Good afternoon.
I would like to add one extra point to what I have said already on the close protection. When I was there a few months ago, a representative of company specialising in equipment for protection and training also happened to be there at the same time. Among other things, one of the things he brought for the trainers was one of the latest bullet proof jackets – which consisted of a special fabric with metal plates inserted. The representative assured us that the jacket could not only safely defend a blast at point blank from a shotgun and would leave the wearer with minimal bruising, but would happily demonstrate it (rather him than me!). What happened next was certainly interesting.
Curious to know whether it would stop a Wing Tsun punch I asked one of the trainers (who was trying it on) whether he would mind if I hit it. After his affirmative answer and when he was ready, I hit him with two Chow Kiu Kuen. The remarkable thing about this is not only did the force go through the protection (I also bend the metal in the process– which I apologise for!), but it even winded the wearer.
However, also of significance is that no damage was received to my hand, and I was hitting a metal plate – which I can assure you was not that soft! I have to emphasise this as hitting someone hard is one thing, but very often the person punching ends up with more serious injuries than the person that was actually hit – completely defying the point of actually using it. It is better not to punch at all if you can’t be sure of not doing yourself damage in the process. Many teachers actually neglect one important fact – the human body and bones are very strong. You have to be trained in a way that can allow you to hit a person and no matter where you hit that person (as you can never predict whether you punch will actually land were you want in a real fight) you do not hurt yourself and do serious damage to the other person. While Wing Tsun is a beautiful form of art with many different levels – its overriding goal on the physical side is to be effective - not look elegant. When I keep mentioning about special Chinese methods, this is one of the methods I am alluding to. Although I trained Wing Tsun for many years at a high level, it was only when I learned the Chinese method that I had any idea of how to do this at even 50% power without seriously hurting myself. Im not ashamed to say that when I first attended a seminar at my Sifu’s school there were even student grades that could hit harder than most masters. Doing a straight punch is not that hard – but a Wing Tsun practitioner must be proficient with every type of punch – of which there are quite a few in Wing Tsun. Each movement has a purpose…
When my Sifu was first teaching me how to apply a punch correctly in Wing Tsun he told me that this kind of special force takes years to build and hours of practice, but when you have it, its application is devastating. Also, (as I have constantly maintained) you must be training with right concept to begin with. You can train for hours and years but they will be wasted if you do this in the wrong way. People always ask me what is the point of the forms, and while the answer is multifarious – if there was to be one overall important concept, it would be that it is to show you the correct way. I would like to point out that if you start off incorrectly (and in particular if your Siu Nim Tao is misunderstood) how likely is it that you will be able to develop the top force and therefore be able to use your Wing Tsun for the most difficult circumstances…?
Sifu