KUNG FU

Benefits Gained are Priceless"

The main organs used for breathing are the lungs. Constricting the lungs can be complex. To constrict the lungs, the martial artist must have knowledge of the nervous system running near the lungs.

By using power to strike the nerves, the muscle will contract with such force that the person will be rendered unconscious by the pain and the resulting inability to draw oxygen.

an Chi Sao is the first exercise you learn. The partners face each other in the C Back position. You connect arms: one partner placing their left Tan sao forward, and the other partner placing a right Fok sao on top of the Fok sao arm.

The partner holding the Tan Sao position begins the exercise by rotating the wrist to a palm forward position and then attacking with a palm strike. The second partner responds with a Jum Sao, impeding the forward movement of the strike. The second partner then attacks, punching over the arm of the first partner. This will turn the first partner into Bong Sao. Both partners then reset to the starting position.

Start with the PENG/HINGE stance in C Back position. Relax.

Always stick to the Centre line.

o strike an opponent pass through the door

 If the door is closed then wait

You can knock on the door and hope it opens

 If the keys are lost then remove the hinges

 If a spring loaded door then hold it

If a revolving door then wait for the correct time to enter

 If the door flies off its hinges then:

As he comes receive him

As he leaves escort him

If there is a bridge in place then cross it

If there is no bridge then build one

Fighting force with force

Seek the hands, not the opponent’s body

Missing opportunity

Not setting up a strike with another strike

Being sloppy with your strike

Forcing your strikes

Not relaxing

Not sinking

Not maintaining good structure

Allowing the mind to freeze

Some people cannot find their own centre of balance. Imagine a tree, how strong would a tree be, if its roots were decaying? Obviously, it wouldn't take that much force to knock it over.

It is the same with martial arts. If you have a good stance then it will be harder to knock you over.

There are two ways to develop your stance.

The first being just sitting in your stance for about 45 minutes, if you can last an entire 45 minutes without any aches or pains anywhere, then you'll know you've found you centre.

Don’t turn Chi Sao into a battle. What is the difference between Chi Sao and fighting? If you have a circular movement and force is pushed slightly against it, if you remove the force, your hand will remain in the same position and continue its circular movement. On the other hand, imagine your hand as a spring, waiting for the pressure to be removed. Once the pressure is no longer there, the hand will automatically move forward. Thus, you won't even have to think when to attack .

Equality for both sides

In the beginning when doing chi sao, picture it as if you were doing push ups against the wall. Notice in order to keep your body square you need to push equally on both sides of your arms. Well, when you start doing chi sao it’s sort of like the same thing. You want to be able to maintain equal energies on both sides when you’re rolling. Literally, regardless of what position you are in:

The wrist for the most part is lined up with each other for both arms. The importance of equal energy, well it’s because of the inequalities of the forward drill when doing chi sao, that your opponent can use that to his advantage.

Tension vs. Energy

One of the most recurring problems when doing chi sao is differentiating between tension and energy. When you use tension it involves muscle, which reduces your sensitivity significantly. Thus, have you ever rolled with someone who was really tense, then all of a sudden just pulled your arm away from his. You'll notice when its tension the hand just stays there doing nothing at all. But if it was energy, the hand automatically shoots out towards you. That's the difference between the 2, and how you can tell one from another.

Where's my centre?

I'm sure everyone has done this before. Have someone do a bong sao and place it perfectly into the correct position, and then press against his bong sau. What you'll notice is how much force that the bong sao can take, with the opponent putting very little effort in dealing with the force. Now offset that bong by either moving it slightly left or right, let's just say about 1% of the centre line, and see the huge difference. Notice how easily it is to collapse his bong sau with very little pressure at all. Well, in chi sao its key to be aware of the centreline for everything that you do.

What we aim to develop

Sensitivity/Reaction Skills

Balance

Structure and technique (stance and movements)

Timing and speed

Control of power and distance

Clean attacking, blocking, and trapping technique

Good "bridging" skills, i.e. adhering to the opponent's forearms while delivering attacks and counter attacks to precise body targets at close range.