Still Using Just, The One Brain?

 

What if you had eight?

 

Imagine playing Chi Sau with an octopus?

Sounds kind of funny but that’s how we should all be playing.

 

When playing Chi Sau, the least experienced of practitioners will most likely be looking at their arms, watching what is happening and trying to react to that exchange, which in nearly all cases, will be unsuccessful.

 

The reason for this is simple, there is too much time being wasted through communication and data transference.

By the time your eyes have seen what’s happening, relayed this to the brain and the brain telling the arms what to do about it, it’s too late, it’s over.

This is why we train our sensitivity, to feel what is going on and to react in kind, not adding, ‘Unnecessary additional checkpoints’.

 

Now let’s say you’ve moved on from the need to look at what you are doing and you are starting to feel and react in the appropriate manner, it’s likely that you will still be having issues, and usually because you are feeling for one arm at a time.

This often presents itself in areas such as changes, while changing one arm, the other loses position and exposes gaps, or maybe while stepping, or a change in pressure?

 

So how do we control this?

Not by splitting your brain into several pieces, but by having extra brains.

 

WHAT?

 

Let me explain.

If you were to think of having 100% available capacity, then you share this between both arms, then of course, 50%/50%.

On face value you may think that this is a good idea until we realise that we have halved our consciousness, not good practice.

What we need is 100% in each arm, adding this further to our footwork, to our ranges, to our energies and so on, all in balance and each having full control of their responsibilities.

 

This is where the octopus comes in.

An octopus has eight arms (yes arms, not tentacles), but here’s the mega interesting bit, did you know that each arm, has its own brain?

 

It’s true, meaning that each arm is like being almost separate creatures, and this is how you should be aiming to play your Chi Sau, just because you are stepping, you should not control of your arms, and vice versa, this should also be said for pressure, if someone uses energy or changes pace, this should not affect you.

 

So, whether in forms or drills, use that particular vehicle to train its specific focus area, and not just to the point that you get it right, but to the point where you cannot get it wrong.

 

Be like octopus my friend.