SOFTNESS
by "Gau Lin" Autumn Lilly
To be
"soft" means that the entire body should be kept naturally relaxed but
not slackened. The limbs should neither be straightened forcefully or bent
sharply with stiffness. All limbs should be kept naturally relaxed at
theirjoints. Even though you are delivering a straight forward blow toward the
opponent, you can still be flexible.
In school if you were flexible you would know
math as well as science. In fighting, if the left hand (math) won't get you then
the left elbow (science) will. Now by being relaxed or soft, I don't mean to the
point that you are a relaxed pile on the floor. Instead, what I mean is that
what ever part is needed to make a movement, maintain a stance or posture, is
the part that should be used to the right amount only. The rest of the body, the
muscles, tendons and joints will be naturally relaxed.
The forms should be done either slow, normal or
fast, mostly slow to normal and with good coordination. Always the waist should
be loose and the diaphragm functioning just the right amount to permit it to
perform, allowing you to gather your breath (chi). This vitalizes the entire
body with internal power. In this way your center of gavity will also be lowered
and stabilized. During practice, the practitioner should always check his forms
for signs of stiffness in any part of the body, if tension is found then loosen
that particular part, this will enable you to teach yourself to be soft.
After a while a practitioner should carry
himself in a soft way so that everything he does (notjust fighting) is in
keeping with this concept. Beginners will find that it is not so difficult to be
soft during the Siu Lim Tau form, but to stay soft during the second form or
paired exercises (moving) may be quite a different story. To help remedy this
situation one should watch his movements with the concepts rather than the
techniques of Wing Chun in mind. This will keep the practitioner in harmony with
the natural physical condition of the human mechanism and will teach the Wing
Chun way as it has been passed down for generations. If this is not followed
then the practitioner will find himself moving a step too far or too little in
any direction, or he may shift too quickly or not far enough and so on. These
mistakes will undoubtedly cause awkwardness, making it impossible to be soft.
Therefore, the student should be content in class to learn the forms and every
other drill slowly, accurately and with concentration fixed upon the task at
hand. The principal, "you learn faster while going slower" is sound
advice one should follow whenever possible.
In summary, a person will never look like a
Wing Chun practitioner or be a Wing Chun pugilist, unless he is able to be soft
as required.
A soft body and a tranquil concentration in the
mind are some the greatest principles of Wing Chun, and are definitely two of
the keys that make Wing Chun one of the most intelligent and superior combat
systems among the many martial arts available.
