Wednesday 5 December 2012

Wing Chun Applied

Wing Chun (SNT) mindset is a coping strategy to enable the hands to conduct two tasks simultaneously and independently under pressure. Nb. Ng Mui was a female character. In reality, even if the story is metaphorical, being able to conduct two tasks simultaneously is globally accepted as a feminine quality it should be a quality we wish to embody.

Emotional state is a big deal, composure in fighting is everything. Undirected/uncontrolled emotion destroys our ability to co-ordinate the limbs to engage in two tasks at once. In Wing Chun we are seeking to obtain control of two points in one timing. 

Experience promotes calm.

There is no ‘right’ and ‘wrong’ in Wing Chun, we all learn from the same forms.

The dictate in Wing Chun is that our individual experience of fighting will influence both our Wing Chun intellect (depth), and physicality (output/choice of tool/style of deployment) in the moment.

For high level fighting, calm promotes two actions in one timing (Tan Da) three actions in one timing (Tan Da and Kick).

Be like a president. His actions are not outwardly erratic. He is calm, methodical, calculated, and astute in his decision making. Wing Chun calls for this character and rewards those with such composure.

The aforementioned demeanour is also essential when facing more than one opponent.

A big man can afford to make mistakes. A small man cannot.

Engineer the situation to be in receipt of pressure, or act first to create a winning chance from the outset. Call him out – swear – anger him, exact control of the situation. Make him move as you desire.

Making him angry makes him incapable of performing two actions at once. Create advantage in this way. Make him play your game and move first, so you may ‘answer his question’ after stealing his calm.

The hands move ahead of the structure to meet his pressure. The body changes behind the point of contact without feeding intention back to the originator.

Wing Chun is a box. Intercept anything that enters your box. Nothing foreign can exist inside that box. The box is as high as the brow, as low as the navel, and as wide as the extremes of both shoulders.

There has been a big change in martial arts since 1997. Testing and evolving modern Wing Chun is not optional, it is imperative to expand awareness regarding functionality and practicality.

We have an obligation to keep Wing Chun current and useful.
When facing MMA the focus of the box must expand downward with understanding that the legs are deployed more often. So the focus of the box must encompass the lower, and stretches to include the pelvis and groin.

Dropping awareness to include the lower is forgotten about by Wing Chun players who seldom kick and have little experience of facing outside Martial practitioners (to their detriment).

It is important to appreciate likelihood of ;
·         Leg attacks – a round kick is the bread and butter of most martial artists.
·         The ribs/flank - open to hooks and round kicks.
·         Take downs from BJJ and wrestlers.
·         Being uprooted or destabilised.

Wing Chun is straight and direct for a reason. It is straight to enable duality of deployment, 2,3,4 actions in one timing/beat.

Rotational punches and kicks are so committed they can only exist singularly – one punch/kick to one beat. If we fail to connect with a shot powered by rotational force we forfeit;
·         Facing,
·         Stability,
·         Balance,
·         Timing - for immediate counter/deployment of a following action.

This is why in combination with a calm mind, Wing Chun follows a straight/curved line with a grounded base to support dualistic deployment, two hands operating separate tasks so control of the centre can be administered to engineer rapid destruction.

When facing other martial arts, sink the stance. Protect the flanks and ribs from round attacks.
Realise when you parry a shot, you are already ‘ontop’. Utilise structure to deal with force, move the feet to disappear.

Keep a Siu Nim Tao mind set – calm.

As we say, Wing Chun – the mood is bright – don’t doubt what you have.

Wing Chun stems from mental output.

Two actions in one timing 3/4 actions in one timing emanates from calm focused attention led by our
headquarters (mind).

Half power is sufficient when taking care of position and using ground connection to cause injury – calm to command from the HQ. HQ to produce multiple actions in one pulse.
Strategy to reinforce physical output.

We have to keep a cool head to employ Wing Chun in the way that was intended. SNT is the root.

We have to keep working hard to keep our knife sharp or the blade becomes useless - This is doing and thinking.

Keep your knife sharp.


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Article from 2006: Wing Chun Illustrated - Proximity.