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Attack & Defend

Fighting Principal Number Nine

By Sifu Howard Unrein

 This ninth principal is actually one of the easiest to do, yet one of the hardest theories to explain. Almost all students have worked at some level with the wooden dummy. Yet I see everyone do just one move at a time. If they would move into, and work the dummy as though they were flowing water, they will see that each strike is in fact a block, and each block in fact is a strike.
I think the best way is to just sit down and close your eyes and look at the first section of the dummy in your mind. The idea here is to look at each move that you make as both and attack and as a defense. The first is Man Sau, Wu Sau stance, and then you move into the dummy with the left hand as a tan sau then you strike with your right, if you miss the dummy your hand continues to move past the dummy till you can pull at the neck forcing your dummy into your other fist. So where is the defense in that move. Well I just gave it to you in three parts. First is the man sau, wu sau stance. ( part one )then you attacked with the left hand, your right man sau went from man sau to wu immediately to protect (part two ) then you missed the punch with your right hand therefore you continued your hand pass your dummy and then pulled your dummy towards you to finish with a punch from your left  hand ( part three ).

This could be continued by using elbows as part of attacking and defending. By using your elbows in close you are protecting yourself, yet they have the availably to attack at very close range.

During this same period of time we must see what our feet are doing? If we are in the correct stance we would be neutral, which allows us to move in either direction most quickly and very efficiently.

  Now if you look at your form Sim Lau Tao you can go back through the form and see where you are doing both as one move. This is true wing chun, when you use one move to do both actions.
 

To continue, we need to grow in how we think about what we are doing during any action that we take. Look at the first think you learned Pak Da, so simple yet it to can be reversed to where you Pak is your attack and the Da is actually the defense, just think it through in your mind. We learn by doing and doing and doing, but if your mind is not working at the same speed that you body is moving you are only doing the tactical part of Wing Chun. One must learn to look beyond the power of each move and see the hidden meaning to what one is really trying to do.

  Let us begin again on the same subject from the defense point of view first which is how the oriental mind would look at it.

  A man approaches you and attacks for no reason, you in return answer with a defense . This is normal, but it is wrong. You need to answer with an attack, this action puts him on the defense not you.  Now if the opponent is smart, he would  realize that your skill is greater than his and leave you alone, Yet some do not think that way. Therefore he attacks again, only to find himself again, on the defense, you have defended against his attack, with an attack

  The efficiently of doing both as one can befit you also, you are not tired from fighting and you are not injured because you saw a way to attack and attack and to block a block.

Look at the bong sau and tan sau, which is the attack ? Neither are an attack, yet both are and attack. Bong Sau, the best and worst of Wing Chun. Bong sau is a block yet can be attack , as in chi sau it is both depending again how you use your mind during chi sau.  Since chi sau is the true heart of Wing Chun, you need to study this for a long time to see how bong sau  can be applied as both.
Each student should start looking for the hidden part of each drill. Most teachers will show you the drill, they do not explain the drill.
 Looking at only the surface of the new techniques gives you only the surface, look deeper.

God Bless All

Sifu Howard Unrein

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