The Tao of Wing Chun by John Little

Author:John Little
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Skyhorse Publishing
Published: 2015-03-18T04:00:00+00:00

An equilateral-shaped compass will require the hand to follow the circle it draws.

Now, adjust the compass so that the penciled arm is long enough to make the metal-tip arm nearly perpendicular to the paper. Draw a circle now, and notice how you only need to twirl your thumb and finger in one stationary position—rather than your entire hand and arm—to accomplish the job.

With a right-triangle-shaped compass, the hand remains nearly stationary, using only the thumb and index fingers to twirl the fulcrum and draw a circle.

By performing these two experiments you will see firsthand how economical and efficient it is to rotate the penciled arm of the compass when the fulcrum is perpendicular; whereas, when the fulcrum is angled, it will require more energy and movement.

When you ride a horse bareback, like how the Native Americans did—without the saddle, headstall, and accessories—you sit upright and control the turns using your lower trunk (pelvis, hip, and thighs). A good motorcyclist does the same. He doesn’t turn the handlebars nor lean with his head and shoulders. A cavalier needs his hands to wield his weapons; thus, control the horse with his lower trunk instead of the reins. He must keep his upper torso upright to maintain balance; he cannot swing it to rotate his horse.

If by some chance you become a cavalier (or a quartermaster for the ancient army), you must select a horse suitable for warfare. You must consider its breed (type), structure, strength, balance, and mental state. When the horse meets your criteria, you select it. However, that wouldn’t be the end of the task. The horse is untrained, and so are you. You will need to train yourselves to become one with the horse and the horse to become one with you. The horse will need to train for battle, and maintain its structure, balance, and strength under all circumstances. You will need to train yourself to stay mounted and command the horse correctly under all circumstances. When you battle a mounted opponent, your horse will also battle his horse. The breed of horse that the Wing Chun founders selected for their fighting system was the Yijikim Yeungma—a very strong and capable horse that can easily adapt to changes.

A rider of the Yijikim Yeungma just needs the one horse for all battle situations. He doesn’t need to change horses like riders in other armies. Whether he faces the opponent from the front or sideways (or even with his back to him), he can easily change angles. He doesn’t need to change to a Front-Facing Horse, a Back-Sitting Horse, a Side-Riding Horse, a Crouching Tiger, a Cat Stance, a Crane Pose, or any other animal posture; he can adapt to the situation by merely turning himself or his horse.

When I learned Wing Chun in the seventies, there was never any talk of the Jingseung Ma (Front-Body Horse or Front-Facing Horse)— or Pian Seung Ma (Side-Body Horse or Side-Facing Horse)—. It was just the Yijikim Yeungma—because that was all there was.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.