n. francis

at #8317

Hey Lee and Stevie, please excuse me, I am just getting to this forum now. 😬

Truly, thank you so much for the encouragement and kind words. I have been so overjoyed by this community I barely know what to say.

Thank you. Really thank you.

I am so happy to be surrounded by so many supportive voices who make me a better student and person!

🙏🏻

n. francis

at #8251

Thanks for Sharing this Marquis. I truly enjoyed this. Not only did I enjoy the form but I literally enjoyed 6 minutes +\- of wonderful meditation.

What a wonderful setting and camera angle.

Thank you. 😀

n. francis

at #8232

You’re so kind for thinking of others Howard. Thank you for having this perspective.

As to your question, if I may first say, many times when I was taking the quiz at the end of the modules, I too had reached out for help. To be honest, if I remember correctly, this was one of them!!! 😀

You are right to think that some of these answers are correct, in this case however, there is one secret ingredient that rises above the others in this question.

Now, in Wing Chun we say there are no secrets. So I use these words in jest. If the instructor or Sifu says it’s a secret there may be more going on here.

1) This person may not know the answer

Or

2) This person may actually have an ulterior motive for not telling you.

The only secret in Wing Chun, that I am aware of, if there is a secret at all is this… as Sifu says,

“It’s not how fast we can turn energy on, but how fast we can turn it off!”

Now to the answer…

Yes, of course we need to understand the proper hand positions when training Dan Chi Sau and yes, Dan Chi does at its basic level has some form of attack and defense going on…

But…

This is a drill. And the ultimate goal of Dan Chi Sau is to learn how to turn off the energy. As soon as you feel that your strike going forward is stopped, we want to stop driving forward. We want to turn off the energy.

Why?

First, if we do not turn the energy off and keep proceeding with the strike we are learning how to over commit and we do not want to do this as it will put us in a vulnerable position.

Second, when we learn to turn the energy off as quickly as possible, that energy now will be available to us soon as we need it again. The longer we hold that energy the longer the recovery time will be to once again access it.

Sifu has a wonderful talk on this, perhaps somewhere in a video, but since I have not heard him talk about this for a while I think we should ask him to revisit.

This is an essential basic that will impact the entirety of our Wing Chun.

I hope this is helpful. I tend to over explain. I apologize if that is the case here.

n. francis

at #8205

Hi Howard, I think it’s ok with Sifu if I respond here.

For starters, thanks for sharing this. Feeling self-conscious at first simply means you’re human. 😀

I certainly felt this way when I started. In fact, I would actually log in and just watch.😂😂😂 Sifu was so kind in drawing me out even when I was trying to hide.

If your membership level includes the virtual training, I would totally encourage you to take the leap. Even though the step feels big, you’ll see its quite easy to clear.

Sifu is a great teacher and he’s really good at giving every one of his students something of great value every week. Not an easy feat mind you!

Come join us. If you’re excited to learn, this is another amazing tool to really help you along!

Is this a helpful response? Or did I misread your question?

n. francis

at #8187

Thanks Sifu. I am only 5’6” (almost always the shortest in the room) 😂 Perhaps this is why Wing Chun suits me!

1) Oh my word, I didn’t kau sau at all. Thank you for pressing on these matters. I don’t know why we allow these little things to creep in.

2) Yes, I see it, every time I step to the right, I step out first. I don’t know if this is because of my awareness of opening up for the camera or another bad habit.

I will put some attention to this.

Thank you.

I’ll look forward to more detail coming.

n. francis

at #8183

Hi Howard, Cheers!

Thanks for the introduction. I am so glad you are pursuing this desire again. Consider joining us for virtual training when you can. I think you’ll find that this is certainly more than just a static site!

😀

It’s nice to meet you!

n. francis

at #8151

Thank you for this wonderfully kind and encouraging response Sifu.

To be honest..

1) I was actually looking for ways to rescind my post. Ultimately, I left it because I know that I cannot be the only one who feels this way from time to time. We are all in this together and I want others to be encouraged as well.

2) I honestly wasn’t even expecting a response. I thought this post would just sit there sticking out like a sore thumb. I was delighted by the words you have chosen here to invite us all into the benefits that await us if we just decide too keep showing up…

Faithfully… Patiently…

This blog, The 8 Ball Of Wing Chun is a great piece of direction. Instead of focusing on the impatience, let’s take step back and identify what is causing the pressure!

Thank you!

n. francis

at #8084

“Pre Ip Man, the 3rd form tried to show the 3 different elbows, kups for the double biu’s, gwoi’s for the high palms, and pie jars for the low palms, but all with the same stances.”

I’d be very interested to seeing what this would’ve looked like in the form. I cannot imagine it.

Is Ip Man the one who changed it?

n. francis

at #8048

Aha… after revisiting Elbows / Hands (A-G-A-I-N) 😮‍💨 I think I understand…

Chi Sau rules:
• Elbows High, Elbows Low
• Any tension comes from the base of the forearm (elbow energy applied?)
• Hands stay relaxed till used

Therefore Elbow / Hands / Fingers… these are all separate (6) little engines idling until being used.

• When rolling… Elbows High, Elbows Low = these specific Engines are on!!! ; Everything else idling (pilot light lit), ready and waiting! All ready to go but prepared to stop (round about illustration)?

Does this make sense???

n. francis

at #8043

Sifu,

Since we’re focusing on elbows / hands right now during training, a question arose that I could not answer.

Why do we think elbow high and elbow low in chi sau?

What are the benefits and what are the weaknesses of not doing so? I’m not well versed in chi sau outside of this instruction but I’m not a newcomer either and I have never heard this elsewhere.

This makes me think there is a keen insight and understanding to it.

Anyway, when I don’t have a good answer to pass along to others, that’s a sign to me I had better come find out! 😀

Thank you!!!!

n. francis

at #8042

It does! Absolutely.

In the same way with the knuckles, we don’t intentionally roll the wrist in for contact (only) on the knuckles.

Likewise, we don’t over roll the foot under to only strike with the blade.

Doing so in either situation can cause injury.

Thank you. Always thank you!

n. francis

at #8738

We’re excited to have you join us Kenneth!

n. francis

at #8231

Hi Nabarun, thank you so much for sharing these words. I could not agree with you more. I am so grateful to part of this community with you.

Thank you for always helping me to see the teacup from different points of view!

Enjoy your weekend.

n. francis

at #8189

My pleasure Colin. I am the same way. Ever since I watched Sifu troubleshooting the Siu Lim Tau form in the library, I wanted to be a help to others in the same way! It was so helpful to me!

Thanks for the kind words!

n. francis

at #8113

Just in effort to help you keep awareness. section 7.3 in the library (last video) is a repeat of the one right before.

7.3 Chum Kiu Chi Sau Applications, Section 1: Pie Jarn is actually a repeat of Chum Kiu Applications, Section 1: Jeng Sau (right before)

Thank you for all that you do!