“The purpose of Siu Nim Tau is to train the mind to accept the idea of not using force”. Even when filtered through translation the precision and economy applied by Chu Shong Tin in explaining the concepts of Wing Chun is breathtaking. However, even CST would sometimes struggle to convey some of the intricacies of Wing Chun.
A particular topic that I failed miserably to understand when first explained to me was the perplexing function of counter rotations. I heard Chu Shong Tin teach on this subject sometime around 1987. The penny finally dropped for me in 2013!
My revelation occurred during a session where Chu Shong Tin was instructing me on a long pole movement. In the intervening years I am not aware of him broaching the subject. He may have decided that it was beyond my intellectual capacity. I do get it now; it just took me about twenty-six years to compute the idea.
Of course once I understood what he was on about I tried to pass it on to my students. Most found it too complicated, one told me he preferred just to “feel the flow”. So, if you don’t like complicated things stop now. If you are up for it let’s do this!
To apply the concept of counter rotations it is necessary to understand how joints are considered to rotate in Chu Shong Tin Wing Chun. The idea is that they revolve as spheres along all three possible vectors of rotation simultaneously. If this does not make sense then you will need to read my previous article, ‘Rotating Joints and Multi-vector Force’.
Once we understand how joints are deemed to rotate one can imagine the relationship between the shoulder or hip joints and the spine as being like two cogs working together. When two cogs interact they move in opposite rotations to each other. Imagine two cogs side by side flat on the table in front of you. If the one on the left turns clockwise then the one on the right will be moved in an anticlockwise direction. If they spin in the same direction they will clash and can only spin if one or both actually changes position in space. We can consider the smooth spinning that happens when they counter rotate as efficient symbiotic interaction. The correct way has the qualities of relaxed movement; the wrong way is analogous to using brute force, as in bracing the body as one unit and pushing off the ground.
To illustrate this point we can perform an experiment. Stand normally with your right elbow raised to shoulder level at your side. Have someone place their hand under your elbow and resist as you try to bring your elbow back down to the side of your body. The intuitive way to move is to lean on to the resisting hand with your body. In doing that you are using brute force and pushing off the ground while bracing your shoulder. This is of course the wrong way. If you resist leaning then you can imagine that there is a cog at your centre of mass. Imagine that to be turning the same direction as your shoulder, i.e. clockwise from your perspective. Once again, this will be the same as pushing off the ground and bracing; it will not work without using brute strength. Now do the same motion with your elbow but imagine that the cog at our centre is turning the opposite direction to the one at your shoulder. This will feel as if the spine is leaning away from the elbow that you are trying to bring to your side. Like much of Wing Chun this option may feel counter-intuitive.
If you have managed to follow my instructions you will feel an enormous difference in the shoulder joint. When rotating the centre of mass and shoulders cogs in the same direction your shoulder will feel locked and your balance will be compromised. Counter-rotating will feel as if the joint has opened up and can spin freely. Of course one can also raise the arm efficiently by performing the opposite rotation.
The same effect can be felt when attending to the X and Z rotational points as mentioned in my earlier article. When performing a punch the Z counter- rotation will be spinning away from the shoulder that is punching. The X rotation will be spinning down at the front of your centre cog, which is the opposite of the shoulders X rotation for the punch.
The mistake most people make, if they have come this far, is failing to understand that wherever the arm is held in space the counter rotation must be calculated as if the arm was at rest by the side of one’s body. This becomes obvious when one considers that despite moving the arm around in space, it always attached to the body in the same way. The relationship between the centre cog and the shoulder, (or hip), cog is not altered.
The effect I am describing is easily noticeable to anyone, even absolute beginners. If you cannot feel the difference you must have misunderstood my instructions. Your centre of mass will naturally counter-rotate to your shoulder and hip joints if you are completely relaxed. Understanding counter-rotations provides a roadmap to correct body movement.
Returning to my revelation while training the pole with Chu Shong Tin, when bringing the pole down from shoulder to hip height at the front of my body I could not overcome CST’s resistance until he told me to rotate my centre upwards at the front. When I tried to raise the pole from hip to shoulder I presumed the rotation at my centre would be down, however Chu Shong Tin once again instructed me to rotate up at the front. This seemed contradictory until I realised that the shoulder joint actually rotated both clockwise and then anti clockwise throughout a single movement when doing this action. The elbow begins by moving backwards and halfway through the movement it reverses and moves forward. As I developed more skill in this movement I could feel my centre flip to the opposite rotation at the point that my shoulder rotation reversed. Again this is what happens when you are relaxed.
I know this is confusing, but I am happy to show it to any readers who may live nearby and are interested. Please feel free to drop in!
~ Mark Spence