Ah yes, the typical statement made by a Wing Chun student about his/her teacher in regard to the tactile sensations of pressure given off by their teacher.
Typical, and in some ways ignorant.
Let me qualify: My teacher, Sifu Syed Ahmad of Eternal Spring Martial Arts, has amazing, elusive, scary energy. You never know where his attack will strike from. It truly is incredible to train against. Even my Kung Fu Brother, Sifu Ryan Parmelee, on his best day will complain about having "heavy energy" yet his tactile pressure creates an unease and fear of the unknown.
In many circles of Wing Chun, this is what students chase as a goal; the ability to go unfelt, undetected and unmatched. The problem with this is most students do not see that what is happening is still in a controlled chaos and is simply an aspect of training.
Rest assured, when Sifu Ahmad or Sifu Parmelee turn up the heat in their chi sau play, the pressure is felt, but the factors of unknown and undetected can still be felt. Even when I played chi sau with Grandmaster Samuel Kwok, his energy was absolutely felt and I still felt overwhelmed. He was not a ghost at all, rather a very much alive man who was about to kick my ass.
As a teacher, it is my job to teach levels of progression. For this energy sake, we must stick to chi sau as Wing Chun is mostly known for this training method. As I teach, I am in control. This has everything to do with the fact that I am the teacher, I am "better" and I am setting the tone and pace for what the student needs to develop their Wing Chun skill.
For the most part it becomes unavoidable for the student to always be a step behind of the teacher. This is due to skill level, emotional respect and in some ways, apprehension. I can't tell you how many students are "afraid" to hit their teachers. Some see it as, "oh my word...I just hit Sifu. Is he really that good?" Or even worse as was in my case with my second teacher, "Oh shit...I just got in on Sifu...here comes my punishment." And the pain would ensue as he would make me pay.
If two boxers enter a ring for training and one is an amateur and the other professional, wouldn't they still hit one another? No one would see the pro getting hit and think, "oh wow...he is not as good as we thought." Their "dialogue" for training IS hitting each other.
The only way chi sau energy becomes ghost like, scary or undetected is when there is a level of reservation and or non commitment...or what Wing Chun teachers forget to say what they are really doing: CONTROLLING the student. This is typically done with footwork. Watch youtube and see how many teachers are backing up while chi sauing as to not getting hit.
When you set the pace and become a ghost, the student has two choices, react or attack. Reaction obviously sets you at a disadvantage, and at this point the teacher is in control.
Acting will generate a response and for the most part even your teacher will have to respond with the appropriate amount of energy based upon the student's attack. Ghost-like energy can only be "played" during chi sau and not combat.
You can't blast in a punch at your teacher and not expect to feel his response unless he is Peter Parker from Spiderman and can see your attack in slow motion. However, you teacher's combat reactions should be so finely tuned that your lack of time to detect his actions will be interpreted as Ghost-Like. So, maybe the terminology and placement of your thinking his energy feels dead is applicable in that sense.
Keep in mind this is for Chi Sau. And Chi Sau is still a misunderstood training method even by most Wing Chun practitioners. The question must be asked, "where does chi sau training apply in a fight?" The answer is in post contact. And in the initial stages of a fight, if you plan on trying to be ghost-like and give your enemy dead energy upon his entry, you will most likely wind up being bowled over like a bull trampling over a rosebush.
A real fight has TONS of energy. Chi Sau helps you learn how to conserve it the best you can under real pressure. Chi Sau must be taught in a soft manor, hard manor, aggressive manor and instructional manor. But it must not be forgotten that Chi Sau must be taught how to hit, not how to control. Wing Chun is all about hitting, not controlling or getting your enemy to "tap out".
So the next time you are in awe of your Sifu's amazing ghost-like energy and brag, "oh man...I can't feel anything he does!" Ask yourself, did you feel the aftermath? Did you feel with he went from 0-100mph and then kept it at 100mph until you were toast? That is the effect we want to achieve. Going from no contact to destruction. The only difference in Chi Sau is that we start in contact. It is my job as a teacher to play my game undetected as if there was no contact...and then make you feel my all.
Dominick Izzo
Chief Instructor
Izzo Tactical Combat Martial Arts
http://www.izzo-training.com/
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