The Ving Tsun Long Pole

From a layperson’s standpoint one of the most impractical weapons you could learn how to use is the Ving Tsun Long Pole. How many scenarios can you imagine where it would be necessary to defend yourself with a 9 foot pole. If anyone can think of a realistic scenario when this would be the case please email me at sifubryant@vtkfsystem.com. All joking aside, there is a great deal of practical benefit in becoming proficient with the Luk Dim Poon Kwan (6 and ½ point pole). 

The first benefit is physical conditioning, you must have coordinated full body strength as well as stamina to use the pole. As a matter of matter of fact it is recommend that you do at least three months of moving low stance work (Jin Choi) before you even touch the pole. Many do not even complete this process simply because of lack of will power.

That reminds me of another benefit of Ving Tsun pole training, developing mental toughness. Having the will power to force your body to its limits and endure a training process that many will find very challenging and unpleasant. Of course the attributes of discipline and mental toughness have value in everyday living. There are many things worth doing that we may find challenging and unpleasant.

The last benefit I will discuss is punching power. As I mentioned previously it takes full body coordinated strength to wield the Luk Dim Poon Kwan. The process of developing this kind of strength and power and the ability to express it at the end of a nine foot pole also develops significant punching power. In unarmed combat we want our punches not only to be physically damaging but also psychologically demoralizing. When you hit someone you don’t want them to simply get angry, you want them to reflect deeply on their life and the choices that led them to such severe punishment. You want to extinguish both their ability and desire to fight.

 

 

Nature's Laws

When training in martial arts it is often our primary concern that we are training in a way that will make us effective in combat. Although this is important in these modern times there is another consideration that is just as important. Are we training in a way that improves and optimizes our health, also will we continue to have full physical expression of the art we study even as we age?

As human beings we have two arms and two legs yet there is an infinite variety of combative movement that can be performed with the human body. How do we determine which of these movements is effective and at the same time determine if these movements fall within the range of movements that are biomechanically feasible and healthy over the long haul. There are movements we can perform at age 8 that we may not be able to perform at age 80 yet if we start practicing the correct movements at age 8 we will have capabilities that surpass the average 80 year old if we are blessed enough to live that long.

In Ving Tsun we often discuss the attribute of sensitivity usually it is in reference to our training partner or opponent, we must remember that it is important to have sensitivity in reference to yourself. Can you feel your own balance, can you feel the alignment of your various bones and muscles, and can you tell when you are using your structure in the most optimal way. It is very important to have this awareness of your own body, in combat you must be aware of your opponent and yourself. Also it is important to feel when you are using your body in a way that it was not meant to be used. The older we get the less forgiving our bodies become of incorrect use. Our study of martial arts should be a study of nature's laws and the exploration of our mental, physical, and spiritual limits within those laws. Through this endeavor we learn more about our world, ourselves, and each other.

 

Sun Character Fist

Yat Ji Chung Kuen – Sun Character Fist

This is the signature technique of the Ving Tsun Kung Fu System, often seen as multiple punches launched down the Ving Tsun practitioner’s center line. When done in this fashion it is known as lin wan kuen or chain punching, each punched linked to the preceding punch. People have often expressed the opinion that the Ving Tsun punch lacks power, the reality is nothing could be further from the truth. Considering that punching is one of the primary techniques of Ving Tsun, it is imperative that the punches have power. The reason that most people perceive Ving Tsun punches as weak is because there is very little overt body movement, but the body movement that does happen is very important and very subtle. Mike Tyson’s punching power is obvious in both how he creates it and what its effects are. Believe it or not there is a lot of similarity between Mike Tyson’s knockout punch and a correctly executed Ving Tsun punch, they both start at the feet and end with power expressed in the hand. The power spirals up the body though the joints and muscles, the difference is that the Ving Tsun spiral is so tight that it is almost invisible.

The ability draw power up from the floor and express it in the hands is developed in Siu Nim Tau. It’s something you will not fully realize until you have been playing Siu Nim Tau for several years. You must look at the form, really all the forms, and determine when you are being tense and when you are being relaxed or loose. It is this ability quickly to go from loose to tense and then back to loose along with coordination that allows us to produce power with the Ving Tsun punch. It is the sequential muscle activation passing energy from the legs, to the torso, and finally to the arms that produces a wave of power that is expressed in the fist. When this skill has been mastered it is possible to produce a significant amount of force in a very short distance with no preparatory motion.

The punch is also developed with focus mitt drills both stationary and moving. It is important to gradually condition the bones muscles and tendons of the hand to inoculate them to the force of hitting another object. Part of the conditioning process is the use of a sao bao, this is a bag that is mounted on the wall and used specifically for punching. The contents of the bag can vary from sand, to rice, to hard beans, to stone gravel. The use of a sao bao should be supervised by a competent Sifu to avoid the risk of injury. We want to be able to shatter bones and yet still have the dexterity to sign a check.

With proper training and guidance the Ving Tsun punch is devastatingly powerful and effective, but just like any other skill it requires that time be invested in persistent training and development. It is not easy but the results are well worth the effort. This is the nature of Kung Fu, skill acquired through hard work.

 

 

The Three Pillars

The Three Pillars of Ving Tsun : Tan – Bong – Fook

The three basic hands of Ving Tsun are;

Tan Sao – Spread out hand (as in to spread something out, like butter on bread)

Bong Sao – “Birds Wing”

Fook Sao – Smothering Hand

These three hand positions are not static but should be understood as dynamic or transitional movements. The purpose of each hand position being to redirect incoming energy away from your centerline.  Imagine you are facing a clock, at the top is 12 o’clock, to the immediate left is 9 o’clock, to the immediate right is 3 o’clock, and at the bottom is 6 o’clock. Now, imagine you are practicing these basic hand positions with your right hand as you face the clock. Tan Sao will redirect energy towards 3 o’clock away from your centerline. Bong Sao will redirect energy towards 9 o’clock away from your centerline. Fook Sao will redirect energy towards 6 o’clock away from your centerline. Also keep in mind that energetically each hand position has a forward component.

The hand positions should not been thought of as blocks. They can be used that way but it is not optimal and indicates a low level of skill. Ideally you want to be in a position to attack, in offense we attack, in defense we attack. In the process of attacking we may meet an obstruction. What we want to do is remove or redirect the obstruction based on sensitivity. Sensitivity and relative position determine which hand position is most optimal. This is not easy to do, and cannot be an intellectual process as things happen to quickly in the heat of combat. This is an ability that must be developed naturally and applied intuitively. The method used to develop this skill in the Ving Tsun Kung Fu system is Chi Sao (sticking hands). Chi Sao is not fighting and should not be thought as an equivalent or substitute for sparring. Chi-Sao does develop skills that are useful in fighting. That usefulness may only be for a fraction of a second, because our primary goal is striking, not sticking, we only stick when we cannot strike. Chi Sao gives us a skill set that helps us instinctively problem solve if something prevents us from accomplishing our primary goal of striking.

Tan, Bong, and Fook must be understood in this context, as dynamic changing shapes meant to meet and redirect energy away from center line, not as static techniques. Your homework assignment is to determine what hand positions within the Ving Tsun system redirect energy towards the 12 o’clock position on the previously described clock?

Can you use it for fighting?

 When considering the possibility of studying Ving Tsun people often ask the question, can it be used for fighting? I think this topic can also be approached in the context of my previous post concerning refinement and accumulation. Ving Tsun is a system, as such its effectiveness is determined by its results. Once you have a decent understanding of Ving Tsun as a system for gaining knowledge then it becomes relatively easy to map out a path to gaining fighting ability. Ultimately the answer to the question “can Ving Tsun be used for fighting?” is yes. The real question is are you willing to do the work necessary to make YOUR Ving Tsun useful for fighting. Unfortunately for most the answer to this question is often no because they are simply too lazy to do the work.

How does one become a fighter, one way is to simply start fighting. Through trial and error and probably several injuries you may actually become a decent fighter. Unless you have a great deal of natural ability your chances of success will be pretty slim with this method. Or you could take the Ving Tsun approach; identify the necessary attributes, internalize the essential principles; research and refine. There’s that word again…”refine”.

Another question to ask your self is what type of fighting are you trying to train for; sport fighting, professional, sparring with a few friends? Testing out the local biker bar? Have you identified what is necessary to be successful in these arenas? Have you determined what aspects of the system are applicable in these circumstances? Have you applied these observations to your training? Does the level of your effort match the level of the results you would like to achieve?

With all that said, this intellectual approach does need to be balanced with some practical experience. Any competent Sifu should be able to guide you safely through a training progression that leads up to full out sparring. Again it is important to be able to identify what your goals are so that your Sifu can help ascertain the most efficient path to that goal.

What do you want?

Refinement Vs Accumulation

In learning Ving Tsun it is important to remember that increasing your skill level has more to do with refinement than accumulation. It’s often the case that a junior will see what his seniors are doing and have a desire to learn what they are learning.  The fact of the matter is that if you don’t concentrate on your current level of training then you will not be able to do what your seniors are doing. It won’t be because your Sifu refuses to teach it to you, it will literally be the case that you cannot do it.

For example one of the weapons in the Ving Tsun System is the Luk Dim Poon Kwan (6 ½ point pole). There is a training process that gradually gives you the attributes necessary to be able to use the pole. Each stage in the training process is dependent upon the satisfactory completion of the previous stage. If you cannot hold a decent Jin Ma, you cannot use the pole. If you cannot do at least 10 jin choi forward and backward you cannot use the pole. If your biu kwan is inaccurate you cannot play chi kwan. Are you starting to see my point? Every skill in Ving Tsun is developed through a methodical training process that must be followed in order to obtain the desired results.

You have to be patient, you have to be disciplined, and you have to be smart. As a student it will not serve you to have the expectation to learn something new every time you come to the school. Of course your Sifu could humor you and teach you a new technique every day. The result would be that you would have the type of Kung Fu that fits in your pocket. When you need it, it might be there. Then again it might not; it might have fallen out of your pocket. You may have left it in your other pants. It may be lost in the cushions of your couch, who knows? What you want is the kind of kung fu that is a natural expression of yourself. If something happens, you will handle it, because that is what you do. Trying to memorize one million techniques does not produce that kind of Kung Fu.

So, don’t rush, take your time, absorb as much as possible at each level of your training. Test your understanding by sharing with your juniors. Get input from your Sifu and your seniors. The training floor is your laboratory, make good use of it. Approach your training like a scientist, identify and refine the elements of pure skill.

 

Ving Tsun has everything

When people make the statement Ving Tsun does not have this or Ving Tsun does not have that, it is my opinion that they speak from a lack of understanding of the true nature of Ving Tsun. If you want to be a traditionalist then of course you can look at Ving Tsun and say it has a very limited set of physical techniques. However those who truly understand Ving Tsun know that techniques are really a secondary concern. Ving Tsun is a system, for more on that check out my previous blog post. As a system Ving Tsun is concerned with the answer to two questions;

1. What is most appropriate?
2. How do I train myself to naturally do what is most appropriate.

This line of thought can be applied to almost anything, for right now we are concerned with unarmed combat. There are a limited number of techniques and tactics one can apply within the context of unarmed combat but there are limitless stylistic approaches. These techniques and tactics can be broken down into three categories, they are as follows;

1. Striking with any part of the body
2. Pain Compliance - Joint Locking – Limb destruction
3. Takedowns and or Throws

The Ving Tsun approach would be to ask, when it is appropriate to apply any of these three methods. How do I train myself to recognize that? What are the most effective techniques within a particular category, how do I train to apply the correct technique in the correct situation, spontaneously. For example let’s look at the second category, what one might call “Chin Na”, seizing and controlling techniques.

Many people would say that Ving Tsun does not contain Chin-Na; I would argue that the three forms of the Ving Tsun system contain all the necessary information required to study and develop Chin-Na techniques in addition to throws and takedowns. Something I am more than happy to demonstrate.
In order to execute an effective Chin-Na technique you must do one of, or any combination of the following things;

1. Unbalance your opponent
2. Diminish his capacity to resist
3. Lead his mind

The Ving Tsun curriculum develops a skill set that can be used to easily accomplish any of these goals. Any of Ving Tsun’s striking techniques combined with the uncanny ability to control the “Window of Combat” facilitates the ability to diminish your opponent. The practice of Chi—Sao gives Ving Tsun practitioners the ability to sense and control balance. Intermediate to advanced level Chi-Sao players also develop the ability not only to sense intent based on energy but also to lead or distract using energy, this ability also lends itself well to Chin-Na.

Here is a study and experimentation outline to get you started for different types of Chin-Na techniques;

1. Fingers
2. Wrist
3. Elbow
4. Shoulder
5. Head & Neck
6. Combination

Any skill development in Ving Tsun depends on finding a good Sifu. Working on developing your understanding and building a strong foundation. And last but not least hours and hours of training, experimentation, and discussion with your Kung Fu brothers and sisters.

Well, what are you waiting for… get to work!