(These concepts apply to many martial arts, and especially to Wing Chun Kung Fu)
Excerpt:
As we have been training intensively in our free fighting, I thought I would help with your studies of our pugilism to state some of the Ethos and philosophies of our concepts and mental qualities.
The three E’s = Efficiency, Economy, Effectiveness reached by "Mushin" No mind training.
The mind of a perfect man is like a mirror. It grasps nothing. It expects nothing. It reflects, but does not hold. Therefore, the perfect man can act without effort.
Also the less effort, the faster and more powerful you will be.
5 Stages of Combat
- Pre-fighting stance – find balance and posture before combat
- Throw to connect – action is to throw, with an offence attack
- Connection – be aware of the sticking stage of combat as this is to your advantage
- Exchange – you cannot battle without the last three; exchange is the relationship of Wing Chun with you and your opponent.
- Re-treat – when there is disconnection, when you have lost the bout but not the contest, retreat, but stay close.
Instinctive action
Some martial artist achieve the state of awareness suggestive of sixth sense, this is the total involvement in the environment for which Zen practitioners aim. It produces a calmness and detachment even in the face of threatening situations, when fear or anger might be the natural response.
Training in our Kwan or Dojo, an expert martial artist reacts not in a personal way but almost like natural law, the law of free fighting concepts installed over the years. The attack comes, the response follows. "It Happens".
There is a samurai Maxim that states " To know and act are one and the same"
However technical knowledge is not enough. One must transcend techniques so that the art becomes an artless art, growing out of the unconscious.
This can only be found if you are creative in your Wing Chun and are prepared to take risks as part of the learning curve. Creativity and risk taking in the real world is diminishing, so your natural extinct to react have vanished. Hone in to these skills while on the Kwan and you will find freedom of expression and a new found confidence.
Master Andrew Sofos
April 2010
To learn Wing Chun Kung Fu or Tai Chi in London visit our website SAS Martial Arts Academy in London
Kamil K. – Wing Chun practitioner
