The Wing Chun Way
COMMANDING THE POWERS OF INSPIRATION
By Master Ron Heimberger
“Principle is, and always will be, the golden path that leads from common student to uncommon master.”
The major difference between common martial art students and uncommon masters is in their ability to consistently command technique with brilliant flashes of inspiration. Masters are able to move from one technique to another, in any situation at just the right moment. How can they do this? Through endless study of technique? Everyone knows a student needs to own technique to even be considered a martial artist. But this is not the secret. So how, then, can a common martial art student harness this power to move with inspiration, and breathe width and depth into his fighting art? The answer is simple: through principle. Principle is a fundamental truth or law upon which techniques are predicated. Principles fuel the techniques we use, but they also ignite the imagination, and inspire us mentally and emotionally.
More than 800 years ago, the Chinese philosopher Lu Hsiang-Shan said, “In the knowledge of the superior man of ancient times, it is its extensiveness that has been highly esteemed. And yet to know exhaustively all things under heaven merely means to know principle”.
In the martial arts, “all things” refers to a comprehensive collection of techniques which includes every body movement for attack and defense a practitioner could ever make and the application of that movement to an enemy. Clearly to memorize this exhaustive assortment of movements is impossible. One must move beyond memorizing techniques. One must discover the wisdom of Lu Hsiang-Shan; the key to “all things” is principle. Principle drives technique. It is the scientific law used as the basis for the construction of any fighting system. It is the heart of any martial art fighting system.
True Wing Chun
Unlike Hollywood’s flashy technique-driven martial art movies, and some modern-day martial art instructors who recklessly disregard sound fighting principles for dazzling kicks and strikes, authentic wing chun is and always has been principle-centered.
Lu Hsiang-Shan posed this thought: “How can this law (of principle) not exist in each of us? If we cause our will not to waver in its pursuit (of principle) then it will daily become clearer and brighter, like a stream which daily grows more luxuriant. If one seeks to infuse it from without (with technique over principle), this is to choke oneself off from its source and cut oneself off from its origin.”
Because of the innate ability in each of us to pursue principle, students can eventually master their art. In fact, one of the reasons grandmaster Ip Man mastered the wing chun system was because his second instructor, Leung Bik, recognized people as individuals with their own characteristics, mental and physical make-up, and personality. Leung Bik taught the young Ip Man, true fighting principles.
Free Flowing
Once a martial art student moves from the specifics of a technique and understands the principle upon which the technique is based, two things will happen: first, the student will become free to apply a variety of movements and flow from one to another with great smoothness and spontaneity; secondly, and perhaps most important, a principle approach to learning a martial art will allow the student to create his own style of fighting and adapt it to any situation. Techniques are quite often situation-bound and therefore limited in effectiveness.
A principle may be applied to any number of situations. Serendipitously, starting with correct principles allows the student to learn more quickly, innovate sooner, and ultimately creates more power and confidence in the student.
Relaxation is the first in the list of great guiding principles, it is that which seals a practitioner to naturalness. And all masters concede, “Right is only what is natural for the particular student.” Therefore, in this ongoing series of articles, nine Fundamental fighting principles will be explored in detail. This will allow the student to select those applications which are natural and right.
Relaxation: The First Weapon
In any threatening situation, the first thought is probably not to relax. But it should be. The principle of relaxation makes one a better fighter for many reasons. One, when students are relaxed, they reduce the risk of being hurt when their opponent hits them. Also, when students relax, the full force of the opponents’ attack is nullified-much like a shock absorber working to nullify the car’s unwanted force from the wheels’ impact on the road. However, the most important reason relaxation should be practiced is because it helps intensify power.
Many people understand that the motion of moving objects can be converted into human injuries (i.e., black eyes, split lips, broken bones or even death). The amount of destruction caused by a moving object is determined by the object’s mass (a large truck does more damage than a small car traveling the same speed) and its speed (a small rock thrown fast hurts more on impact than a large one thrown slow). The exact amount of energy possessed by a moving object can be calculated from the formula, half-mass multiplied by velocity squared equals kinetic energy or kinetic energy = 1/2 mass X velocity2, a contemporary law derived from Newton’s second law of motion which basically states that force equals mass multiplied by acceleration or force equals mass times acceleration.
Referring to the first part of the kinetic energy formula, Dr. Decker, chairman of physics at Brigham Young University, states, “A fist three times the mass of a small fist going the same speed will cause three times the damage in a fight. Since the fist is the weapon, not the arm or the body, the fist must contain the mass if there is to be any destructive force at all.” But how can the mass of the fist be increased without physically adding more weight to that fist? Examine the following situation. By picking up a sleeping baby one will notice that the baby seems heavier asleep than awake. This simple situation demonstrates how mass is increased by effectively using that which is already there simply by relaxing. Therefore, relaxation of those parts of the body backing up the fist will effectively add greater amounts of mass or heaviness to the fist creating an increase in kinetic energy.
The second part of the kinetic energy formula is that speed is more vital to kinetic energy than mass. This assumption can be derived from fact that speed is squared in the kinetic energy formula. Dr. Decker continues, “Energy increases more with speed than with mass. A car going 80 mph has four times as much energy as the exact car moving 40 mph.” Fighting with tense muscles is like driving a car with one foot on the accelerator and one foot on the brake; it hinders attacking motion.
But when muscles are relaxed, punches will have much greater speed. So relaxation increases mass and speed. Increased mass combined with increased speed results in more power. One important way to relax is by taking a deep breath. This will help relax every part of the body both mentally and physically. This physical warm-up is a tactic used by public speakers, professional athletes, and soldiers.
When a deep breath is taken, it forces oxygen to the brain, making it possible to think more clearly. Increased oxygen alleviates the feeling of panic and stimulates the flow of adrenaline. It also helps to relax muscles so a person can punch with greater mass and speed. In so doing, increased oxygen directly affects power.
Center of Gravity
Because fighting without a strong foundation results in a loss of power, the next logical step would be to teach balance and how to use it both for defense and offense. This is referred to as the center of gravity. The ability to preserve the center of gravity is a critical element in fighting.
To apply this principle, it is necessary to describe the center of gravity. According to Peter J. Brancazio, author of Sport Science, “The center of gravity usually lies midway between the front and back of the body. The exact position of one’s center of gravity depends upon physical attributes. Approximately 55 percent of a person’s height is positioned below the center of gravity and 45 percent above it. Men usually have a slightly higher center of gravity than women (about one or two percent higher). This is mainly because of women carrying a greater percentage of their weight in the lower body and legs than do men.”
Normally, the center of gravity remains about six inches above the lower body cavity throughout one’s lifetime. The center of gravity also varies with body position. Every time the body is moved, the weight is shifted. Also, when the body leans in any direction, the position of the center of gravity changes. When leaning in any direction, the center of gravity can actually be positioned outside the body. Movement of the arms and legs, and leaning of the body, shifts the center of gravity. For example, the starting position of a track sprinter may actually force the center of gravity outside and in front of the body. This may be appropriate for a sprinter but not for a fighter.
To preserve the center of gravity one must position it either over one of the feet or somewhere between the feet. Never place it outside of the feet and especially not outside of the body (as in leaning forward or to one side). Since preserving the center of gravity increases the power of the fighting foundation, it is one way of compensating for the enemy’s size advantage. This can be an especially critical fact for women. Since a woman has a lower center than a man, stealing her balance is more difficult. Maintaining the center of gravity gives a practitioner a stronger foundation for releasing power and for maintaining balance. And the better the balance, the better the power.
Along with being aware of the center of gravity, one should also be aware of his enemy’s center of gravity. Being so aware allows the practitioner to steal it. A practitioner can control the fight by pushing or pulling or attacking so that the enemy has to shift the center of gravity to keep upright. If the enemy is struggling just to stay balanced, he will not fight effectively. Upon recognizing that the enemy has lost balance, one should attack in the direction of the enemy’s fall. Or, if the opponent tries to regain balance, one should immediately attack in the direction of recovery which creates an over correction. When the balance is stolen, the power is stolen. This is the secret.
In a fight, then, the attacks will have the greatest impact on the center of gravity if focused on the core line, an imaginary vertical line running the length of the body from the top of the head down through the center of the body crossing through the center of gravity itself. The enemy will respond to this type of attack as if it were focused directly upon his center of gravity. On the other hand, if the force of the attack does not pass through the core line, it will only cause the enemy’s body to rotate around the center of gravity without affecting the enemy’s balance(the enemy will roll with the punches).
Conclusion
After reading about principle, one may exclaim, “I knew that” or “I never thought of it that way but it makes sense.” But upon closer examination, one is left with astonishment and admiration at the number of movements that one correct principle can spawn. It is amazing that more instructors are not aware of the power and inspiration that comes to students when principle precedes technique. Fortunately, there are still those, sadly the minority, who fight to keep alive the fire of true fighting principles. Principle is and will always be the golden path that leads from common student to uncommon master of not only fighting but of life itself.