Applying the Power Principles

An explanation of some of the concepts that we apply in our Kung Fu system which are distilled from the Wing Chun Kuen Kuit or ‘Maxims of Wing Chun’.

Power Principles

• Be free from your own force!
• Free yourself from the force of your opponent!
• Use the force of your opponent!
• Add your own force to the force of your opponent!

To be ‘free from your own force’ means not to rely on your own strength. You will always encounter someone who is stronger, so if you rely on your strength during training you will not learn the correct responses to your opponent’s force. If you are strong you may get the better of your opponent, but not if they have sufficient skill. You will also not be able to apply the moves that you need if faced with a stronger attacker on the street.

Make a point of sometimes training with people who are stronger than yourself. You will not be able to rely on your strength and this will help you to improve your skills.

To ‘free yourself from the force of your opponent’ means not to be intimidated when you encounter a larger or stronger opponent. This is of course easier said than done, but if you have trained well learning to fight using skills that are not reliant on huge amounts of strength and seen their effectiveness, you will have more confidence in dealing with such a situation. With correct technique it is possible to avoid or nullify your opponent’s attack and deliver winning strikes or powerful punches whatever your size or build.

The more realistically you are prepared to train in class, the better you will be prepared for the street. With a good partner it is still possible to do this safely, build up slowly and increase your confidence. Street scenario training against a partner ‘acting the part’ of a noisy violent attacker helps you practice and prepare for the effects of the ‘fight or flight’ body responses.

To ‘use the force of your opponent’ can be applied in a number of ways.

Do not ‘block’ or resist your opponent’s attack but intercept and use the appropriate technique to redirect their force so you send them away from the centreline and place them in a vulnerable position for your counter. Use it to send them in a different direction or ‘unbalance’ their stance or structure. Absorb their force and redirect it through your body to hit them back with it.

To ‘add your own force to the force of your opponent’ can mean when ‘using’ their force you add extra force of your own to amplify the attack. It can also mean that the effect of your attack is increased by an opponents momentum onto your attack eg their head moving into your punch.

Therefore power is important, but it must be soft and relaxed, applied with calm in the right situation, and with correct timing, alignment, balance and body structure.

Wing Chun in the Media

It seems that Wing Chun is gaining a high-profile due to a number of recent films, this is not only great for those of us already studying the art, but hopefully it will help to bring in new members and also help raise the status of Wing Chun on the Martial Arts forums, and get more press.

The biggest contributor is the film ‘Ip Man’ featuring Donnie Yen which has received widespread acclaim in the press, and was nominated for 12 Hong Kong Film awards; receiving awards for ‘Best Film’ and ‘Best Action Choreography’. Produced by Raymond Wong and choreographed by Sammo Hung, this film gives an account of Ip Man’s life before he moved to Hong Kong. Though not quite factually correct it gives an excellent portrayal of a Kung-Fu master, and is perhaps the most realistic Kung-Fu movie in years.

Another film featuring Wing Chun in the cinemas now is ‘Sherlock Holmes’, directed by Guy Ritchie and starring Robert Downey Jr. Seeing Wing Chun used in the fight scenes took me by surprise, but can be explained by the fact that the Film’s star has been studying Wing Chun for years with Sifu Eric Oram, an instructor under William Cheung, and can be viewed on ‘You Tube’ singing the praises of Wing Chun, and the effect it has had on his life.

The fictional character ‘ Sherlock Holmes’ used a real martial art called ‘Bartitsu’ which was a 19th century hybrid or ‘mixed martial art’ created by Edward Barton-Wright, an English engineer.

This system was billed as the gentleman’s art of Self Defence, and combined Cane Fighting, Boxing, Savate, Wrestling and Jiujitsu. Interestingly enough the background that fuelled the origin of Bartitsu is echoed today in the media fed panic about Street Violence and a fascination with Asian Arts and fitness. It is worth noting that ‘Pugilism’ or Boxing at this time employed a vertical fist as in Wing Chun, as well as the emphasis on protecting the ‘centreline’.

Robert Downey Jr. used his Wing Chun to replace the Boxing, and the film also incorporates swordplay and elements of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, which Guy Ritchie practices, creating a contemporary take on the ‘Bartitsu’ system, yet still with a Victorian flavour. This blend of arts was created to cover the different fighting ranges, just as we address the different ranges with kicks, punches, elbows, take-downs and anti-grappling. The fight scenes are excellently done, and cleverly portray the clinical execution and impact of the blows that Holmes plans. Besides the fight scenes, the film is good on many levels and is well worth seeing.

Last on the list is ‘Bangkok Dangerous’ with Nicolas Cage playing a hitman. In the movie Cage can be seen doing Chi-Sau Wing Chun training, try ‘You Tube’ for clips. I haven’t seen the film, and unfortunately reviews are not favourable. Still it is another example of mainstream films and Hollywood actors taking to Wing Chun.