Getting Closer

With the advent of our new site, one of the planned advances was to integrate the complete training program directly from AWCAOnline vs receiving bulky monthly DVDs. An entire Wing Chun university is in the final stages of completion and I am very excited to be offering it.

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Webhost Checking It Out

For some reason the primary Members Area page is displaying an error and is not accessible at this time. The individual links that all AWCA members were sent still work, though, so your pages “are” there. Why the primary page is having an issue, I do not know because it was working fine before.

My webhost is on it, though. They are top-notch and will have it back up soon. Just wanted to give you a heads up in case you see it.

UPDATE – 02/16/12: The page is working again. Turns out that it was my fault. When the new site was uploaded, I asked for the previous members directory to remain and it turns out that there was a possible conflict in naming conventions between the new members page and the previous members folder. Deleting the previous members folder has cleared it up and the Members Area page is now displaying properly again.

Now That The Dust Has Settled…

It has been a long three months with the advent of the eBooks needing to move to another compiler. And naturally it had to happen while I was planning on releasing Volume 4 this month. With that and the move to the new website, we have been pretty busy here with all that has been going on.

Now that things are somewhat back to normal, let me bring you up to speed with what I have planned over the coming months.

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Great Lion Company’s Chi-sau Unit

As mentioned in a previous post here, I ordered the Great Lion Wooden Dummy Company’s Chi Sao Jong insert. It arrived this afternoon and after putting it together, I am ready to start checking it out. When I have more input I will relate my feedback here.

My first impression, though, is that it is going to be a fun.

For one, it can replace all three arms. Removing all three wooden arms and sliding the unit into the lower arm hole, the upper arms and lower arm are at a good position. The upper arms are angled to resemble a person’s bent arms, and the entire unit can be locked for normal training, pivot via the spring for Chi-sau training, or with the spring removed so that the arms rotate 360-degrees.

I am not approaching this from the viewpoint that the unit is meant to replace a partner; rather, it is simply to enhance or work actions that are not possible with other aids or when a partner is not available. I can already see some positive aspects in it so once I get a better idea about what it can and cannot accomplish, I will post more feedback for those interested in obtaining one.

Chi-sau, Lap-sau and Chi-gerk

All three previously-available eBooks are now available again. All customers have been notified, have been downloading and are able to get in. Volume 3: Chi-sau took a bit longer because there are four separate workbooks included so now that it is finished, it is on to resuming work for Volume 4: Biu-Tze.

IMPORTANT: Remember that the videos are embedded into every workbook. When you click a video link, the page will load but it might look like nothing is happening. Trust me, the video is loading and when it is ready it will auto-play. The new code will fix that, and that is included with the upcoming Volume 4.

So, for all intents and purposes this little road bump is over and now it is off to Volume 4. Thanks to everyone for your patience and understanding while I worked to get us into a new compiler. I learned a lot along the way and that is the important thing (it also showed me how many of you are using the eBooks and how much you wanted back into them!) That in itself is continued motivation to keep pushing forward, finish the series, and re-visit the entire program to enhance and update them all.

Finally

It would seem that there are still issues with the automated delivery of passwords for the eBooks, so rather than holding things up any further, I have just made Volumes 1 and 2 available again, with Volume 3 available in the next couple of days.

The eBooks are fully protected, mind you. They always were and that was never an issue. Instead, this portion of the security feature would have allowed for immediate access vs receiving a password via email. With that part still not working properly, I have opted to release the eBooks with the manual process and continue working on the automation.

An email has been sent to all customers of Volumes 1 and 2 to download their new eBooks. New customers can also now purchase Volumes 1 and 2 again. Volume 3 will be available again soon while I finish up a few links.

for New Weblog

FYI… With our new site, all users will need to re-register in order to post comments. My apologies for those that just did that a couple of weeks ago but it could not be helped.

Also, remember that you can link to your own photo, avatar, etc, for your posts. It helps make things a bit more personal for you and lets others get more involved if they see a pic.

Volume 9 Issue 2

Welcome to the February 2012 edition of AWCA Notes. This month we will look at how Chi-sau and Lap-sau are directly related to actual fighting. All practitioners work their entire training careers in Chi-sau and Lap-sau without ever really knowing the true potential that these valuable skill sets relate.

NOTE: Always consult your personal physician before engaging in any fitness or self-defense related program. If you experience pain or difficulty with these exercises, immediately stop and seek the care of a trained medical professional.

YOU ASSUME ALL RISK AND LIABILITY FOR THE USE OR MISUSE OF ANY INFORMATION RELATED IN THIS OR ANY OTHER MEDIA CREATED OR DISTRIBUTED BY THE ARIZONA WING CHUN ASSOCIATION.

Chi-sau

Sticking-hands

Chi-sau is the concept of making contact with the opponent’s arms and feeling the direction and pressure in order to enact our response. Many will start with Chi-dan-sau, or Single-arm Sticking-hand, in order to begin this process, and then graduate to Chi-sheung-sau, or Double-arm Sticking-hands.

It is the Chi-sheung-sau stage we will focus on, but essentially what most know by the term Luk-sau. Luk-sau is Rolling-arms with forward pressure/energy and is the more commonly-used term for describing Chi-sau.

Luk-sau
Rolling-arms with forward pressure/energy

When we think of Chi-sau, Luk-sau is usually what we see. Although there are many stages of Chi-sau training, the simple act of double-arm rolling is what conjures up the Chi-sau image we are all used to.

For those new to Wing Chun, this is the point we dream of. I remember the first time I experienced a rudimentary form of Chi-sau, which was experienced prior to learning Wing Chun.

While in the U.S. Army in 1984, I checked out a Fred Villari Shaolin Kempo Karate school. While there, one of the drills they were working involved tieing their belts together and working what they considered to be Chi-sau. After a long discussion and demonstration of what they considered to be Chi-sau, they proceeded to whack away at each other. Stepping, ducking, bobbing and weaving, and working drills while tied together.

They stated they could feel what was happening and I am sure they could to a point on some things. And since I had no clue what Chi-sau was really about, I was impressed.

A few months later I was exposed to Wing Chun for the first time and after seeing what Chi-sau really is, I stopped going to the Fred Villari school.

I learned quickly that while it “is” possible to take from some systems and blend them in with others, the concept behind many actions is what makes it work. As good as any movement or series of movements may be, how and why it is used is the true catalyst.

For those that train as described, I recommend stopping immediately because you are probably cheating yourself. Chi-sau is not about beating the crap out of each other and seeing who can take a punch. Instead, it is all about feeling, about making contact with an opponent’s arm and learning to feel the pressure and angle of their attack.

Once learned, it gradually increases in speed and power so that in the end, you are engaged with full-speed, full-power assaults and using the opponent’s actions to dictate your response. Yes, this takes years of training, and yes, it is a later stage for all-out engagement. However, that is the goal vs being someone’s punching bag.

Luk-sau

With a slight forward pressure, the practitioners begin to roll the arms. The goal of Luk-sau is to feel every nuance of angle and pressure during the roll.

Luk-sau
(continued)

Continuing the roll, the wrists remain as close to the centerline as possible, shoulders relaxed and back kept straight.

Luk-sau
(continued)

The completed roll. The practitioners now roll back to the other side, with this action being repeated continuously to develop pressure sensitivity.

Luk-sau should be worked alone vs adding any attacks are defenses until a smooth flow is achieved. It is tempting to want to throw a palm or punch when you start feeling comfortable, but this is detrimental.

The entire scope of Luk-sau is solely to feel your partner’s pressure at every angle during the rolling, while simultaneously keeping yourself protected. Introducing anything beyond this until your rolling is smooth, controlled and correct will set you up for bad habits that have to be corrected later.

Once this rolling is smooth and correct, then basic attacks, basic defenses, stepping, turning, and the Chi-sau sections can be introduced gradually so that you always build on the foundation you are creating here.

Lap-sau

Deflecting-arm

In tandem with Luk-sau, we also introduce the Lap-sau. Meaning Deflecting-arm, Lap-sau is a basic introduction to sparring by way of learning to use the entire body to reinforce the limbs. Wing Chun is all-encompassing and does not rely on one specific element; instead, the whole body plays a role. Lap-sau is representative of that and uses Bong-sau as the beginning action.

As seen on AWCAOnline’s Lap-sau section, we first begin with the Lap-sau drill. Before embarking on the below series of movements, it is recommended that you first become competent in the basic Lap-sau drill.

Lap-sau Section 1

From the Lap-sau drill…

Lap-sau Section 1
(continued)

… Wu-sau changes to Yan-cheung and stamps the practitioner’s arms down, while Bong-sau begins changing to Chau-chong-kuen. Simultaneously, explode forward until you are in fist range.

Lap-sau Section 1
(continued)

Continuing to stamp the arms down, Chau-chong-kuen drills or lifts up and into the chest or throat.

With Chi-sau and Lap-sau working in unison, a practitioner frees him/herself from the average one-two type of fighting. There is no thinking required; you meet the attack, Chi-sau guides the way through the attack, and Lap-sau has created a structure that lets you respond with specific actions for the given moment.

Because of Chi-sau and Lap-sau’s sectional training, an endless repertoire of movements could be amassed. However, this is actually negative to a certain degree because we can mistakenly create a set pattern of responses vs feeling what we should do. The situation is never the same so expecting a response can lead to reacting to that response, even if the response is not present.

To that end, we explore basic sparring actions to combine Chi-sau with Lap-sau, which in turn creates Lat-sau scenarios. Lat-sau, or Fight training, is a wonder unto itself, and AWCA Notes will be addressing many of these scenarios in later issues. For now, let’s take a look at the first step for combining Chi-sau and Lap-sau.

Combining Chi-sau and Lap-sau

When we think of combining Chi-sau with Lap-sau, you can begin in either Luk-sau or the Lap-sau drill. Regardless of which you start in, your attacks and defenses will inevitably find you in the other. And this is when it gets really fun.

Let’s look at the beginnings of how we combine Chi-sau and Lap-sau in order to free us up from typical “standardized” drills.

Beginning in Luk-sau…

… an opening exists to attack. The attacker initiates Yan-cheung and Chau-chong-kuen from Lap-sau section 1.

Staying relaxed, the defender turns into the attack with Jut-sau in order to move the attacker off the line.

Jut-sau becomes Gwat-sau and “wipes” the attack off to the other side with a simultaenous punch. This is defended with Bong-sau.

Turning back to the front with Tan-dar, this is defended with Kuen-siu-Kuen.

Feeling a neutral position, both practitioners resume Luk-sau and it all starts again.

When combining these skills, it feels rather unwieldy at first because you are used to one or the other. Chi-sau is a specific curriculum and so is Lap-sau, making the act of blending them together confusing at first. In a very short time, though, you will find that the line that divides them is actually very small, and there are certainly more similarities than differences.

Can one be worked without the other? Most certainly. Keep in mind, though, that the sensitivity of Chi-sau is what is telling your arms to do, which is where Lap-sau reinforces. Almost every action in the Chi-sau curriculum has a counterpart in Lap-sau, which is why they are instrumental to each other. You can train one without the other, but if you do, it will not amount to much.

Free Wing Chun eBooks

Three Free Training eBooks

As my special Thank You for visiting AWCAOnline and reading this month’s issue of AWCA Notes, I invite you to check out the free online eBook training guides below to assist your training. These titles include “Concepts of Wing Chun,” “Principles of Wing Chun Punching” and “Principles of Wing Chun Kicking.”

• Free Online eBooks

Wing Chun Minute

Training Tips In Under One Minute

From Lynette in Indiana:

Si-fu Phil… This isn’t really a training issue. Instead, it’s a basic question: If Wing Chun is so good for women (and it is), why don’t we see more of them training? I’ve been doing Wing Chun for over 15 years and I just don’t understand why more women don’t train. What’s your take on that?

That is a question I have asked myself many times, Lynette, so trust me, you are not alone. Even if the stories of Wing Chun being created by a female are not true, it still capitalizes on logic and common sense vs the typical martial art requiring strength and flexibility. Women are phenomenal Wing Chun practitioners and there “are” a lot of them, but not as many as I would think there should be.

I wish I had more of an answer for you but admittedly I, too, have no clue why more women do not get involved in Wing Chun. Not only is it perfectly suited for their body structure, but it is also an art that does not require the typical male’s strength.

Maybe those who are reading this can help spread the word to our female friends and get them more involved. You never know, it could become the start of a new Wing Chun revolution. It would be nice to get everyone’s wives, sisters, daughters, even their mothers involved. We all know how effective and fun it is. Wouldn’t it be great to pass it on to them and know that we are helping them with something that might one day help keep them safe?

Good luck in your training!

To ask a question and have it posted here, contact Si-Fu Phil Bradley.

Next Month…

Next month’s issue will be of particular interest to many. We will take an in-depth look at the wooden dummy and examine how this training aid can propel one’s Wing Chun to brand new heights. The next couple of months will be a great time, so I hope you will join us in March!

Until next month,

Si-Fu Phil Bradley
Arizona Wing Chun Association

A Few More Things

I know, you have heard me say I am almost there too many times. Well, hopefully this time I am but it will still take me a couple more days to work this out.

Here’s the deal.

The eBooks are compiled and work perfectly. YAAY!

Now I am running into a small glitch running the security segment against the test eBook. After pouring over the Help files and talking to the programmer, I believe I have it figured out but it will take me a bit more testing to make sure vs just throwing it out there and hoping for the best (like many well-known corporations do. And we all know who they are because they leave us hanging, which is something I will not do to you).

You see, the eBooks will carry their own registration vs always having to talk to the server. Previously, you had to wait for me to manually create a userid and password, and then send it to you. You also had to be connected to the Internet periodically in order for the eBook to ensure an active registration.

That no longer applies with the new process. Immediately upon download, you can register right then and there in order to have immediate access. After registration, you will no longer have to be connected to the Internet, either. The books will always run offline from that moment on.

Now, to do that requires a bit of coding, which is what the new security module does. There are, however, a few steps to take that were a bit confusing for me. I am quite comfortable with coding, technically-oriented materials, etc., but there was just something about all of this was still not making sense.

Well after going over the Help files more, and even emailing with the programmer, now I understand the jist of things. There were a few steps I was leaving out but those were the ones that were crucial for the registration process. Now that I understand it, I will need to adjust a few things here and there, do one more test, and then that’s that.

For all of this to happen, I need a couple more days. I absolutely hate it when people throw stuff out to the masses and expect them to figure it out for themselves, and I refuse to do that with you. I want this entire process to be as seamless as possible for you, and with all that I am doing, it will. The burden is on me, not you, and it will be well worth it when I hear how quickly you were able to get in without any hassles.

For you, you will never see what is really happening in the background with all the checks, verifications, registration, etc, but none of that matters. After verification, all you will see is a code to type. Type the code, it will register, and that is that. Everything is running internally and lickety split you are immediately into your book.

To do all of that, though, will still take me a few more days to ensure it is all running properly and that our test books are being registered with no problems.

Again, the great thing for you is two-fold. First, you will have immediate access after purchase. No more waiting for me to create a username, create a password, copy your email text, then send it along. Instead, boom. Right then, right there after purchase you will have access to your eBook and it will also be very protected. You will still have the assurance that you will not find your eBooks plastered all over the Internet for free! (current customers will be receiving their passwords directly from me. You will not need to re-purchase anything, I guarantee it)

Second, you will also enjoy training your media offline without having to periodically connect to the Internet anymore. Once you are registered, you are registered. The eBook locks to your computer and that’s that.

For myself, this is also a good step forward because if someone orders at a time when I am not online, it could be hours before they receive their access. I have always wanted to automate things and now it will be so that you have instant access with no delays.

So, please give me a few more days to iron things out and get the test modules verified. Once that is done, we will begin issuing notes to download your newest copies so that you can get back into your eBooks!

But Still Good

After receiving this, I thought it was too good. Normally I do not like to post non-Wing Chun materials but I thought this one was worth the laugh.

Student Who Obtained 0% on Exam

(I would have given him 100%, plus extra credit)

Q1. In which battle did Napoleon die?
A. His last battle.

Q2.  Where was the Declaration of Independence signed?
A. At  the bottom of the  page.

Q3.  River Ravi flows in which state?
A. Liquid

Q4.  What is the main reason for divorce?
A. Marriage

Q5.  What is the main reason for failure?
A. Exams

Q6.  What can you never eat for breakfast?
A. Lunch  & dinner

Q7.  What looks like half an apple?
A. The  other half

Q8. If  you throw a red stone into the blue sea what it will become?
A. Wet

Q9. How can a man go eight days without sleeping ?
A. He sleeps at night.

Q10.  How can you lift an elephant with one hand?
A. You will never find an elephant that has only one hand.

Q11. If you had three apples and four oranges in one hand, and four apples and  three oranges in other hand, what would you have ?
A. Very large hands

Q12. If it took eight men ten hours to build a  wall, how long would it take four men to build it?
A. No time at all. The wall is already  built.

Q13.  How can you drop a raw egg onto a concrete floor without cracking it?
A. Any way you want. Concrete floors are very hard to crack.