Demolish The Bridges.
We’ve been talking about about Wing Chun’s “Second Form” recently.
Some practitioners believe that Wing Chun has three “hand forms”, or choreographed training sequences, like Karate kata. Typically, when students have been training in Wing Chun for a while, they are familiar with the “Small Idea” (The First Form) and start training the Second Form. In Cantonese, the name of the Second Form is “Chum Kiu.” I’ve yet to hear anybody give a satisfactory translation of “Chum Kiu” in English. Some translate it as “Crossing the bridge,” others as “Sinking the bridge” - the “bridge” in question is often supposed to be the forearm of the opponent. Sometimes “The bridge” is assumed to be the journey from beginner level to intermediate level.
WIng Chun teaches via dialogue based on concepts. A key concept - the key concept - of the system is to stay with what comes - not to move back unless necessary, but to absorb, deflect and redirect incoming power with little or no movement. One needs power - albeit clever, trained power - to be able to redirect incoming force. The ability to stay with what comes allows us to store the opponent’s power - to “borrow” his power and use it against him. Yet many Wing Chun men move unnecessarily. Their movement is often inefficient and flowery. This is because they haven’t trained the power of the centreline - the core, the ground, gravity.
In “The Art of War”, Sun Tzu talks about the “Death Ground”. If you want your army to fight and win, put them in a place where they cannot retreat. With their backs to the wall, men will fight to survive. Burn their bridges - demolish their bridges - and they have no option other than win. I translate “Chum Kiu” as “Demolish The Bridges.”
Train in such a way that it’s almost impossible for an opponent to move you. To the man in front of you, even if he’s much bigger than you, you should feel like a large lump of wet clay - solid, slightly springy, firm and immoveable. When he pushes you, he goes flying uncontrollably back. When he tries to use force on you, you don’t do anything but he rebounds. This is a form of internal power - it requires diligent training - “the internal strength has to be trained.”
Dissect the “Demolish The Bridges” form until you find training methods that give you what you need - and make these training methods your bread and butter. Train the hell out of them with your training partners. Over time you’ll whittle the “Second Form” down to something personal to you. Instead of copying a “legacy” set of choreographed movements that you don’t really understand - the “dead pattern” - you’ll make your kung fu your own - and it will be ruthless.
If you do what you’ve always done, you’ll get what you’ve always got. It’s about goals and aspirations in training. Aim high.