Cocooned within the world of whichever martial art one studies, it is easy to misunderstand the framework of logic that is applied to other styles. Even when training in the same art various lineages may look at other schools and their study methods with disdain. ‘What the hell do think they are doing?’, and ‘How could they even think that would work in a real fighting situation?’ are familiar comments. Furthermore this disconnection persists even between schools within the same lineage.
It is helpful to remember that any experience of a particular method is indisputably better than none. To assume that one’s gut feeling supersedes the learned knowledge of those who have put effort into studying any particular discipline is the height of arrogance. Yet we all fall into this trap quite often. Those who feel that climate scientists lack the common sense required to fully understand the global warming issue and instead choose to base their opinions on extreme political, religious or anything other than legitimate recognised scientific organisations, are in my opinion, a shining example of this problem. I try very hard to avoid this in martial arts as I often see the same prejudices directed towards power generation and other training methods I learned from Chu Shong Tin.
Power generation as a term is not universally understood. Some may think of it as hitting a bag in order to assess and improve technique. Others may look on it as building physical strength by developing their physique through weight lifting and exercise. In the Chu Shong Tin lineage it means something quite different. Ensconced within the training template I have been following for the past thirty five years it seems to me that it must be the most direct and practical way to developing structure and genuinely effortless power, so much so, that I am perplexed by the fact that hardly any other lineages use this technique. So of course I am also guilty of the ‘What the hell do they think they are doing?’ syndrome.
In our lineage, or at least in my school, a large part of training is taken up with power generation. As students practice their forms I will give resistance, generally by holding at their wrist or another part of their arm. Their goal is to be able to move effortlessly despite my restraint. Muscular exertion, speed and leaning or pushing off the ground, are some of the reactions we wish to avoid. Exasperatingly these responses are the very things that any normal human being will intuitively resort to. New students often comment that they cannot overcome my hold without using some muscular force – but actually they can! This seems to go against common sense, however after a decent amount of practice they will change their opinion.
Hours of Siu Nim Tau bring about a heightened body awareness. When we move unencumbered through thin air our body supports our action at every point. If I decide to turn on a light switch I am not committed or pushing off the ground. Should that switch suddenly disappear as I reach out, I do not fall forward. I remain balanced because I am not intending to use force or expecting a force to attack me. Eventually one can maintain access to one’s centre of mass and employ it to produce or resist force without muscular exertion. The main thing is to be able to hold this thought.
This revelation only happens after considerable time spent training in the Siu Nim Tau form. Once the way has been found, the objective is to be able to maintain this quality while performing the other forms and Chi Sau exercises and eventually in combat. The difficulty on my part is to convince the student that effortless power is possible – hence the importance of Siu Nim Tau. As is so often the case, Chu Shong Tin put it succinctly in crisp, clear language; “The purpose of Siu Nim Tau is to train the mind to accept the idea of not using force”.
~ Mark Spence