Posts Tagged ‘control’

Stance and Handedness

Tuesday, July 19th, 2011

lemur-boxing Lots of people get bit confused when they first start learning Wing Chun. Knowing the moves is one thing, coordinating them is another. They are often puzzled as to why they are having trouble with what should be, and is in principle, a simple idea. But fear not, all it takes is a little practice. In my experience people surprise themselves with how quickly they can pick things up, despite initial frustrations.

What is interesting is the number of people that can just do it off the bat are pretty rare. I’ve met about two, and I’m not one of them.

People are used to doing things sequentially rather than concurrently. Furthermore, seasoned martial artists and boxers, are often the ones that have it toughest. Some need to get used to simultaneous control and attack, which can be quite alien. They are also used fighting a certain way such as orthodox or southpaw, and ask which is the lead hand, etc.

What may surprise people, is we train both side equally. We don’t promote bias, so a weak side should be equalised as much as possible. Of course there might be a natural tendency always, but that doesn’t mean that it dictates how you fight to a large degree. The sides and stance don’t determine fixed roles of particular limbs.

Some people swear by the idea that a particular stance and lead give and advantage, and not doing that will be a disadvantage. We don’t subscribe to that at all. First of all, training the areas that are difficult, if anything in the long term improves your overall awareness, and ability. So it is definitely worth doing. Secondly being typecast and lacking adaptability, doesn’t always bode well.

In terms of stance, we talk of the neutral “goat” (Sil Lim Tao) stance and also the turning stance, and different types of foot work like arrow, triangle, circular, jamming, etc. But really it is just one universal stance footwork and the principles are consistent throughout. I hope to discuss this in more detail at some point.

What can be done on one side, can be done on the other.

The important thing is we don’t judge, everyone get the coaching that is require to get them up to speed.

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The Science of Mind and Body

Sunday, April 24th, 2011

What is heart rate variability and why train it? You can monitor the heart rate/the raw pulse line, fairly easily. Although there are some rules of thumb that you can can follow, training this directly isn’t very good because it is crude, everyone is different and it is context specific. HRV is basically how the intervals between heart beats varies. Variability itself is not a bad thing, it means the heart is responsive. Think of a responsive engine.

However it is how your heart responds that is more to the point. If it responds with a ‘misfire’ or is jittery it is not a coherent response. If you have good variability as well has high coherence that means you body can respond to stress and shock better, rather than in a downward spiral. This directly affect how you feel, and how you feel affects you physiologically and so on.

Enough talk, here are some diagrams, sort of a before and after. First the before: bad

You see a jaggedly line showing my HRV over 5 minutes using HeartMath coherence coach. It is OK for a first attempt, and I didn’t score too badly because the the challenge level was low. I’m not getting nice big looping variations, there is one big spike but other that there isn’t much variability. The line is jittery and not particularly smooth which means my heart is not the coherent in response to change. You can see the percentage value I stayed in low, medium, and high coherence according to that challenge level.

Like I said while you are recording you are using a coach, which is includes a pacer which is basically a dot moving along a sine wave, and the feedback which is a traffic light system which tells you if you are in low, medium or high coherence at that point in time.

Now After: good

Fast forward some months I’ve run the gauntlet increasing the challenge level gradually until I reached high. Then I started at the bottom again and worked my way up, but this time I didn’t use a coach instead I’m sitting breathing with my eyes closed in a ‘mindful’ way. A major part of the success is developing my own variation of sinusoidal breathing (I will explain that later).

So what does it say? Well you have what the call in the business as ‘lovely loops’, with a slight wobble in variability near the end but recovered nicely. 75% is high coherence with the longest duration in high 3 minutes out of a total of 10 minutes. There is no low coherence, and just dipped in an out of medium.

Ok this is one of my better performances, admittedly. However nowadays I’m more often than not ‘in the zone’.

The interesting thing is the heart rate. It is bit higher than the first example at 85 rather than 63. You might think the higher heart rate is bad but not necessarily. My heart turning over nicely, with no ill effects.

One of the main aspects of this kind of practice is you are learning a kind of focus that is outside of your everyday thoughts, and instead learning to ‘be in the moment’. Things don’t phase you how there would normally. No matter how resilient you are I’ll bet you that things going on around you like background noises affect you physiologically. Intrigued? Read on…

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Technique

Saturday, December 11th, 2010

Techniques, which include positions, movement and structure, can be used for defence, attack, or both at the same time. For example, a deflective move and a strike are often done together to fully take advantage of a situation, as simultaneous control and attack is better than just doing one thing after another.

Whatever the moves, techniques take time to understand and develop. As a matter of fact, as you delve into the concepts of techniques, the subtleties can be quite complex and difficult to refine, but once mastered you will appreciate that they are an eye opener for development of further techniques.

When new students are first shown a technique they can become put off since they find it hard and awkward to do, and give up before giving themselves a chance to cultivate their true potential. But the reason why they find it hard to grasp is down to the fact that their bodies are not used to the new type of movements they are being shown body motions that are unfamiliar and have as yet not been committed to muscle memory.

What they may not realise is, that to fully master techniques ultimately demands all the key elements to work effectively together, and this cannot be accomplished in a matter of weeks, it can take a life time to perfect. Nevertheless you would surprised us how quickly people improve through practice.

In other martial arts the component techniques can be are relatively longish sequences, in order to achieve a particular result (such as compliance), whereas in Wing Chun these are much shorter movement of a certain nature, that are not necessary going do much on their own. But as with all component techniques taught, in particular via Chi Sau training, these will be shown how to be applied in many different ways and with many other other combinations to achieve results.

It is through this on-going variety of practice that techniques improve rapidly as the body becomes more accustomed to required movements, at the same time the speed at which new techniques are grasped becomes significantly better.

Techniques are interdependent on the overall structure and moment of the entire body, which comes from stance and footwork practice. So the overall effectiveness is based on all of these improving.

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Principles of Chi Sau Part 2 (Evolution of Progress)

Thursday, December 2nd, 2010

It has taken me quite some time to put together this rather complex topic and finally, after much deliberation, I have decided to explain my thoughts on the typical evolution of progress through Chi Sau training. Ultimately all elements correlate to advance, not just an individual’s Chi Sau skills, but in fact their Wing Chun as a whole.

These elements are progressively developed, where each represent a level of attainment that are constantly improving through practice. Elements highly are interrelated.  Consider for example muscle memory relies on technique. Through repetition of a technique, in time the action becomes embedded in muscle memory.

The following diagram is a guide of how elements are associated with each other. The combinations are not a golden rule rather a way of gauging progress, where the solid arrows are typical of higher attainment and the dotted are common development routes which contribute  help to reach that higher level along the way.

evolution1

Right now I am focusing mostly on the “concrete” external aspects and will be covering each. I also plan to cover the “abstract” internal path later, which is just as important and interrelated, but it is very much a personal journey.

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Lazy Front Hand

Thursday, July 9th, 2009

Fan sau—smanshoaw, what do these terms mean? I could say something like: “Don’t do X or else Y and Z may happen, instead you must do A, B and C”.  But then it probably isn’t going to make a whole lot of sense to most who have only just stumbled upon this martial art. Even those that have some experience may well be play acting in front of their computers right now, trying desperately to figure out what the hell I’m on about with their monitor still in one piece.

Anyway, I’m learning too. Fortunately, I have some great teachers to help me: Sifu Tony and Sifu Kam. ‘Sifu’ being the paternal title you give to a senior instructor who takes class. So hopefully I can recall what I have learnt in good faith, or else there will be hell to pay…

Right, what have we been covering of late? Well let’s throw ourselves in the deep. You won’t necessarily know the core moves or how to apply them, but that does not matter. What you can perhaps come away with, is the general principle. I’d call it a philosophy, but then it is 100% practical and 0% metaphysical.

In the process of sparring, you might do a move such as a strike, nothing unusual there. This may result in a hand being left ‘out front’ (we are not covering other legs here), which is a big generalisation, I’ll admit, but these can be useful to help grasp concepts such as this.

The principle is…not leaving it out there. But not only that…doing something with it as well.

Don’t treat it like a dud or has been, or your adversary will take the upper hand for real. You can wait to react to your opponent, to ‘catch’ them, but this only really works if you opponent is playing ball. This is why training with beginners is good because you can’t predict what they are going to do even in a set routine.

It does feel odd at first, but you tend to work out for yourself organically, which of your core techniques (which you may have learned) can be applied whilst returning, depending on the specific situation. Without going into too much detail, you are basically dealing with the biggest threat and taking control. Back and/or down a little is very effective, whereas too much pushing and pulling telegraphs and can be used against you, because it over commits you. Don’t worry if that doesn’t mean anything to you.

This article so far covers part of fan sau or ‘returning hand’, but NOT the only part, by any stretch. A summary of Fan Sau would be the antithesis of set combinations. It is about total flow, total variation of power, speed, everything. You are controlling your opponent, whist simultaneously attacking, using two or three limbs. That is the idea of Wing Chun, staying engaged and taking control, most importantly continual and sustained attack. It is not something where you move back and forth, and chip away OR just react to block, then strike. It is much less mechanical than that, much more devastating.

Back on track. I have been told to apply this concept to every single exercise we are doing from now on, with few exceptions. However to start off we did an interesting routine, which is unrealistic but very useful when you then go to apply it to real life. It is about responsiveness, how quick can you be. It is all very well saying you must do something, but unless you can get there in time the move is wasted.

I will describe this in the next article which will be called ‘Quickness Exercise’

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FAQs

Saturday, June 13th, 2009

How much do lessons it cost? [click here]

Where do you train? [click here]

When do you train and how often? [click here]

I am over fifty am I too old to do Wing Chun?

No. Unlike other martial arts Wing Chun teaches a high degree of relaxation, relying on conservation of energy, so does not require the same intensity of fitness as some other fighting systems.

Do I need to be strong to do Wing Chun?

No. Brute strength can be a disadvantage because it telegraphs your intentions, and at the same time makes you less responsive. Power is generated through relaxation prior to a strike, with immediate relaxation after for maximum efficiency, enabling you to carry on without dely. A punch or strike gets its power from elbow rather then the biceps, which is actually resisting the forward motion by a significant amount (large muscles are generally in opposing pairs such as biceps and triceps, etc). Strikes are not cocked or loaded, which just wastes time, is too committal and can be read more easily.

I have poor coordination can it be improved?

Yes. In Wing Chun you work towards moving your body and using your limbs simultaneously, flowing in unison. This is particularly emphasized through a type of training exercise called Chi Sau.

What sets Wing Chun apart from other martial arts?

A common problem with learning a fighting system is you need to somehow be able bridge the gap between theoretical practice such as ‘forms’ and real life applications. Unique to Wing Chun, Chi Sau or ‘Sticky Hands’ is a comprehensive training exercise or controlled sparing that does just that. It is characterized ‘rolling’ of interlocked arms and hands and teaches you about relaxation, sensitivity, energy, structure and positioning. Through it you can learn to apply your technique and as well as how to react to attacks intuitively.

How effective is Wing Chun on the street?

All fight situations are unpredictable. You never know where a strike is going to coming from. Wing Chun trains you to become instinctive, to react without thinking and move out the way at the same time, instilling in the practitioner Fan Sau or ‘Returning Hand’ where, once contact has been made either via defense or from attack, a rapid-fire action of techniques is initiated automatically.

Is there an age limit?

There is a lower age limit of 14 years, but there is no upper age limit.

What is you lineage?

We follow the lineage of Ip Man. Our Wing Chun is based on as taught to us by Grandmaster Samuel Kwok who learned from Ip Ching and Ip Chun the sons of Ip Man.

What do I wear for the training?

For the first month you should wear something loose and comfortable and trainers. After this period, should you become a member, a uniform will be provided: A club T-shirt and yellow sash, which required to be worn, every class with trainers and black tracksuit bottoms / trousers.

Will Wing Chun improve my fitness/health?

Yes. Wing Chun provides a good around level of fitness, and unlike other forms of exercise is never dull or too similar. The fitness and personal improvement in class, could intern lead to improved confidence, and achievement outside of class.

Can I start at any time?

Generally we try to get new students to all start at the same time and usually this is every month. New students come to our Tuesday class for the first month and are then welcome to the Thursday class.

How long does it take to become a black belt?

We use colored ‘sashes’ to mark certain millstones in your level of proficiency. There are five levels to advancement through in our club: Beginners (Yellow Sash), Sui Lim Tau (Red Sash), Chum Kui (Green Sash), Bui Gee (Brown Sash) and Instructor (Black). Apart from the three form levels, you have to become proficient in Wooden Dummy, Butterfly Knives and the Pole to become an Instructor

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What is Wing Chun?

Saturday, June 13th, 2009

Wing Chun is a Chinese Martial Art system that comes from Foshan in mainland China. It was brought over to Hong Kong by Ip Man. One of Ip Man’s most well known students was Bruce Lee who was the Kung Fu legend and film star of 1970′s, whose legacy lives on today.

In martial arts speak scientific terms like force, momentum, power, etc can come under the general bracket of ‘energy’. It is important to note that it is the real use of energy through those that is discussed with regard to Wing Chun.

Wing Chun is a very scientific, logical and intuitive fighting system, which is straight forward in thought and movement, with the aim of doing the job quickly and efficiently, using the minimal amount energy and effort, whilst at the same time being direct by taking the shortest distance to reach the target (usually a straight line).

Wing Chun is a close quarter combat system, which integrates attack with defense in order to control—neutralizing and opponent’s attack and removing their defense to initiate a sustained and devastating barrage. This can be done by learning to use two or three limbs simultaneously.

The moves are small in number but very flexible and there is no promoting the use of one move per situation, but rather an ethos of reacting intuitively in the moment and free flowing.

Wing Chun does not rely on using brute strength for power, instead it uses your potential energy, such as from the elbow energy (developed through training) to generate speed and power. Switching this on and off as required, which allows a rapid deployment of an attack as well as defense. After each move there is relaxation, and this allows for greater sensitivity and reactivity in order to feel and predict what is going to happen in that instant.

Sensitivity can be developed through partnership training methods unique to Wing Chun: Dan Chi Sau (single sticking hands), Chi Sau (double sticking hands), and Chi Gerk (sticking legs).

Through such training methods a student:

  • Acquires sensitivity in their arms and legs to feel an opponent’s energy and learning how to use opponent’s strength, energy and movement against them.
  • Refines their capabilities until it becomes instinctive.

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