WING CHUN
THE STAGES OF ADVANCED "BEING"INTERACTION
1) POSITIONING: To occupy a strategic advantage
Being interaction withinWing Chun Kung Fu requires the correct understanding and application ofpositioning skills. This is the most basic level of being interaction.Positioning is achieved by correctly and accurately applying the techniques orpositions of the system in relationship with the positions or techniques ofyour opponent. Positioning includes all hand/arm techniques, stances, legtechniques, body orientation or alignment, and use of correct centerlineprinciples. Positioning not only demands that these techniques are correctlyplaced, but they must also be contextually correct. Contextual integrityincludes the correct texture or relaxation levels, correct transitioning motionsfrom one position to another and correct position with regards to the contextof the opponent. Positioning is the chief corner stone base or foundation uponwhich all of the other being interaction skills are built. If positioning isincorrect then all other skills inevitably fail. Therefore, if one is unable toconnect with ones opponent the first place to look for the problem ispositioning.
2) BALANCING: To maintain continuity and integrityBalancing is the secondfoundation principle of being interaction. Once positioning is established andmastered to a proficient level one begins to focus upon balancing. To balancecorrectly one must look to correctly balance A) within the position, B) betweenthe opponents position and your own, and C) between the different positions asyou transition for one to another and as you hold one position with one limband another with a different limb. Thus balance has three perspectives withinwhich it is to be applied. To balance within the position requires an in-depthunderstanding of the position or technique being used. The shoulder elbow andhand must have the correct emphasis upon them for the specific position beingused, or the technique will be out of balance. The heaviness of the feel orpressure on the opponent must be able to balance the heaviness or pressure heexerts upon you. At first this is accomplished by equaling his pressure withyour own. However, at more advanced levels one learns to balance pressure withintent rather than physical weight. To balance the pressure or weight of youropponent is to achieve a balance between you and your partner. Then to maintainthe same internal balance within the limb and between you and your partnerwhile changing positions and from one arm to the other is to be balanced in thethird perspective. Balance should also apply to the level of resolve, intensityof desire, speed of motion, and the force or power of the attack. Essentiallyone balances himself internally, and then mirrors or reflects the opponentexactly. To achieve this one must learn to sense or feel these aspects of theopponent and then reflect them back. If you notice that the opponent is out ofbalance in some way then you have found a weakness and can exploit it to defeathim.
3) STICKING: To stay with what comes
Sticking is the third keyand solidifies the foundation for true being interaction within the Wing Chunsystem. Once positioning and balancing are achieved and mastered to an adequatelevel of proficiency then we can deepen the connection with your partner byapplying the principle of sticking. To stick effectively the contextualrelaxation level of each position must be high. One's limb should essentially"melt" into the limb of your partner. The intent within the techniquethat is "melting" into your partner should be to balance his lightpressure with an equally light pressure forward towards his mother line. Withthis established we then feel his movements and move with him. My motionsshould exactly mirror his. I move at the same speed and in the same directionas his movement. By so doing our limbs stay stuck together. There should be nosliding on each other. If this occurs then one person is not moving at theright speed or direction or he is starting his movement after his partnerinstead of with his partner. When sticking is done correctly an observer wouldnot be able to tell who initiated the motion. It would appear that both partiesjust began moving at the same time, and the motions are in perfect harmony witheach other.
LOCKING
POSITIONING, BALANCING, and STICKING are the threefoundation principles which establish a connection with your opponent. Whenapplied as described these keys result in "LOCKING" you into your opponent.So these foundation principles establish a LOCK.
4) SPRINGING: To awaken and enliven the connection
Once the three foundationkeys have been mastered and produce a locked connection, the next step is toawaken and enliven that connection. The principle of springing achieves thisresult. To spring you apply a light constant forward pressure within eachtechnique towards the opponent's mother line. At first this may appear to bevery difficult but with practice it becomes a natural state. Every technique,from the stance to the hand position the connects with the arm of your partner,will have a light 4 ounce "spring" pressure within it. This springpressure will yield to a stronger force, but will always be intending forward.So even when the arm is pushed back it is trying to go forward with a constant,even 4 ounce pressure. If the arm is released unexpectedly it will springforward instantly, without any delay. The spring in the stance comes from therear leg and the waist. The combination of all the body springs can produce aneffortless release of impressive force when coordinated together. Each limbmust be trained to spring independently from other limbs. Each position willhave a slightly different spring motion, which must be balanced within itselfand between the limbs. The ability to have independent springs in each limbrequires some dedicated effort to obtain, but is an invaluable asset onceobtained. It is not uncommon for a practitioner with independent springs to bejust as surprised that he hit you, as you are that you have been hit. Withsprings the limbs begin to "think" for themselves and find openingsall by themselves.
5) DIRECTION: To close your shield and open up his
To fine tune the beneficialeffects of springs and to negate any negative effects one must then focus onaccurately directing those springs. If your opponent has the skills to keep hispressure constantly towards your mother line then you must likewise direct yourspring pressure towards his. This then becomes a deeper application ofbalancing. The direction of the spring pressure needs to be specificallyunderstood for each individual technique. Although they all generally aimtowards the opponent's mother line there is specific fine-tuning needed foreach position. If your position is correct, and matches and balances youropponent's position then the direction of the spring force will also match youropponent's force. If it does not you will become open and he will spring intoyou. For example if he holds a Tan Sau with a slight forward and upward springpressure then you must apply a Fook Sau onto his Tan with a slight forward anddown pressure into his elbow area. The fine-tuning of direction is the key tothe Wing Chun's famous impenetrable defenses, and is the key to opening up yourpartner's defenses. If your opponent is pressing away from your mother linethen you release his pressure because it poses no threat to you and you springinto his mother line taking advantage of the opening created when his hand goesoff his line.
6) WEIGHTING: To presence energy into the weapons
Weighting the limbcorrectly will add chi to the connection. This does not mean just pushingharder or heavier. Weighting the limb is done through applying relaxed intent.The weighting must also be done with out breaking the balancing principle. Eachposition may be weighted differently depending upon how it is applied and whatthe opponent is doing. The three weighting points of the arm are the shoulder,elbow and hand. The hip, knee and foot are the corresponding points in thelegs. The immovable elbow principle of Wing Chun is a demonstration ofweighting the elbow in the Fook Sau technique. One weights a specific part of alimb by first relaxing the whole limb deeply, then applying direction to thatrelaxed weight and placing you intention in that point to be weighted. Deeperskills are needed to weight several points simultaneously. Weighting positionschi into the limbs at key points readying the chi to be released explosively asis taught in the Biu Tze boxing form.
FLOWING
SPRINGING, DIRECTION and WEIGHTING when combined over thefoundation of the LOCKING principles produce a fluidity to that lockedconnection. This fluidity enables the dynamic exchange between twopractitioners to flow with soft, effortless energy.
7) KU: To control the bridge
Once intent is directedinto the limbs to weight the arm or leg we can begin to see a deeper aspect toour connection with our partner. The directed forward intend can be changedfrom one side of the connection to the other without any physical movement atall. This change is intended from within the mind. As this is done we noticethat the connecting bridge (Ku) has several gates within it. These gates areeither opened or closed depending on where the intent is placed. Within eachlimb there are three gates; the shoulder, elbow and hand in the arm, and thehip, knee and foot in the leg. It requires great skill and ability to keep allthree gates closed at any one moment. This is even difficult when staticpositions are held, it becomes almost impossible when in motion. Ku is the artof listening to the bridge and noticing which gates are opened or closed. Onceyou notice which gate is open then that is the invitation to attack. An opengate is an invitation in, if you attack on a closed gate you will always beblocked. It is like walking from one room to another by going through the wallinstead of going through an open door. By reading the shifts in intend whilethe arms are charged with chi we learn to discover when and where to attack.This is the art of controlling the bridge, or Ku.
8) LISTENING: To Know what's there
In Wing Chun the fundamentalfocus of listening is to experience someone else's experience in the presentmoment. It is not anticipating what he may do nor is it figuring out or judgingwhat might be happening. Listening is simply being open to experience himwithout filtering that experience through the categories of the ego mind. Thefirst thing we listen to is our own body, energy, and the condition of thephysical forces around us. By listening to these we blend and align with theseconditions. Then we move to listening to the movement, intention and energy ofothers. This requires a quiet attentive state of mind. This is a non-thinkingstate known as a state of no mindedness or mu-shin.
Any attempts to rationalizedissect or apply meaning and understanding to what is received is in the way oftrue listening. Any evaluation of the moment must be reserved for a later timeso as not to replace the moment of listening with a moment of contemplation orreflection. Listening may be compared to hearing in a conversation. However, inKung Fu it is felt within the whole body as your body receives another body'sexperience. This includes all that the other feels, intends, thinks, emotes,holds as a view, or does in any one instant. In listening all this is receivedat once as the total experience of the other.
When listening is preformedat its best or deepest level an inherent sense of connection develops betweenyou and what is received. As the ability develops you learn to respond toanother's energy without any mental analysis of what you have heard. Listeningis not something mystical or magical, it is found in the very obvious, the veryperson or condition that is present before you. Listening is receiving what issimply the case. We must listen to what is and not to some notion or beliefabout listening. Listening is done to know what is there in the relationshipbetween you and your partner.
9) EXTENDING: To connect with what's there
This is the connectionbetween listening and joining. When listening is in place the first type ofextending or outreaching has occurred. Extending is to reach out with ourfeeling attention to connect with the other person. Once we have made a feelingconnection with every part of another's being (the body, mind and energy) thenwe are extending. This can be done at first with physical touch and thenwithout a physical connection. When you can feel every part of the others wholebody through the part with which you have made contact then you have extended.
The ability to stay infeeling and physical connection to the entire body, motion, and intention ofyour partner as he changes is the fundamental component of effective chi sau.Extending is key to the practice of Wing Chun. Whenever the mechanics havebecome familiar then the practice of reaching out with your feeling attentionshould dominate your kung fu performance.
Extending is done toconnect with what is there in the relationship between you and your partner.
READING
KU, LISTENING and EXTENDING when placed within the fluidconnection previously established enable you to read and interpret yourpartners movements and intentions from within his energy framework. Now thefluid connection is established we use the READING keys to get inside ouropponent and decipher what he is attempting to do before it occurs.
10) FOLLOWING: To stay with what's there
Following is to move withthe partner-- sticking to him if he moves away and yielding to him if he comesforward. Following can be done in countless ways, but all are done in relationto your partner and are determined by your partner's actions. All action mustbe based upon the actions and intentions of the partner. To follow completelyyou must not only follow the physical movements of your partner, but theintention of his mind and the direction of his energy. To succeed at doing thisyou must learn to sense intention and energy and follow it as it changes. Thuswe need to listen to know what's there, outreach to connect with what's there,and following to stay with what's there.
11) JOINING: To interact with what's there
Joining is the productionof, or result produced within the context of following. Once listening,extending, and balance is our constant state then we follow and join whateveris there in activity. When we begin to think of creating a result or volitionalact we are susceptible to the biggest danger in kung fu practice. In leavingbehind the principles of being and interaction, by pursuing activity to producea desired result, we override our clear inclusion of the true condition in thatvery moment. Thus by focusing on doing what is necessary to produce the resultwe come from a disconnected state in the relationship and are likely to produceunbalance and disharmony in the interaction. This unbalanced state isineffective and produces openings and opportunities for your partner to get inon you. True joining comes from a different state to the competitive win/losedynamic fostered by the intention to produce a result through exertion andeffort. Joining can only come from a cooperative state, which is balanced andeffortless.
Implicit within joining isthe principle of neutralizing. Neutralizing is listening to and balancing withthe changing conditions as they occur. In joining we implicitly neutralize inorder to maintain the same balanced state that existed before motion or changeoccurred. In neutralizing we simply maintain a harmonious balance as we followand join with the changes of our partner. This is not necessarily an act ofvolition, nor is necessarily passive, but is simply a response that returnsbalance to imbalance, harmony to disharmony. Neutralizing is implicit injoining and encompasses joining completely.
Joining returns theactivity to its balanced state and blends the motivation of the other'sactivity with its expression. For example if the others activity is motivatedby an intent to do harm this same intent to harm will be blended in theresponse which serves to balance the activity. By joining, his imbalancedmotive will be manifest by your response unbalancing him physically. In orderto engage in this activity and still remain in a balanced or centered state ofbeing we must give up any desire towards results other than abiding in, orreturning to, harmony and balance in the whole or total condition. In joiningwe allow the energy to extent or flow and the tissue to bend or stretch becausethat is what they do naturally and effortlessly. In joining we merge our energyand tissue with our partners in effortless harmony and from this we can haveeffortless power.
12) LEADING: To influence what's there
Leading comes out ofjoining. Once the tissues and energy of two are joined their motions,intentions and feelings become one. From this condition one of the partners canbegin leading without disrupting the established harmony or balance. Byextending the feeling intention of the mind/energy in response to and inharmony with the motions and intentions of the partner a deeper merging occurswhich will allow the intention/energy of the one to lead that of the other.
The mu shin no mindednessstate is essential to the successful application of this skill without fallinginto the "intention to produce results" trap. Leading can occurinitially on the physical level when tissue is joined and balanced. All actionsand motions are in relation and connection with the movements and intentions ofthe partner. In this balanced exchange leading comes by listening to,embracing, and joining with slight initiations or imbalances produced by thechanging dynamic in the joined context. In listening to the truth of theexchange and perceiving these imbalances one may project his intention intothese imbalance areas to lead the motion, intention and energy of your partnerinto direction which ultimately manifest these openings in physicalconsequences.
CONTROLLING
FOLLOWING, JOINING and LEADING combine with the READING keysto enable the skilled practitioner to CONTROL his opponent completely. Suchcontrol is the ultimate accomplishment in the combat arts and enables themaster to face any situation without fear, and to deal with any attack withlittle effort.