About the Author
Jim Fung is the head instructor for master Jim Fung’s International Wing Chun Academy, which he established in Australia in 1973. He is a Life Director for the Hong Kong Ving Tsun Athletic Association. His school offers government-accredited courses in wing chun instruction. More information may be found on his Web site at wing-chun.com.au
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Chi Sao: Thinking with Your Arms, By Jim Fung
This article is courtesy of and © CFW Enterprises Incorporated. All Rights Reserved.
Within wing chun, chi sau (sticking hands) is a fundamental and unique exercise. Onlookers are fascinated by the seemingly effortless lightning speed and reflexes of the wing chun practitioner performing chi sau.
Traditionally, many wing chun schools devote a lot of time to practicing chi sau because it is like a summary of techniques and training from the three wing chun empty-hand forms. Noteworthy also is that jeet kune do, which was developed by the late Bruce Lee, takes part of its form from wing chun chi sau.
The Uniqueness Of Chi Sau
Chi sau is unique because the practitioner’s arms are trained to respond automatically without prior thought. Unlike sparring in some other martial arts disciplines, which is more choreographed and predetermined, chi sau is a reflexive action.
When practicing chi sau you learn to deflect fast punches without the use of brute force and with no hard blocking. In most cases a skilled wing chun practitioner can trap his attacker with one hand and leave his second hand free to strike through. These movements are all done in a split second. A well-trained practitioner is usually able to hit through any opening in practice or in combat.
Skilled wing chun practitioners can develop power throughout their arms. This power is generated not through using sheer physical strength, but through using thought force. This capability is acquired through proper training in the sil lum tao form. Wing chun students seek to defeat their opponents by applying the strongest force along their arms onto the weakest point of their attackers.
Unless a student is skilled in chi sau he will have a weakness somewhere along his arm area, whether his punch is stable, attacking or defending.
Working the wing chun arms trains you to have a circle in front of your body. This circle is achieved through the tan fook sao bong training once two-hand forms are connected. When rotated, this circle generates a sphere and can then act as a superior self-defense mechanism. Whenever the attacker engages your circle his force is instantly deflected, absorbed or neutralized. The attacker is neutralized as he tries to hit through the circle’s rotating structure. The circle fulfills the role of an impenetrable shield.
Chi Sau In Self-Defense
Masters from all generations focus on chi sau because it is one of the most important aspects of wing chun training. Chi sau displays the need for reflex action, speed, and awareness in real-life situations to gain the upper hand. It trains your arms to have a mind of their own. This is important because:
Awareness allows you to search for an opening — During any type of combat unless the opponent can be immediately knocked out with one blow you will be involved in combat that engages you in arm contact. When your arms engage you can either hit straight through with one arm or with both arms acting together. Or you may find an opening that results from the way the attacker is holding his arm.
Arms like guided missiles put you in a winning position — One of most important points to note about sil lum tao training is to always focus your force toward your attacker’s centerline, which is also where your own equilibrium point lies. So like guided missiles your arms should launch toward your attacker’s most vulnerable area. This forces him into the more submissive role of defender.
Reflex actions allow for split-second reactions — Part of the basis
of wing chun training is to cultivate forward force, which is directed to
the vulnerable points of your attacker’s body. Whenever the other
person disengages his arms, this forward force helps you strike through
without using premeditated movements. The whole action is akin to a spring
coil. You can perform this kind of reflex action after achieving the kind
of sensitivity in the arms, which comes through chi sau training.
When the wing chun arms are formed into a circle shape and force is fairly
evenly distributed around its circumference, there are no weak points along
the arms and you have created a strong structure. This means any brute force
directed against a wing chun student can be absorbed and any blows neutralized.
For the attacker it is like trying to hit through a constantly rotating,
big leather basketball. This strategy makes it difficult for blows to reach
their mark. In fact, their brute force may even be redirected against them.
Conclusion
By using chi sau the student is equipped to either hit through, redirect, absorb, or neutralize the attacker’s force and overcome those who are bigger and stronger.