomer to the Federation Wing Tsun System starts out by learning the most basic strikes, the simplest techniques, then combines these to solve the simplest combat problems.
Remember though that simple doesn’t mean easy, and first steps are always unsteady. Most children, for instance, will initially struggle with manipulating numbers, but just watch the difference between a five-year old and a seven-year old doing simple sums – once the principles have been grasped, future steps become much easier.
Likewise, most novice Kung-Fu students initially struggle with coordinating their limbs. However as they make steady progress through the exercises and drills, such things become second nature. When questioned, Grade 3 students have usually forgotten how tricky they found their first few lessons of Grade 1. 🙂
Work Through Grades 1-3
The material within the Foundation Stage is delivered across the first, second and third Student Grades, which provide the short-term goals to be achieved. New material is introduced in the first grade, expanded and developed in the second, and then varied in the third to create a stand-alone set of skills and knowledge.
| Student Grade 1 | 1SG Syllabus 1SG Training Programme 1SG Assessment |
1SG introduces the techniques required for the Primary Strategies, and applies them against Basic Attacks to the head. |
| Student Grade 2 | 2SG Syllabus 2SG Training Programme 2SG Assessment |
2SG expands & develops the techniques required for applying the Primary Strategies against Basic Attacks to the whole body. |
| Student Grade 3 | 3SG Syllabus 3SG Training Programme 3SG Assessment |
3SG adds tactical options for the Primary Strategies and all Basic Attacks. This leads to conditional use of all techniques, and rounds off the Foundation Stage material. |
Focus On The Practical
The focus of the entire Foundation Stage is to start building the Practical Element of the martial art system.
Although aspects of all the Five Martial Elements are introduced, students within the Foundation Stage should concentrate on the practical things: Did you get hit? No. Did you achieve your goal? Yes. That’s great!
At this stage it doesn’t matter if your movements are a bit scrappy, you’re a bit slow, or not very powerful – all this will come in good time. Right now just learn to deliver and defend against simple, good quality strikes, and learn to hit back effectively using quick, direct tactics.