For those of you that remember my last blog entry about the Chum Kiu you'll realise that words can rarely do justice to something as complex and fundamental as form to a martial art such as Wing Tsun. I'm doing my best to have a go though!

However it is important to recognise that the first "new" section in the form is one which equips a student with the ability to understand the defensive capabilities of the system whilst improving the relationship between moving the arms and body correctly within the IRAS.

A double jum sau allows one to sink not just the arms but the centre of gravity into the stance with the realisation that Chum Kiu operates on two lines not just one as in Siu Num Tau. Using the undualtion of the spine to lift the jum saus along with your centre of gravity parctices balance and structure, particularly when thrusting the arms out into Biu Tze saus.

The relaxtion needed not to uproot the student during Biu Tze sau promotes good balance and control. Usually thought of as an eye strike the technique offers a student solutions to drawing an attackers arms down to the centre of mass.

This is followed by a very tricky idea within Wing Tsun forms. The arms must be folded into double lan sau - elbows kept at 90 degrees in front of the solar plexus, and the full range of motion within the stance is needed to allow you to sink into a 90 degree turn. "Sitting" on the back leg places you into a very traditional Wing Tsun stance with the front leg free to step/kick as necessary. It also reminds us to draw all of your power in and down so you are not floating in a precarious position.

From an application point of view the technique offers various uses. Conceptually it teaches us to turn with power, speed and balance. When grappling this can be useful to shake off attackers looking to grapple the upper body or pin the arms. It also teaches us to move around a solid object or force without pushing against it or into it - this allows the Wing Tsun exponent to be soft and difficult to track by an attacker. It also implies that from the Biu Tze saus you can pull an opponent's head sharply down and to the side destroying their stance and leaving them incredibly vulnerable to counters.

By building up a solid base which can move, the Chum Kiu emphasises the need for balance and keeping the arms moving in proportion to the body. If one moves without the other your power and structure is broken. This leaves you weak and twisted in structure. While this may be less of a problem in more advanced systems and emergency techniques it is important to establish good practice amongst beginners.

From here the opening of the arms with double fook saus invites us to expand the chest and lever apart both our arms and those of our attackers. The three pak saus with tok saus have simple applications to break the balance of an attacker using the disruption of their joints. Followed by three palm strikes the student is given a clear message to attack back in using quick and powerful strikes whilst an assailant is off balance.

Drawing the arm back across the body it is important that as the student splits the arms into a lan sau and sau chong that they return to neutral stance. Skipping this point encoruages bad habits and poor structure. Pausing albeit briefly demonstrates great control. It also reminds the student to focus on holding the lan sau at chest height and not towards the throat or even chin as some people will commonly do.

Moving all the way over to the other 90 degree turn with a lan sau teaches the student the depth of IRAS and our ability to move. The split amongst the lan sau and sau chong as well as the sink into the stance is crucial in teaching the student how to keep out an opponents force. Turning the forearm upwards slightly allows the lan sau to become stronger and more resillient.

Forming a double tan sau reminds the student that Chum Kiu also uses one line and nods towards the lessons of the previous Siu Num Tau. Compression of the double tan into the hip allows the student to push themselves around the own centre and make a bong sau wu sau at a 45 degree angle. It is crucial the student understands to face "forwards" looking over the bong sau and in line with their wu.

These steps are teaching us how to move around a changing attacker not multiple attackers or one which can teleport! Constant referral to the direction of an attack is necessary in all aspects of Wing Tsun. Moving between the double tan and bong sau wu sau three times emphasises the use of three repetitions throught the Wing Tsun forms to teach an important idea. It also shows how we can change easily between very defensive and deep 90 degree turns and more attacking 45 turns which help us slip and evade attacks rather than contain them like the former.

The punch over the top of the final lan sau reminds us to keep our arms over the lan sau to avoid them being trapped by being pulled down and develops power and range whilst in the 90 degree stance. Likewise when drawing the arm across into the fak sau it is important the legs are pulled back into neutral stance and the "whip" of the fak sau is then achieved using the softeness in the shoulder joint to make the technique powerful.

The arm is withdrawn and sunken back into the hip. This ensures the following strike is at eye height but launched from a solid and stable base. Be careful that the hand finishes on the centre line as crossing it will pull the shoulders apart and destroy your structure. The heun sau and return to sau chong signifies the end of the section as inkeeping with the Siu Num Tau.

The fact this is repeated on the other side shows how important the lessons contained within these movements are. Likewise it teaches us to train both sides with the mechanics and spatial awareness handed down by the section. Overall it is an important preparation not just for learning to defend and move coherently but for assigning the weight and balance onto one leg allowing us the ability to kick and step in the subsequent sections. That however is another long and complex blog post for another time!

Happy training!  

The second form of Wing Tsun is intriguing. It marks the progression of student from learning the basics to opening up a whole world of skills they probably never really new existed!

Once the movements and ideas of the Siu Num Tao (SNT) have been learned and absorbed the student is ready to use that hard work and apply it with movement. Footwork and balance comes into play in the Chum Kiu (CK) for the first time and that's really where the fun begins!

Over the coming weeks I will be glad to update you, answer questions and explore what makes the CK form so special and different. However let's start with the most puzzling aspect that occurs to most people after their first lesson on CK; "why does it start the same but feel funny?"

Well the SNT, CK and Biu Tze (BT) form all start the "same" but the mechanics behind the moves are different. Tailored specifically to the demands and concepts of each form/system, as a discrete unit of knowledge the opening of each form reminds us not just of the continuity in WT but the adaptability and depth to the art.

In CK the first two sections follow exactly the same sequence of movements. The double Tan, double gan, rebuild that opens the form has one significant change to it's SNT counterpart: timing. When building the bridge of double tan the CK version immediately drops into double gan on contact. There is no rest between each move instead the timing change means the centre of gravity is lifted and then dropped sharply, generating a much bigger force through the forearms.

The implication of this means that CK emphasises a proactive approach to an attacking energy. While SNT teaches a student to react and move calmly that is then built upon in CK with a quicker change redirecting an opponent's force and taking their balance in application. This is one of the crucial differences between the foundations SNT lays and the strategic insight CK affords the student.

This is made clearer in the second section where the punches of SNT are delivered in a "single shot pistol"  manner to quote GGM Leung Ting,  in CK the second heun sau is replaced by the second punch as the arm is drawn back. Crucially the difference in timing gives a counterbalance effect upon the body mechanics of the section. While the challenge of not being pulled out of the stance and keeping the shoulders square to deliver a maximum amount of force, the section once mastered will gift the student with a devastating chain punch over time.

Making the punches profoundly more powerful it also embodies the Wing Tsun motto of "when the way is clear go forward" - by replacing the fist of the first punch almost immediately with the fist of the second punch the student learns to hit harder and faster, as well as harnessing the 'reborn force' GM Kernspecht is such an expert in delivering. Essential for fast and effective chain punches, a student should again become aware of the profound differences the CK makes to their Wing Tsun's effectiveness.

Arguably the CK is the form where a student learns to apply the knowledge they are learning. This means that students must start to look for links between movements, concepts and techniques to master the form and develop their proficiency in WT. To do this hard work and acknowledging the fundamental principles of the art are necessary alongside the differences between the form the student knows so well and the one they are learning.

Separating their thoughts and understanding between SNT and CK during practice is an essential skill the student must learn now if they hope to progress. Evaluating and comparing them afterwards is the mark of someone with a real passion and talent for their art. Being able to distinguish between different systems with WT is essential not just to compartmentalise practice but fully understand and apply what you've learnt.

Happy training!