Sunshine Coast Wing Chun

Chu Shong Tin

Literally, Chum Kiu when translated is the method of how to deal with the opponent’s wrists once in contact. In other words, Chum Kiu is the form applicable to fighting. If the theory of Chum Kiu is analysed carefully, it is found that it has reached the acme of perfection.

Chum Kiu is to utilize the body weight of a person as the source of energy and combining the moves of Siu Nim Tau to create a skill that can apply force in different directions. As a result, the opponent will find it difficult to tackle these kind of moves because his centre of gravity has been affected and will be easily toppled over. Hence, your chance to win in fighting is increased.

The theory of Chum Kiu can be grouped as follows:
1. The application of “two-way” force;
2. Using the centre of the body as the source of energy;
3. Using the mind to control the movement of the body;
4. Using the simultaneous attack and defence movements.

1. THE APPLICATION OF “TWO-WAY FORCE”

The majority of the moves in Chum Kiu is to apply the force moving in two different directions to contact with the wrists of the opponent. Although it is called the “two-way force”, yet, if analysed in more detail, it is found that it consists of skill of applying the force pointing from more than two directions.

The turning stance of Chum Kiu is a two-dimensional turning, i.e. turning on a surface. When the turning stance is combined with use of Tau Sau, Bong Sau and Fook Sau of Siu Nim Tau at the same time, every move of Chum Kiu will comprise the effect of having a force pointing from two different directions. Thus, the opponent will find it difficult in dealing with these kind of moves.

I was invited to organise a seminar in Holland in 1994 in which I demonstrated the “two-way force” of Chum Kiu. During the demonstration, I wrestled with a young and huge Negro who could easily lift up 250 kg. At that time, I weighed only 60 kg. As the body weights vary so greatly, my winning with the use of Chum Kiu obtained the shouts of triumph from everybody present on that occasion.

The reason why the “two-way force” is difficult to be deal with is very simple. Assume that one can easily raise up an object of 50 kg, but if a person pushes you with a force of 20 kg from the side while you are lifting an object of 30 kg then you will find it very difficult to resist the pushing and will even lose your balance and fall over.

2. Using the centre of the body as the source of energy

In practising Chum Kiu, one must use the centre of the body as the source of energy. The purpose is to maintain the body weight as an unity and then every move will contain the weight of the whole body. When the opponent is in contact with any part of your body, he will then have to suffer an attack from your whole body weight.

3. Using the mind to control the movement of the body

The purpose of using the mind to control the movement of the body is to generate the whole body weight without using any unnecessary muscular force. Thus, every move you are using will contain the weight of the whole body.

4. Using the simultaneous attack and defence movements

Practising Chum Kiu has entered into the stage of body contact with the opponent. This means that Chum Kiu is the form which will comprise of the combating skill. Hence, every simple move of Chum Kiu contains a common structure which is fit for attack or defence. Apart from having the speciality of Wing Chun (i.e. not to waste energy), every move will contain the scientific structure for combat, allowing the fighting skill to show up when facing the opponent.

It is of my opinion the fighting skill of Chum Kiu is difficult to describe in writing. The best way is to understand it is through demonstration and practice. If I have to put down all the Chum Kiu skills in writing, the article will be so profound that the person who reads it will find it hard to understand and will be confused.

Chu Shong Tin

After one is familiar with all the movements in the Wing Chun Forms, he should study and understand more in depth the theory and contents of the Forms in order to establish the concept in training so that he could reach the revelation – “Lup Lim” (Means: determines to use the thinking process to achieve the basic principles of Wing Chun) – as told by the late Grandmaster Ip Man. Practicing in this way, one can be able to gain an ideal result and obtain enrichment.

Now I will give a brief description of the philosophy of Wing Chun. Wing Chun kung fu always emphasizes on not to use any muscular force but to conjugate with the mind and work it out as the source of power. This reinforces the importance of “Lup Lim” during training. I hope that the followers of Wing Chun can assimilate the logic of modern scientific theories in analysing its movements so one can learn more about the Wing Chun system and make it easier to understand why Wing Chun is so profound in its learning.

During the Ching Dynasty of China, Wing Chun was created from the life martial art experience of the Abbess Ng Mui during her latter years. Now a few hundred years later, if one use the modern scientific knowledge to analysis Wing Chun, no matter which movements, [Siu Nim Tau], [Chum Kiu] or [Bill Gee], are backed up by the logic of physics, dynamics and the theory of body structure. That is why I believe Wing Chun is an invented martial art that transcends time.

Generally, when the beginners study the movements of the Wing Chun forms, most of them will find it very difficult to comprehend. Therefore, they will concentrate on the practical application of the techniques and neglect the importance of the logic of the theories of force and structure. The more comprehendible one will after analysing Wing Chun with the theory of leverage believes that this is the highest skill of Wing Chun but overlooks the advance effects which could be obtained from the energy developed from mind force, the reasons why it can save strength and the theories of force and structure etc. which can help one to progress to a higher level.

When I try to explain the profound theory of Wing Chun kung fu, I found it very difficult to describe and put in writing. Even if I demonstrate the movements on people as I did in my previous seminars, I was still thought to be acting. Therefore, it shows that the practical effects of Wing Chun have reached a point of view that the force it can be generated is hard for anyone to believe.

In practising Wing Chun, besides studying the application of the movements, one should not neglect the theory of each Form. For example, in Siu Nim Tau, of course its movements can be used for defense and attack but in practising, one should direct all the movements in the form with the use of the mind. In establishing this mind force theory by not using any muscular strength, one can derive the skill of how to generate force with his mind and a good example of this is the Bong Sau. Bong Sau can easily fling the downward pressing force of the opponent by not using any muscular strength. It is said that the Bong Sau was created by the late Abbess Ng Mui when she sighted the fight between a crane and a raccoon. The crane just used its thin wing to rotate the raccoon away and it could continue to stand on one leg throughout the fight. She then suddenly understood the principle why a lighter object could fight against a heavier object by not using any strength. It is difficult to prove whether Wing Chun was created from those incidents but it does not need to use any strength is an affirmative fact.

In order to achieve the mind force of Wing Chun, practitioners should first practise according to the functions of the Forms and try to merge your mind and the movements together. When one starts to feel the existence of the mind force, Wing Chun will become one of the enjoyments of life.

Wing Chun comprises of three forms i.e. [Siu Nim Tau], [Chum Kiu] and [Bill Gee] and each form has a theory of its own. In application, if one can combine the three forms together, Wing Chun will become a system which is practical and capable of deriving a highly destructive force.

By Chu Shong Tin

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.

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.

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.

By 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 spirit 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:
1. The structure of the moves
2. The moves to be controlled by the mind
3. The input of mind force
4. 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.