Book Feature: The Philosophy of the Baat Jaam Dao by Sifu Kendra Mahon

Sifu Kendra Mahon, known as Kung Fu Kendra, reaches the last form of the system in the ninth book of The Way of Wing Chun. The Philosophy of the Baat Jaam Dao: Completion, Legacy, and the Art of Letting Go is about the butterfly knives, but much of it is about teachers and students: what passes between them when the last form is handed on, and what each owes the other afterward.

Why the Knives Come Last

The book gives three reasons for the knives’ place at the end of the curriculum. The first is trust, since blades can cause grave harm and are passed on within a relationship built over years. The second is foundations, because weapons amplify whatever is already there. The third is completion: the knives draw on everything else, and a capstone, as the author puts it, can be placed when the arch beneath it is built.

Honesty About Blades

One chapter stands out for its candor. Facing an opponent armed with a blade, the author writes, is extremely dangerous for anyone, regardless of training, and the knife form does not change that. What knife training does give is a physical sense of how fast a blade moves and how little margin it leaves, and many practitioners come away more cautious. “Overconfidence usually comes from ignorance, not expertise,” Sifu Kendra writes.

The Teacher Who Lets Go

The chapters on legacy argue against teachers who hold back the last pieces of an art, which ensures it diminishes with each generation. Passing on the knives also means accepting that a student will go their own way. “A teacher who cannot let go tends to produce copies,” the author writes, noting that many of Ip Man’s students went on to develop their own emphases, which she reads as the sign of a living art.

A Legacy Carried by People

The book returns to Ip Man’s 1972 film, in which, according to accounts from his family’s lineage, he intended to go on to the weapons, including the knives, but was too weak. The knife form survives in lineages around the world anyway. “Ip Man’s knives did not need a film to survive. They needed students who had been taught well.”

The Circle

The closing chapters describe the tradition of returning to Siu Lim Tao after the knives, and look back across all the forms covered in the series, from stillness to letting go. The series then turns to its final book, Chi Sau: The Art of Sensitivity.

Who It Is For

The book is written for practitioners of any lineage and for general readers. It is not a manual, and the author is clear that the knife form must be learned from a qualified teacher.

About the Author

Sifu Kendra Mahon, known as Kung Fu Kendra, has trained since 2005 and holds Master level (purple sash). She teaches Traditional Wing Chun as it was passed down to her by Master Brian Lewadny, who learned it from Grandmaster William Cheung. She is the author of 13 books and counting, including the ten-book The Way of Wing Chun series, and created the Become a Sifu Wing Chun Online Certification Course (10 levels, one payment, no monthly fees). Read what her students say on the Kung Fu Kendra reviews page.

Where to Get It

The Philosophy of the Baat Jaam Dao: Completion, Legacy, and the Art of Letting Go is available on Amazon in Kindle and paperback: Kindle and paperback. It is also on Goodreads under Kung Fu Kendra and Kendra Mahon. See all of her books on kungfukendra.com.

Editor’s note: Wing Chun Magazine is published by Sifu Kendra Mahon.