Forms? Or collection of techniques

My sifu made an interesting comment which got us thinking, and changed our whole view on traditional Chinese martial arts forms. My Sifu said, "This look like a collection of techniques rather than a form?". We asked him, "What's a form and what's the difference?". He said, "A form is a form and a collection of techniques is a training method you use to internalize the form". Ha? I'm confused...

But after a deeper look we can see something.

On the whole, I used to practice at least 1 hour a day and usually for about 3 hours every day. Many years ago I used to do about 2,000 to 5,000 punches a day or forms' breakdown (i.e. I take a form, break it down into single techniques and do lots of repetitions with it. I changed that routine to doing more forms and breakdown repetitions now due to the following reasons:

1. Experience
I have many kungfu brothers who come to me when they feel disillusioned by their training. My Sifu only teaches the forms and never conduct sparring sessions so the students do not get to feel or try what they've learned. I was the same but my my experience in the UK has taught me otherwise. Practicing just forms CAN make you a good fighter.

So, what I did was put attackers in a line and each of them has to fight the defender for 2 minutes, no breaks between attackers. The defender had to fight 4 guys in continuous 2 minute rounds! And we have a Karate and San Shou instructors in the group!!! The other guy is 6 feet tall with size 14 shoes and many years experience in many martial arts! You can see the fear in his eyes but he could handle the attackers well. He has only practiced forms but the result was just amazing!

2. Reaction Time
I always conduct training with other Wing Chun styles in Kuala Lumpur and in these sessions I do the most common thing all Wing Chun styles have which is Chi Sao. And from these sessions I get feedback on my kungfu. I always find that I react better on weeks where I focus on forms and the feedbacks I get from my friends confirms it.

Recently I managed to get one of the practitioners to come to my class for a small session of Chi Sao and I was pleased because he was saying good things about my chi sao, even though I've not done chi sao or sparring for almost 2 years. Only forms.

I also find that I could easily catch falling objects which slipped from my hand or react to fast moving items better when I do a lot more forms' training.

3. Health
I have many instances where my students' blood pressure normalized after training the small flower form (saifakuen) and the Qigong. I've seen it so many times in fact, now I will offer to teach the Small Flower Form and Qigong everytime I meet somebody suffers a stroke or has high blood pressure. And it hasn't failed me so far.

Everybody who is in love with martial arts knows that Taiji is a martial arts form that many people have adopted for health purposes.

4. Technique
Of course by training the form we are also training the techniques behind them. I find it easier to apply techniques and only needing minimal amounts of energy to execute them whenever I practice a lot of them. Also, because we are focusing on the form, we are also focusing on the detailed aspects of the form, which would lead to good structure, strong foundation and a sharper mind and body.

I can't tell anybody what the difference between Forms and Clooection of Techniques yet. But I know, FORMS WORKS! Even though we don't understand them!

Empty hand techniques in traditional weapons.

Last week Friday I had a nice time training (and fortunately LEARNING) something from my sifu. I was half fooling around with my kungfu brothers while practicing one of our forms. I explained certain concepts within the form while sifu watched from the side. I hope I got all of it right :) He didn't say anything about it so hopefully they were correct :D

Then he did something I am very thankful now. He gave concepts, techniques and principles to counter all the concepts and principles I just shared with my kungfu brothers, and ALL of them came from the 6 and half point pole form!

Sifu showed the Yin and Yang side of applications, according to the positioning, body posture, strength and size of the opponent. Again the emphasis was on "Using 4 ounces to defeat 1,000 catties". You can be at any size and age to apply all these. He then proceeded to give counters to the counters he taught, and ALL came from the 6 and a half point pole form!

Years ago Sifu showed us how to use the Yong Mui Pang as an empty hand form. I believe if I continue further, I'm gonna learn the empty hand applications and principles for all the weapons, and vice versa! This shows the unlimited depths of Yip Kin Wing Chun. As my kungfu brother Zaf said in the Yip Kin Wing Chun knol, "Each and every form contains the entire system".

We've said many MANY times, how lucky we are to learn this particular Wing Chun system! My only wish is more people can learn it and get the whole benefits. If only I had more time to practice. :(

P/S:
I just found out that I'm a 6th Generation practitioner of another Wing Chun and my name is included in their list of practitioners. I learned it for 1 or 2 odd months 11 years ago, haven't practiced it since then and I'm included in their list! WOW! and LoL!

Who says traditional weapons are not important!

Three months ago (before I started this blog and also one of the reasons why I started this blog), my kungfu brother Yuen Loong started learning a new weapon form (the spear). I had a Chi Sau (sticky hands) session just a day before and on the day itself before he started practicing on the weapon again. Without knowing what I was going into, I asked for another chi sau session, and BOY WAS I SURPRISED! His energy and focus was different and much stronger even though he seemed relaxed! I had to be more careful or I would be thrown off (Usually I'm the one who throws people off!). And the only thing different before and after was the weapon's training he did with sifu. It was a revelation.

This reminded me of some other incidents I had doing chi sau with Chee Hoong who is one of my kungfu friends 3 or 4 years ago. He said my hands that day felt heavier and stronger than usual even though I seemed relaxed and as sensitive as usual. So he didn't feel like I was pushing beyond my limit. The truth was, I had just learnt the Kwan Tou (General Kwan's Big Knife) Form and practicing it a lot to ensure muscle memory.

I had another experience with my another kungfu brother of mine (Ah Tak). I didn't see him for a few months and when I met him again, as is usual with me, I ask for chi sau exchange. I was again surprised. He has lost his sensitivity and became hard and almost stiff. He had more power than before though. He told me he has just finished learning a staff form called Ng Long Pa Kua Kwan from another school (Shaolin if I can recalled properly). His energy and hand power has become more Shaolin than Wing Chun.

My best friend Zaf Abbas also made an interesting comment. He has just started the Yong Mui Pang (staff) and he found out that his footwork was a mess. So he worked on it and got better and the form is slowly beginning to smooth out. I noticed something then. His footwork for the empty hand forms were improving also and he could start and finish his forms at the same starting point and his footwork was a lot smoother. His Chun Ging also improved.

Based on the above points, I believe weapon forms are useful for improving our empty hands techniques and forms. They take us to a whole new level of proficiency. We might not be able to use the same weapons in a fight per say, but the benefits extend far more than what understand currently. So, DON'T THROW THOSE WEAPON FORMS AWAY, PLEASE!!! Practice them and reap the benefits!

The first wall!

People all over the world has always been attracted to the beautiful movements, speed and power of the martial arts. Taiji and Silat with their graceful flowing movements, Taekwondo's fantastic kicks, Karate's and Boxing's punches, Wing Chun's speed and short range techniques and many many others.

With those ideals in mind they join a martial arts class so they can do the same things. Here many encounters their first wall, "stance training". Imagine walking into a class, expecting to do the wonderful stuff others do and then we're asked to STAND and HOLD the position until the instructor says otherwise! I have seen many come and go soon after the first lesson, and I'd like to start my blog with this lesson.

After doing this for 17 years, I will say that this is the single most important training any master can teach you! Stance training will benefit you several ways:

1. When we are standing, running, walking or sitting down our body subconsciously collects information from the surrounding (foot pressure, distance with other objects, touch, feeling, sway and anything else). By standing still in a position, our brain screams for information which causes it to heighten all our senses. The longer we do so, the more natural this heightened sense will become to us.

I can only use my limited English and martial experience to explain this. Surf the net and you'll be able to find articles that better explain stances and structure.

2. Body Structure is the most important thing in life. It helps in stability, improves blood circulation, increases focus and a whole lot of other things. The proper stance practice will give you a better body structure that will give rise to many other good things in life.

3. Power comes from the correct body structure. I believe, the power in martial arts (by that I mean Wing Chun because I've only done those), comes when you are able to "throw" your body weight forward. There are two components to this. First is acceleration and the second is weight. When you can connect your body weight to your fist and accelerate to top speed in the least amount of time, you have attained full power.

4. Proper structure will also help us defuse any strikes and/or energy applied on us.

I didn't like my first three months of Wing Chun classes either because we only stood in one position at every class! But now, I wish I had done longer...

Now practice that stance!

A need to improve along with others...

Hello world!

My name is Kahar and it is my sincere hope that by sharing my vision, ideas, experience and research, I would be able to learn and see more and also possibly give ideas and help others improve in the martial world.

Due to my experiences when I was small and at high school, I became a timid, shy and introverted person who is fearful of most things. I was even afraid to go into shops and places I am not familiar of! I couldn't talk to people and even look at anybody in the eye. It was a miserable feeling that I wouldn't wish on anybody, even my foes.

My father is a Silat master who learned silat (mostly Javanese origin) from 30 masters! He had the same problem as me when he was small and he conquered his fear by learning any silat he could put his hands on and then confront everything he feared, head on, by beating everybody and everything up. Even his masters!!! When he was older he told me, that if he were to do everything again, he would learn Traditional Chinese Kungfu.

That came as a surprise, but it became a starting point in my journey. After high school I looked everywhere in Kuala Lumpur for a Traditional Chinese Martial Arts teacher. Anybody I could I met, despite the fear. I am lucky to find my Kungfu Father, Grandmaster Yip Fook Choy and a fantastically wonderful journey started!

The style I practice is Yip Kin Wing Chun Kungfu. I wrote a rough history and methods in my knol (http://knol.google.com/k/kahar-saidun/yip-kin-wing-chun-kung-fu/2kqkwsq8k58s9/2#) which I am still trying to improve and would appreciate comments and views.

This blog will correspond with Zaf Abbas' blog Wing Chun Diaries and also soon to be released blog on Yip Kin Wing Chun. By reading all three you would be able to understand the Yip Kin Wing Chun martial arts system and at the same time see a student's and an instructor's point of view of the training and discipline. I would also input my thoughts, findings and experiences in Yip Kin Wing Chun together with experiences with other truly wonderful people and their styles in the Martial Arts World.

I welcome any comments and thoughts that you might have, and by sharing I hope we can all improve ourselves and our arts better!

Now follow me in this journey... towards martial excellence!