Kulo Wing Chun 22 Sansau

Arms are bridges; they don’t generate power.

One of the easiest ways to tell if someone is practising the forms properly is to look at how the arms are integrated with the body when they generate power. Time and time again, I see practitioners, sometimes supposed masters as well, striking with the arms isolated from the body instead of generating power with the entire being. Your arms are the conduits to deliver power, not the generators.

There are three main ways of integrating power into your strikes:

1. The Drive: for example, in Boxing, power is driven from the feet, directed by the waist, and delivered through the fists. This is extremely effective and easy to see. This is why so many people limit themselves to the Boxing engine even when their arts require different engines at times (such as Wing Chun, Tai Chi, and Xingyi).

2. The Ballistic: arts such as Systema utilise this method extremely effectively. This is done by consolidating the forearm, wrist, and fist and “swinging” them into action. Have a look at how the battering ram is used, and you can see how the tool doesn’t generate power but the people swinging it do.

3. The Invisible: a hidden way to generate explosive power is done through the structural elasticity of the body. There are many ways; for example, one of my favourite ways is to draw power into the Dantian, direct it into the Mingmen, then spiral the power down into the heels and up into the eyes of the fists. Unfortunately, because this is hidden, while it is highly effective and instantaneous, it is rarely taught. If you try to copy the movements without knowing the internal pathways, you will never generate enough power to disrupt your opponent.

All these different engines are equally valid, but you must choose the correct engine according to the situation.

BTW, when you do the Jian, make sure you know how these engines are integrated into the movements. Please don’t just swing the Jian around like a stick.

劍訣 Jianjue, Sword Fingers

Do you know how to use the Sword Fingers, or Jianjue, to enhance your swordplay? No, not some esoteric BS, but actual almost immediate improvement in the power, ease, accuracy, stability, and agility of your movements. Hardly anyone talks about it; and those who talk about it, most of them are just regurgitating from some old martial arts manuscripts. There are teachers who know what’s going on, but only very few indeed.

The correct use of the Jianjue is of utmost importance. In many movements, the Jianjue is more decisive than the sword hand. If your teacher can teach you, you are one of the lucky few. If they are just verbalising empty words, go find someone else.

The Danger of Over-Visualisation

In IYTC, we often employ various forms of visualisation to develop our Shen Yi Qi, energy pathways, and overall enhancement of our practice.

However, I know firsthand that some of our training brothers and sisters are overvisualising.

This is a grave error! If you have been following my posts on the left and right brain, our goal is to balance both and develop our intuitions and the ability to parallel process, the 1,000 hands of Guanyin, so to speak.

Visualising the spaces and energy may help kick-start the right brain, as it primarily handles spatial orientations, but you are supposed to flow and let it go. Overdoing and overthinking and you are passing dominance back to the left brain, which is exactly opposite to what you are trying to do.

When you finish practising, you are supposed to feel relaxed and refreshed. If you feel drained, you are doing it wrong.

Remember what Bruce Lee said, “Don’t think, feeeeel.”

The 1000 Hands Bodhisattva

According to Takuan Soho (1573-1645), author of “The Mysterious Record of Immovable Wisdom” and mentor to both Miyamoto Musashi (legend) and Yagyu Munenori (historical), if the 1000 Hands Bodhisattva (Senju Kannon) thinks of one hand, her other 999 hands become useless. But because her mind is not abiding anywhere, she can use her 1000 eyes and 1000 hands simultaneously. Therefore, a swordsman must have no abiding thoughts; only then can he be effective in combat.

I used to have problems understanding this, let alone applying it. However, I realise now that, from a reductionistic perspective, the left brain thinks in sequence and the right processes in parallel. Much of our martial and spiritual practice is to develop our right-brain function in a world where our daily chores are left-brain dominant.

Obviously, we must use our left brain to analyse and to think during learning and training. However, while we often initiate with our left brain, we must pass the baton to the right. Thus, in the chaos of a fight, we can deal with multiple attacks from the opponent and even multiple opponents without abiding thoughts.

It is hard to explain, because language is a left-brain function; I have no words to explain the experiences of the right brain. That is also why many philosophers explained that the “truth” cannot be described, and what is being described is no longer the truth.

Neuroscience:

Miyamoto Musashi: “The gaze should be large and broad.”
Takuan Soho: "Put the mind nowhere; it will be everywhere.”
Tai Chi Classic: “See through everything like glass.”
Kulo Wing Chun: “Fight the Shi 勢 (structure/formation/momentum), not the fists.”
Zen proverb: "Preoccupied with a single leaf, you won't see the tree. Preoccupied with a single tree, you'll miss the entire forest."

Why do they all talk about the same thing?

From a neuroscience perspective (reductionistic), the left brain works linearly, focusing on and solving problems one at a time. This is conscious thinking. The right brain, however, is more intuitive, glancing at the whole space, processing and dealing with problems in parallel. The left brain thinks sequentially; the right reacts spontaneously.

To understand how this works, I will use an activity that almost everyone has experience with: playing chess. We don’t play by thinking about the movements of every piece one at a time. When glancing at the chessboard, we intuitively understand the position of defence and attack; this is the work of the right brain. When we think of the pieces we are going to move sequentially, it is the left.

When we are dealing with an opponent, we don’t have the time to analyse step-by-step responses with our left brain. We must see the whole situation with the right brain and respond spontaneously. There is no time to think. We may choose what else to do after, but not before the opponent’s Shi 勢 is broken (Kulo Po-Shi 破勢) and we have the luxury of time to work out the most appropriate response with our left brain.

The left brain gives us the sense of the individual self; the right brain gives us the sense of inter-beingness (Thich Nhat Hanh) with all.

The full functional differences between the left and the right are more than I can discuss in a single post. When we train, whether for martial arts or for Zen, don’t just train the left brain; make sure we train the right brain as well.

易綴乾坤陰陽濟，劍氣凝神御風雲。
觀心無塵自清靜，渾然太虛任逍遙。

易劍觀心堂

The Changes weave Heaven and Earth,
balancing Yin and Yang.
Sword-Qi focuses the Shen
to command the wind and clouds.
Observing the heart, free from dust,
one finds innate stillness.
Merged with the Great Void,
wandering in absolute freedom.

The Hall of Yi-Sword and Heart-Contemplation

Thank you santosh_weapons for this beautiful creation. Looking forward to receiving it.

練拳不練功，到老一場空。
周身彈簧力，形斷意不斷。

1. 練拳不練功，到老一場空。
"Practicing the forms without developing internal skill is like chasing a shadow; when old age arrives, you’ll have nothing to show for it."
Literal Meaning: If you practice the "fist" (external movements) but not the "gong" (internal strength, breath, and foundation), it will all be in vain when you're old.

2. 周身彈簧力，形斷意不斷。
"Let the whole body possess the spring-like force; though the form may stop, the intent remains unbroken."
Literal Meaning: The entire body should have the elasticity of a leaf spring; even if the physical movement stops, the mind-intent and energy flow continue without interruption.

Key Concepts:
Gong (功): This refers to Gongfu/Kungfu in its truest sense—the foundational strength, breath control, and structural integrity developed over years of repetitive, often grueling, basic training. Without it, flashy kicks and punches lack "root" and power.
Spring-like Force (彈簧力): This is a hallmark of internal styles. It's the ability to be relaxed yet energized, allowing a practitioner to absorb an opponent's force and generate explosive power instantaneously.
Mind-Intent (意 - Yi): The mind leads and the body follows. Even if you aren't moving, your focus should remain "sticky" and engaged with the opponent.

Think of it like building a house: do not paint the walls before you've laid the foundation. Keep the electricity running through the wires even when the lights are off.

This is the secret to my ultra-heavy Tan Sau 攤手.

Thank you Bonn, thank you Berlin, for hosting me. Special shout-out to Gunnar, Patrick, Ortwin, and Dirk for looking after me so well. Much appreciated. Thank you, Tiger, for spending your valuable time with me; it was great seeing an old friend in a new land!

Congratulations to Gunnar and Patrick for earning your certification to be included in the Imperial Yang Tai Chi lineage. Your hard work is recognised. As official 7th-generation disciples, you now have the privilege and responsibility to spread the art.

Hope to see you again in the near future for more workshops in Europe and the U.S.