How much art is in your martial art?
Ramblings about martial ART, seminar feedback, exercise variety, Wing Tsun Chi-Sau, teaching skills and learning methods.
This year I had once again the pleasure to work with many of our instructors and students during very intensive and exciting seminars and special topic classes. The questions and the feedback though, reminded me at times of my years of training in Europe. During any given seminar it happened, that my Sifu gave an explanation, showed a drill, demonstrated a exercise followed by one typical result. Afterwards four Wing Tsun practitioners seemed to have six opinions about what they should do! :-) Apparently following the clear guidelines: "I know you believe what you think I said, but I'm not sure that what you heard is what I really meant, compared to what I showed you and you think you saw!"
Exercise #1 - repeat the previous sentence 10 times ... really fast!
OK, seriously. This year now, some of the feedback that came months later, showed me how paramount it is to ask questions immediately. If you worry that a instructor might be offended by your question, then you are in the wrong place. Yes, a martial arts school cannot be a democratic discussion circle. Nevertheless, any good instructor invites his students to ask questions.
What follows, what I am writing about here, derives from personal conversations and students who then expressively allowed me to use the material in an open forum.
My answers in the following dialogue may seem to be a bit harsh. However, those who have worked with me, know how often during otherwise serious training we end up laughing with each other. After all, a hobby or profession like Wing Tsun should be fun and yes, at times even entertaining.
1. After a seminar headlining the importance of knockout punches, the need for striking power I was told:
"You appeared to demonstrate much more power today than usual. It was quite rough for me."
Anybody who knows me is aware of the fact, that our training goes both ways. I always invite people to hit me as hard as they can to the upper body, stomach, even side of the neck. Then I show them what I mean by talking about a deeply rooted yet upright and flexible stance, the difference of a stiff punch that makes you bounce off your training partner and the relaxed (whiplash-like) punching power, which causes you (almost!) to drop on the spot. Nobody has ever been injured in my classes, or takes away lasting pain. You can show the desired effect and everybody is still having fun. But yes, every now and then it has to be a bit rough.
Why you ask?
HOW could you otherwise ever expect to learn to defend yourself against a violent attack, more so from a person who may not fear getting hurt? I prefer to be the person who gives you a hard time, show you that you still have to train hard as compared to an attacker laughing into your face and then striking you down.
2. After another seminar: "We spent a lot of time on beginners’ exercises. Emmh, maybe too long?"
OK, this is human, happened to me too when joining seminars. Although there is a difference between a truly boring seminar and the one where you need to realize, you have to train bloody hard, you have to find out that your skills are not good enough yet. While on the other side, if I would show you all kinds of fancy exercises, it might give you the impression of having advanced extraordinarily.
The topic of misjudging the difference between “beginners exercise” and just not having enough basic skills, is relevant in many areas, I often talk to some of my colleagues, to Steve about fitness or to Sebastian about Salsa. In fitness, some clients want to do advanced exercises, yet can't perform the very basics clean and safe. In Salsa some dancers want to show-off, yet can't do basic spins or steps, and end up being out of sync and stepping their dance partner on the toes. Hey, way to go! ... NOT!
3. Insert your favourite here: "We didn't do any Lat-Sau!" "There was no Chi-Sau!" "We didn't do any kicks today!" "We didn't do any punches!" "There was no form training!"
Every one of my seminars features a special topic, usually presented in a different way than in our regular group classes. After all, a seminar should be a special event. So, some seminars feature a specific Chi-Sau topic but no Lat-Sau, another seminar is about kicks and counter kicks but no Chi-Sau. As you can imagine, the list could go on. Very clear advice here: Join more seminars and you will eventually get everything. I absolutely dislike seminars that are being directed at pleasing everyone, in a manner of doing a bit of everything, but nothing intense enough, ergo no lasting skill is being created.
4. "I am training Wing Tsun for many years! Why did I have to do so many chain punches tonight? My arms fell off!"
Well, there you have your answer already. Experience and years of training do not necessarily translate into punching power. My standard response here: "When did you train the last time and ended being on the floor on your knees and arms, sweat dripping on the floor, your wet shirt stuck to your body, sweat running down your legs inside your pants, almost unable to get up????" Sorry, one question mark doesn't do it here. Don’t tell me; Answer yourself and we'll talk again about too many punches (or kicks, or Chi-Sau, or Lat-Sau).
Wise quote:
It’s not about when you started your training, it isn't the number of years you have practiced, not even the number of hours you have put into those years; it is solely the intensity and passion you have put into those hours!
4. "We did this Blitz-Defense "stuff" today. Wasn't this more for beginners and kind of against many concepts I know in Wing Tsun?"
Counter question: Are you a advanced instructor who has been training Wing Tsun an average of 20 to 40 hours a week(!) for the past years? If not, you may not know everything yet about Wing Tsun. I don't want to get into details of, or the history behind Sifu Kernspecht's Blitz-Defense. But it contains very advanced techniques and concepts, for example from the (WingTsun) Biu-Tze form, the wooden dummy form. Unless you have received a lot of lessons in those topics, listen observe and train!
Especially in those programs other questions come up:
5. "Why should I withdraw my fist to have more power?"
You just punched me and nothing happened. Until the punches can be executed "technically right", you need every help to get at least something out of your punching. Picture reality; Nothing is worse than defending yourself, punching the attacker, but nothing happens; he only gets angry and rips your head off! Sorry, sometimes I have to paint a bloody picture, to get my message across.
5.a "I would rather do a finger strike or a palm strike, why are we supposed to do a hammer fist?"
What do you want to do? Tickle the opponent to death with weak finger pokes, or for now withdraw your arm a little bit and achieve at least some impact with a hammer fist?!
Where do those questions come from? Well, first of all, I welcome all questions. Those kind of questions are extremely helpful to clarify misunderstandings. But, YOU have to ask them!!
Let's look at only one exercise in the Wing Tsun system of self-defense: Chi-Sau (or Chi-Sao), often considered the "soul of Wing Tsun" (Wing Chun, Ving Tsun), translated as "sticky hands", or better "sticky arms" or what I prefer "clinging arms". Is it just me? The term "sticky hands" always sounds as if day's training doesn't include the occasional shower.
Most interpretations for Chi-Sau go towards sensitivity drill or tactile sensory exercise. In simpler terms: Our arms learn while establishing contact with (the arms) of the opponent, to feel the direction, speed and even strength of an attack. Well, this should of course not mean, that we go arm hunting, chasing after the other guys arms.
But right now I don't want to go further into what Chi-Sau is or isn't.
How do we train Chi-Sau? Let’s not look at specific techniques, or the various Chi-Sau sections in Wing Tsun. Let's look at very "simple" Poon-Sau. For the brief description of the following exercises I assume that the insider, our students, know what I am writing about.
Chi-Sau exercise block 1: dealing with variations of Distance
- training partners train as far apart as possible
- Chi-Sau positions in 'regular' distance
- as close as possible, while punching out of 2 or 3 inch distance, for example almost collapsed Tan-Sau still protects, etc.
Chi-Sau exercise block 2: dealing with variations of Speed
- train as slow as possible, feeling all the muscle connections, improve your posture, work on your core, become aware of joint positions and movements (from toes to fingertips!)
- 'regular' speed as practiced most of the time in training
- fast, until neither partner has the time to consciously chose their next action
Chi-Sau exercise block 3: dealing with variations of Strength
- use barely any strength, employ the lightest touch possible
- train with ‘regular’ strength
- give each other every ounce of power you can deliver (Bruce Lee’s “bull Chi-sau”)
Why only three examples in each exercises block? Well, they stand for minimum, optimum and maximum setting for the sake of explaining the particular exercise. You can of course vary your speed, the strength and distance in many different ways, also according to size, weight, strength, skill of your training partner.
Want to improve? Help and support each other. Talk to each other. Point out problems.
Is all that, the previous exercise recommendations, now traditional or modern, original or ultimate Wing Tsun (Wing Chun, Ving Tsun)? Is it following the right lineage? Is it European or Eastern? Authentic? Dynamic? Advanced?
Who cares!
Not your Tan-Sau of death, nor your Bong-Sau of disaster will help you. Unless your timing is good and you can maintain your balance. Unless your hand and footwork coordination goes along with a good sense for distance. Unless you can combine mobility and fluidity of your actions and you are capable of delivering striking power. Unless you can also take some action! Every martial artist is human. Martial arts are human-made and so open to interpretation, the good and the bad, the excellent and unique and the horrible. It's a martial ART!
Warning! Long sentence!
The average talented, medium training time investing, can't go to the office with a black eye, also having other hobbies, Wing Tsun student faces the following situation: He or she would like to be able to shock the opponent out of an element of surprise, having just prior been perceived as a victim, and now strike the attacker into momentary defensive action, only to get as the end-result a chance to run away.
How to achieve that? Train under increasing stress. Improve towards a healthy level of confidence. Become aware of your surroundings ... And you will be less likely chosen as a victim. That is a big thing. Now we are getting somewhere.
Wing Tsun Kung Fu is Eastern boxing at its finest and features a variety of training methods, to greatly improve the development of punching technique and striking power.
I have always liked Jack Dempsey's quote from 1950: "To protect yourself with your fists you MUST become a knockout puncher.”
In the end, what is the solution? Dare I say it's simple?! Go to as many classes, seminars, lessons as possible and you will eventually get all facets of this beautiful art, pardon me, Martial Art. Otherwise, you may always get stuck with only parts of a whole.
Epilogue
During a large seminar in the early 90's I saw two Wing Tsun practitioners preparing, warming up for their test by going through several Wing Tsun Chi-Sau sections. Arms were flying, punches found their way into every hole in the defenses of the other side, a firework of Fak-Sau's, palm strikes, turning stances, smooth footwork. It looked great, fast and powerful. Many were watching and whispering, nodding their heads in admiration of the skills demonstrated. Soon the grandmaster started to work with the first of those guys. Now it didn't look so good anymore, balance was lost, feet were dragging, stiff arms were trying to hold on to him. What the heck happened? Yes, a skilful instructor who stays on top of his own training can make even a skilled student look bad. However, this wasn't the case. Those two guys had choreographed their actions so wonderfully, that while with each other everything worked. As soon as outside stimulation was not cooperative, their “skills” fell apart; sudden pulling and pushing action broke their balance. There was no real life in their actions, no passion, there was no ART in their martial art.
My short definition for Wing Tsun? - Adaptation to Chaos!
Have fun and train hard :-)
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