Be Like Water?

We heard him say it in Enter the Dragon... "Be like water."

What did Bruce Lee mean when he said that? We should be soft, yet crash into our enemy? In part yes.

Bruce Lee took this from the hard and soft values of what Wing Chun trains for.

All of my attacks come from my centerline. My focal point which I am aiming at and protecting is my sternum-core. From this place I aim and fire as well as protect. If you get an angle on me and flank me, I am internally focusing my sternum-core onto you and launching my attack from where ever it is.

My internal energy, which we have learned to develop in Sil Lim Tao, has stored an infinite supply of 50 calibur rounds inside of my centerline and now are waiting to be blasted forward to destroy my enemy. The exit points where these rounds can be fired from are directed by my sternum-core.

Picture the belt round feed that goes into a machine gun. This is the infinite ammo I have stored in my Dan Tien. It is fed through my spine and directed out my sternum-core out either shoulder, elbow and wrist. Either of these points, shoulder, elbow, wrist, can fire these rounds either independantly or together (energy in opposite directions learned from Biu Jee.)

So where does the "be like water" fit in?

It does not have to do with being soft in an attack, persay. If we are too soft, too "zen" in an attack, our enemy will simply overtake our line and crush us with pure power and force. We must hold our centerline with structure if needed. Waterlike comes from firing an attack and then being met with a possible block such as pak sau. If our incoming attack is met with force, we must "shut off" energy (as we learn in drills such as pak / da and the Chum Kiu form) and re-direct our bullet feed.

Visualise firing a centerline punch at me. Feel as I pak sau to the outside of your forearm and attempt to jam into your core. Your first weapon to fire your rounds was your fist that you fired the punch from. At this point you can withdraw the punch and fire the other hand...or you can be like water and continue the flow of the attack.

If I pak your wrist at the forearm you now can continue, as water does, by sending your ammo out of your elbow and attack while closing in and continuing to fire.

Being like water is continuing the attack after meeting resistance to your initially fired weapon.

Being like water is you continuing your attack through developed sensitivity training so you will not have to back up when in contact with your enemy and can continue to smother him and apply Yiu Ma (hip / waist energy) through shifting.

99% of all fights do end up on the ground. Understanding how to develop your continuation of attack with "being like water", shifting, structure and understanding Yiu Ma will keep you on your feet.

Dominick Izzo
Izzo Training Systems

Wing Chun Self Defense for Chicago and the NW Suburbs
www.izzo-training.com