Keep It Real

By David Peterson

It never ceases to amaze me how people are always seeking some kind of “advanced” training, or “secret” skills in their quest for martial arts proficiency. Year after year, it’s the same story as students come and go in my school: “When do we learn the “advanced” stuff?” or “What are the “secret” techniques?” …same old questions, time and time again.

What a pity that some people just can’t accept that it is SIMPLICITY that makes Wing Chun the effective system that it is. In fact, I always maintain that the “most advanced” techniques and concepts in Wing Chun are the ones that you learn in your very first lesson, namely:

1. the basic stance (‘Yi Ji Kim Yeung Ma’) – the basis of ALL footwork, including kicking, in the system.
2. the basic punch (‘Yat Ji Chung Kuen’) – the primary weapon in the system and the basis of ‘Centerline’ theory.
3. advancing footwork (‘Saam Gok Bo’) – the footwork of attack.
4. defensive footwork/side-stepping (‘Tui Ma’) – the basic introduction to the footwork of counter-fighting.
5. the first section of the ‘Siu Nim Tau’ (“young idea”) form – the origin of ALL the basic concepts of the system.

The reality is that in actual combat, less is always better. Having one or two techniques that can always be relied upon, developing a simple concept-based approach that is adaptable and flexible, …this is the way to truly prepare for actual combat. Trying to both master and apply hundreds of different techniques or set sequences for scenarios that might never occur is, quite frankly, a recipe for disaster.

Wing Chun is best described as a concept-based system, as opposed to a technique-based one. Thus, to be able to apply this system in a spontaneous and totally adaptable way, one must fully understand those concepts and drill the body in a way that best loads those concepts, and the attributes that drive them, directly into the neural system. In the heat of combat, there is little time to think and plan; actions need to be instantaneous and there is no room for error.

Drilling the basics, constantly and with varying degrees of intensity, is the way to successfully develop and enhance these skills. While some may view this as repetitive and boring, the bottom line is that unless we have done this foundation training, all the tricks and all the theory in the world will amount to very little when the proverbial hits the fan. The five areas mentioned above, practised rigorously and regularly both alone and with partners, will be the very skills that will enable us to survive the initial onslaught of the adversary and deliver the necessary pain to put a stop to their aggression.

Just those five areas alone can provide the basis of dozens of fantastic  training drills that can raise our skill set and prepare us for the pressures of combat. The tools for ‘Chi Sau’, ‘Paak Sau’, ‘Lap Sau’, “Four Corners” (‘Da Sei Mun’), “Pressure Training” drills, and a host of other possibilities that space here does not allow to expand upon, are ALL involved, developed and utilised by firstly working on them individually, even before practising forms or combinations.

Forget about the “what ifs” and so-called set responses many often waste hours practising for. The basics are what we need to survive, so it’s the basics that we should be concentrating on, not just when we are training alone, but also when we have partners to train with. Instead of trying to get clever with fancy movements or experimenting with sequences that will never find a situation to be applied to, the intelligent Wing Chun practitioner should drill the basics of the system until they are as natural and automatic as breathing.

Who cares if your friends think that you are spending too much time on the “simple” things, or that your techniques just aren’t “pretty” enough. When it’s all said and done, the house that remains standing after the storm is the one which has the best foundations under the ground, not the one that looks the flashiest up on top. Spend the time, …put in the effort, …make sure that you have the very best foundation that you can achieve, and then you just may have a good chance of weathering whatever storm may come your martial way.

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By David Peterson

In the last decade or two, there has been a big shift away from the practice of forms in the martial arts, with many believing that such traditional methods have little or no bearing on modern training. In some ways, this shift in attitude could be considered a legacy of Bruce Lee and the Jeet Kune Do philosophy that he brought to modern martial arts.

Lee famously said that his view of much of what was practised in the traditional Chinese martial arts systems amounted to little more than a “classical mess” and referred to it as “land swimming” and therefore, in his opinion, of no direct value in preparing for combat. Many people have embraced this attitude without really looking at the full implication of it.

What most fail to appreciate, including many die-hard Jeet Kune Do devotees, is that Lee was able to arrive at this position only after himself having trained extensively in traditional forms, namely the basic forms of the Wing Chun system. It is my view that what he was really trying to get across was NOT that forms were irrelevant per se, but that at a certain point in one’s personal development, forms became LESS important than perhaps other aspects of training.

Like the foundations and the framework of a building, the forms of Wing Chun provide the structures that support everything else that will come to make the complete “package” that is the Wing Chun fighter. If the forms are overlooked, not practised rigorously and understood completely, weaknesses will be present that will prevent the Wing Chun practitioner from fully reaching their potential in the system, possibly also leading to defeat under pressure.

Learning a physical skill such as martial art is very similar in nature to the way in which one learns a language. As far as Wing Chun is concerned, it is pretty much exactly the same process, only it is physical motion, rather than the spoken word, that is the method employed. However, the level of understanding required is comparable, and the amount of repetition required to “load” the skills into the neural system also amazingly similar, leading to “fluency” in the “language of combat.”

The ‘Siu Nim Tau’ (“young idea”) form can be likened to the alphabet, thus forming the basis of all that follows. Hence, the first form is the very foundation of every structure, concept, strategy and combat tool that makes up the full repertoire of Wing Chun Gung-fu. To ignore this form, or to rush through it in search of some more “advanced” aspect of training is a commonly seen error amongst Wing Chun practitioners and the main reason why many fail to achieve a standard the fully represents what the system has to offer.

Within the ‘Siu Nim Tau’ form are the fundamental components of every major drill, including ‘Chi Sau’ (“sticking hands”), the ‘Muk Yan Jong’ (“wooden dummy”) and all the forms that follow. To not spend sufficient time on practising and understanding the form is a guarantee of NOT ever fully mastering the system. Unlike other martial art systems, ‘Siu Nim Tau’ is NOT just a basic form – in many ways it is the MOST advanced part of the entire Wing Chun system!

By virtue of how it is practised - slowly, with relaxation and an emphasis on perfect structure, without any attempt to add muscular tension, speed or power - the ‘Siu Nim Tau’ form loads into the neural system of the practitioner, all the tools and reactions required to make the system a natural extension of the body. It allows for a variety of “natural” human responses to be over-written, such that the Wing Chun exponent instinctively responds in ways quite different from those of other disciplines.

Like the re-imaging of a computer, the ‘Siu Nim Tau’ form provides a completely new template for human motions, “re-programing” the practitioner so that formerly “unnatural” actions become the norm, automatically activating on a sub-conscious level. The very normal “flinch reaction” is replaced with an aggressive and efficient simultaneous attack & defence reaction (‘Lin Siu Dai Da’) whereby the victim can become the victor in a split-second.

It is said that the late Ip Man would practise the ‘Siu Nim Tau’ form on a daily basis, right up to the time of his passing. Clearly, this on its own is a good indication of just how important this from is to the Wing Chun practitioner. While form practise may not be seen as necessary or important in other arts, in Wing Chun, it is the method by which we deepen our understanding, improve our structures and develop our ability to adapt and perform under pressure with near perfect technique. As such, it should never be underestimated.

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By David Peterson

In December of 2008, Hong Kong actor, Donnie Yen (“Hero”, “Shanghai Knights”, “SPL”) mesmerised cinema goers in China, Hong Kong and throughout south-east Asia with his on-screen portrayal of legendary Wing Chun patriarch, Grandmaster Ip Man in the film of the same name. Smashing box office records everywhere (over $100 million in China, more than $25 million in Hong Kong), ‘Ip Man’ went on to become one of the biggest Chinese films of the last 10 years, picking up “Best Picture” and “Best Action Choreography” awards in the recent ‘2009 Asian Film Festival’ along the way.

But how much of the film is fact, and how much of it is pure fiction? The storyline is indeed based on the true-life exploits of the late Grandmaster, and Wing Chun Kuen is represented extremely accurately, not having looked so good on film since “Prodigal Son” back in the early 80s. Missing are the usual special effects and “wire-fu” that have dominated Chinese action cinema in the past. Instead, we see fight sequences where the action is fast, furious and largely (in the case of the Wing Chun used by actor Donnie Yen), very realistically portrayed.

So, as far as the action is concerned, under the brilliant direction of veteran action star, Sammo Hung Kam-Bo (“Prodigal Son”, “SPL”, “Enter the Dragon”), the Wing Chun system looks great and the fight scenes are very memorable by virtue of their reality-based representation, even if there is a little of that “chop-socky” razzmatazz going on here and there. However, the historical accuracy of the film is another matter entirely.

There are three main aspects in the storyline of the film that are very definitely NOT a truthful reflection of the Grandmaster’s life in China at the time portrayed. Understandably, the screenwriters have used a certain amount of dramatic licence to increase the impact and entertainment value of the film, but in doing so, have distorted the facts considerably. For those who have not yet seen the film, be warned that reading further will reveal aspects of the plot that you may prefer not to know.

In the film, we see Ip Man teaching the entire working population of the cotton mill owned by his friend, Chow Ching Chuen. In reality, Ip Man taught a very small group of students, mostly the children of some of the mill workers, after hours and in secret, at the rear of the mill for a period of around one year. He did not charge fees for this tuition and it is said that there were in total only six students who completed this training, two of whom, Lun Gai and Gwok Fu, are still alive today. The other four did not go on to teach the art and the best of them, Chow Guang Yiu, the son of the mill owner, gave up martial arts altogether and went into commerce, having never passed on his Wing Chun skills.

How Ip Man was employed during the Japanese Occupation years, after he lost his home and fortune, is another stretch of the imagination. In the film, we see him working in a coal mine, something that he did not do. In reality, he was for quite some time a police officer who was very well respected in his community and involved in several daring exploits. One of these exploits has been adapted in the screenplay, whereby in the film Ip Man breaks the handgun of the police officer. This actually happened, only in real life, the gun was being held by a bandit and Ip Man was the police officer.

Finally, and most importantly, the final battle between Ip Man and General Miura, the Japanese military commander, did not take place, nor was he shot as we see at the climax of that fight scene. It is true that the Japanese approached him several times to instruct members of the occupying army, having learnt that for a brief time, Ip Man had actually instructed troops in the Nationalist Army (in fact, one of the main reasons why he eventually fled China, fearing a reprisal from the victorious Communist government for that, and the fact that he had been both a police officer and a former member of the wealthy land-owning class). However, on each occasion that he was asked, Ip Man declined to take up the post.

Despite these seemingly serious inconsistencies, ‘Ip Man’ presents an otherwise very accurate portrayal of the man and of his life in China, particularly in terms of his adherence to traditional social customs and courtesies, his easy-going manner and relatively ego-less personality, and his willingness to come to the aid of others, all things that he was well known for in his lifetime. One glaring oversight is the fact that he was a father to two sons and two daughters during the time shown in the film, but we are only ever shown his eldest son, Ip Chun, portrayed as a very young child.

We need to remember that the film is, first and foremost, a work of art meant for entertainment, and entertain us it certainly does. It also paves the way for what now looks like becoming a trilogy of films, with the upcoming instalments set to tell the life and times of Ip Man after he arrived in Hong Kong, teaching Wing Chun to the general public for the first time. And it will tell of the most famous students that gained instruction from him at that time, such as his very first student in Hong Kong, the late Leung Sheung, the legendary ‘Gong Sau Wong’ (“King of Challenge Fights”), Wong Shun Leung, and of course, the celebrated martial arts superstar, Bruce Lee.

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By David Peterson

The Wing Chun training drill of ‘Chi Sau’ – commonly referred to in English as “sticking hands” – is one of the most misused and misunderstood parts of this combat system. Primarily it is a reflex training drill that requires constant practice in order to develop skilful, quick and alert responses to meet the basic requirements of Wing Chun combat theory: “Intercept what comes; pursue what departs; when the hands are free of obstructions, attack instinctively.”

Even before a student begins to learn ‘Chi Sau’ they are taught the basic requirements of this exercise through the practice of the ‘Siu Nim Tau’ form, the “young idea” from which Wing Chun grows. The concept of ‘Chiu Ying’ or “facing” is immediately present, laying down the foundation for always being able to take the most favourable and shortest line to attack the opponent, even before the fight has commenced. Thus, when ‘Chi Sau’ training begins, the proper structures are already present so that the next stage – becoming comfortable and confident when in contact range – can then be developed and enhanced.

When properly understood, the practice of ‘Chi Sau’ is designed to prepare the Wing Chun practitioner both mentally and physically for what needs to take place in actual combat when one engages with the enemy, and so it involves contact from the very beginning. However, if the student is not given detailed explanations as to the nature and purpose of the drill, they will be likely to over indulge in the practice of ‘Chi Sau’ such that they invent their own interpretation that leads them further and further away from the intended outcome.

As an example, many practitioners of Wing Chun take the idea of “sticking hands” far too literally, ending up falling into the trap of actually “chasing the hands” of the opponent. Rather than giving them a superior position in the fight, this habit contradicts one of the system’s most basic fighting concepts, allowing the enemy to dictate the course of the fight and put the Wing Chun exponent in a position where they cannot attack their intended target, but instead find themselves in a passive position at the mercy of their opponent.

‘Chi Sau’ needs to be done in such a way that it develops the instinctive skills necessary to automatically change ones line or method of attack only when the initial attack has met an obstruction. It should never degenerate into a game of “If you do that, then I’ll do this…”, otherwise it totally deviates from its actual purpose. When fighting, one needs to remain calm and with the eyes firmly on the target, with just one idea in mind – to attack the opponent in the most simple and direct way possible.

Thus ‘Chi Sau’ should always be seen as a means to an end, that end being the winning of the fight, and not as it is currently employed by many Wing Chun practitioners, as some complicated game of trying to trap the opponent’s every action. ‘Chi Sau’ is NOT an alternative to fighting, nor is it the guarantee to victory in a fight. It is simply ONE of a variety of drills and training concepts that helps to develop the skills required to overcome ones enemy in combat.

One shouldn’t ever think of going out to ‘Chi Sau’ with an opponent, but instead to attack the opponent at the earliest possible opportunity. The role of ‘Chi Sau’ is to ensure that the reflexes are enhanced so as to automatically assist in the attainment of that goal should there be a clash of limbs during the process.

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