Focusing on the spine has a couple of effects. It will provide a strong “backing.” It will help you not to react. It will allow for a more relaxed feeling. It will help you activate your Nim-Tao. If you focus on it, it will also play a part in transferring your mass – your limbs will feel lighter for you and heavier for your opponent.
This is the next level. Once attention can be centered on the spine, then rising should be attempted. Rising will lessen the weight on legs, making your limbs lighter for you and heavier for your opponent.
Keep the back flat and the shoulders rolled back. The shoulders should be resting on top of the back muscles. This way you won’t burn out. Ensuring the back is flat assists in providing this support.
Attempt to move in a manner where everything is aligned. Everything is centered in the two center-lines – the vertical and the horizontal axes.
Focusing on the 1) spine & then 2) rising will allow that power to slowly leak into your limbs. Similar to a river flowing into tributaries. Then you can actually use the “backing” of the spine in chi sao or whatever. This would simply be a stationary exercise – it will come into practical use.
Muscles, relaxed, provide greater strength and power than when tensed. The use of joints, and that too of multiple joints – simultaneously – will allow you to move amidst multiple vectors in one region. This will make it difficult for someone to control you – either in locks or grabs.
Using the joints means separating them first. They are locked in. Separate them to gain control over them. Especially the four points between armpit and chest and between the quad and pelvic region. To relax the four points:
“Think of armpit coming out. Armpit moves first. Leading the whole arm. Or even better – just rotate the shoulder.”
“With your mind. Take your time and you’ll gain control. Attention on spine + rise.“
You are aware of the joints. You are better able to detect, direct and use them.
Not too bent and not too straight. This is necessary for supporting the lower body. Outside force goes to the knees – according to CST. It can be negated in that region.
[Am I “curving” into the Tai-gong or is it just the mental process of clenching anus?]
“No. You’re not curving into tai-gong. I think for you at the moment, its a…”
[In the beginning it is a] “…very, very, very slight physical drawing up from the anus. Very slightly physical. Later on it becomes a mental process. It’s not clenching. It’s a lifting up. Very lightly lifting up. Very lightly. Cause, like if you lift up a baby chicken by the head. You don’t want to squeeze too hard or anything cause it’s, your gonna kill it. Very, very lightly. Very gently lifting it, lifting up. And lifting up only about an inch. Make, couple that with the intention of relaxation in the mid-region.“
Align tailbone with crown of the head – find “perfect center-line;” “second tai-gong.” Curl tailbone inwards and rise.
“Soft awareness needs to be maintained. Little more then a thought, a very light contraction. Then when the hips soften and the legs relax the tailbone will softly relax and align under the crown of head.“
“They have to happen at the same time. So you have to think about the mass. You have to feel your body. Thinking about the mass is just feeling the reality of your body in relation to gravity. So you feel your mass at the same time you are rising up. The rising up puts you in a state that you can feel the holistic mass better. And by feeling your whole mass, by having a holistic view of your body in relation to gravity – which is balance – you’ll be able to rise better. So they come hand in hand. You can’t do one without the other basically.“
When I’m shifting mass to one part of the body; leaning is okay – it makes sense. Say I am lifting one leg and directing the entire (or as much as I can) body weight towards my hand. When my leg is down and I am directing it; to match that transfer of body weight (leg lifted up vs leg down) I have to almost push on the hand.
“That’s because you haven’t managed it yet. But the method is correct. Direction is right.“
“Feeling will come naturally at last. But it takes time! You should focus relaxing your arms or body to your opponent. You should like whenever you touch hands and have body contact with someone. They are carrying your weight. Like sitting on the chair. It should feel like you place your arms on a table. You will no longer [be] holding it. The table is carrying it for you.“
“When pivoting, I’m using my axis. My spine pivots automatically as it is attached to my axis. However, I’m also focusing on my center of mass. So instead of merely moving my axis, if I keep an idea of the axis but move my center, my axis will move automatically. The way to understand the center is like a knot in the middle of a rope. The top part of the rope is the upper axis. The knot is the center of mass. The bottom potion of the rope is the lower axis. Just try to use as little effort as possible.“
Point with joints, knees and intention. Point like a triangle. Keep your shape. This will allow you understand where the force is coming from and where you can project the force effectively and efficiently.
This is a never-ending stage. Keep relaxing to build a constant state of relaxation. In the beginning, one should focus on the shoulders, chest, back, abs, stomach, legs. Shoulders go back.
[How am I relaxing more? Rising and then focusing the mind on the associated part?]
“Relaxation is a never-ending thing. It’s not just one state like that now I’m relaxed. It’s peeling layers off a onion that’s got unlimited amounts of layers. I mean, what’s effortlessness? Effortlessness can’t be reached. It’s not something that can really be reached. Because there’s always the next layer that you can release. That’s a good attitude to have towards relaxation. That it’s never ending. Not that I’m relaxed now and take it off.”
“Purify your tai-gong. Make it better. The rising up – I mean the rising up, you might be using 90% muscular effort. So try and make it 89%. Purify your balance. Just because your standing up on one leg and not falling over doesn’t mean you have dynamic balance. Meaning if someone pushed into you when your on one leg, you’ll probably fall over. Or maybe not. So purify your balance. By purifying all the things which is tai-gong, sing (rise) and balance, with the intention of doing all to go into the realms of effortlessness is going to make you relax more and more.“
“Falling” is when “the muscles relax (and so fall towards gravity). Its just another way of saying relax the muscles.“
Limbs are penetrative and come first from the spine and then, later, via rising. They carry as much mass as desired.
Keep structure by doing multiple factors together – focusing on mass, tai-gong, rising, having forward intention/ pressure, keeping shapes constant, having centerline alignment and others.
If there is one word that describes how one should approach this type of wing chun, it would be this word: effortlessness. Any and every action should be initiated via the mind. That would be a superb example of effortlessnes. This idea should drive all movements and all actions. How can I act in a more effortlessness manner? The idea is simple enough – perhaps too simple. It is easily overlooked and quickly forgotten. I, myself, have forgotten it many a time. Ironically, I would say this is the highest stage to achieve, although simple to “understand.”
When we perform something, we forget to do it perfectly – devoid of tension or effort. The idea of being effortless allows us to regain our focus and come back to actions initiated via the mind. Everything is the mind. But we forget it. Hence this being the simplest and highest ideal to achieve.