# Staying relaxed when pressed hard...



## geezer (Feb 20, 2009)

I think that one of the hardest things to do in WT/WC is to stay relaxed and "soft", or more accurately, to be _"springy"_ when confronting a really tough opponent. It's easy to be soft and fluid with students, or someone inferior to you, but I've always had trouble tensing up when I spar or do "free" (sparring) chi-sau with someone who really presses me aggresively, is very fast, or does something unexpected. I've also noticed that even those a good deal better than I have this same problem when they confront_ their_ superiors in skill. Only the highest level masters seem immune. 

One concern is that if you ever have to use your skills in self defense, you will be confronted with this very problem. An attacker of unknown ability, probably armed, probably using the element of surprise, will come at you with a lot of aggression. And probably in an unfavorable environment for you, the defender. Under such conditions, how can you possible stay relaxed and use your best skills? Or do you have to fall back on your most basic tecniques and just blitz the hell out of your attacker. Personally I suspect that the latter approach is your best bet. 

Still, as a person even more interested in pursuing the "art" of WT/WC as in building self-defense skills, I really want to break this "glass-ceiling" imposed by my tendency to stiffen up when pressed hard. Right now, I just want to get a lot mor practice with guys that are bigger, stronger and better than I. I figure that way I'll have to loosen up sooner or later. I'm also going back to working more on my stances and footwork, since that is the foundation of everything ...especilly "dissolving force" without being unbalanced or uprooted. 

Any thoughts? How do you guys deal with this?


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## Andrew Green (Feb 20, 2009)

geezer said:


> Any thoughts? How do you guys deal with this?




Experience, and hopefully part of that includes some good, hard contact sparring.

Your body and your brain just need to realize that they actually can take some pretty hard hits and continue to function.  But as long as someone coming at you hard is unfamiliar, it's going to be a hard thing to overcome.


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## Akira (Feb 20, 2009)

Agreed. This isn't a problem confined to kung fu. The more sparring you do, the more comfortable you will get at it. I cringe when I see some of my early sparring videos and how stiff I am. 

Once you learn how to dodge/swift/parry/block punches and hits, it will all start to make sense and all those seperate techniques you spent years learning will flow together. This only comes through sparring and real life practice like Andrew above said. 

If someone is attacking you aggressively, cover up or block as you have trained, eventually you will see an opening, or they will get tired and punch themselves out. 

Don't be afraid of being hit, it really doesn't hurt as much as you think.

One kung fu philosophy is "respond to violence with more violence" but I prefer to cover up knowing I won't get hurt and wait for an opening.


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## geezer (Feb 20, 2009)

Akira said:


> If someone is attacking you aggressively, cover up or block as you have trained, eventually you will see an opening, or they will get tired and punch themselves out. ...One kung fu philosophy is "respond to violence with more violence" but I prefer to cover up knowing I won't get hurt and wait for an opening.


 
Unfortunately, that's not really an option in WC/WT. We are infighters, we move right into the meat grinder. If you flinch or cover-up, you aren't feeling the other person's flow and moving with his technique, borrowing his force. For it to really work, you have to let your opponent's energy, trigger your response rather than crashing on through with your own technique. When it does work, it's unreal. Sometimes it's like your hands are moving on their own, faster than your brain can keep up. But it's tough to sustain against an equal or better opponent, and impossible if you tense up.


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## skinters (Feb 20, 2009)

i find you have to use your pivot a heluva lot more when pressed hard .the pivot becomes more forcefull,and to me is one of the corner stones of the art.

also sinking down in to your stance,can and does absorb a tremendous amount of energy.

i remember sparring with this guy he was about the same size as me,and because i was tense,with no stance ie standing to upright,he was bouncing me about the place like pogo stick.my sifu would stop and say sink down into your stance and pivot more....what a difference.

your looking at it the exaclty same way i was.although it was drummed into me time and time again how important sinking into the stance,and using my pivot more was,over time those two most important things were lost,at the expense of my putting to much emphasis on what my hands were doing.

i find im constantly going back to basics,stance,and pivot.also it took me a long time to realise that although at first you are rooted to the spot when learning basics,there is no rule that says you cant move.


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## Yoshiyahu (Feb 20, 2009)

Well I often have this problem of tensing up when I practice heavy conditioning. One Week I increase my strength and power building routine. When I did Chi Sau with my Sifu he said I was using too much strength. So I stop I doing Strength training for like month and He said I was more relaxed and soft. Its wierd. He compared my strength to guy who was really hard that practice alot of Iron Palm techniques. Which was kinda like of compliment. But this same guy can not beat him in sparring so its kinda of an insult. So I spent my time working less on strength and power and more time working on root and steps. Recently when I played chi sau with a friend of mines I have been training my Sifu notice my Root was alot lower. Now my friend I have been training for more than six months. So by now he is pretty good. But my Sifu saw me dissipating his force with my root by pivoting and side stepping out of his range of force. 


But you are right sometimes when I spar with my Sihing or Sifu I tense up to an get really hard to control their arms to stop them from striking. An even though I can delay getting hit I am still loosing because I am not learning how to flow against a more skilled opponent. So what I usually do is soon as I make contact I strike the heck out my sihing to put him on offensive an then he attacks relentlessly. An then I take some hits an others I deflect or turn off. I have to constantly flow with him an feel his intentions.


My Sifu on other hand. I can only hit him when he allows me. Some days I can get one or two hits off others I get none. So basically I spend my time analyzing how I get hit in the hundred spot and what I could of done to advoid it. Also for some strange reason my Sifu is really good at concealing his energy. So you don't feel the hit until he is already inside you gates and have no where to move. Mostly with him he likes to do stationary chi sau. He is shorter than I but my Sifu arms seem to be longer when we do Chi Sau. Its like his arms are already touching my body and I am simply stuck there trying to figure out why I am getting hit...its kinda of weird.


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## geezer (Feb 20, 2009)

Yoshiyahu said:


> Well I often have this problem of tensing up when I practice heavy conditioning. One Week I increase my strength and power building routine. When I did Chi Sau with my Sifu he said I was using too much strength. So I stop I doing Strength training for like month and He said I was more relaxed and soft.


 
Yep. Weight training and hard-core strength conditioning can be a negative factor. I've noticed it too, but _I like lifting_ a bit to keep strong and fit. My instructors are against it, but not as vehemently so as Leung Ting was way back when I trained with him. I've known some very strong guys who did weight training and still have soft, fast and fluid Chi-sau. So, I'm inclined to think that the greater part of the problem is a combination of quality of technique, muscle-memory and mindset. You have to really practice your stuff (muscle-memory) and have to be mentally confident and relaxed (mindset) to let your arms do their thing.


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## qwksilver61 (Feb 20, 2009)

Definitely....trusting.....that you can stay relaxed.Sifu Emin exhibited total relaxation...which totally blew me away.Giving way and relying on the turnstile effect or where your arms sense your opponents position/pressure is difficult but not impossible,I tend to think of it as swimming....as against the current...yield,link,re-direct,borrow,push forward.Scary when your opponent is much larger and the sheer physics behind the system works for you,I trusted..it worked more than once.Yeah, definitely a mental thing.Two cents......


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## Yoshiyahu (Feb 20, 2009)

Yea My chi sau will be fluid against most...just not with my Sifu.




geezer said:


> Yep. Weight training and hard-core strength conditioning can be a negative factor. I've noticed it too, but _I like lifting_ a bit to keep strong and fit. My instructors are against it, but not as vehemently so as Leung Ting was way back when I trained with him. I've known some very strong guys who did weight training and still have soft, fast and fluid Chi-sau. So, I'm inclined to think that the greater part of the problem is a combination of quality of technique, muscle-memory and mindset. You have to really practice your stuff (muscle-memory) and have to be mentally confident and relaxed (mindset) to let your arms do their thing.


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## mook jong man (Feb 21, 2009)

Like you said you got to find some big fast guys to train with , I am a small dude and training with big guys will definitely improve your techniques .

 Early on in my training I used to avoid the big guy in the class because I was frightened of them , I used to see other people avoid them as well . But after awhile I thought , face facts man you are a small dude and most people that are going to attack you on the street are probably going to be a helluva lot bigger than you are.

 So I made a  promise to myself to face the fear and always seek out the big guy in the group to train with , there is no kidding yourself with a big bloke . If you don't do the technique correct you find out pretty damn quick , where as with some one your own size you can sort of half **** it and it will still work . 

One thing I found is that when you spend a lot of time training with big huge guys , especially in chi-sau sparring is that you tend to stay sunk down in your stance and try to be more  correct in your movements because you know if you don't you will get thrown around . 

Another thing that happens is that when you go back to training with people your own size or even a bit bigger , you tend to be able to throw them around like ragdolls with out really trying , you just seem to be able to go through them like a hot knife through butter.


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## Yoshiyahu (Feb 21, 2009)

That is so true...i totally agree.




mook jong man said:


> Like you said you got to find some big fast guys to train with , I am a small dude and training with big guys will definitely improve your techniques .
> 
> Early on in my training I used to avoid the big guy in the class because I was frightened of them , I used to see other people avoid them as well . But after awhile I thought , face facts man you are a small dude and most people that are going to attack you on the street are probably going to be a helluva lot bigger than you are.
> 
> ...


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## seasoned (Feb 21, 2009)

Everyone, I assume, has learned how to drive a car, or some vehicle, at some point in their life. Remember the first time behind the wheel, that feeling of the unknown, someone next to you saying, just relax. So many things to think about, it blows your mind. First its up and down the driveway, which leads into a parking lot somewhere. Then on to side streets, and before you know it, its highway driving. With time and experience your tooling down the road passing, parking, weaving in and out of traffic, like a pro. This all took time, from that vice grip you first had on the steering wheel, to the relaxed grip, while tuning in the radio. All this time thinking about the possibility of getting hit an accident or getting yourself killed, by another driver. By now you have gotten the point, it all goes back to the first time you sat behind the wheel with someone next to you saying just relax. It meant nothing to you then, but now with the experience you have acquired from driving, the first thing you will tell someone, if given the chance, is..


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## skinters (Feb 21, 2009)

i agree with the idea of asking someone to relax,i do it myself,but i always found that when someone told me to try and relax,what happened? i would go tense straight away.

i learned to realise that saying try and relax was a contradiction,as the word try means you are striving,and end up doing completly the opposite to what was intended.

knowing this everytime i chisau with someone new i  remember not to say it,although i have to mentaly kick myself,when i do.


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## Yoshiyahu (Feb 21, 2009)

That is so true. I think as a beginner it is harder to relaxed when doing something new.

My Sifu doesn't say try to relax....he just says "relax" in calm soothing voice. Then he goes on to say relax the spine, relax the shoulders,relax the tailbone,relax the thighs,relax the ball of the foot,relax the neck,relax the arms and sometimes he says relax the body. He also says to breath naturally. An for me hearing and hearing over again I can now do it. Before I couldn't. Its like my first day of trying to hold one leg up in the air for five minutes. It was torture. 






seasoned said:


> Everyone, I assume, has learned how to drive a car, or some vehicle, at some point in their life. Remember the first time behind the wheel, that feeling of the unknown, someone next to you saying, just relax. So many things to think about, it blows your mind. First its up and down the driveway, which leads into a parking lot somewhere. Then on to side streets, and before you know it, its highway driving. With time and experience your tooling down the road passing, parking, weaving in and out of traffic, like a pro. This all took time, from that vice grip you first had on the steering wheel, to the relaxed grip, while tuning in the radio. All this time thinking about the possibility of getting hit an accident or getting yourself killed, by another driver. By now you have gotten the point, it all goes back to the first time you sat behind the wheel with someone next to you saying just relax. It meant nothing to you then, but now with the experience you have acquired from driving, the first thing you will tell someone, if given the chance, is..


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## seasoned (Feb 21, 2009)

seasoned said:


> Everyone, I assume, has learned how to drive a car, or some vehicle, at some point in their life. Remember the first time behind the wheel, that feeling of the unknown, someone next to you saying, just relax. So many things to think about, it blows your mind. First its up and down the driveway, which leads into a parking lot somewhere. Then on to side streets, and before you know it, its highway driving. With time and experience your tooling down the road passing, parking, weaving in and out of traffic, like a pro. This all took time, from that vice grip you first had on the steering wheel, to the relaxed grip, while tuning in the radio. All this time thinking about the possibility of getting hit an accident or getting yourself killed, by another driver. By now you have gotten the point, it all goes back to the first time you sat behind the wheel with someone next to you saying just relax. It meant nothing to you then, but now with the experience you have acquired from driving, the first thing you will tell someone, if given the chance, is..


As an add on to my post. There are two mental states that will cause someone to be tense or tight when facing an opponent, and they are fear or anger. These are the two emotions that can be very detrimental to our success in the DoJo setting, or to our survival in a street confrontation. How we control and handle these emotions are more important then the techniques themselves.


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## Yoshiyahu (Feb 21, 2009)

So what do you do control and handle these emotions?





seasoned said:


> As an add on to my post. There are two mental states that will cause someone to be tense or tight when facing an opponent, and they are fear or anger. These are the two emotions that can be very detrimental to our success in the DoJo setting, or to our survival in a street confrontation. How we control and handle these emotions are more important then the techniques themselves.


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## qwksilver61 (Feb 21, 2009)

Trust that relaxed works....it does not mean floppy or weak,your training is supposed to take care of that,hence the relaxed drills and the hundreds or thousands of chain punches.......result;think of a springy loaded coil along with a driving wedge that is capable of yielding and feeding back what is being loaded onto it,two and sometimes three limbs coming into play....blah blah blah........and further more..bl...


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## seasoned (Feb 22, 2009)

Yoshiyahu said:


> So what do you do control and handle these emotions?


 

Fear, panic, anger all elicit tension in our body. It starts in our mind with some form of threat. This threat can be real or perceived. Once we lose control of our thought process, and one of the three above begins to accrue, it will send signals to our body. Once the brain has sent a message of arousal to the nervous system, adrenaline, cortical, and other hormones pour into the bloodstream. The heart and lungs work harder. Blood pressure and heart rate increase. Fine and complex motor skills eventually deteriorate. This is an automatic response. The lungs work harder, meaning we loose control of our breath, our heart rate goes up because of a lack of oxygen in our body. Once our heart rate pulse exceeds 145 beats per minute, tunnel vision accrues. At this point in time all of our training has gone down the tubes. What to do? Every MA teaches the controlling of our thoughts, and deep breathing. We need to practice this along with our techniques and be aware of it during our training. In my system it is called, meditation. :asian:


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## geezer (Feb 22, 2009)

seasoned said:


> Fear, panic, anger all elicit tension in our body...
> 
> ... At this point in time all of our training has gone down the tubes. What to do? Every MA teaches the controlling of our thoughts, and deep breathing. We need to practice this along with our techniques and be aware of it during our training. In my system it is called, meditation. :asian:



What I'm hearing from _"Seasoned"_: First _best_ option: control your fear response through breathing, meditation, whatever, so you you can respond to the threat most effectively, maintaining full use of the martial skills you've trained to defend yourself.

Heard from _others_: Second, _maybe unavoidable_ option: When you lose control, learn to channel the intensity that your adrenal rush gives you. You'll have an elevated heart rate, a loss of fine motor skills, tunnel vision, and so forth. For a short period, you will also be very strong and very focused on survival. So direct all that anger and aggression at your adversary. Forget all the flowing and sensitivity stuff. Fall back on the simple, aggressive movements that might save your backside. Blast right through him with a blitz of chain punches, elbows. knees, headbutts, whatever. Give 'em everything you've got, and don't stop till you're free and clear...  and 100 yards away.  

Oh, and then there's option three. Accidentally run over your foe in your hummer.


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## Yoshiyahu (Feb 22, 2009)

Do you practice this meditation while

Peforming the forms
Doing Drills
Chi Sau
Sparring
etc.




seasoned said:


> Fear, panic, anger all elicit tension in our body. It starts in our mind with some form of threat. This threat can be real or perceived. Once we lose control of our thought process, and one of the three above begins to accrue, it will send signals to our body. Once the brain has sent a message of arousal to the nervous system, adrenaline, cortical, and other hormones pour into the bloodstream. The heart and lungs work harder. Blood pressure and heart rate increase. Fine and complex motor skills eventually deteriorate. This is an automatic response. The lungs work harder, meaning we loose control of our breath, our heart rate goes up because of a lack of oxygen in our body. Once our heart rate pulse exceeds 145 beats per minute, tunnel vision accrues. At this point in time all of our training has gone down the tubes. What to do? Every MA teaches the controlling of our thoughts, and deep breathing. We need to practice this along with our techniques and be aware of it during our training. In my system it is called, meditation. :asian:


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## qwksilver61 (Feb 23, 2009)

I agree with Geezer....re-direct your fear and use it to your advantage!


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## Yoshiyahu (Feb 23, 2009)

How do you re-direct your fear.




qwksilver61 said:


> I agree with Geezer....re-direct your fear and use it to your advantage!


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## geezer (Feb 23, 2009)

Yoshiyahu said:


> How do you re-direct your fear.



Short answer: Get really, really pissed!




In other words, if you are caught up in the so-called "fight or flight" syndrome, _and you can't run_, you can either collapse on the ground shaking and soil your pants, or you can _get really angry_. If you know that the only escape is right through your opponent, that might help. If he's bigger and stronger, I guess you have to cultivate a berzerker's attitude of, "I'm already as good as dead but at least I'll take this bloody bugger with me!" 

In my limited experience, that's a hard state of mind to sustain, so I guess you've got about one short chance to take the dude out, then you're dog meat. So whatever you do, try to leave your mark! 

Other opinions?


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## Yoshiyahu (Feb 23, 2009)

Ha Ha...very good answer?




geezer said:


> Short answer: Get really, really pissed!
> 
> 
> 
> ...


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## mook jong man (Feb 23, 2009)

I remember reading something by Tony Blauer of panic attack fame. He said that fear is *F*alse *E*vidence *A*ppearing *R*eal . Meaning that it is all in your head . I used to get really bad when something was about to kick off , one leg would start to shake , the trembleing voice , lump in the throat , tunnel vision , the whole lot .

 But the worst bit is the feeling of utter dread deep in the pit of the stomach . The things that can help diminish these natural symptoms are to start deep breathing right away in an effort to slow down the adrenaline turbo boost , and to realise that it is inevitable because a chemical is being squirted into your blood stream .

 Another thing you have to realise is that the situation is happening to you , one of my instructors said people freeze because in an effort to protect the mind from trauma , the person will deny reality and say to themself I can't believe this is happening to me , and what results is that they don't do anything and sort of act like a spectator in their own body .

 I have felt this feeling of disbelief myself in the past and I think the first thing you have to do is tell yourself that it is happening to you , and your probably going to have to bloody do something about it quick. I have done scenario training in the past with people yelling and swearing at you with their snarling faces , at first it is a shock and some people go overboard and react like it is a real fight , anything to get this snarling abusive person out of your face.

 But after awhile you get immune to it and start thinking tactically like what is their range what targets are open to you. One of the problems in self defence is knowing exactly at what point you should act or when it is go time , and scenario training helps with this because you practice de-escalation dialogue all the time and it is usually only a couple of standard phrases .

 Sort of apologetic phrases like Sorry mate , I didn't mean to take your car park , anything to de-escalate the guys anger . But if the bloke doesn't back down and nothing I say is working , then I use a trigger phrase that also engages his brain for a second and makes my attack more likely to succeed .

 My trigger phrase is " Whats the frequency " ? and about a second after I say those words it is time for me to attack . But it could be any random question like " How's your dad " anything that will distract him for a second as he thinks what the hell is this dude talking about , and because you have practiced this phrase all the time in your training it is a automatic trigger for you to go forward , practice it with partners and also on the bag ,you might look a bit stupid talking to a bag , but who cares .

 And the next time some hairy knuckle dragger comes up to abuse you , you will be a little bit calmer because you have already rehearsed all this stuff , you will still get the feeling of dread in your stomach , not much can prepare you for that , you will still be scared , but feel just a little bit more in control of yourself .
 I have to acknowlege that this stuff comes from one of my Wing Chun instructors who now runs his own RBSD school and is influenced by Geoff Thompson , and Robert Redenbach's Kontact system .


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## Si-Je (Feb 24, 2009)

If they're mad, you've already got 'em. They aren't clear and they're "hasty".  They will overcompensate, they will miss their timing, and they will underestimate you. 
This is good.
Fear will keep you sharp, alert, and responsive.  Don't fight it so much.  Accept it and use it to respond to what is given you. It's good to try to control it ahead of time, but when the time comes out of the blue it will take over. It's an animal response, we're animal species.  Use the adrenalin and fear for whtat it is designed for.  To keep you alive, make you faster, make you stronger, to keep you from feeling pain as much.  These are all designed by our bodies to help us get through trouble. 
Don't let it consume you, but don't deny yourself the benefits of it either.
When I get an adrenalin "dump" and I don't expend it, it makes me feel sick.  I have to physically release it, punch a bag, run, sprint, do push ups, whatever. It's not healthy to keep it in.  Not for me, anyways.    Others may react differently.
But to stay relaxed when pressed hard, for me has been the best way to stop "thinking" about it. Stillness. Go "limp" and accept it. The more I think about how hard, strong someone is coming at me the tenser I get.  Kinda like I have to remind myself not to try so hard.  I overcompensate because my mind tells me I have to.  So, I have to silence the mind and accept the force, accept the "rush" of adrenalin, accept the fear that way I can give control to my body and animal instinct and leave the mind out of it. The body knows what to do.


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## skinters (Feb 24, 2009)

we have strayed from the original question,and turned it into a lot of bravado and chest thumping.

geezer wanted to know how you deal with staying relaxed,when being pressed by say a better opponent.

as for the fear question,being cool, calm and collected,is in concept a fancifull,almost phylisophical way of thinking.in the dojo things like this can be acheived to a resonable level due to the safe enviroment,but bringing these things to real enconters can turn even the most toughest of minds to a quivering wreck.the mind has a funny way of knowing real threat,to that faced in the dojo.

now i include myself in all this of course,due to the fact we are all basicly the same where fear is concerned,and none of us hold a unique perspective when truly threatened with violence.

all the real life encounters i have only confim my suspicion on this,and i have usualy come out shaken,disoreintated,fearfull and just plain glad to have survived.

just another way of looking at it.


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## bs10927 (Feb 24, 2009)

geezer said:


> I think that one of the hardest things to do in WT/WC is to stay relaxed and "soft", or more accurately, to be _"springy"_ when confronting a really tough opponent. It's easy to be soft and fluid with students, or someone inferior to you, but I've always had trouble tensing up when I spar or do "free" (sparring) chi-sau with someone who really presses me aggresively, is very fast, or does something unexpected. I've also noticed that even those a good deal better than I have this same problem when they confront_ their_ superiors in skill. Only the highest level masters seem immune.
> 
> One concern is that if you ever have to use your skills in self defense, you will be confronted with this very problem. An attacker of unknown ability, probably armed, probably using the element of surprise, will come at you with a lot of aggression. And probably in an unfavorable environment for you, the defender. Under such conditions, how can you possible stay relaxed and use your best skills? Or do you have to fall back on your most basic tecniques and just blitz the hell out of your attacker. Personally I suspect that the latter approach is your best bet.
> 
> ...



i have the same trouble.  but i'm finding that i'm getting better at relaxing the when i'm sort of not thinking of what i want to do.  weird right?
also, building my endurance helps.   when my arms are tired i tense up more.


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## skinters (Feb 24, 2009)

bs10927 said:


> i have the same trouble.  but i'm finding that i'm getting better at relaxing the when i'm sort of not thinking of what i want to do.  weird right?
> also, building my endurance helps.   when my arms are tired i tense up more.



find that interesting as i have found when im tired i am more relaxed,compared with being all full of nervous energy,at the start of a class.i seem to produce better stuff at the end of class than in the beginning


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## bs10927 (Feb 24, 2009)

skinters said:


> find that interesting as i have found when im tired i am more relaxed,compared with being all full of nervous energy,at the start of a class.i seem to produce better stuff at the end of class than in the beginning



i understand what you're saying... i think i should probably say exhausted.  cuz i'm amateur, my arms get blasted so it's like i'm using all my energy to keep my arms up.  LOL.  that's when i have to call it quits for the class.  haha


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## qwksilver61 (Feb 24, 2009)

I learned a while back....(don't know if this works for everyone) that a loud shout will 1)distract your opponent 2) fein attack and follow up
or if you are really good...blast forward...right up the middle,the blitz defense has worked for me on occasion,but...to the street smart (the guy that squares off and checks your body language) it poses more of a challenge,you really have to have confidence in your ability.Then the fight could go anywhere.I've taken some knocks by these types,the only way that I could deal with this type of attack was to hope I didn't get knocked out,and that he did'nt do the mount (pin) in which case I had to move like I was on fire.
Yeah,yield....but when It could be your life...move like your on fire,or as
In the "Tao of Jeet Kune do" an indispensible book that I purchased many moons ago,I took one of Bruce Lee theories on fighting and made it work for me.He taked about the three phases of approach;pre-emptive,during(head to head) and post (the opponent attacks,then you attack,timing here is important).It made perfect sense,something I still use to this day.Any feedback? Two cents....


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## Si-Je (Feb 24, 2009)

My other teacher told me once when we were doing Chi Sau.  He's so advanced it's not even funny (especially from where I'm standing) and I constantly felt uprooted, and pressured.  And he wasn't even going full out.  Made me nervous and a bit intimidated.  So, I got tense and too aggressive.  Tried to hard to get in.
He simply said, "stop competing. Stop trying so hard."
"What do you mean?" I said.
"Stop trying to get into me so much, you tense up.  Relax, feel it, flow, stop thinking about it, stop planning the next move.  Just roll. Respond to what I give you and you'll find an opening without trying to."

That worked really well for me. When someone's more advanced than you, stronger than you, faster than you, the more you "try" to overcompensate the more you'll tense up. Accept it, relax, and stop trying to get in. Feel.
The more I try to give back the "force" of another partner or "opponent" the harder I make things for myself.  I have to face the fact that I'll just never be that strong. So, why fight it? 
If your "soft" you'll cancel out an aggressive attack, if you flow, you'll re-direct the power of a stronger attacker and be able to "answer" with offensive motion right away. I know men don't like the "softness" of Wing Chun, but it works, it's been tested, and it's what gives you the winning edge over most other types of fighters and styles. It's a hard thing to learn to relax when someone's coming at you hard, and I still tense up when I get surprised sometimes, and still tense up when I'm working with a stronger partner.  
But, I say to myself. "Wing Chun is EASY, if what your doing is too HARD then your doing it wrong."  It's a "lazy" art. Then I relax, stop trying so "hard", and stop thinking I have to do better and am just able to respond to what I'm given.


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## Yoshiyahu (Feb 25, 2009)

Yea flow with thier energy and over their force. Its great.



Use both softness and hardness to destroy your opponent.




Si-Je said:


> My other teacher told me once when we were doing Chi Sau. He's so advanced it's not even funny (especially from where I'm standing) and I constantly felt uprooted, and pressured. And he wasn't even going full out. Made me nervous and a bit intimidated. So, I got tense and too aggressive. Tried to hard to get in.
> He simply said, "stop competing. Stop trying so hard."
> "What do you mean?" I said.
> "Stop trying to get into me so much, you tense up. Relax, feel it, flow, stop thinking about it, stop planning the next move. Just roll. Respond to what I give you and you'll find an opening without trying to."
> ...


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