(十九)以上寫出各條。均經驗也。理論也。眞實功夫。尚須在十三式中求之。功夫純然。自得得心應手之妙。練功時最好少求理論。多做功夫。余曾曰。功夫昔人好。理論今人好。實在理論一多。功夫不專。進境反少矣。拳術界中人多講義氣。學者當尊師重道。厚敬師傅。感動師傅。則為師者必盡心教導。此雖世俗之理。但中國人情如此。不可不注意。愛學眞功夫者。更當注意也。

董英傑

19. All of these items have to do with both my own experience and the principles of the art. To find authentic skill, you have to seek it from the thirteen dynamics. As you master them, you will naturally develop the marvel of incredible efficiency.
While practicing, it is better not to obsess over principles, just practice. I used to say: “Previous generations had better skill, whereas modern practitioners have a better understanding of the principles.” However, if you are always thinking about the principles, you are not really experiencing the training, and this will hinder your progress.
Boxing arts practitioners tend to talk about loyalty, meaning: respect the teacher and the teachings. Respecting the teacher in turn earns you his respect, and then he will teach you all he knows. Although this is actually a universal principle, it is especially a part of the Chinese temperament and worthy of attention, and if you truly want the authentic art, it should be given even greater attention.

Excerpt from the translation by Paul Brennan, to be found in the Brennan Translation blog.

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