10 Tips for improving your Chi Sao by Sifu Ed Crux

[Bob Hubbard]

10 Tips for improving your Chi Sao by Sifu Ed Crux

http://www.windycitywingchun.com/articles/articles9.html

The advice seems sound, yet some of the terms are 'strange'.

Whats "YGKYM" mean? I take it it has to do with rooting and a stable base?


I really liked the last 2 parts though...they can apply to any other art just as well.

9) More defense

Any idiot can attack, every art has deadly moves. But the test of your true skill is how good your defense is. Allot of times when I practice, I literally just allow the opponent to attack one after the other. It truly is a test of skill to be able to take whatever he throws at you and redirect it constantly. Remember, attacking is a simple skill that doesn't take that long to develop, on the other hand defense is something that really can impress others. Spend more time working on your defense when chi saoing.

10) Control

Man, there's nothing like getting a good solid hit on your partner, right? The fact is your partner is your best friend, and without a partner you can never get better in wing Chun. Thus, if you decide your ego needs a boosting by smacking him down, what your displaying is such a low level of wing Chun. The fact is, every attack you do when chi saoing should be controlled. There's nothing more impressive, than going full speed with an attack and stopping just inches away from your opponent. That my friend is skill. Wing chun is all about control, if you can control yourself, then you can control others.

 

[fist of fury]

It stands for- Yee gee kim yeung ma... the pigeon toed stance, well depending upon lineage. The basic "horse" stance you see in many WC pics.

 

[Bob Hubbard]

Ah. Thank you.

I dunno if its my knees or the fact I'm not used to it, but it feels 'odd' compared to the stances I'm used to, which are in Arnis and Tai Chi.

1) Your hands are only as good as your stance
Let's start of with probably the most important thing before you get into chi sao. If you want to improve your chi sao significantly then make sure you've got a solid YGKYM. All to often, I see people jumping into chi sao, when they can't even find there own center of balance. Thus, imagine one of those huge red wood trees, in Return of the Jedi, how strong would that tree be, if its roots were decaying? Obviously, it wouldn't take that much force to knock it over. There are several ways to test your YGKYM stance. The first being just sitting in your stance for about 45 minutes, if you can last an entire 45 minutes without any aches or pains anywhere, then you'll know you've found you center. The 2nd way is have a partner push against your chest slightly and see whether or not you can actually root against the force. If you can't handle a light push, then you aren't going to be able to handle the oncoming force with your stance during chi sao.

How do you settle into this stance, and find your center?

(Its been well over a year since I had any experience with the WC stances)

:asian:

 

[fist of fury]

That's hard to explain on the net. You need to be able to "sink" to keep yourself rooted. when your legs get tired or you are focusing on hand techniques people tend to rise up and loose thier root it makes them easier to knock over. Your feet should be "stuck" to the ground almost as if they were nailed to the ground.

 

[Phil Elmore]

With your legs together, bend your knees. Now circle your left foot out to the left and end with the your toe pointing in at (if you can manage it) a 45 degree angle or something far less, depending on your flexibility. Circle your right foot out to your right and end with your toe pointing in at roughly the same angle. Thrust your hips forward. You are now in "YGKYM," or the "two point goat clamping stance."


Eeeeew.

 

[leehoicheun]

to over simplify........

1. stand with your feet exactly shoulder length apart
2. kick your heels out at 45 degrees or slightly less.
3. bend the knees just enough so that when you look down you don't quite see your toes.
4. thrust the hips forward and lock it out.
5. chamber the fists high up almost chest level palms facing up elbows back.
6. do not slouch and do not tense the back

like my old sifu always said "SIT!!!!"




each lineage has their own way of getting into the horse. niether is right or wrong.

good luck.

 

[Phil Elmore]

Yes, I know a certain Sifu who wanders around class ominously brandishing a stick and telling his students, "Sit in your horse" when their knees come unbent...

 

[arnisador]

The current (Nov. 2003) issue of Inside Kung Fu has a story on Chi sau for self-defense featuring Joseph Simonet.

 

[Phil Elmore]

Yes, I believe that's the guy who put out the Extreme Wing Chun videos from Paladin Press.