Wednesday 13 April 2016

My perception of Siu Nim Tao...

When I was first being taught Siu Nim Tao I had so many questions for my Sifu...and he couldn't answer many of them. Actually he didn't give ANY straight answers, merely put on his, "Mang I'm gonna get esoteric on his ass! That'll teach him to question me!", face and hit me with some nonsensical reference to something he'd seen on the Discovery channel that referenced Bhudda...in a passing sort of fashion.

I didn't understand his meaning then, and I sure-as-hell don't remember the detail. It's been scrubbed from my brain like CO2 in a re-breather. And yet I completed Siu Nim Tao, Cham Kiu and half of Biu Jee, 3/4 of the Mook Yan Jong and I'd just begun the Luk Dim Boon Kwan.
I thought I was the bees-knees (a positive, local reference), or colloquially referred to as...The Shit.
And yet I couldn't explain the fundamental ideas behind anything I had learned. What I had been taught is to respond with POWER ANGLES for everything.
I was never taught why Tan Sao would work in certain applications of force, and not in others.
For us Fook Sao was merely a way to lock onto an opponents arms to they couldn't escape, and thus we trained to chase hands. This further developed into grabbing for the sake of control. Essentially we were training for failure.

In the last year I've been watching the David Peterson Seminar DVD's and been consistently having my mind blown.
Admittedly, my Coach has been explaining these points clearly in class...however I've always found class isn't the best place for retention, and the ability to re-watch a dvd is priceless. It gives me the chance to rewind and watch again, while still allowing me to have, "that-sounds-familiar" moments.
As such the CK dvd has changed how I Chi Sao, has improved my ability to teach (we all participate in the transfer of ideas, however the final say is always belongs with Coach).

Now, I know that if one was to use a single word to explain SNT it would be STRUCTURE. That simple statement I got from David's dvd. More importantly though is that I have a growing understanding of the 'Why' behind the idea.
The reasoning behind the repetition of certain movements also makes sense. The importance of the fook/wu pattern becomes clearer. Rather than being the boring part you rush through, it ends up having significance and value, pushing you to engage the right muscles, drive from your elbow, keep the elbow connected to your waist and thus the ground. It prepares you for things you won't understand until CK

The form provides a legitimate foundation upon which you can build a quantifiable skill set.

The form's of WC are tool-kits of consequential actions providing insight into the minds of great practitioners.
Merely understanding this one concept has changed how I look at WC, how I analyse it, how I judge it's teachers, and how I judge myself.

An example.
From my very first lesson some 15 years ago (ish) I had been taught to seek the center with my Tan Sao. I had to have it, that's just how it was.
The angle of my Tan in relation to my body didn't matter...the desire for forward intention wasn't there...I had to win the center because it was more powerful...blah, blah, blah.
I got hit several times chasing that white rabbit.
I spent a lot of time confused until I stopped looking and just believed. Sifu said...so shall it be.
So when it was later explained to me by Coach, Darren Elvey, and David's DVD that, 'while having your Tan Sao in the center is ideal, it's more important to maintain a Tan Sao perpendicular to your body to ensure connection to the waste as a support for your structure', I became deflated about my wasted time, while growing a cheeky smile at being able to improve.


Moving through WSLVT I have been given something tangible that I could look into and question. I have been welcomed to disprove it where possible and to always be the skeptic.
I love this.
In our class the n00bs can be shy, and yet they're encouraged to question. Anyone who has been in class for a reasonable period is welcome to share their opinion. Everyone understands that they don't entirely know how it works, but there are others to ask to confirm or explain. And teaching is a wonderful path to understanding...have you ever noticed how beginners often discover a hole in either your explanation, execution, or perspective? Outstanding!
We discover and grow together. There is very little distinction between teacher and student beyond understanding.

Wong Sifu referred to SNT as 'Young Idea', in reference (I believe) to the growing of an idea from a simple thing into one of great complexity and beauty. This is possibly where the 'Little Idea' came from, something which could increase,(however I must bow before folk who actually speak Cantonese or the Foshan dialect etc...as my posts will likely show...I tend to swap between the dialects because I don't know any better. I'm still learning after all).
I like this Young Idea perspective.
I like the association this has with evolution when I think about the concept. The further down the path I get the more my previous knowledge grows and evolves.
Except for the stuff I forget.