Articles – Page 4 – Wing Chun Lexicon

Chum Kiu the second form

by Dan Knight

Chum Kiu or Seeking the Bridge

There are two main points in Chum Kiu: to avoid [attacks] by turning, and to be stable. I practiced the Lan Sau turning movement in Chum Kiu every day, all day for three months, but my father wouldn’t teach me the next movement until I got it right. “You think three months is a long time?” he said, “I followed my master for three years!”– Ip Chun

Wing Chun’s second form

Wing Chun kung fu’s second form, Chum Kiu builds on the base of knowledge learned in the first form and teaches the practitioner how to use these skills under different conditions ie. with movement and turning.

The Goals / Benefits of Chum Kiu

Chum Kiu makes the student practice a number of useful skills. Some of the benefits of training Chum Kiu are as follows.

Practice using the turning or Yiu Ma, with techniques to help generate power in strikes and blocks.
Introduces kicking techniques to the student. Kicking is a vital weapon/component in Wing Chun.
Introduces Biu Ma stepping to the student. Essential for being able to chase down a target or close the distance to the opponent.
Practicing the turning will improve the students balance and structure.
The student will learn to coordinate 2 way energy along side movement. For example the Lap Sau and strike. Or later Bong Sau, Wu Sau together with stepping.

The Second Forms’ Structure

Ip Chun Lan Sau from Chum Kiu

The first section of Chum Kiu teaches how to use turning and techniques at the same time, for example the Bong Sau and Wu Sau are performed whist turning and shifting the body weight from one leg to the other. This is teaching the practitioner to use the hips to develop power or Yiu Ma as it’s called in Cantonese. Yiu Ma and body movement in general, is not present in the first form. Chum Kiu is also teaching the practitioner about body positioning when using techniques like the Bong Sau which becomes considerably more effective when combined with turning.

The first section also introduces two way energy as seen when the Lan Sau arm Laps back and a straight punch is delivered. This enables the practitioner to deliver more devastating blows with relative ease as the Laping arm is enabling the transfer of power across the body as the force can flow as one motion without interruption, with the addition of pulling your opponent off balance, the target will also be moving into the punch and so additional damage will be caused. The key to doing this is to learn how to use all the muscles in your body in a short sequence ie. your hips and legs turn and start generating some power, which is then carried on my the shoulders and finally the arm. If you miss time this, you end up just striking with your arm and not using the power of your whole body. The only way to develop this skill is through practice. Chum Kiu is a vitally important way to practice synchronizing the body’s movements to work as one unit.

Tip If you can’t do the turning Lan Sau in the first section quickly and powerfully without loosing balance, you need to practice more. It should feel natural. If it doesn’t get your sifu to help you do the movement until it feels natural and comfortable.

Samuel Kwok doing the Bong Sau in the Chum Kiu form The second and third sections introduces Wing Chun stepping, this, when combined with techniques, this enables the safe bridging of the gap between the practitioner and his/her opponent. Hence the form is called Chum Kiu or ‘seeking the bridge’. It is with contact that the Wing Chun practitioner has his/her biggest advantage, this is, after all one of the areas Wing Chun specializes in and is a big part of why we do Chi Sau. Furthermore the second section of Chum Kiu is building on Sil Lim Tao by making the practitioner use both footwork and kicks with hand techniques such as blocks/covers.

Chum Kiu also introduces the Wing Chun practitioner to three different kicks, a lifting kick to block others kicks as done by Ip Chun, a front kick which can be aggressive or defensive as used by Ip Ching, and a turning kick which again can be used to stop the advance of an attacker or strike them if they try to get around the practitioner. The Wing Chun kicks like hand techniques are non committal and do not compromise the balance of the practitioner in any significant way. This is due to their speed and lack of height. Most kicks are delivered to targets below the waist, like the groin or knees.

Also throughout the practice of Chum Kiu the practitioner must use both hands at once. Although this is done in Sil Lim Tao, when both hands are used in the first form they perform the same action whereas in Chum Kiu they do different things, requiring a higher level of ability and concentration from the practitioner.

Therefore Chum Kiu builds on Sil Lim Tao.

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WING CHUN LESSONS, SIU LIM TAO

WING CHUN LESSONS

SIU LIM TAO

By Wing Chun Academy of Thailand, Daniel Y. Xuan

SECTION ONE

Preparation

1. Like any form of exercises or sports, do not perform Siu Lim Tao right after a meal. Make sure you have given your system at least an hour to digest the food.
2. Do not wear restrictive clothing as you will tire out sooner.
3. Perform Siu Lim Tao (SLT) in an area with fresh flowing air. You will need plenty of oxygen.
4. Make sure that you are in a relaxed state of mind. Tension knots up your channels. You are not only exercising your physical body, but your inner Qi as well.

5. After finishing each round, massage your knees, elbows and other joints to help the blood and Qi circulate.

Lesson Structure

1. The SLT lessons are structured to show you the moves sequentially first, frame by frame
2. The moves are detailed and analysed next.
3. Then videos or more pictures are presented for further analysis.

How To Learn It On Your Own

1. First look at the sequence frames to have a mental picture of the sequence.
2. Then study the details and explanations. This is very important. Knowing the purpose of the moves helps you perform them correctly.
3. Stand in front of a full-length mirror, and place the instructions on a (music) stand for referral.
4. Perform each move, according to the illustration and instructions.
5. Call out the name for each move. This will not only help you remember the sequence, but remind you of the details for the moves. In the future, it will help you teach your students.
6. Treat each move individually. Do not rush through them.
7. Don’t worry about breaking up your moves to refer to the instructions. You do this in the beginning, until you have memorized the sequence. You will not need to do it when you have learned the sequence. However, it is important that you know each move precisely and perform it to perfection.
8. Repeat, repeat, and repeat.
9. When you have finished, remain in the low horse stance for awhile. Extend the length of time gradually.
10 Try to stay affixed in the low stance and not fluctuate the height.
11. Don’t ignore your breathing. This is part of the SLT training.
12. Practise every day, as many times as you can. Strive for PERFECTION.

Qigong

Generally, Wing Chun schools start new students on the first third of Siu Lim Tao. From my teaching experience, I found that to be more than a student can handle. Surely, they are able to grasp the sequence and do it roughly in a few days; and in a few weeks, have no trouble remembering the moves and following the class. At this time, they are anxious to learn the next third, and so on. Often, this is obliged by the teacher. What happens in this situation, is that the students learn the superficial actions of Siu Lim Tao without grasping the roots and essence of the form. When students begin on this path, they step forever into the land of Oblivia. There is no magic in any of the WC forms. You will not become Bruce Lee by learning them all. The only way to become a fine martial artist is to work hard at it. You train, train, and train. That’s what Bruce Lee did. You must have patience and think long term.

The WC course I’m offering beginners is dissected in many small segments for long term training. I outline a schedule for each segment. It is a recommendation as I have no control over how you follow the schedule. You will only cheat yourself if skate over the lessons and don’t practice hard.

Before you embark on the first lesson of Siu Lim Tao (SLT), spend a week learning how to breathe (Qigong). “Don’t I know how to breathe?” You may be asking yourself now. Most of you don’t know how to breathe efficiently. (Read about Qi Force, in the Lecture 2 section.) If you breathe using your chest muscles instead of your diaphragm, you will bring the air to your upper chest only instead of filling your lower lungs. You will not fill the lungs to its full capacity, and will be out of breath quicker, and will also imbalance your structure. (Read about Qi Balance in Lecture 3 for explanation.) So let me show you how to conserve your energy, maximize your intake and minimize the expenditure.

Breathing Lesson

Here’s your breathing lesson:

1. Begin with a natural stance. Spread your feet about your shoulder’s width apart.
2. You may keep your eyes opened or shut. Semi-opened is recommended. This takes you to a realm between the conscious and subconscious mind.
3. Curl your tongue upwards, pressing the underside of your tongue against the top palate of your mouth. This keeps the Qi or energy circulating continuously without a break.
4. Relax yourself completely by dropping your shoulders and not thinking about anything but your breathing pattern.
5. Inhale. Instead of contracting your stomach and expanding your chest, reverse them; that is, collapse your chest and expand your stomach. Instead of sucking air from your nostril and sending air down to your lungs, draw air and energy from the bottom of your feet to your stomach. Now, you are all confused. Well, you will need a little help here.
Your mouth and nostrils are the main orifices where air comes in and goes out. Many of you may know this, and many may not, that the pores in our skin, vent air in and out. In addition, Chinese Traditional Medicine (CTM) understands that there are larger openings, call meridians, where air, energy (positive and negative) and nutrients flow in, travel through our body channels, and exit out. During this process, our body uses what it needs and discards what is not necessary. We receive excess positive energy (Yang) from the sun and need negative energy (Yin) from the earth to maintain balance in our bodies. Therefore we need to draw energy from the bottom and bring it up no higher than the stomach region. One of the main meridians is located in the stomach region, called Dan Tian. It acts as a distributor, dispatching ingredients from the intake to the appropriate organs. The Yin energy is drawn from a pair of meridians located at the bottom of our feet. How do you do that? You train your mind to. You are unaware of your surroundings until you focus your mind on them. So, when you are inhaling, instead of focusing on your nostrils, focus in on the center bottom of your feet. Instead of feeling the air travel down your throat to your chest, feel it travel up from your feet (inch by inch) through the channels in your legs, meeting up in the genital area, and filling up the stomach.
5. Exhale. When you have filled your stomach with air, hold it there for a moment, and then begin the process of sending it down from your stomach to the genital area, splitting it down both legs, and exit from the bottom of your feet to the earth.

This breathing exercise is not as difficult as it sounds when reading it for the first time. You will get the hang of it after a few attempts. Do this exercise at least three times a day, for at least ten minutes each time. This would equate to 30 minutes per day, or 3.5 hours a week. It is best to do it in the morning, evening, and at night. When you get the hang of it, try to use it as your normal breathing pattern, if not the whole, at least use the diaphram instead of your lungs for bellowing, and your stomach for storage instead of your chest.

Qigong is a study on its own. It is intricate, but I will not get into it as this is a Wing Chun course. All martial arts training once included internal training. Today, they are distinctively separated. However, most martial artists and athletes do develop internal strength without consciously knowing or working at it. Internal strength is what separates the top athletes from the mediocre.

Wing Chun is considered (by those who like to categorize it) a cross between “hard” and “soft” styles. Siu Lim Tao, unbeknownst to many, includes Qigong training. I don’t know of any other fighting styles that has a practitioner standing in one position through a whole set. Neither do I know of any hard styles that have such so slow movements in a set. Great-Grand Master Yip Man was known to have taken an hour to complete a set of SLT. If you don’t believe that GGM Yip Man was practising Qigong, then you will have to believe that he was sleeping through the set.

When you have practiced enough breathing and feel natural with it, you may move to the first three movements of Siu Lim Tao.

Source: https://wcats.com/WCLessons/SLT/SiuLimTaoPrep.php

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How to play good Siu Nim Tao

by Moy Yat

Siu Nim Tao is a form that is easy to learn but not quite so easy to play well. One must keep several things in mind in order to achieve a high caliber of Siu Nim Tao. Of course, the most important requirement is to know all the movements in the proper sequence. The movements are in themselves simple ones, but it is essential that they are performed frequently, in a relaxed manner. A relaxed mind and body is the key to perfecting them. One in fact must not play Siu Nim Tao unless one is in the mood for it; you do not force yourself to play it. Regimentation is not the way; frequent practice must arise from desire. Another vital consideration is the attitude with which Siu Nim Tao is approached, namely, trust and faith in the form. One needs to have complete confidence in the wisdom of the movements without any intention of modifying them.

Although it is difficult for a student to judge whether Siu Nim Tao is being played properly, there are basic checks for determining if the positioning is correct. For example, there is a direct relationship between a correct tan sau and bong sau; if one hand positioning is correct and if it is changed to the other, then both hand positions will be correct. Therefore, one technique serves as a check for another. Another important check is the distance of the elbow from the body. In certain techniques such as a tan sau and fuk sau, the elbow should be a fist and one half from the body, or the technique will be (chuk kiu) short and jammed.

However, the best judge of a well-played Siu Nim Tao is the student’s Sifu. After a year or more, it is the Sifu’s responsibility to correct and explain all the intricacies of Siu Nim Tao. But only with continuous practice can Siu Nim Tao be improved.

Perhaps this would be a good time to clear up a misconception about Siu Nim Tao. Because of Siu Nim Tao’s slow speed and the great attention to detail and relaxation, many people have been led to believe that a person of a gentle, quiet nature is best suited to play Siu Nim Tao. In fact, Tsui Shong Tin, a Ving Tsun Sifu was nicknamed “King of Siu Nim Tao” because of his gentle nature, rather than his proficiency at performing the movements of Siu Nim Tao correctly. The truth, however, lies elsewhere. Wong Sheun Leung is also an excellent Siu Nim Tao player. Only a good, reputable Ving Tsun Sifu and diligent practitioner can give a disciple a good Siu Nim Tao. Disposition, character, and soft-spokeness have nothing to do with it.

text excerpted from the book: Ving Tsun Trilogy, by Moy Yat. Published by Winner Sports, Brooklyn, NY 1990.

“Please before you practice any Chi-Sao, warm up first
by doing the first form (Siu Nim Tao).
Please after you practice any Chi-Sao, cool down first
by doing the first form (Siu Nim Tao).

Please before you start work everyday, warm up first
by doing the first form (Siu Nim Tao).
Please after you work everyday, cool down first
by doing the first form (Siu Nim Tao).

Please if you want to be religious every Sunday, meditate first
by doing the first form (Siu Nim Tao).

After doing this note, I shall do my first form (Siu Nim Tao).

Thank you”

source: http://www.txkungfu.com/vt-trilogy/how-to-play-good-snt

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The Twelve Forms of Cheung Bo

by René RitchieOriginally written 1994 – Updated 1998The man stood, threatening, before the young boy, holding his knives tightly. They were large blades, the kind employed to chop watermelons, and the man was obviously skilled in their use. In an instant he attacked, swinging the knives savagely. The boy, in grave danger, did his best to avoid the blades’ sharpened edges. The stinging in his arms and wet trickle of blood told him he was not entirely successful. When his chance came, however, he struck back with lightning speed and thunderous power, using all the skills he had acquired in his short time of Wing Chun training. The man’s watermelon choppers were sent flying by the skilled attack, spinning through the air, and forcing the gathered onlookers, including the boy’s teacher, Cheung Bo, to scatter for safety. When it was over, Cheung Bo approached the young boy, Sum Nung, congratulating him on his success.

The Sup yee sik (twelve forms), sometimes referred to as the sup yee san sao (twelve separate techniques), descend from the Wing Chun teachings of Cheung Bo and were integrated into the Yuen Kay-San system by Grandmaster Sum Nung.

History

Dr. Sum Nung was born in South America in 1926 but returned to China with his family as an infant. Settling in Foshan, Sum Nung took a job at Tien Hoi restaurant in order to help support his family during the tough times preceding World War II. Sum Nung had always been interested in the martial arts and in the late 1930s began training in Wing Chun under Cheung Bo.

Cheung Bo was a large and powerful man with a great fighting reputation. His Wing Chun did not make use of any forms, but consisted solely of twelve separate techniques. The exact origin of Cheung Bo’s style remains unknown. Some have speculated that he learned from Nationalist army doctor Wai Yuk-Sang (rumored to have been a student of Fung Siu-Ching’s disciple, Au Si). Others have suggested that, due to their great similarities, the style shares ancestory with the Wing Chun passed down by Leung Jan in Gulao village (sometimes referred to as pien san, or side body Wing Chun) following his retirement.

In terms of structure, Cheung Bo’s size made it difficult for him to keep his elbows closed on the central meridian (a major consideration in Yuen Kay-San and some other Wing Chun branches). Thus, Cheung used wider arms and compensated with quick and powerful side body stance changes. Although the style was simple, it built in Sum Nung a very solid foundation.

Cheung Bo saw great potential in the young boy and so after a couple of years he arranged for Sum Nung to continue his studies under his good friend Yuen Kay-San. Yuen Kay-San was a highly skilled master who had learned Wing Chun first from Foshan Imperial marshal Fok Bo-Chuen (a student of Red Junk Opera performers Wong Wah-Bo and Painted Face Kam) and later under the famed marshal Fung Siu-Ching (a disciple of Painted Face Kam).

In the late 1940s, Sum Nung moved from Foshan to the nearby city of Guangzhou where he practiced medicine and taught Wing Chun Kuen. When teaching in Guangzhou, Dr. Sum Nung used some of the techniques as early training for his students, developing in them a powerful foundation. The remaining forms came later, serving as complementary exercises. Although the methods of Yuen Kay-San refined the sup yee sik to a great extent, a few still retain their characteristic wide detaining arms and defensive shifts, while some seem to possess hybrid qualities of both approaches.

Dr. Sum Nung also integrated some of the movements from the sup yee sik into the beginning sections of the Yuen Kay-San wooden dummy form.

The Twelve Forms

Compact in structure, yet containing many of the elements essential to a good Wing Chun foundation, the sup yee sik are ideal for early training. They can be loosely grouped into three broad categories. The first four focus on building body structure through basic punching, stance and step drills. The next four work fundamental arm cycles, firmly ingraining the cardinal tools for interception. The last four include sensitivity training and combination techniques that help bring the art to life.

Although perhaps not as detailed as the techniques of Yuen Kay-San Wing Chun proper, these same attributes make them quite valuable as a sort of crash-course in Wing Chun self-defense. For those who require simple skill, yet do not have the time or desire to delve more deeply into the art of Wing Chun, the sup yee sik can serve as great starting point.

Jee ng choi (meridian punch) trains the fundamental yee jee kim yeung ma (trapezoid shaped groin clamping stance) and introduces the primary chung choi (thrusting punch) of the style, which pounds explosively along the central meridian. Its extensions include the concussive lien wan choi (linked chain punches) and the sam sing choi (three star punches).
Pien choi (side punch), also known as pien san choi (side body punch) adds pien ma (side stance) turning to the thrusting punch, and works on developing the connected power of the body. Its extensions include the kwai dei pien choi (kneeling side punch).
Duk lung choi (single dragon punch) combines elements of the previous forms, training them in a complementary manner. It alternates a side projecting punch from the front stance and a front projecting punch from the side stance. It also integrates the linked chain punch and introduces the fundamental bong sao (wing arm) movement.
Jin choi (arrow punch) adds basic linear jin ma (arrow stepping) and side stepping to the striking work begun in the meridian punch and the turning work of the side punch and single dragon punch. This completes the training of the first group of separate techniques.
Sam pan jeung (triangle palms) drills a simple set of tan sao (dispersing arm), chang jeung (supporting palm), gang sao (crossing arm) movements that cover basic interception inside, outside, and downward. This set is usually matched in application with a partner performing three punches.
Loi lim yum yeung jeung (inside/outside yin & yang palms), also known as tan fook sao (dispersing & controlling arms), weaves two of the primary Wing Chun intercepting tools into a short but densely packed set.
Noi dap (inside join) also sometimes referred to as noi lim sao (inside sickle arm), the first of two related sets, cycles a basic interior controlling arm movement with the outside circling arm. Its extensions include the noi lop (inside grasp).
Ngoi dap (outside join), also sometimes referred to as ngoi lim sao (outside sickle arm), the complement of the inside join, combines a basic exterior controlling arm movement with the inside circling arm. The ngoi lop (outside grasp) is an extension of the outside join.
Kao dap sao (detaining joining arm) utilizes a Cheung Bo style wide detaining arm along with a vertically dominating kwa choi (hanging punch) and suffocating structure. This form can also be extended into the kao lop sao (detaining & grasping arm)
Po yik jeung (flapping wing palms) combines turning power with horizontal palm attacks to strike or uproot an opponent. It trained in a variety of manners, both inside and outside, and while stationary or in conjunction with yee ma (moving stance).
Na dan kiu (sticking single bridge) cycles a chum kiu (sinking bridge) technique with a punch in a set designed to train the dissolving of heavy force. Note: Some include the Seung Huen Sao (Double Circling Arms) in this position instead.
Bak hok kum wu (white crane seizes the fox) uses chasing steps to maintain control of an opponent and saat kiu (killing bridge) and gok ma (angle stance) like scissors to cut them down.

The twelve forms are drilled in the air or on the muk yan jong (wooden dummy) to refine positioning, alignment, and power. They must also be trained with a partner, while standing, turning, and stepping, in both bridging and sticking to develop their skills. As with all Wing Chun Kuen, the key is to understanding the underlying concepts behind the techniques and how they are combined spontaneously in application.

Conclusion

Over the years, teaching only those he felt were upright and trustworthy, grandmaster Sum Nung went on to train many outstanding students. Due to his tireless efforts, and those of his students and descendants, Yuen Kay-San Wing Chun Kuen has gained a great reputation in China and has spread to Hong Kong, South East Asia, the United States, Canada, South America, Australia, and around the world.

Among those fortunate enough to learn from grandmaster Sum Nung is a man named Ngo Lui-Kay (Ao Leiqi in the Mandarin dialect) who followed him from the mid 1960s until he relocated to Canada in 1982. As the twelve forms were passed from Cheung Bo to Dr. Sum Nung, and from Dr. Sum Nung to Ngo Lui-Kay and his many classmates (with apologies, far to many to list here), so has Ngo Lui-Kay employed them to train his own students. It is hoped that by introducing these techniques in the west, it will help to preserve the rare and unique style of Yuen Kay-San Wing Chun Kuen, and the teachings of grandmaster Sum Nung for future generations.

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Wing Chun Sil Lim Tao Syllabus

Key objectives

There are a number of key benefits to training Sil Lim Tao. The most obvious benefits are, Strengthening the legs through the stance. Teaching the student the key techniques of Wing Chun. Teaching the student how to turn energy on and off, which is a key part of building good ging. Helping the student understand key principles like economy of motion and the centreline.

Sil Lim Tao, Wing Chun’s first form

Sil Lim Tau is not just the beginning course, but an important foundation…. When we learn English, we learn 26 letters first. If we cannot handle the pronunciation of each letter, then our English will never be good. The magnitude of the fist form Sil Lim Tau in Wing Chun is the same as that of the letters in English.Ip Ching

Sil Lim Tau, sometimes referred to as Siu Nim Tao, is the first of the hand forms of Wing Chun Kung Fu. It teaches the student the basics of the martial art. The form has been adapted and changed over the last few hundred years, but it is thought that the form was inspired by movements from both crane style kung fu and snake style kung fu. The form has evolved differently as styles of Wing Chun diverged. The snake element can be seen more in Yuen Kay San Wing Chun in Foshan, China, than it can in Ip Man’s Wing Chun which was reordered by Ip Man and his predecessors in Foshan and later in Hong Kong.

The other two hand forms in the system are Chum Kiu (Seeking Bridge) and Biu Gee (Thrusting Fingers). Sil Lim Tao is a basic, foundation form for people starting their journey in Wing Chun. Grandmaster Ip Man described the practice of the Sil Lim Tao form in the following way:

In Sil Lim Tao [Little Idea], the ideas of daily matters, such as money, work, hate, love, etc…. decrease to as little as possible, or even none, [so that the practitioner may] concentrate only upon practicing.Ip Man

Sil Lim Tao is the foundation of Wing Chun Kung Fu. That is why almost every Wing Chun Sifu, when teaching his students, always wants the students to practice Sil Lim Tao first. The form is divided into three sections, with a total of one hundred and eight movements. Each small section has its own aim in practice, and various meanings in application.

The Forms’ Structure

The first section is for training the basic power by tensing and relaxing the arm. The strength is built up by repeating the core hand positions of Tan Sau, Fook Sau, and Wu Sau. If you wish to perform well in Wing Chun, you must use the first sections of Sil Lim Tao to train the basic power and strength. There is no short cut, once the movements of the form have been learned, they must be practiced seriously to train the power and strength. Every Wing Chun practitioner knows when practicing the first part of Sil Lim Tao, that it has to be slow. To train for the strength one has to be serious, and to be serious one must do it slowly.

The second section is the training how to use use the power / strength that has been built up in the first section. In Wing Chun Kung Fu, the strength and power are used half soft, half hard. This is easily demonstrated when throwing a punch, your arm travels at great speed but the muscles are relaxed, this is the soft part. But just before you make contact with your opponent, your muscles in your arm tense up for a split second, this is the hard part. This later develops into full delivery of the Kinetic Energy of your arm and body into the target, without compromising balance. In Chinese martial arts, good use of this on off energy is often referred to as Ging.

The third section is for training the correct position of the basic hand and arm movements, and hopefully building up muscle memory. Movements include Pak Sau, Tan Sau, Gaun Sau, Huen Sau and Bong Sau. The practitioner must concentrate on executing each movement’s correctly.

source: http://www.putneymartialarts.co.uk/learn-wing-chun/sil-lim-tao/

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3 Ways To Boost Your Siu Nim Tao

Hi folks,

This is article I wish to share with you some ways to train your Siu Nim Tao (SNT). SNT or “Little Idea” is the first and perhaps the most important form in Wing Chun. Its name implies that a small idea, a small practice or a beginning can grow into something big and the longer you practice SNT the more it will reveal its secrets to the practitioner.

To help you to further explore this “little idea” I will discuss in this article three concepts or methods to practice your SNT. Okay, which methods are we talking about?

Smooth is fast and fast is smooth

It is a term used in the military to teach new recruits to unload, load and aim a rifle as efficient as possible. Basically it means you are faster if your movements are focused and in a deliberate manner and pace. There is no visible start and stop in the movements they flow into each other.

“Be like water my friend”

In this method you practice SNT smoothly as if the form is one (1) movement. No start, no stop, all movements are relaxed and flow into each other. For instance the left center line punch in the first section, when the hand pulls back and almost reaches the left side, the right hand will start its movement. Keep one steady pace, no “contraction” at the end of your movements. As mentioned above, this practice will help you to move “faster” and more deliberate. Over time this skill will spill over into your other forms and Chi Sao. As you get better at it you can slowly increase your pace.

Breath and movement

In this SNT practice we link the SNT movements and our breath. General guidelines to synchronize the movements and your breath:

Hand moves away from your body – breathe out. Towards your body – breathe in.
Hand rises – breathe out. Hand sinks – breathe in.
Circular movement (360 degree) eg. Huen Sao – full breath (in/out)
Lin Wan Kuen in 3^rd section: first punch linked – breath out. Subsequent five punches in one (1) breath.
Throughout the form we breathe in followed by out breath, however, there are two exceptions:
- In 2^nd section: double gang – breathe out / Tok Sao – breathe out / etc.
- In 3^rd section: Tan sao – breathe out/Gang sao – breathe in / Gan Sao – breathe in etc.

Breathe smoothly at 2/3 of your capacity.

Feel and Test

The purpose of this SNT method is to mentally connect to your body, your movements and test our posture. To achieve this we need to practice our SNT at a slower pace than normal. How slow? Well, just enough to feel all parts of your body as you move. Stop for 2-3 seconds after each move to connect to and feel your posture.

As you move or when you hold a posture, ask yourself:

Do I hold any tension in my body or when I execute a technique? When feeling tension take note of your face and eyes. Relax your eyes, have a panoramic view, don’t stare but let the images “come into your eyes”.
When I hold my posture do I feel my energy sinking through my feet into the ground? Is my body aligned correctly?
Do have/did I use correct technique and body frame. For instance elbows down, square hips and shoulders etc.
Is my mind drifting away?

For this training it would be great if you have a training partner who can give you feedback, because sometimes we think our hips are square, our elbows are down but they are not. Your partner can also test your body structure. For instance, he can lightly push your chest, your bong sao or tan sao as you hold your structure?. Can you maintain and absorb the incoming pressure without pushing back and using local muscles?

Hope you like this post: 3 Ways To Boost Your Siu Nim Tao.

Happy training and feel free to comment or ask questions.

Steven Wang

Head Instructor

Chu Sau Lei Wing Chun Singapore.

Source: https://wingchunsingapore.sg/3-ways-to-boost-your-siu-nim-tao/

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Chum-Kiu The “Arm-Seeking” Form

by Phil Bradley

The second form of Wing Tsun is called Chum-Kiu. Meaning “Arm-Seeking,” this curriculum teaches us how to seek out the arms of the opponent and to “connect a bridge”. Once we connect to the opponent, we can immediately determine where the holes in his defense are.

Because we now know where he is, we can take advantage of it and enact our own attacks, e.g. taking the fight to him vs. waiting for him to come to us.

Using Chum-Kiu concepts, we pay particular attention to our turning and weight distribution. If we do not turn enough, we will be exposed to the attack, whereas turning too much will over-extend ourselves. We also learn the various ranges involved with fighting because you have to adjust your range according to what the opponent is doing.

For example, the Siu-Nim-Tau teaches basic attacks and defenses as they relate to the punch/palm striking range. In Chum-Kiu, however, we have kicks, elbows, and even grappling and takedown range. Short of ground fighting, these are four complete ranges of fighting that are addressed in Chum-Kiu training.

Section 1

Section 1 of Chum-Kiu introduces a variety of concepts that deal with trapping, changing angles, using elbow attacks, and defending against multiple opponents.

One of the interesting elements of section 1 is that Chuen Bong-sau, or Turning Wing-arm, is the first of many Bong-sau actions we will perform throughout the Chum-Kiu. It is said that approximately 70% of the Chum-Kiu is comprised of various Bong-sau actions, and the first of these is seen in section 1.

Drills & Applications

Kicking

In addition to a wide variety of new actions (as well as enhancing previously-learned concepts during our Siu-Nim-Tau training), the Chum-Kiu also introduces the three primary kicking methods: Ching-sun-gerk (Front Thrusting-kick), Wang-chang-gerk (Side Thrusting-kick) and Che-chang-gerk (Slant Thrusting-kick).

The interesting element of Wing Tsun kicks is that instead of chambering the leg and pivoting the knee like many other arts do, we thrust the foot by pistoning the knee. The elbow thrusts the fist, and the knee thrusts the foot.

Ching-sun-gerk

Ching-sun-gerk, or Front Thrusting-kick, can be employed at various heights, but its primary height is usually the waist. When you can kick with full power and at a parallel height (when your leg is parallel to the floor), then all kicks lower than that will generally see a great deal more power being released.

Lower-level kicks are usually the norm in Wing Tsun, mainly because it is more difficult for the opponent to see. And if it is harder to see, then it is harder to defend against. The problem, however, is that many practitioners do not train their full power at a parallel level, which in turn sees a great deal of power lost that they can achieve.

Therefore, always train this kick in the forms to be full power and parallel to the floor.

Wang-chang-gerk

In addition to single opponents, Wing Tsun also includes kicking methods for dealing with multiple opponents. We do not get to pick and choose how many will attack us, so Wang-chang-gerk allows us to respond to opponents approaching from the side.

Wang-chang-gerk, or Side Thrusting-kick, is exactly as it sounds: a kick to the side, or 90-degrees from our present position. But like all Wing Tsun kicks, there is no pivoting at the knee; instead, it is a true thrust of the knee to thrust the leg. We use the elbow to piston or “thrust” the fist, and we use the knee to piston or thrust the foot.

An interesting facet you will see in many other styles is that their version of a side kick is really nothing more than turning to the side and doing a front kick. They call it a side kick but it is actually a front kick. As I was trained, though, a side kick is a true kick to the side vs. turning to the side and initiating a front kick.

Jeet-gerk

One of the more common kicking methods you will see in Wing Tsun is called Jeet-gerk, or Stop-kick/Jamming-kick. This is a fast, powerful slamming action into the opponent’s shin, knee or thigh to halt his actions, as well as disrupt his footwork.

Jeet-gerk can take many shapes. From face-to-face and exploding with a low kick to the knee or shin in response to an approaching attacker, to the example below where an attacker approaches and we simply lash into the leg while simultaneously pulling them via Lap-sau.

Note: Jeet-gerk is not in the Chum-Kiu form but it is still a valuable kicking concept. Some schools, including the AWCA, introduce Jeet-gerk during Siu-Nim-Tau training but expand on it during Chum-Kiu.

The Chum-Kiu teaches a variety of elements that are applicable in today’s society. It is interesting when someone says that Wing Tsun lacks a particular fighting element for today’s “flavor of the month” martial art, because there is nothing that Wing Tsun does not have for realistic fighting.

Locking

Wing Tsun includes a variety of locking, trapping and pinning actions, with most of them found in the later stages of Siu-Nim-Tau and throughout the Chum-Kiu.

Ground Fighting/Anti-Ground Fighting

Wing Tsun’s ground fighting actions are actually the stand-up principles applied to a prone position. With jamming kicks, elbows and even Chi-sau, the ground fighting/anti-ground fighting concepts are reserved for the latter stages of Chum-Kiu training but continue through Biu-Tze.

Pie-jarn

In addition to kicks, brutal elbow attacks are a mainstay of Chum-Kiu. Pie-jarn, or Horizontal Hacking-elbow, is one of the most frequently used of all Wing Tsun elbow attacks. While attacks like this may seem brutal, remember that Wing Tsun is strictly for fighting vs. rules-based sports. It is not flashy, showy, and there are no rules. You have been attacked, you are fighting for your life, and all targets are an option.

Fighting vs. Exercising

A variety of today’s exercise routines include boxing, kickboxing, and other similar actions. These programs will usually tell you that in addition to improving your fitness, you are also creating a valuable self-defense skill set, something that you could use in real life for protection if you had to.

I am not going to say that you are not learning something about self-defense, because clearly you are. The body is replicating the actions of movements you would use for defending yourself, and these can be valuable elements if you find yourself in a self-defense situation.

I have also read/heard stories of some who were able to protect themselves only with the skills they learned from their kickboxing-oriented fitness programs. Whether true or not, I can see the relevance and have no reason to doubt it.

Keep in mind, however, that these are merely mechanical actions that you are practicing in the air. It is true that you are learning the mechanics, but at the same time, the focus of the training is primarily health and fitness. Creating a skill set that you can actually rely on for defense is a bit different, and without understanding that, it is a false sense of security to think that an exercise program is the same as learning self-defense.

Fighting and exercising are two different things. Yes, you are improving your fitness, and yes, you are learning the mechanics of basic self-defense actions. Remember, though, that real self-defense and exercising are not the same thing. There is more to reliable self-defense than merely going through the motions, and that is a primary concept we learn in the Chum-Kiu.

Please do not create a false sense of security by relying on your fitness program to teach you about real protection. I personally love fitness programs that include boxing and/or kickboxing because they generate more movement that relates better to overall conditioning. However, these fitness programs will not stop a 250-lb. enraged attacker bent on drilling you into the ground.

But Wing Tsun will.

Concepts & Theories

The Chum-Kiu revolves around seeking out the opponent, and once found, we sink or leak through his/her defenses in order to attack. The most relevant areas of this training includes concepts for angling and turning in order to make the most of the space we have, which in turn allows us to address multiple opponents.

The Chum-Kiu is also where Wing Tsun’s three primary kicking methods – Ching-sun-gerk, Wang-chang-gerk and Che-chang-gerk – are introduced. With these three kicks, we now learn to respond to leg attacks with our own legs vs. using the arms. An interesting facet, however, is that even with the kicks, we also learn that in many cases, responding to the opponent’s kick is sometimes not even necessary.

A common yet effective tactic is that when the opponent kicks, we explode forward into them in order to decrease the range. Not only can this jam the kick, but it can also decrease the power that the kick can produce by shortening the length it has to travel. And with a decreased distance, it cannot produce the same amount of power.

The “bridge” between the Siu-Nim-Tau and Biu-Tze is the Chum-Kiu. It is here that we take our basic concepts learned during our Siu-Nim-Tau training and really make them mobile, efficient, fluid, and responsive. Not only do we learn kicking and elbow attacks/ defenses, but we also learn how to engage multiple opponents.

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Gu Lao Wing Chun Kuen – 40 Points

by Robert Chu

When Leung Jan retired from his pharmacy in Foshan he returned to his native Gu Lao village in the Heshan (Hok San) area of Guang Dong province. There, the renowned doctor passed along a simple yet remarkably profound style of Wing Chun, the sei sup dim (forty points) system, also known as Gu Lao Wing Chun. Leung Jan was known as the “King of Wing Chun Boxing” and the Gu Lao style of Wing Chun is his final legacy.

History and Development

Legends say that during the Qing Dynasty, Yim Wing Chun and her husband, Leung Bok Chao taught the 2nd generation of Wing Chun Kuen. These second-generation students worked undercover as a Red Boat Cantonese Opera troupe by day and Anti Qing terrorists by night. They were affiliated with many Anti Qing groups including the Heaven and Earth Society. Their goal was to overthrow the Manchurian government and restore the Chinese Ming to the throne of China. Wing Chun Kuen was their art of choice. They could hide knives in their loose fitting garments and assassinate Qing officials in the narrow alleys of Southern China. As an Opera Troupe, they moved about freely at any time without suspicion.

The second-generation students of Yim Wing Chun included Wong Wah Bo, Leung Yee Tai, Dai Fa Min Kam, Gao Lo Jung, Hung Kam Biu, and Leung Lan Kwai. Many of these Opera members had training in Shaolin Fist and pole techniques, acrobatics, and knowledge of two man sets. They were master choreographers, performing every night the Opera was in a town. Yim Wing Chun’s art consisted of simple, direct, economical moves and was conceptual in content. Training consisted of some 40 or so repetitive techniques that could be practiced solo, with a partner, or on a dummy, empty handed or with knives. It is speculated at this point in the history of Wing Chun Kuen development, there were no set forms, as it was the goal of this training to be applied immediately to serve the purpose of self defense or assassination.

Wong Wah Bo and Leung Yee Tai had a student named Leung Jan. Leung studied the original art and later studied the art in set forms after they were choreographed by the Opera members. Leung became known for his application of Wing Chun in “Gong Sao” (Talking Hands a real match) and became known as the King of Wing Chun, or the Gong Sao Wong (Talking Hands King). Leung Jan has become the famous subject of books written by the famous fiction author Au Soy Jee and today, movies. It is known that Leung Jan became an herbalist and opened an herb stop on Chopsticks street in Fut Shan. The shop was called Jan Sang Tang (Mr. Jan’s Hall). Leung Jan was a native of Gu Lao, not Fut Shan. Leung Jan went on to teach a few, select students like his sons Leung Bik and Leung Chun, Chan Wah Shun, Muk Yan Wah, Chu Yuk Gwai, and Fung Wah.

Upon reaching retirement, Leung Jan returned to his native Gu Lao. While there, he taught a few local students his synthesis of Wing Chun. Instead of focussing on teaching the Wing Chun forms, dummy set and weapon sets that were choreographed by the Opera members, he focused his training on the forty short routines and San Sao drills, pole techniques and double knife techniques. These became known as the Gu Lao Sae Sup Dim (40 points) Wing Chun system. The 40 points are the loose expression and application of Wing Chun Kuen. The forms Siu Lien Tao, Chum Kiu, Biu Jee and Muk Yan Jong sets, and the Yee Ji Cern Dao (Ba Jaam Dao) were created later. Training in Chi Sao and San Sao are emphasized, as well as practice of the 40 points on the wooden dummy. Since we consider them “points”, as opposed to techniques or postures, their applications can be limitless. Each point teaches numerous concepts, and it is the goal of the Gu Lao sifu to teach one how to combine the 40 points. I came to learn this system from my good friend and Sifu, Kwan Jong Yuen, who in turn learned the art from Leung Jan’s grandstudent from Gu Lao, Tam Yeung. I am told that one of Leung Jan’s students in Gu Lao taught Fung Sung, who created the Pien Shen Wing Chun system. The Pien Shen Wing Chun and Gu Lao systems are perhaps one and the same, with the only difference in how they have arranged their curriculum, and who have passed them down. I have also recently read an article from Mainland China that shows the existence of a 22 point Gu Lao Wing Chun system. Until further research indicated they are different, however, I will consider them the same system as the one I learned from Kwan Jong Yuen, owing only to stylistic difference or changes in curriculum.

The Forty Points

The 40 points include classical and metaphorical names for each of the movements. In typical Chinese Cheng Wu style, this was designed so that members of other systems would not be able to understand what the movements were unless they had studied the same system. Some of these may indicate the Shaolin origin of some of the movements. Most of these names in modern Wing Chun have been replaced using modern jargon. Although few in number and perhaps not as intricate as the classical forms of Wing Chun, the forty points serve to review the Wing Chun system to the advanced practitioner, and serve as an excellent teaching tool to beginning students. They are trained in sets of repetition, alternating left and right sides. One should not simply look at the 40 points as techniques, but look at them as tactics to teach the fighting skills of Wing Chun. When the basics are mastered, a student can then look to doing combinations and permutations of the techniques while moving left and right, with high and low stances, or done high, middle or low levels, to the front and back, and while advancing and adjusting your steps. The advanced practitioner can reach the level of being able to change and vary his movements with empty hands or the double knives of Wing Chun.

The 40 points are not inseparable or different from the other forms of Wing Chun as taught today. Leung Jan simply passed on the art of Wing Chun Kuen in its San Sao (loose hands) stage when he retired to Gu Lao. Kwan Jong Yuen tells me, that in Gu Lao, when Tam Yeung was a student, it would cost a small fortune to learn one point. This included the complete application of the point while standing, with steps, during Chi Sao and with an opponent during San Sao.
Forms and Training

Gu Lao Wing Chun’s basics are trained through the forty points outlined below:

Ji Ng Chuie (Meridian Punch)- Also known as Yat Ji Chung Chuie, (Sun Character Thrusting Punch) this is Wing Chun’s signature punch with short explosive power with the vertical fist, the fists are held relaxed until impact and force is exerted with the entire body.
Duen Kiu (Short Bridge)- The Short bridge is equivalent to the Cern Jum Sao (Sinking Bridge ) movements. In application, it teaches the concept of Por Jung, breaking the centerline. The hands are open and relaxed and cut down vertically to the opponent’s attacking bridge.
Ba Gua Long Na (Eight Directional Dragon Grab)- Uses the double grabbing hands (Lop Sao), the lead hand held upwards in a clawing motion, while simultaneously the rear hand grabs and pulls the opponent’s bridges, setting the opponent up for a kick, throw or strike.
Sae Mun (Four Gates)- refers to the four gates using the on guard stance (Bai Jong); one exercises the left and right positions of the forward stance (Ji Ng Ma) and the left and right Chum Kiu horse stance positions
Siu Fuk Fu (Small Subdue the Tiger)- Uses an alternating left and right double Gaun Sao with phoenix eye fists; similar to the Gaun Sao section of the Biu Jee set.
Dai Fuk Fu (Big Subduing Tiger)- This technique is basically the same as the above, but using triangle steps to enter at an opponent’s side gates
Pien Shen Chuie (Slant Body Punch)- This is the Ji Ng Chuie using the Wing Chun shift. In application you may strike to your opponent’s outside gate, crossing over his attempted blow.
Pien Jeung (Slant Palm)- This tactic uses palm heel with the fingers pointed to the centerline to strike the opponent. The same short explosive power is used.
Biu Jee (Darting Fingers)- Although the movement implies the fingers, the technique in application utilizes the forearm when striking the opponent at the acupoints ST9 and LI 18
Wan Wun Yiu/Tiet Ban Kiu (Emergency Bend at the Waist and Iron Bridge)- Trains the practitioner to bend forward or backwards at will and can be coupled with hand techniques. It is similar in application as the fade and slip in western boxing.
Chum Kiu (Sinking Bridges)- Uses a double sinking bridge arm position that breaks into the centerline of the opponent
Gwai Ma Chuie (Kneeling Horse Strike)- This tactic utilizes the kneeling horse and a phoenix eye fist to deliver a blow aimed at the groin. This gives an insight into Wing Chun applied at a low line level.
Pien Shen Jeung (Slant Body Palm)- Uses the side palm as a slashing palm maneuver using the front/back shifting
Gao/Dae Jeung (High and Low Palms)- The high and low double palms are actually horizontal butterfly palms with palms facing the opposite direction
Lian Wan Fai Jeung (Linked Fast Palms)- utilize are a Tan Sao/Pak Sao combination followed with a circular Saat Jeung/Chong Jeung combination
Hoc Bong (Crane Wing)- uses the arm in an upwards 90 degree or 45 degree maneuver to attack or defend
Dai Bong (Big Wing)- the Big wing is a low Bong Sao position used to defend against a low attack
Jung Bong (Middle Level Wing Hand)- is the standard middle level Bong Sao
Noi Liem Sao (Inside Cutting Hand)- This is the inner line hand utilizing the Fuk Sao in a circular fashion
Oi Liem Sao (Outside Cutting Hand)- the outer line hand position utilizes Tan Sao in an outward circular fashion
Fu Mei (Tiger’s Tail)- The tiger tail is a short backward hammer-fist strike to the opponent’s groin
Gua Long Jeung (Hanging Dragon Palm)- Combines the dragon claw and Ji Ng Chuie in combination similar to a Fuk Da or Lop Da
Fu Biu Chuie (Darting Tiger Blow)- The darting tiger blow is the equivalent to Fuk Sao combined with a phoenix eye strike
Sam Jin Chuie (Three Arrow Blows)- Is done with one hand (high, middle and low straight punches or equivalent with Lien Wan Chuie
Sam Bai Fut (Three Bows to Buddha)- utilizes the Tan, Pak Sao and Gum Sao to stop multiple blows
Dip Jeung (Butterfly Palm)- Is the equivalent to the Bao Pai Jeung attack and defense
Siu Poon Sao (Small rolling hands)- Trains the Luk Sao or rolling hands of Wing Chun
Poon Sao (Rolling Hand)- This tactic is similar to a Pak Sao/Lou Sao combination, but close to the body. It is the main transitional move in Wing Chun
Juk Da (Slanting Strike)- The slant strike is equivalent to the slant body Jut Da
Juk Kiu (Slanting Bridge)- The slant bridge is essentially Tan Da done with a shift
Dang Jeung (Hammer Palms)- The hammer palms are the equivalent to the second section of Siu Lien Tao utilizing the Gum Sao. There are 4 positions: left, right, double frontal and double rear.
Ping Lan Sao (Level Obstruction Hands)-The level bar arms is the equivalent of the Kwun Sao or Tan/Bong position
Lui Kiu (Double Palms)- Utilize a double Tan Sao position to bridge the gap on an opponent
Chong Jeung (Thrusting Palm)- is the equivalent of the forward palm strike of Wing Chun done to the opponents face or chest.
Fan Cup Chuie (Flipping Upper Cut)- Is similar to the Chou Chuie from the Chum Kiu set
Cup Da Sao (Covering Hitting Hand)- utilizes th Bong Sao immediately followed up with a Lop Sao and downward back fist (Gwa Chuie)
Cern Lung (Double Dragons)- The double straight punches
Pien Shen Dip Jeung (Slant Body Butterfly Palm)- alternating low palm strike
Charp Chuie (Piercing Strike)- is basically a Wu Sao with a fist combined with a straight punch
Bik Bong (Pressing Wing Hand)- is the Wing Chun elbow strike

Training includes the complete application of each point while standing, with steps, during chi sao (sticking hands) and with an opponent during san sao (separate hands). Also taught in the curriculum are Chi Sao, application of the Gu Lao 40 points on a wooden dummy, practicing the Gu Lao points with knives (called “Yee Ji Cern Dao”) and pole exercises collectively known as the Luk Dim Boon Gwun.
Concepts & Principles

As with all Wing Chun systems, the Gu Lao 40 point system requires that the practitioner utilize the principle of “Lai Lou Hui Soong, Lut Sao Jik Chung”.

Gu Lao Wing Chun practitioners utilize the entire body, are principle oriented martial arts as opposed to the technique oriented systems. Timing and positioning are most important, and we utilize simple, direct economical movements in self-defense. A practitioner of the Gu Lao art is expected to learn the classical point, modify the technique according to circumstances, and combine a point with another point, while utilizing footwork and foot maneuvers (Gerk Faat).

It is interesting to note that the Yuen Kay Shan Wing Chun curriculum begins with many techniques similar to those in the Gu Lao curriculum. There is also a trend of modern Wing Chun (Wing Chun Do, Jeet Kuen Do, and other arts) variations to take many of the loose or separate techniques of Wing Chun Kuen.

The Gu Lao Wing Chun Kuen is a glimpse of the teachings of Wing Chun Kuen in a San Sao format. It is an ideal system to learn quick, simple, direct, economical movements for combat purposes.

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Using Siu Nim Tao

By Gary Lam

It is said that Dat Mo retired in his later years to the Shaolin Temple and taught the monks a series of exercises which were developed to form the basis of Shaolin Temple Boxing (Kung Fu) so their bodies would not deteriorate whilst spending long periods in meditation.

As Dat Mo was said to be the father of Kung Fu, even though the development of Wing Chun took place many years after his death, I suppose we should expect that as a refinement of old traditions, Wing Chun should still be concerned with deep thinking and the connection of mind and body.

Dat Mo is still associated with the idea that spiritual, intellectual and physical excellence, are all equally important and interdependent in the pursuit of enlightenment.

Although enlightenment may appear to be rather macro and beyond the casual pursuit of the modern martial practitioner, if Dat Mo had forged his temple activities in Shaolin with the implicit intention of upgrading these qualities, Wing Chun as a refinement of Shaolin wisdom should continue to embody these things.

Hopefully you can draw a parallel and a level of acceptance that even if enlightenment does not factor into your daily practice, if we took Wing Chuns’ body feeling, structure, and attunement to pressure, as a ‘physical’ upgrade, awareness, study and refinement as the mindful component, and the resultant conceptualisation of experience , inducing a change in perspective and emotion to produce a degree of ‘spirituality’, it would seem that although our personal motivations may be detached from the original tradition, the correct teaching and absorption of Wing Chun is still in keeping with Dat Mo’s ethos.

With this in mind, we can begin to appreciate how complete martial training can be, in the personal development of people. As long as we practice, this process will operate continually behind our training to upgrade our natural ability and improve our human experience. This is Kung Fu.

Relaxation and focus are important attributes. They help to keep us alive! Everybody knows what a killer ‘stress’ is, and without ‘focus’, if we had no access to supermarkets and were reliant on hunting to eat, we would starve. (In this day and age without focus you might have a road accident).

Relaxation and focus are, without shadow of a doubt, core components of functional fighting. Relaxation aids acceleration – hence power, relaxation also aids our ability to change position and absorb impact.

Without focus to the target, we lost before we began. Relaxation and focus are (not surprisingly) core components of the Siu Nim Tao form.

Outside of contemplating the practical application of my forms, I like to ground myself in the knowledge that every repetition is gradually refining relaxation and focus that I can put to use in any way I like. I want relaxation and focus to be so embedded in my personal makeup that it permeates into everything I do. Something built through physical and mental diligence. I recognise that relaxation and focus help me in everything I do.

Meditation is concerned with training the mind for the purpose of self cultivation and self realisation. More often than not individuals employ relaxation to enhance this focus. Siu Nim Tao is the first form of Wing Chun and you can view it as a standing meditation.

We can use a standing meditation to isolate and explore anatomical adjustment within a structural framework.

Siu Nim Tao is, a catalogue of postures and positions that are useful when fighting within striking distance. Its practice requires that we donate time to self assessment – assessing how the joints bones and tendons can work cohesively to support combat within striking range – to remain connected, strong and stable. This in my opinion is the difference between Wing Chun and most other striking arts – we use a balanced grounded, magnetic quality to adapt to our opponent, rather than delving in and back out of striking range. It is important then, that we develop a cohesive connected body state to achieve this or we will be bumped off balance or sacrifice power and timing in our shots.

Wing Chun as a skill, is geared to produce a relaxed state so that the latent power of the human form may manifest via its relationship to bone structure, gravity, and the mind.
This is the root of maximum impact with minimal effort.

The Siu Nim Tao form is a vehicle for this development.
Although Siu Nim Tao is seldom recognised as a meditative process it has direct parallels to other
types of meditation. As Siu Nim Tao is usually the access point for Wing Chun, from the outset we
are exploring relaxed transition through the form’s movements.
The beauty of Siu Nim Tao is that if we are paying attention to how we feel inside (our relationship to the mechanics of our body) mental progression takes place at the same rate of physical progression as we contemplate the efficiency of the body moving to exact each change.

Enhancing relaxation through movement, and contemplating the practical intention of each change,
the form will serve to upgrade our thinking feeling and doing simultaneously. So our physical
progression matches our mental progression – something you could not achieve whilst sat cross
legged with your eyes shut in standard meditative poise.

Siu Nim Tao is for fighting but it is much more than a physical catalogue.

It addresses structural cohesiveness and it is that which allows us to break away from the reliance on muscle alone and develop power that is not reliant on excessive body motion.

Structural cohesiveness is also essential in the collection of pressure.

Siu Nim Tao is more than the sum of its part’s. It is a state of mind and a state of being. It is this state that serves to enhance combat efficiency.

Siu Nim Tao is the unceasing practice of relaxed focused mind and body in combination that when transferred to combat will enable the mind to conduct and the body to perform two tasks at the same time. If we are incapable of doing this under pressure, we do not possess Wing Chun.

The Wing Chun mindset is rooted in Siu Nim Tao practice and is in essence a coping strategy to help you remain calm and focused whilst enabling the hands to conduct two tasks simultaneously, independently, correctly, inside the chaos that is fighting. We only move one limb at a time in the majority of the form to focus the minds attention on the subtleties of adaptation.

Standing still, we amplify connection to personal feeling. We can really get in-touch with ourselves. Moderate our thinking, minimise external stimuli.

We can use this time to develop internal comprehension and mind/body connectivity, before connecting to the outside world.

Mindful practice as such links back to the masters who had developed Wing Chun.

Had they transcended the external properties held within the form and catalogued a procession of change in the context of stillness to create a transformational meditation capable of inducing a paradigm shift through daily practice as people attach to feeling? This way, mind and body could upgrade simultaneously in dualistic support of one another. “Siu Nim Tao, once a day – more will do no harm”.

Was this Dat Mo’s plan when introducing a fighting culture to Shaolin? Is there a basic deficiency in human behaviour when mind body (and spirituality) are not balanced?

Was it the plan of the adepts when developing Wing Chun to create a catalyst for fighting ability alone? Or was it dualistic in the recognition and further development of important human attributes? Attributes (more often than not) latent in man? A base appreciation that in developing the sense of feeling, and developing response to stimuli we connect more intelligently to the actual/immediate/now, rather than to the assumed/perceived. A collective, training to embody further refinement of wisdom that was being developed inside a temple? After the sacking of a temple (true or untrue) this practice would be far too valuable to loose.

As a Daoist art then, Siu Nim Tao depicts Yin Yang dualism, we practice mind and body, tight and soft, inside and outside, attack and defend, high and low, close and far, in and out, fixed and active, and a practice designed to destroy coupled with practice to foster human potential.

It is only through periods of separation from contact that we can fully appreciate the unadulterated output that belongs to us. The more familiar we are with this, the better equipped we are at differentiating between that which is our own, and that which is imposed upon us.

If we can develop a registered resting state of equilibrium through Siu Nim Tao practice, and then attempt to transfer and maintain that state inside our fighting, we create a benchmark, a constant, and in doing so enhance clarity in reference to analysing how well we can reproduce form under pressure. Analysing how a perfect state is affected by stimuli coming in, we develop a sound basis for structured improvement and self actualisation.

I don’t believe in emptying the mind during Siu Nim Tao practice. In doing so, you can only minimise what is directly transferable to real time eventualities.

If learning is ‘discover – not copy’, emptying the mind in this instance reduces ‘a little idea’ to……. something much smaller.

Not thinking is a complete impossibility, but if we separate thinking as a function of the brain (not the self) then by quieting the brain and directing willful attention through the body, in any activity, we are training the mind to support physical change and in doing so fortify each adjustment with mental attention.

To our benefit, fighting aside, each repetition provides a unique opportunity for us to learn more about ourselves through the experience of detachment.

It is only when we have internalised form, that Kung Fu output has the propensity to embody what people term as internal qualities. In simple terms this is the ability of the individual to separate cognitive thought from conative attitude whilst applying conscious focus inside the body.

Internal development is exactly what the statement implies. It is a personal recognition of what is occurring inside the body during change, that opens for epiphany of new feeling and awareness states that can be transferred to practical application to supplement and refine contact to the outside world and therefore combat efficiency.

Concentration on my internal workings through Siu Nim Tao repetition is a focus of mine. If conscious mental output serves only to deduce what is happening to the exterior of the human form and beyond, then martial output remains external.

Sometimes internal qualities may manifest through practice and repetition but it is my personal opinion that without the individual understanding as to what and where – (like driving a fast car every day without appreciation of its mechanics), our timing may improve but ultimately at some stage we reach limitation as the internal workings remain a mystery. An upgrade in skill may be stumbled upon, but more often than not it will remain random as without understanding we forfeit the aptitude for contemplative development, we would possess no control for testing frequency of success, and why ‘this or that’ has occurred etc..

Most people talk about their Wing Chun as being internal and external /soft and hard (which indeed it should be) when in fact accurately speaking it is more often than not either hard and empty or just plain empty. This is a great shame.

Inside of Siu Nim Tao sits some pretty impressive technology, yet some of us remain somewhat ignorant of its intricacies, both as a technical resource for infighting and as a vehicle of transformation.

Siu Nim Tao should always be time well spent.

The dictate for success in using Wing Chun is relaxation and analytical practice. It is wise to be mindful in practice and to think in practical terms about how the role of the mind affects our fighting ability and performance. In developing feeling for use whilst fighting, the best place to start is definitely Siu Nim Tao.

Source: http://wingchunupgrade.blogspot.ro/2013/02/using-siu-nim-tao-part-one.html and http://wingchunupgrade.blogspot.ro/search?q=Using+Siu+Nim+Tao+part+two

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Siu Nim Tau

By Sigung Chu Shong Tin

Siu Nim Tau is the basic form of Wing Chun. It comprises three specialties: (1) No need to exert force; (2) It possesses the strongest structure with the minimum use of energy; (3) It induces the release of mind force from a person.

Learning Siu Nim Tau is divided in to three stages.

Firstly, one must relax the muscles of the whole body. Then, he should infuse the spirit into the spine so that it is maintained straight. Contracting the anus is also important because it can help different parts of the body to form a unified structure.

The second stage is to practise in a completely relaxed state. When one is fully acquainted with all the moves, he should practise every move with the mind to initiate the movement without paying attention to whether the move is correct or not. He must ensure that every movement is initiated by the mind and not by the muscle.

After completing the training of the above two stages, it now comes to practise the main point of Siu Nim Tau. This is to learn how to release the mind force and the familiarization of the automatic reaction applying to fighting.

Expressing this kind of technique on paper is just like inventing a theory without experiment. One will not believe it unless he has experienced such techniques. Luckily, with the assistance of the video, a Wing Chun learner can have a chance to fully understand the techniques.

The important points of Siu Nim Tau can be grouped as follows:

The structure of the moves
The moves to be controlled by the mind
The input of mind force
The theory of center line

(1) The structure of the moves

(a) The basic concept is to utilize the rotation of a circle to generate the force and to tolerate any force applied externally. This is due to the fact that anything of the same mass when in a circular shape can tolerate heavier force applied externally and generate greater driving force with minimum energy than in any other shape. The ‘Tan Sau‘, ‘Bong Sau‘ and ‘Fook Sau‘ of Siu Nim Tau are the obvious examples of applying the principle of circular motion. The practical use is to let the opponent’s wrist contact on the internal side or external side of the circle. From Tan Sau to Bong Sau is to let the opponent’s wrist from the internal side of the circle go to the external side of the circle go to the internal side of the circle. Fook Sau is to use the external side of the circle to contact the opponent’s wrist.

(b) To use the straight line as the base of exerting force during attack. The motto of Wing Chun “A straight line is the shortest distance between two points” is actually applying the principle of the straight line. This is the application of speed and force of impact. In real fighting, speed and great force of impact is of prime importance. The short distance is to reduce the attacking time whilst attacking on a straight line is to increase the striking force. The combination of a “short distance” and a “straight line” will result in high speed and a heavy punch.

(c) The concealed skill of the “Two Adduction Stance” (Yee Chi Kim Yeung Ma). The “Two Adduction Stance” fully reflects the skill in concentrating the force of impact. Because of its posture, it can concentrate the force of impact at the center line or even to the center point so that every move contains the weight of the whole body. Since the knees are slightly bent and springy, one can transfer the striking force from the wrist of the opponent to one’s knees. This action can reduce the burden of the arms, thus increasing the mobile ability of the arms.

(2) The moves to be controlled by the mind

From the name [Siu Nim Tau] (In Chinese means “sense from the brain”), it can be seen that the form is based on idea or mind. Hence, when one has attained a stage that he is familiar with the form and perform all the moves correctly, he need not practise with a mirror in front of him just to see if the moves are correct. In order not to affect the concentration of the moves, he should use the mind to perform the moves. After practicing for a long period of time, he should be able to perform the moves with the mind freely at any moment without exerting force of the muscle.

(3) The input of mind force

In learning Siu Nim Tau, when one has passed the stages of imitating the moves and performing the moves with the mind, he should try to input the mind force into the limbs. “Mind Force” is an invisible power. Looking at it from another angle, it is the power created when concentrating the mind and is similar to Qigong and Ligong. When one has achieved the stage of driving the mind force, he can feel the existence of it. Wherever the mind force is moved to inside the body of a person, the power of that part of the body is increased, and every move he performs will be springy and filled up with energy. In fighting, since he has already possessed the absorbing and rebounding effect due to the existence of the mind force, when encountering the opponent, he is able to use the appropriate move automatically without thinking, thus, achieving the best result in attack and defence.

(4) The theory of centre line

The centre line of any object is the centre point of that object. It is also the perpendicular line from the centre of gravity of that object, and supporting at the centre of gravity is actually supporting the weight of that object. Hence, if that object moves to any direction, and if one touches the centre of gravity of that object in the direction it is moving, he will have to suffer the whole weight and impact of the object. Since a object of different shape will have a different centre of gravity, depending on the shape of that object, it is necessary to determine where the centre of gravity is on each occasion.

The basic moves of Siu Nim Tau is founded basing on the centre of gravity of a person together with the principle of the centre line. The Tan Sau and Fook Sau moves forward from one’s centre point. This is to use the centre of gravity of a person to move forward thus concentrating the whole body weight of the person to attack. Bong Sau, which is moving up from below, is using the centre of gravity of the person moving slopingly forward and upwards. Garn Sau and lower cut down is using the centre of gravity of the person moving slopingly forward and downwards. For this reason, if one can master the principle of the centre of gravity, the opponent has to tolerate your attack with your whole body weight. This is the main idea of Siu Nim Tau using the body weight in fighting.

The above is just the basic theory of Siu Nim Tau and does not consist of any particular skill. Hence, if you practise Siu Nim Tau in accordance with the above theory and achieve the described level, you will be able to tolerate heavy force and generate enormous power without exerting muscular force. One cannot imagine this unless he has personally experienced it. In order to really know Siu Nim Tau and feel its power, one must practise Siu Nim Tau repeatedly and persistently for a long period of time.

Source: http://www.internalkungfu.com.au/wing-chun-kung-fu-articles/articles-by-sigung-chu/siu-nim-tau-chu-shong-tin.html