“In order to achieve victory, you must place yourself in your opponent’s skin. If you don’t understand yourself, you will lose one hundred percent of the time. If you understand yourself, you will win fifty percent of the time. If you understand yourself and your opponent, you will win one hundred percent of the time” -Tsutomu Oshima
How to practice in solo?
Remember, the key to greatness lies in solo training. This is how you build yourself up to mastery. Step by step, session by session, day by day. As we practice social distance, we may not be able to meet our training partners and instructors in person, however, your practice will never be cancelled.
The only way to go from average martial artists to outstanding is to train more. Not only repeating the same sequences, find logic behind the techniques. Not only doing your best each time, aim to do better. Focus on yourself during the practice, empty your mind, feel the silence and absorb your mind as is. It’s a moving meditation, as well.
WingChun Forms: Siu Nim Tao and Tsum Kiu
Forms are one of the great ways to practice for stronger foundations of WingChun. The first form of WingChun is called Siu Nim Tao (小念頭) -translated as “Small Intention”. In this form, we focus on one technique at a time, while standing still in Jing San Ma (正身馬). We may learn to generate power through bio-mechanics of arm movements associated with engaging many other parts of the body.
Tsum Kiu (尋橋) is the second form of WingChun -translated as “Seeking Bridge”. It consists of a variety of techniques and movements designed to coordinate your entire body in stance, footwork, and steps.
For each technique in a form sequence, there are meaning, name, action, and function. Every technique has a name, although please don’t be too obsessed about the exact pronunciation or spelling. Knowing the translation gives you a clue to its use. Find their definitions: by a start, spring, and finish lines and transitions to the next sequences -in other words, clarifying the process of preparation, execution, and completion.
Finally, we need to understand how each technique applies to self-defense.
1) What part of the body you are protecting?
2) What is your striking surface?
3) Where is the opponent and what is your target?
If it’s your first time practicing the form, this is absolutely ok to forget about some of the above criteria. Eventually, it will all come to you. Start from synchronizing or mirroring your instructors, senior students, fellow students. Repeat many times to acquire the motions into your muscle memory. Remember to enjoy the motions, appreciate and respect your time and health for being able to practice WingChun, it’s a privilege.
WingChun Form Practice Supplements
For the time being, in order to overcome the difficult time, we generated simple video clips of forms -both Siu Nim Tao and Tsum Kiu for your training aids. It is more appropriate for all of us to practice together in the studio with proper feedback and energy. Although, we considered that it’s more important for everyone to keep up with practice and moving forward. We hope it helps. Please find the links below.
In addition, we are currently streaming the WingChun Zoom Classes at the same schedule as the regular classes. We already sent the invitations to all the members of WingChun Berkeley. If you missed invitations or find somebody who might be interested in joining us, please feel free to send me a message at info@iawberkeley.com.
Many Gratitude
I sincerely appreciate many of you who are reaching out to me for supports, offering helps, participating in the lessons at Zoom class, past few days. It’s truly heartwarming and encouraging for me, and remind me of the goodness in human nature, and how awesome our WingChun Berkeley groups is.
“If you concentrate on finding whatever is good in every situation, you will discover that your life will suddenly be filled with gratitude, a feeling that nurtures the soul.”
With a lot of Love,
Sije Yuka Yoshioka