Fighting Force Without Force

By Eric Oram
Martial Arts Legends - December 2000

In traditional wing chun, the martial artist who steps to the side of a charging bull will live to fight another day.

Imagine:

A large black hoof paws angrily at the ground. An ominous cloud of dust rises while giant nostrils snort with revenge. In the near distance, a stoic matador stands ready, completely tuned into the powerful creature that stands before him – a red cape flaps in the gentle breeze. Masses of people cheer with awe and anticipation…

Two razor sharp horns launch themselves at the awaiting bullfighter – a massive bull drives toward him, faster… and faster. A thousand pounds of muscle build more and more momentum…

The bullfighter watches and waits, bravely holding the position of the terrified red garment…

The bull is right on top of the matador - just before the moment of impact, the bullfighter throws up the red cape, jumps in front of the bull and squats down in a fighting stance! He lowers his center of gravity and pushes out to meet the bull head on. The giant animal proceeds to plow over the unsuspecting toreador like a steamroller.

The crowd can’t believe its collective eyes!

Triumphant, the bull slows its run. It returns and prepares for another charge…

As ridiculous as this scenario may sound, too many martial artists have or will someday suffer the same fate as the aforementioned toreador. Maybe not in the arena, but in the streets or the training hall, where trying to stand their ground and facing an opponent’s incoming force directly (doing their best to launch an equal or greater force to stop the strike) is seen as biting off more than can be chewed.

Most bullfighters, obviously, embrace a different strategy. They choose to get off the path of the bull and let it go, rather than stay in its path and fight it head on. The bullfighter then launches his counterattack while the charging bull rushes by, unable to change its path in time to react to the matador’s move. (Though I still cheer for the bull…)

The same principle should be at work in your martial art form. If so, maybe the following will confirm or clarify this idea. If not, I would like to introduce a concept that is the golden rule of traditional wing chun kung fu: don’t fight force with force.

I want to preface the following with a note about balance. In traditional wing chun balance is everything. Any of the concepts and applications shown and/or discussed here requires the proper use of balance at all times. If the practitioner is not properly centered with correct footwork, none of what I will describe will work to its potential.

We always want the ability to bring energy up and release it out, as well as absorb an incoming energy and channel it down. In addition, we must get off the “bull’s path” in time, maintaining your balance while in motion. Proper balance, therefore, is an essential element in any wing chun movement or technique – it is the foundation upon which everything else is built (more about footwork to come).

In traditional wing chun (if diplomacy fails), our primary strategies deal with engaging the opponent. Offensively and/or defensively, we strive to bring an energy forward to the opponent to engage him in contact. This forward energy demands a response. Once contact is made, the intricate system of contact reflex training in wing chun (“chi sao”) takes over.

Regardless of whether we engage an arm or leg, block or strike, we want the opponent to commit to an energy. We interpret its direction, then let it continue. We do not want to stop the energy. While the opponent is in motion – committed to the block or strike – he is most vulnerable to a counterattack.

Physics tells us force has only one direction at a time. We want the opponent to stay with that direction as long as possible. As long as he remains on this path, he cannot be on another “path” (block or attack). However, if we stop this energy/force, it returns to neutral (i.e., has finished its direction) and from there, has the freedom to do anything, anywhere; maybe attacking with the same or different limb. Also, (when the opponent is neutral), the targets to which we need access are better guarded because the opponent is not committed to anything else. Therefore, they are more likely to defend accurately.

This, of course, is assuming we even have a choice in the matter – which our energy/strength is capable of stopping an incoming force head on. Some of us don’t have this option. We don’t’ all possess the upper body strength to stop the “bull” cold. Getting off the path of the force, in this case, is really the only intelligent choice one can make (unless you want to end up like our matador).

The wing chun practitioner strives to be neutral at all times, even when “committed” to a movement (remember, balance). The goal is to flow with change, be interruptible with all movements, simultaneously exploiting the absence of this ability in the opponent(s) (attacking while their block or strike is in motion). Our attack will then force the opponent into a response: attack us while we counterattack, or defend against our attack. Either way, we entice them into committing their energy (or they simply get hit).

At the moment of contact, the wing chun practitioner “listens” closely to what the opponent’s force has to “say” (i.e. how committed is it? In which direction? Is the arm tense? Is the balance/energy overcommitted?) Once we have determined an answer to these questions (in the form of a reflex response – again, the application of chi sao training), we take this force and do one of two things: deflect it or release it.

To “deflect” the force is to alter its path slightly from its original course, away from its intended target. “Releasing” the force allows the same relative path of the energy to continue. Which solution we take depends upon a number of factors too involved and departed from our topic to be discussed here. Both choices, however, allow the opponent’s energy to continue in motion, one way or the other. Again, we don’t try to muscle or oppose its path directly.

Most often, the wing chun practitioner will accompany a deflection or release of force with a choice of footwork which best suits the energy and the distance needed for optimum results. In traditional wing chun, this usually means the use of either a “half-step” or a “side-step”

A “half-step” is a shift of the stance to one side or the other. In this case, the shift is to the left or right (depending on where the best advantage may be gained). The side-step involves taking one foot and placing it behind the other to form a “T” with the feet. The weight is transferred onto the back foot, then we move from there into another stance or kick. Both steps will lead us to the same result: getting off the path of the attack, letting the “bull” go by.

This is particularly helpful if/when the opponent attacks with combinations. If we remain on the same line as the attack – even if we block successfully – we are like a sitting duck, conveniently holding the opponent’s target on line for him while he continues his assault. Conversely, if we step off line in response to the first attack, we are no longer in position for the remaining attacks. This will force your opponent to stop or change the intended combination. And, again, we have hopefully engaged the opponent with some type of forward energy at this point, enticing him to deal with your energy, rather than continuing his original attack/plan.

Timing is another crucial ingredient to this strategy. Ideally, we need to move off line at the peak of the opponent’s commitment to his movement. This, again, is when he is most vulnerable. However, if we move too soon, before the bull completely commits to its charge, it may be able to change its course in time and follow you. Or, if we move too late, even though we had the right idea, you still are going to get “speared.”

With this in mind, it is vital to the wing chun practitioner to train the eyes’ reflexes properly. We must be able to “read” the opponent’s movement accurately to determine its path, then, have the balance and correct timing to fully seize the moment. Then, once contact is made, the touch/contact reflexes (chi sao) assist the eyes.

Energy takes the path of least resistance (another gift from physics). So why should we attempt to jump in the path of the bull and oppose it head on, taking the path of most resistance? For, if our energy does not blast a hole through the opponent’s, the path of least resistance will be right at us!

Why not set yourself up to attack the opponent virtually unopposed, while they are committed to their own energy?

Because in fighting, as in life, we cannot ultimately prevent a negative energy from being launched in our direction. We can, however, influence whether that energy blasts right into us, or if we lift the proverbial red cape and safely watch as the energy roars by.