# Speed of the Siu Lim Tao



## AfroFu (Feb 20, 2015)

I'm very new to Wing Chun (1 month in) but am thoroughly enjoying it so far. When doing the Siu Lim Tao I have noticed the speed of the first section is done quite slowly, but the other sections are fast. What's the thinking behind this? 

Having studied a little bit of Tai Chi way back when I was a teenager, I saw value in the intensively slow practice. Everything from relaxing, maintaining balance, to efficiency of movement was taken up in the slow form. 

Is there a different philosophy to the Wing Chun forms? How fast/slow do people run through them? Is there much benefit to be gained from doing them super slowly vs at speed?

Thanks,
Af.


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## yak sao (Feb 20, 2015)

Hey, welcome to the forum...and to Wing Chun.
Every lineage of WC is going to have their own flavor, but the Siu Nim Tao form (as we call it) traditionally is done rather slowly in every lineage I've seen, particularly in the first 1/3 of the form.

This is done for a whole host of reasons....chi kung training, proper relaxation........


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## Danny T (Feb 20, 2015)

Strong element of learning to feel. Feel where there is tension in the body and why. Feel your structure. What muscles are being applied and when, what muscles are relaxed and when. Feeling the change in your center of gravity as your arm moves forward and backward. Feeling how your breathing changes your center of gravity. Feeling how the center of gravity changes affect your balance and how your feet and toes adjust to control your balance. 

Going slow also allows the beginner practitioner to work on having their elbow, wrist, arm in the proper positions during the movements.
This and as Yak Sao stated, "a whole host of reasons..." and that is just to begin with.

I feel one should not move beyond this aspect of SLT until having a good grasp and understanding of what is happening with your body. Everything else from that point should be performed with what you have learned from the 1st session.


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## Marnetmar (Feb 21, 2015)

Everyone does things differently. I personally like to perform the entire form slowly and meditatively. About this speed:


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## PiedmontChun (Feb 26, 2015)

Performing it slowly is excellent for learning and general practice; a faster pace hides mistakes that need to be tweaked.
The middle section (starting with downward gum saus on each side) is different than the first section, in that it helps develop relaxed power, most of the movements are dissipating a burst of force in some way. It still should be done slowly and relaxed, without tension when learning, but eventually it's beneficial to do fast.
Different teachers emphazie things differently though. The above is how it was taught to me.


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## Transk53 (Feb 26, 2015)

Marnetmar said:


> Everyone does things differently. I personally like to perform the entire form slowly and meditatively. About this speed:



Thanks for sharing. Very nice vid and yes, slower seems best to me. I end up looking like a windmill otherwise.


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## Xue Sheng (Feb 26, 2015)

Marnetmar said:


> Everyone does things differently. I personally like to perform the entire form slowly and meditatively. About this speed:



Thanks, I've been looking for the video


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## Pat M (Mar 30, 2015)

Marnetmar said:


> Everyone does things differently. I personally like to perform the entire form slowly and meditatively. About this speed:



Thanks for sharing, the differences in form play is always interesting. Very professional video and nice location.


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## Pat M (Mar 30, 2015)

Slow play of the first third is a great meditative practice, it can when approached in this manner help you to develop energy (whatever name you give it) Slow practice of the whole form set is never a bad thing. However remember always practice, so practice "always" fast and slow, with and without explosive release, even with dynamic tension. Go on your own journey of discovery after you have learnt the correct form set as taught by your Sifu.


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## jhexx (Apr 14, 2015)

What I love about Siu Lim Tao is that it may seem like simple movements, but the deeper you get into Wing Chun, (in my own observation) learning the later forms, all come back to Siu Lim Tao, and it gets so detailed within it's simplicity. It is like discovering those layers, and when you peel one layer away, there are ten more within that layer. And that to me is what makes it so beautiful.


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## Jake104 (Apr 14, 2015)

AfroFu said:


> I'm very new to Wing Chun (1 month in) but am thoroughly enjoying it so far. When doing the Siu Lim Tao I have noticed the speed of the first section is done quite slowly, but the other sections are fast. What's the thinking behind this?
> 
> Having studied a little bit of Tai Chi way back when I was a teenager, I saw value in the intensively slow practice. Everything from relaxing, maintaining balance, to efficiency of movement was taken up in the slow form.
> 
> ...


Personally I try and do everything slow now a days. The" Tai Chi way". Problem with speed is it tends to hide mistakes. Plus the meditation benefit of performing the forms slow, I really enjoy. It tends to keep my mind clear and allows for a blank canvas for learning and self discovery.


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