Issue 37 - Tse Qigong Centre

GOOD TABLE MANNERS.You might be relieved to find out that this is notanother article about how to hold your rice bowl and eatyour dim sum. No this article is about a very special type ofWing Chun training.“The good thingabout WingChun is that youdo not need a lot of space. You can even do itin a telephone box!”Iremember hearing a very enthusiasticstudent say this, and at the time I couldnot help laughing a little. However, agood thing about Wing Chun is that you donot need a lot of space and in fact, you cando it balanced on a small table!Now you may think I have beenwatching too many movies (and to be fair Ihave seen my share of them), butthis type of training is actually veryclever, and if you can do it wellthen your Wing Chun is definitelya very good level.Many of you may haveseen Chi Sau (sticking hands)performed blindfolded. Thisexercise shows how sensitive andhow good a person’s footwork is.Without the aid of their eyes theWingChun practitionersmust feelwhat is going on and be able toavoid their partner’s attacks withgood technique. The worse thingyou can do when you cannot seeis use brute force.This training is very good,but to be honest, if you aresensitive and do not rely on youreyesanyway thenit doesnot makethat much difference. Actually,when you try it, treat it exactly thesame as normal Chi Sau, then you will findthere is not that much difference.Personally, I find training Chi Sautraining ona tablemuch moreinteresting anduseful. Why trainChi Sau on a table? Trainingon a table greatly limits the amount of spaceyou have. Not only can your partner hit you,he or she can also push or pull you off thetable. To avoid this happening to you, yourpositions must be very accurate and your useof energy must be very controlled.When training on the floor, you canmove and step in many directions to avoidyour opponent’s attacks and release hisenergy (the force of his strikes). This meansthe amount of energy you need to apply canbe very little. When you are on the table youdo not have the option of moving back torelease the pressure. You can avoid thepressure, but only up to a certain point, thenyou havetouse someenergy tomaintain yourposition when stationary and when moving.The energy you use should be applied fromyour wholestance, not only fromyour arms.This energy (or strength) you use is moreThe late Master Wong Shun Leungshowing impeccable table manners.internal and you can apply it in varyingdegrees or strength very quickly and can alsostop itquickly. If the energy you useis correct,then you can remain relaxed and sensitive.When you start to train on the tableit is important to remember what you aredoing. Often less experienced people forgetalltheir WingChun and begin trying to shoveeach other off the table and this looks veryugly and you should avoid it. It is still ChiSau, and Chi Sau is not a fight or a contest.Also, if you find you are starting to fall, thenit is best to jump down to avoid hurtingyourself or your partner.You should start to roll arms thenstart to play as you would normally. You willquickly find out what you can still do andwhat you cannot. The lack of space can bevery disconcerting at first, but with timeyou will get used to it. What is mostnoticable, is that this training highlightsyour basics a great deal. Any mistakes thatyoumight havebeen ableto ‘getaway with’before won’t be so easy to cover up, andso you have to correct yourself. If you arenot accurate enough you will be ‘hit’, ifyour reactions are not quick enough youwill also be hit or pushed off. If you panicor over-react, then you will lose youbalance and fall off.If your opponent is using a lot ofstrength, then you will haveto ‘let this go’.However, you will haveto usethe smallestand most efficient way of doing thisotherwise you will be pushed off.As your opponent starts to pressforward, you will need to turn to avoidhisstrength. Your turning must be smoothand allow your weight to shift smoothlyfrom one leg to the other. Sometimes youwill have to turn and shift all your weightonto one leg. To do this you will have tosink down onto that leg a little. This sinkingwill allow you a little more room to moveand help to maintain the distance betweenyour body and your elbow, and althoughit isonly a very small amount, it is often enough.This though requires good strong legs.When you train on the table justremember to follow correct Wing Chunprinciples. If you can do this you will learn agreat deal and have a lot of fun. When youget back down on to terra firma, you findyour Chi Sau is more compact, correct andaccuratebyDarryl MoyQi Magazine 45