Do you have Root?
A lot of people who begin taking up a martial art for the first time, such as Wing Chun, tend to be overly eager. Many just want to learn the "good stuff" and jump right into advanced training. Beginner martial artists try to take short cuts by spending as little time as possible on the basics, bypassing the "hard, boring, and mundane" aspects of training like developing a strong root.
What they fail to realize is that a strong root is essential to building a good foundation in preparation for advanced training. Simply put, without a strong root you have no gung fu. What does a strong root really mean? Without a solid root, one's techniques will simply not work against someone with a developed root, and ones attack and defense will lack the necessary force to deal with their opponent's attack. A person who has failed to develop a strong root is like a house of cards, apply modest pressure and it totally collapses .Also a person devoid of a root has no real structure and can be controlled easily by one who is rooted. Without structure, this type of person must rely solely on brute force or sectional power to generate force (such as the power of only the hand or foot.) Although this type of power can be great, it is unconnected from the whole body and lacks the power which comes from one's root.
When issuing force from the root, however, whole body power is used. This power originates from one's root and is connected from the ground-up and transmitted through one's structure. Not just the portion of the hand or leg is used, but the whole connected body. This power is unbroken like the chain on a bicycle. When released; the force feels like being hit by a tidal wave or a sudden shock wave. This type of power is what gives the smaller person the ability to generate a tremendous amount of power compared to someone who relays solely on his arms or legs. In the old days of the great masters, you often heard about persons of a small stature who were able to defeat larger foes with their ability to deliver power beyond the normal. I'm sure such great masters from the past, must have spent a lot of time on their foundations and had tremendous root in order to accomplish these great feats. Besides basic horse and stance training another very useful way to develop a strong and stable root is from regular Chi Sao practice.
(The practice of Chi Sao is unique to the Wing Chun system.) By regular practice, one feels what it is like to have their root and structure tested continuously. This is very useful in root training. The constant forward pressure from ones opponent during Chi Sao is a great way to test the root. One must learn to channel this pressure from the structure into the ground, and issue power from the ground though ones structure. If your root is weak one will simply fall over or lose balance. This is the basic and most invaluable skill one should develop in order to advance to higher levels of training in Chi Sao.
In my opinion, one should not concentrate to much on fancy or complicated techniques in the beginning. The focus should be on learning how to root. Fancy hand techniques or combinations may seem impressive to the beginner, but without a solid root all those techniques go out the window. Without a firm foundation, one will not be able to issue any stopping power to one's opponent, or have the ability to use his structure. One will simply have to rely on external factors like speed and brute force to overcome their opponent. In conclusion, without a root, hands have no meaning and are neutralized and nullified. Without root, there is no gung fu.
By Sifu Michael McIlwrath
http://futsaowingchun.info/
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Power verses Structure
Power verses structure
In the Wing Chun Community, you hear mention of structure a lot of the time. The use of the word Structure as applied to Wing Chun has a rather ambiguous implication. I initially heard the word structure being mentioned during the early 80's in James Yimm Lee's book," Wing Chun" ( Bruce Lee's student ). However, back then I paid it's mention no mind due mainly to the fact that the word "structure" had no significance to me but also because the book failed to explain "structure" in any detail. It was not until much further down in time that structure became a hot topic of interest which for many years had lead to an overabundance of discussion and even a number of heated debates.
As far as myself is concerned, in the 25 years of Wing Chun training and the various sifu's I have trained under, I've never learned or knew anything about structure.It was not until only 4 to 5 years ago, when I met and started training with my current Sifu that I was able to witness what true structure meant. To my Sifu structure was the foundation of the Fut Sao Wing Chun system; without it nothing would work. Without structure one would have to solely rely on power and speed to overcome an opponent and therefore the more powerful and faster person would most likely be the victor of a fight. With structure one could hold, redirect, absorb a force greater then your own. This is the core training in Fut Sao and is what gives the "smaller guy" a fighting chance. Structure can be used to slow down your opponent, drain his energy, or to redirect his own energy back towards himself. The net result is that the one using structure will be able to out last his aggressor and ultimately win the fight. Structure can be either hard and ridged like a rock or soft and flexible like water flowing around a rock. It is what the old internal masters refer to as "the hard within the soft". In other words, the out side of the body (the muscles = external) is soft but the inside (internal) feels hard and solid
The situations I have experienced from my Sifu when I first met him are nothing short of astounding. At the time and still today I am younger, physically stronger, weight more, taller, and more massive. Nonetheless, when I tried to exploit these to my advantage (youth, strength, speed, and weight) it did not work and instead made it easier for him to make me succumb. I also tired much more rapidly then him due to the fact that I relied solely on my physical attributes. My Sifu has always told me," Kung Fu was designed for the little guy to give him a fighting chance". If you're already bigger, stronger and faster then your opponent then why train in Kung Fu. As mentioned earlier, when going toe to toe with someone power vs power usually the one who is stronger and faster will win. Or another way to look at it, is like having two cars with one that gets 15 mpg and the other car going 32 mpg. Even if the first car is better made and faster it will run out of gas before the second car does. In a fighting situation, using structure, one has advantages over pure strength or one's physical size. If all else fails, being able to conserve your energy more efficiently then your opponent surly will give you an advantage in a fight.
Sifu Michael Mc Ilwrath
http://futsaowingchun.info/
In the Wing Chun Community, you hear mention of structure a lot of the time. The use of the word Structure as applied to Wing Chun has a rather ambiguous implication. I initially heard the word structure being mentioned during the early 80's in James Yimm Lee's book," Wing Chun" ( Bruce Lee's student ). However, back then I paid it's mention no mind due mainly to the fact that the word "structure" had no significance to me but also because the book failed to explain "structure" in any detail. It was not until much further down in time that structure became a hot topic of interest which for many years had lead to an overabundance of discussion and even a number of heated debates.
As far as myself is concerned, in the 25 years of Wing Chun training and the various sifu's I have trained under, I've never learned or knew anything about structure.It was not until only 4 to 5 years ago, when I met and started training with my current Sifu that I was able to witness what true structure meant. To my Sifu structure was the foundation of the Fut Sao Wing Chun system; without it nothing would work. Without structure one would have to solely rely on power and speed to overcome an opponent and therefore the more powerful and faster person would most likely be the victor of a fight. With structure one could hold, redirect, absorb a force greater then your own. This is the core training in Fut Sao and is what gives the "smaller guy" a fighting chance. Structure can be used to slow down your opponent, drain his energy, or to redirect his own energy back towards himself. The net result is that the one using structure will be able to out last his aggressor and ultimately win the fight. Structure can be either hard and ridged like a rock or soft and flexible like water flowing around a rock. It is what the old internal masters refer to as "the hard within the soft". In other words, the out side of the body (the muscles = external) is soft but the inside (internal) feels hard and solid
The situations I have experienced from my Sifu when I first met him are nothing short of astounding. At the time and still today I am younger, physically stronger, weight more, taller, and more massive. Nonetheless, when I tried to exploit these to my advantage (youth, strength, speed, and weight) it did not work and instead made it easier for him to make me succumb. I also tired much more rapidly then him due to the fact that I relied solely on my physical attributes. My Sifu has always told me," Kung Fu was designed for the little guy to give him a fighting chance". If you're already bigger, stronger and faster then your opponent then why train in Kung Fu. As mentioned earlier, when going toe to toe with someone power vs power usually the one who is stronger and faster will win. Or another way to look at it, is like having two cars with one that gets 15 mpg and the other car going 32 mpg. Even if the first car is better made and faster it will run out of gas before the second car does. In a fighting situation, using structure, one has advantages over pure strength or one's physical size. If all else fails, being able to conserve your energy more efficiently then your opponent surly will give you an advantage in a fight.
Sifu Michael Mc Ilwrath
http://futsaowingchun.info/
What is Chi Sao?
What is Chi Sao?
In the Fut Sao Wing Chun system, Chi Sao or Sticking Hands practice is not treated as simply a drill or sensitivity exercise as performed by some of the other Wing Chun lineages. In Fut Sao, the practice of Chi Sao, is treated and is equivalent to close quarter fighting. The skills one learns in Chi Sao practice will bring the practitioner to a higher level of development in his art. When one trains in Chi Sao one is not simply practicing a purely physical art but something that is also energy oriented and spiritual as well. When one concentrates on drills or applications one can clearly see that the practice becomes purely a physical and limits development in other areas. As one progresses in Chi Sao, one comes to realize it is not all about fighting but rather knowing yourself and your opponent. When one has reached a high level of proficiency in Chi Sao, the practice of simple drills and applications has almost no functionality. When practicing Chi Sao at such a high level all applications become possible. As mentioned earlier, if one just trains applications and drills he is only training the physical and not the energy side of the art which has no application yet is contained in all applications.
I hear all the time people say, "if your attacked on the street no one will Chi Sao you." Of course they will not Chi Sao you as Chi Sao is a way of training and an attack on your life is another matter. It seems to me people do not really understand the purpose of Chi Sao training, but something one has to realize is what one does in ones training is designed to build and develop real skills which can be applied at will. Chi Sao gives one the means necessary to reach that level of skill of which I am writing of. When you Chi Sao with your partner it is more like the testing grounds of an actual fight. One does not need to pummel your partner into the ground in order to see if what you've learned has any real value. Chi Sao is about control. If I can control myself and my partner during Chi Sao training then I know I have already won and do not need to go any further. In a real fight it will be over very quick. Once a move has been made it will have already ended and either I'll have survived or not. There is no playing; there are no points as seen in Chi Sao competitions.
Another point a lot of people seem to believe is that Chi Sao is merely "the rolling of the hands". Simply put, Chi Sao is not in the rolling, the contact point or the ability to always stick to the bridge. This brings me to another point, that Chi Sao "is not about always sticking or chasing the hand". It's not, as mentioned earlier it's about control. Chi Sao is found in any type of attack and the defense that one deploys in a real fight scenario. Chi Sao does not have to look a certain way. Again, the essence of Chi Sao is about control. Therefore, if I can control myself and your actions I'm using Chi Sao. WCK is very much based on maintaining a bridge which is conducive to Chi Sao training. Chi Sao training has many advantages over sparring. Most styles practice sparring from a non bridge non contact point. As sparring is also a good way to test and develop one's skills it is not the preferred way in Fut Sao Wing Chun system. Since Wing Chun is about controlled infighting it makes sense to use Chi Sao as a platform to test ones skills. Staying close and maintaining a bridge has an advantage over sparring where contact is lost. For a Wing Chun practitioner to be able to maintain a bridge is to his advantage while to someone like a boxer it is not. In fighting arts like Muay Thai or Western Boxing the idea of controlling the bridge is not part of the training, so Chi Sao is not needed for these types of arts. The advantage when you train with your partner in Chi Sao is that one does not need to gear-up as it is very safe to train granted that one has control. In sparring you must gear-up as there is no control and the idea is to pummel the opponent or score points as in point fighting. In Chi Sao, if practiced correctly, one can know he could have been hit without actually being hit. On the other hand, in sparring this is not possible one must hit the opponent. For beginners, psychologically, sparring can have negative effects due to the fear of being hit, and can ultimately affect their confidence and martial arts development.
--
Sifu Michael Mc Ilwrath
http://www.futsaowingchun.info
In the Fut Sao Wing Chun system, Chi Sao or Sticking Hands practice is not treated as simply a drill or sensitivity exercise as performed by some of the other Wing Chun lineages. In Fut Sao, the practice of Chi Sao, is treated and is equivalent to close quarter fighting. The skills one learns in Chi Sao practice will bring the practitioner to a higher level of development in his art. When one trains in Chi Sao one is not simply practicing a purely physical art but something that is also energy oriented and spiritual as well. When one concentrates on drills or applications one can clearly see that the practice becomes purely a physical and limits development in other areas. As one progresses in Chi Sao, one comes to realize it is not all about fighting but rather knowing yourself and your opponent. When one has reached a high level of proficiency in Chi Sao, the practice of simple drills and applications has almost no functionality. When practicing Chi Sao at such a high level all applications become possible. As mentioned earlier, if one just trains applications and drills he is only training the physical and not the energy side of the art which has no application yet is contained in all applications.
I hear all the time people say, "if your attacked on the street no one will Chi Sao you." Of course they will not Chi Sao you as Chi Sao is a way of training and an attack on your life is another matter. It seems to me people do not really understand the purpose of Chi Sao training, but something one has to realize is what one does in ones training is designed to build and develop real skills which can be applied at will. Chi Sao gives one the means necessary to reach that level of skill of which I am writing of. When you Chi Sao with your partner it is more like the testing grounds of an actual fight. One does not need to pummel your partner into the ground in order to see if what you've learned has any real value. Chi Sao is about control. If I can control myself and my partner during Chi Sao training then I know I have already won and do not need to go any further. In a real fight it will be over very quick. Once a move has been made it will have already ended and either I'll have survived or not. There is no playing; there are no points as seen in Chi Sao competitions.
Another point a lot of people seem to believe is that Chi Sao is merely "the rolling of the hands". Simply put, Chi Sao is not in the rolling, the contact point or the ability to always stick to the bridge. This brings me to another point, that Chi Sao "is not about always sticking or chasing the hand". It's not, as mentioned earlier it's about control. Chi Sao is found in any type of attack and the defense that one deploys in a real fight scenario. Chi Sao does not have to look a certain way. Again, the essence of Chi Sao is about control. Therefore, if I can control myself and your actions I'm using Chi Sao. WCK is very much based on maintaining a bridge which is conducive to Chi Sao training. Chi Sao training has many advantages over sparring. Most styles practice sparring from a non bridge non contact point. As sparring is also a good way to test and develop one's skills it is not the preferred way in Fut Sao Wing Chun system. Since Wing Chun is about controlled infighting it makes sense to use Chi Sao as a platform to test ones skills. Staying close and maintaining a bridge has an advantage over sparring where contact is lost. For a Wing Chun practitioner to be able to maintain a bridge is to his advantage while to someone like a boxer it is not. In fighting arts like Muay Thai or Western Boxing the idea of controlling the bridge is not part of the training, so Chi Sao is not needed for these types of arts. The advantage when you train with your partner in Chi Sao is that one does not need to gear-up as it is very safe to train granted that one has control. In sparring you must gear-up as there is no control and the idea is to pummel the opponent or score points as in point fighting. In Chi Sao, if practiced correctly, one can know he could have been hit without actually being hit. On the other hand, in sparring this is not possible one must hit the opponent. For beginners, psychologically, sparring can have negative effects due to the fear of being hit, and can ultimately affect their confidence and martial arts development.
--
Sifu Michael Mc Ilwrath
http://www.futsaowingchun.info
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)