wing chun mind

[skinters]

with all the talk about chisao, form,technique and its myriad of applications,i thought it might be a good idea to ask what mindset you like to be in, way of thinking,such as practicing that egoless state,that those who excell at chisao for example seem to find themselves in .do you mentally prepare yourself prior to training? how does the stress of everyday life affect your wingchun .

i find going over the things i would like to work on in my mind before training really helps me to get the most out of,say if im working on a particular tecnique or way of thinking.in contrast to this,i find if im not prepared mentally i find my training more controlled my others, and end up leaving frustrated.

anyways would like to read any views on a subject i feel is as important as the physical side of your wing chun training .

 

[mook jong man]

I used to turn up to training , warm up do a couple of forms and by then i would be relaxed and ready to rock and roll . I think its good to have a little routine that you do everytime before you start it helps to get you in the frame of mind to train and helps you leave your worries at the door .

In regards to the training itself i just made sure i was in my stance and everything else seemed to flow on from there , also in chi sao i would visualise that my arms were high pressure hoses with water coming out of the ends and they were searching for any little gap to get through.

Be aware that it is possible to over analyse these things a bit and that can cause a type of paralysis , imagine if you had to think of every little movement in driving a car or walking even ( shift weight to the right , lift up left leg , move foot forward, put it down and repeat on the right side)

After many thousands of repetitions of the correct type of training your body will know what it has to do with out you thinking about it. My techniques flowed a lot better when i stopped thinking about the individual movements and only on focusing towards my opponent , its like the nike ad says just do it.

Its good to keep a training diary too , after training just jot down how it went , any problems you might of had with techniques , opponents , and tactics etc . They are a good way to keep your training going forward and help to stop you turning up and making the same mistakes all the time.

For instance you might write down i have to work on my stance so for that week in everything you do , you will concentrate on your stance . Or maybe some other skill you might be lacking in or attributes like speed , force and reflex .

They are also pretty good to look back on so that you can see how far you have come , particularly after a couple of years when you start to plateau .

Happy training and keep your guard up

I forgot if you have had a crappy day you might try to take it out on your partner in chi sao sparring , watch out for that and keep it in check.

 

[bully]

Great post MJM, a diary is a great idea. I will start today.

When i was doing Chisao, i find it very difficult to think of nothing. I suppose it will come with time and practice.
Doing forms i find it easier, but still i am sure i think about things.

Stress? i always think that martial arts are a great releiver of stress. I always feel calm when i go into wherever we are training. The bowing when crossing the threshold reminds you of what you are there for. Any work worries usually disapear, as all ego's and BS are left outside.

If that doesnt work, doing a thousand or so chain punches helps clear the mind of stress, the pain in my shoulders and arms seems to distract me!!! ;-)

Cheers

Bully

 

[qwksilver61]

I was told by my then Si-Hing; "you are driving...suddenly,something happens....you react...do not think about when,where and how...react"
personally I try to incorporate the Wing Tsun mind to just about everything that I do in daily life, especially when dealing with (difficult) people.Think about the human condition these days full of fear and apprehension ,opinion , ego,people both on the offense and the defense.To me the Wing Tsun mind is cognizant, confident,relaxed,sure and alert.You cannot grab what is fluid and relaxed..

 

[mook jong man]

I fully agree with you , when i am being verbally attacked by some one , i remain detatched and imagine i am mentally deflecting their words as though they were punches .
As a person with a quick temper it has helped me to stay calm on a number of occassions .

 

[paulus]

Its good to keep a training diary too , after training just jot down how it went , any problems you might of had with techniques , opponents , and tactics etc . They are a good way to keep your training going forward and help to stop you turning up and making the same mistakes all the time.

I've recently started making notes of things and think this is a good way to structure future training.

Regarding the mental preparation question, the people in my class are a little spoilt because there is a qigong class immediately before our wing chun class. Sifu usually invites us in to join their meditation as they are finishing up so I find that helps me relax and focus.

 

[KamonGuy2]

Your training should be very relaxed. You should treat the attendance at class without preparation. As one of the other posters have stated, it is like that sudden incident. You shouldn't prepare for it. In streetfights you can't prepare for it.

If you do the forms a lot you will notice that you do get a little calmer over time

Tournaments and so forth are different because you are after something specific and its more of a game as opposed to real life

If you have a good instructor, they will get you into the right way of thinking anyway