You could have seen us there, on that Saturday morning: Diego (a disciple of Senior Master Monnerat) and me, with him watching us attentively. In the background, Senior Master Fabio Gomes—always very attentive to what his Si Fu, Grandmaster Leo Imamura, says—was validating some concepts with him. At the door, my disciple Lucas was observing my attempt at tutoring within the "Cham Kiu" Domain.
Well before that, we had met at the bakery, and Grandmaster Leo Imamura arrived bringing important questions about the work that was to be done with Diego that morning. I had already worked with him the previous Friday evening, but the Grandmaster stated that, for that morning, what had been done the night before was no longer sufficient. So, he brought some very direct questions about the work ahead, and everyone at the table watched as I responded.
Normally, I don’t get nervous in situations like that, but on that particular morning, I was. Not because of the people watching, but because, for some mysterious reason, a few months earlier, within the same “Cham Kiu” work, my performance had become embarrassing. At a certain moment during that occasion, Grandmaster Leo Imamura even asked Master Monnerat to assist me—it felt as if some mental "switch" had been turned off.
So, sitting there, my anxiety to show that the situation was no longer the same was so intense that I couldn’t find the words to say what I meant. In moments like that, I also recall something Professor Vanise Almeida once told me, advising me to "lower my guard and stop fighting so much":
— “You’ve been fighting for a long time, try to be a little less Yang, Thiago,” she might have said.
It feels like a competition with myself. But Grandmaster Leo Imamura gently guided me towards what was appropriate and pointed out how important it was that I be able to clearly articulate what I knew. In the meantime, he was also able, in a very rich way, to show me just how much my mind is geared towards "Mobilisation" rather than "Tutoring".
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The first time I tried to help Diego, at the request of the Grandmaster, was at a hotel in Rio, in the early hours of the morning, a few years ago. On that occasion and in others since, perhaps Diego felt confused because of my conduct during the practice, not so assertive regarding what I was doing. This happens because, at the level of work proposed by Grandmaster Leo Imamura, a moment of inattention and you know you need to start all over again. Sometimes he comes up to you and watches closely, sometimes he calls your attention with the vehemence that the nature of the Domain you are in demands, but he also says “thank you” when you haven’t compromised the work.
Because of this, it’s not difficult to practise for many hours. You become so immersed in the pursuit of excellence that the greatest care I need to take is not to turn so far inward in search of what is appropriate and forget about the person in front of me.
Over time, the practices with Diego began to end with a smile from both of us, Diego gives thanks and we share a brief hug. We hardly speak throughout the entire practice, but there is nothing that needs to be said. Sometimes the mutual effort in search of intentionality is so intense that, when the Grandmaster makes a strategic pause and asks: “Would you like to make a contribution, Master Pereira?” – it’s almost certain I’ll say: “No, Si Gung.” On the other hand, when he directs the question to Diego’s Si Fu who follows everything, Master Monnerat makes brief and polite comments. Always positive and aimed at improvement. Then we continue.
Recently, I came across a remarkable video by Aikido 7th Dan, Sihan Ricardo Leite, about the bond of brotherhood within the world of martial arts.
— “You see the guy every day, and eventually you even become friends at work. But making friends is not what defines Aikido practice. It’s about creating harmony, a brotherhood that is based, founded on martial experience. We become brothers when, together, we discover the reason behind a movement, without force. I, the one applying it, find the way to explore my partner’s force as he attacks me, and I do this in such a way that the result comes independently of me or of him. Because we convey the art in practice beyond our conscious capacity. It expresses itself in the fullness of our individual human capacity, together.”
That statement struck me as brilliant, because he managed to put into words a feeling I experienced precisely with Diego on Friday night and, even more so, on Saturday morning. We are not from the same Kung Fu Family, and Diego kindly calls me “Si Hing”, but I want to believe that what I experienced with him was exactly what Sihan Ricardo Leite describes in his video, regardless of whether or not we belong to the same Kung Fu Family.
But perhaps you remember Lucas standing at the door of the Institute, in the first image of this article. As I always write here, amid mistakes and more mistakes, and the challenges of the Kung Fu Life and its practice, I allow Lucas always manages to access everything he seeks on this journey.
That very same day, after the event with Master Bruno at the Hotel Nikkey, we returned to the Moy Yat Institute and spent an hour and a half there practising. Lucas had eaten a bit too much and had tasted some Chinese heavy alcohol offered by Master Bruno. He was wearing formal clothing during the practice, and even with the air conditioning, he was sweating quite a lot.
At one point, Lucas paused, staring into the distance, sitting alone in the common room. I looked at him through the doorway and asked if he was alright. He asked for a moment, as the food was "coming back". A short while later, he got up and continued — now practising the Biu Gwan. He looked much better than the last time I saw him. With each attempt, he seemed more precise than the previous one, and I no longer saw in him the expression of someone feeling unwell. On the contrary — he seemed completely immersed.
With a deeper understanding of handling the Gwan, acquired during the Level 5 Seminar, and the appropriate mental attitude, that was one of our best days. Perhaps I no longer even needed to be there. That’s why I believe that in the future, Lucas will be able to experience this same level of connection with his Kung Fu brothers, through a truly immersive martial experience. That is what I choose to believe.