ARTICLES

How it all began

 

 

"They dreamed of being able to win a fight without use of power and instead hoped to be able to use the power of the attacker" 45 years ago I started with martial arts andover 25 years ago with one of the styles of 'wing-chun'.

During all this time I could not avert the confrontation between myths and facts. The gap between wishful thinking and reality was quite vast in this area towards the end of the 80s. You were more able to defend yourself by not training it, because you simply remained realistic.

That was why I eventually suggested a new way to finally make this art functional and interesting again. It was clear that this former 'wing-chun' could never be what the film world of the 80s and their followers made of it.

They dreamed of being able to win a fight without use of power and instead hoped to be able to use the power of the attacker. The majority of styles changed so dramatically, that from a formerly wonderful combat art arose artistic fighting beyond reality. This altered and became a totally futile version of wing-chun, which was nevertheless modern. It was popular because the theories fit very well to the reveries of the time.

Whether it was initially or ultimately functional was uninteresting. It was not until the mid-90s that a change came. I remember that doubt always dominated and 20 years ago none of us really believed the functionality of what we practiced. The former 'wing-chun' Grandmasters tried to create their own world. There was a lot of mental power wasted to ignore physical strength.

The predominant belief was that you could use the power of the enemy and thus fantasies continued further in this direction. This progressed to such an extent that it was thought the more powerful the enemy was, the less one had to do oneself. We trained reacting after contact to the opponent's arms. This unreal condition was called sensitivity training. Although actually everyone knows that an attack ends with contact and certainly never starts after it, this training method remained in these styles, which is still practiced today.

You have to suppress two response levels (thus not reacting twice) to achieve a contact with the arms of the opponent. Of course, this never works for real attacks. Through the so-called sensitivity training there was no more actual real attacking. There was just this feeling of customized training against safe attacks or one simply started after contact has already been made. Its objective was not functionality, but rather softness and relaxation as the highest goals. How such a variety of unrealistic training methods and views could survive to date remains a mystery. So far this paradox has led to a high degree of confusion. It was about time things had to change.

Back then I looked in vain for an art that could fulfil my desire for functionality unfortunately there was no style that could provide realism and applicability. I had no choice but to take matters into my own hands. A long journey stood ahead of me when I decided in the late 1990s to resolve all these mysterious philosophies by reinterpreting the art back to the way our ancestors could have used it in their wars. "Wing-chun" had to be functional, honest, powerful and applicable immediately at all times.

The fun of training is primarily "in change", to meet your personal limits and then exceed them. It's silly to believe you would need no force and could remain relaxed during a defensive situation. But this is only believable, of course, by those who had the good fortune of never encountering reality. In stressful situations, there will be a release of the hormone adrenaline in the human body.

The heart rate and blood pressure increases, blood flow is regulated and the muscles are more efficient with a high tension state. The person is immediately ready for "fight or flight". In evolutionary terms, the human species exists thanks to adrenaline, which provides quick energy reserves to enable us to survive in dangerous situations. Why should we not utilize these functions rather than seek relaxation? In a real stress situation, there is no relaxation. Not as long as we are human.

To avoid the regression of martial arts there had to arise an entirely new system and so, some years later the International Academy of WingChun (IAW) was born. I embarked on a hitherto unknown or long-forgotten way. As a traditionalist, I was compelled to leave no aspect overlooked. For me, it was to answer an important question; How was this martial art foreseen to develop long ago and what should it become today? After all these centuries and with our current knowledge of physics, anatomy and strategy, the answer was obvious. I utilized what in the other styles was kept until the end of their unarmed training, the two highly praised weapons forms (Double Knives and Long Pole) or respectively their application in the entirety of my WingChun system. The results were amazing and exceeded my expectations.

Over 25 years ago, when I was still at the beginning, it was once explained to us that these weapons applications would improve the art. But this was never the case in any of the styles. The styles did not even remain what they were. They became more vague and out of touch with reality. Their principles were far removed from the logic of weapons application. There was no trace of positive change. However, the name 'wing-chun', or something written like that, remains. Thus, a continuously degenerating art has been offered under similar names (with light differences in the spelling) from the 80s. This is very annoying and confuses many. In my system (IAW) the dynamics of weapons techniques play a fundamental role.

Every single technique, from the First Student Level, is based on these dynamics. Hence the applicant need not to carry a weapon, he himself becomes a weapon. Our students need not wait until they are masters because they immediately begin with relevant movements. Every single Program, from the very first exercise to the Sections of a Technician Grade, including the footwork, are based on the applications of the Double Knives and Long Pole. The transformation of all knowledge into a single unarmed art was, in my opinion, probably the original and so-called traditional idea. When I developed the IAW in the90s, I immediately felt that I was right in my conjecture.

I integrated the two weapons forms into the entire system and its four unarmed forms, which were characteristically subject to considerable reformation. Thus, WingChun originated. The questions of the past regarding functionality and applicability were clarified. But how does a real Self-Defence artwork? Power is neither an indication that someone is a good attacker nor that one can defend oneself well. If this were the case, we would not need a Self-Defence art. The same is true for other factors that play an essential role in attack and in defence.

These are speed and technical skill. Speed without technique is just as pointless as a technique without power or power without speed. Technique, power and speed provide the unity of the art WingChun. None of these three pillars can be used effectively without the other. Thus, power is only one aspect and ultimately cannot be used without technical quality and corresponding speed. And yet, for all the activities of everyday life, we need strength. Whether we load a suitcase into the car or bring our shopping home, we need the necessary power and motor skills to do this specific work. If we walk or stand, lift or throw something, our muscles move our bones on command. We call this coordination. And it is this coordination, namely the exact performance of a movement, that we call "technique" in WingChun.

In everyday life we rarely need 100% of our power to do things. In Self-Defence that is completely different. For attack and defence, it is a risk if you do not fully use your power or express it 100%. The same is true with speed and technique. Ultimately, the best is a perfect synergy of these factors. Each individual factor is improved by repetition over the course of time. By constant training we improve our power, our technique and our speed in diverse rhythms. This means that one follows the other or rather one builds and expands the other. The result is true, unimagined capabilities.

When we exercise regularly, we become skillful, faster and stronger, not just physically powerful, but strong in the implementation of a correct and rapid movement. This is precisely what makes WingChun and is also the reason why we are superior to our attackers. Even if we are not anatomically stronger we are technically strong enough to defend any attack and launch a powerful counterattack. We also learn to control our body based on what we see. The eye responds to familiar patterns to answer any position and every attack with an appropriate defence.

We become the attacker and recognize within fractions of a second gaps and weaknesses of our counterparts. All this is enhanced with a sophisticated training program from graduation to graduation until we are defensible - ready to survive in dangerous situations. With technical skill, we gain proper control over our own bodies, supported by power and speed and altogether adapted to the particular situation, is the art of WingChun. To train WingChun you do not need an ideal weight or a special fitness level.

All you need is the will. Every person in principle has the same preconditions. The power of the will is the only thing that really differentiates people from ach other. Without will there is no way. I invite you to a trial class in one of our training centres. Sharpen your self-awareness. Feel for yourself what you are capable of once you become conscious of your abilities and latent powers.

The Instructors of the International Academy of WingChun are personally trained and graduated by me. With us you are in good hands. We look forward to meeting you.

Sifu Klaus Brand, Grandmaster of the International Academy of WingChun

 

Special Force

 

In 2003 I founded the International Academy of WingChun to build an elite Academy for WingChun

From the outset I wanted to establish the IAW as an elite Academy. Now, after 10 years, I have put all of my plans into action and my objectives are entirely realized. To understand why I call the IAW the Special Forces of WingChun, we must take a little trip into my past. I joined the German Armed Forces (Bundeswehr) in 1985 and became a professional (government contracted) soldier in 1990. I was then appointed as an Instructor at a Military Academy. That same year I successfully completed the requisite qualifications and passed the test for the Lone Fighter (Einzelkämpfer) and Commando Leader (Jagdkommando-Führer) Program of the German Army.

I always strived for perfection and the more specialized the education was, the more I wanted to pursue it. So one course followed another. Even before that time, while serving my term as a soldier in the late 80s, I started (after approximately 20 years of experience in the Martial Arts) with WingChun training and weapons fighting in order to master the Art of War in these disciplines as well. Even during my first few years as a Student Level it became clear to me that this was exactly my future and I would devote my life from then on to the Combat Arts and realistic Self-Defence. After 32 months of training I passed my first Technician Grade. From then on, everything progressed accordingly as one graduation proceeded to the next. I resigned my official status in the Army and started to work as a WingChun Instructor from scratch, so to speak, 20 years ago.

That was in fact the most interesting and audacious change of my life. However, by the end of the 90s I technically concluded my former Self-Defence system and had to make a subsequent change. The association to which I then belonged occupied itself year after year with the gratification of mass dreams and the style became increasingly absurd and correspondingly mainstream. Mass group exams were introduced in which the individual only had to be physically present but was not subjected to an actual test. At that point, I worked exclusively to preserve a knowledge, which was under the threat of extinction, and moved further and further beyond the masses with my own style. In 2003 I founded the International Academy of WingChun to build an elite Academy for WingChun. In the year 1998, while the system I trained at that time was approaching its climax of absurdity, I began to develop a new training concept, new principles, new movement patterns, new Sections, new Forms, a new Chi Sao and eventually an entirely new system.

So I could, upon founding the IAW, immediately present my system. I have never forgotten the basis of my Special Forces training. An elite education requires a unique concept and regular testing of the aspirants. Testing results in teachers honestly confirming whether their students have reached the training goal and are ready for the ensuing step or not. Whoever fails to test their students certainly never belonged to an elite. A well-trained teacher knows how important a test is for the development and progress of his students. Students who truly believe in themselves will actually want to put themselves forward for testing. The avoidance of genuine tests only satisfies one purpose; namely, that the instructor need not tell someone how bad he is. Lousy teachers avoid testing their students because every test is a test of themselves. Specialists can only be trained with a tangible concept. Wanting to belong to an elite is an honourable aspiration.

With will, diligence and perseverance (three of our Five IAW Virtues) anyone can do it. In the IAW, the examination of a Technician Grade occurs over two consecutive days and takes about 7-8 hours overall. I consider it a privilege to personally conduct these tests without exception, because this is the only way to check and ultimately verify the advanced standard of Technician Grades. The fundamentals of an elite education must never be forsaken. The essential principles of education, namely demonstration, replication, practice, practice, practice, practice became in many diverse associations demonstration, self-interpretation and discussion. It should be clear to everyone that you cannot nurture an elite as such.

I smile when I read in particular advertisements that "We have even trained Special Forces". Who of those claiming such a thing even knows what Special Forces means let alone how they operate? I know it right down to the smallest detail. 44 years of my life I devoted to the Martial Arts and the Combat Arts, during which I enjoyed more than 10 years of quality education in the Army and 15 years developing my WingChun system. As Leader of the International Academy of WingChun, my present position benefits from the insights of my past.

Certain principles cannot be neglected for an elite education. So I designed the training concept of WingChun precisely to these specifications. Today I can assert that every teacher of the IAW who has attained the 2nd Technician Grade and the Instructor Degree II definitely belongs to the elite and was trained by me in part according to the conditions of Special Forces. Furthermore, each IAW 2nd Technician Grade is not only an expert of Self-Defence, but also a specialist in weapons fighting as well as close combat. Even the capability to handle striking, slicing and stabbing weapons is an important factor that must be dealt with in order to comply with the training duties of a Technician Grade in the International Academy of WingChun. Naturally, not everyone reaches the requirements of an elite student in the same timeframe. On the other hand, each person may take however long he or she needs.

There are no time constraints in the IAW which must be strictly observed in order to achieve this target. Furthermore, this is a reason why I do not acknowledge graduations of other organizations and styles. The validation of certifications from other organizations is a clear sign that their Leaders merely care about the appeasement of desires and dreams rather than setting a specific standard. As soon as the Leader of an organization accepts graduations from another organization, this undeniably demonstrates that it has nothing exceptional (of its own) to offer. Of course, we are concerned about quality, not quantity. And it is self-evident that those who dread real testing will stay away from the IAW. But the ones that earn a Technician Grade in the IAW can be proud of themselves. Only a select few do so. People often tell me it is easier in other organizations to acquire a high degree or to lead a group. But of course it is. After all, we are the International Academy of WingChun.

Sifu Klaus Brand Grandmaster of the International Academy of WingChun

 

The only Solution

 

To believe the fight begins with a touch and the assumption that one can react correctly after the touch is schizophrenic.

Actually, as a WingChun Grandmaster, I use the word "collision" to characterize the encounter of an attack with a defence.

If there is no collision in a fight then there was never an attack.

After my article "Let's Collide" I received countless emails, which I incidentally replied to without exception, questioning why I spoke about collision in our style and exactly what I meant by it. In many messages I was even asked about my opinion of sparring. I will address both of these topics here.

The fact is that I developed 15 years ago an entirely new system with the name WingChun.

Many organizations were established only to create new associations and new logos. However, technically everything invariably remained the same. These egoistic intentions can hardly be described as innovative. And that is precisely the cause of complications in the scene: new labels but identical, altogether pirated content. In my system no one finds a single known technique, especially if one has trained for ten or more years W-T or its innumerable derivatives. I recommend everyone to personally learn our WingChun. Our WingChun is unique and this is what all of us, Students and Instructors of the IAW, are proud of.

Our Team will help anybody who restarts in the International Academy of WingChun. Everyone is welcome!

Brief Elucidation of the Topic "Sparring".

Practicing a combat art with sparring can only be seriously considered at the level of a small child. It is impossible to measure real Self-Defence skills via sparring, above all because protective gloves are worn. One strikes with gloves because the opponent is unable to ward off ones blows. Therefore, during WingChun classes, wearing training gloves is not allowed since they would radically impair our substantiality and efficacy. Training gloves serve to protect the opponent. However, the attacker is scarcely responsible for the protection of his opponent. In Self-Defence, the opposite is the case. Only your own protection is of interest. Nothing else. We defend ourselves using our hands and arms without protective gear and we attack without it as well. Protection lies in ability and not in some equipment. Anyone who wants to practice WingChun sparring definitely has a high-grade deficit, either in his competence or comprehension.

Sparring is trained in sports where no Self-Defence skills are taught. It is that simple. Sparring is a necessary exercise variant in many fighting sports. I have never heard of students from these fighting sports who train our Chi Sao to harden their arms or WingChun Forms to improve their body tension and coordination. Why should students of Self-Defence arts delight in training exercises from fighting sports? That makes no sense whatsoever but shows just how confused and uninformed many are.

The WingChun training of the IAW is significantly harder than any sparring. I suppose that many arts offer their students no assurance and thus rely on sparring to provide a "strong" feeling now and then. This suggests a sorry training program. Anyone who trains properly does not need sparring to feel strong. WingChun is bone-hard training. Whoever can sustain a training Class or a complete Seminar is anyhow strong. Our students are strong and not only that. They are capable, well-trained and ready.

And now back to the main topic of this article, Collision.

One with the intention to score a hit inevitably leads towards a collision. Either the punch meets its fist upon the target or its arm collides with a defence. There is de facto no other possibility.

Now a lot of "artist fighters" extraordinarily believe they can somehow neutralize the punch of an opponent. Some wish to steal the power of an opponent, while some speak about borrowing it and still others hope passivity will render an attack ineffective. They train their sensitivity by beginning with the touching of arms. That is absurd. The error lies in misconstruing the beginning of a fight.

A fight always starts before touching and the so-called touch or contact is only the end of an attack, namely a brutal collision.

Hence, there is no touching in the sense of a "gentle contact" but rather the merciless end of a movement. It seems likely that many use the words "fighting art" in reference to their style just to avoid demanding training with its indispensible effort. I have nothing against students calling WingChun a sport because it is indeed. Personally, I prefer the term combat art.

To believe the fight begins with a touch and the assumption that one can react correctly after the touch is schizophrenic.

This trained sensory disorder arises when one trains for an extended period within a homogenous community that starts where a real fight ends. Primus error veniam meretur . One makes it easy for oneself by training tactile constellations that never exist in a real fight. Thus one naturally spares oneself from hard and realistic training. However, there are no inconsequential touches. Those who start training by first contacting the arms of an opponent, strictly speaking, trains nothing. Every attack and each defence ends with a contact. A fight is interesting before and after the contact or collision. The collision mentioned earlier inevitably occurs during the coincidence of an attack and a defence. The resulting contact is entirely irrelevant. Only those who are well-trained and stable enough to withstand an attack can proceed to their own attack.

Sensitivity training is nonsense and has nothing to do with a combat art.

But this confusion has its origin. Since some time there are self-proclaimed school leaders who offer to learn their system within a few weeks and others who do not even produce a grading system. Whoever can show his system in a couple weeks is thereby merely saying: "Although I can do nothing, I'd like to share with you." Such dismal offers are not worth further thought. It is precisely this mass trash that led to the present dilemma.

However, anyone who does not provide a grading system definitely has no structure nor places any worth in technical standards. This is a sort of hippie structure in the scene (Peace, we are all alike). Those who start learning from such so-called instructors lose valuable time and have nothing in the end. Or, he goes one step further down a blind alley and announces himself an instructor. And exactly thus, the perversion of different styles reached it present peak. What do you expect in training sites where a grading system is unavailable and hence no Grandmaster who provides and upholds a clear and logical structure?

No we are not all alike.

One learns faster, another slower, one trains more, another less. Everyone is responsible for his individual progress in the group. Trying to compare a new student with an advanced one after about two years of experience is unfair. After two years, a student reaches the 8 th or 9 th Student Level and thus belongs to the Upper Levels.

An organization that is unable to come up with highly graded students attempts to conceal in a clumsy way that there is no progress. Development is never possible without a graduation system because there would be no beginning and, above all, no middle. One can only ever orient oneself to higher grades. The graduation is the indicator, the guideline and the pride of a system. Students with higher graduations occasionally serve as an orientation and a motivation and demonstrate how good one can become with structured training.

WingChun is a perfect sport.

We perpetually develop our personal power, technical understanding and consequently our swiftness of thought and action. A necessary degree of imperviousness to pain is already achieved through our high training standard after the first testing of the Basic Levels. Moreover, we strengthen our bones to be well prepared to withstand every conceivable attack. Because this is exactly what Self-Defence is for. Only one who trains hard and feels strong enough is able to trust oneself. We demand and develop our students to perfection. WingChun serves as both physical exercise and Self-Defence. There is no better combination of fitness training paired with the construction of a purposeful and functional coordination.

Sifu Klaus Brand, Leader of the International Academy of WingChun

 

Colliding

 

A few bruises in the beginning are entirely normal.

A functional self-defence art strengthens the ligaments, the bones and, of course, the musculature of the whole body. It is a fact that one has to strengthen and harden specific parts of the body to resist the initial collision of a real attack. There is no doubt that if you do not strengthen you arms adequately you will never be able to defend yourself. Because we use our arms for both attacking and defending, the forearm bones and surrounding musculature in particular should be conditioned.

A few bruises in the beginning are entirely normal. It is no different if you are a man or a woman. Everyone has to go through it. Real ability is the reward. For non-members I should, at this point explain that we do not teach Wing Chun, but WingChun. Our WingChun is the opposite of Wing Chun. I myself learnt the complete Wing Chun system as the second generation student of Yip Man from his Master student. After I learnt Wing Chun I could no longer teach it because it became clear that it is an illogical, non-functional and un-structured method with which no-one can defend themselves.

I came to realise that it was all just a mixture of trash and fantasies. At that time there were no alternatives and only I had doubts about this method. Today I am grateful that I began that way because only in doing so could I realise how senseless it was. The further I progressed the more grotesque that Wing Chun became. With every new technique came ever more discord. As a traditionalist, the developments of that time became unbearable for me.

There was no other option for me but to immediately begin creating a system which worked with the fundamental concepts of the combat arts. I searched for the original intentions in the development of this martial art. For more than 10 years I worked tirelessly to complete my WingChun system. Today, I offer an alternative to those people who are looking for real self-defence with traditional values. Our style is called WingChun. I have explained my standpoint regarding the degeneration of Wing Chun in previous articles.

This degeneration has resulted in students becoming weak and compliant. For self defence these are fatal conditions. Weakness and compliance are the precursors to failure and mark the end of any possible development. Back to WingChun. Most of our students need several months to strengthen themselves and acclimatise the forearm bones to collisions.

Whoever perseveres with this and, perhaps after approximately one year, reaches the 4th Student Level, is already successful. With the beginning of Chi Sau training (5th Student Level), following the core self-defence training, the next step of conditioning begins. Chi Sau Sections contain a vast array of strong collisions. The 1st Chi Sau Section, besides teaching you superior technical abilities, is for strengthening the whole body with the goal of using it as a base and a coordinated unit. The forearm bones have to sustain many powerful collisions. They become extremely stable and de-sensitised and as a result, after a strong defence you are capable of performing a decisive counter-attack.

With the completion of the 1st Section the student has reached the Upper Level. Their awareness of a collision is now completely different. Their body is stronger and the forearm bones can withstand collisions which could never have been imagined at the outset. At this level the students repeat strikes hundreds of times and become steadily stronger, harder and, ultimately, faster. It is at this stage that the students begin to miss this type of training if they do not attend regularly. Strengthening and conditioning is enjoyable and changes the feeling of the whole body. Real self-defence ability is a very particular perception. Speed, power and advanced technical ability combine to give a sense of real freedom and confidence. The student begins to become one with every muscle in their body and feels capable and liberated.

You can never fool your subconscious. A combat art has to be trained correctly. Only in that way you can develop the correct attitude and a natural feeling of security and confidence. I and my Academy Leaders tire of hearing about sensitivity training, yielding and softness in connection with self defence training. This is simply absurd. If you do not want to train seriously, it would be better to look for a new hobby rather than ignore the logic and tradition of combat whilst pretending you are learning self-defence.

To my students an important piece of advice: Don't let anyone who plays martial art games in certain clubs tell you how self-defence works because you are too well trained. After a few months of the above-described education it should not be a problem to distinguish between fantasies and reality. Remember the bruises on your arms in the early stages and remember the effort it took to acquire every single technique. Not everyone can achieve that. You can be proud.

Fighting is a conflict or war (not a sport) and it has nothing to do with yielding and softness. Even the effort to master adversity in life can be called fighting. Therefore fighting is part of living, of being human. Living means fighting. Those who live, fight - those who fight, live.

Sifu Klaus Brand, Grandmaster of the International Academy of WingChun ®

 

8 Mistakes of "Wing Chun" Systems

 

1. The Arms (Man/Wu) too low

Every able and intelligent attacker would initiate a fight by attacking an opponent's upper body. He would use his arms to strike and never give up the flexibility provided by his stance for a kick. The skill and knowledge of an experienced fighter would indeed never permit such a vulnerable attack. One who uses his leg to attack hopes for a sporty defence and has thus long bid farewell to self-defence capability. For the protection position, which is actually the preparation position, the wrists should start at the same height as the upper sternum bone. A reasonable defence from a lower position is just as impossible as an attack from such a height. Good positioning saves time. And time is truly one of the most significant factors in the art of war. Anyone who wants to achieve his objective should utilize, and not conceal, his arms (weapons) at the outset while using his legs for standing and stepping. I will not assert that one cannot also deploy his legs for fighting. However, to instigate a fight as such is a farce.

 

2. Stance (Zi Ng Ma)

The weight must never be shifted to the back leg in a combat stance. When the body is not tensed and pushed anteriorly, there is no potential to advance quickly. One who stands completely on the rear leg pushes his body upwards physically and therefore cannot defend himself from the front because his own power, or that of his opponent, would throw him backwards. This tension and urge to go forward are fundamental not only for the physical, but even for the mental preparation. The stance is a preparation to step. One who knows which step leads to which stance and which stance follows which step has recognized the function of his legs. One who comprehends what stance fits a suitable step in combination with a proper arm technique has understood the meaning of stances.

 

3. Waiting for contact

The greatest flaw in the evolution of the art of war is the heresy that one could respond appropriately after contact with the opponent's arms during an attack. Evolution will ensure that this absurd thesis will soon die (finally). This error defies all logic and is typical of the myriad of dreamers and fantasists of the scene. Anyone ensnared in that faith cannot possibly know what an attack or a defence situation looks like and especially not how it feels. It is imperative to survive the first collision. The start is the most violent moment of confrontation.

 

4. Too many punches (Tsong Kuen)

In a self-defence situation, you can only execute one powerful punch in one second. There can only be one useful punch per second. If your first punch hits you do not need a second. One who needs two punches in self-defence should practice until he masters the first and no longer needs a second. A functional punch is the basis and target of every martial art. One should be careful in training to perform a maximum of no more than one single punch in one second and never seek to hit again in the same second as the first strike. The highest priority has to be given to this in self-defence instruction. One who trains exercises with two punches per second is interested in quantity and therefore guaranteed incompetence in self-defence. With two punches a second one can certainly not scare or stop someone. A self-defence instructor who teaches drills with more than one punch per second cannot be taken seriously. More is not necessarily better. One who does even more than two punches per second cannot possibly be interested in self-defence and would rather be an asset to any massage studio.

 

5. Hitting from the centre of the body

Since the esoteric cuddly-wave of the 80's, hitting from the middle of the body has been touted as a universal solution. And since that time there has been no sensible justification for it. Strikes from the centre of the body are the weakest of all and applicable only in a few situations. Of course, they must also be trained, even if their applications are extremely rare. It was simply forgotten or ignored, that outside strikes are not only the strongest but also very easily displace strikes which come from the centre of the body. Outside strikes cannot be displaced and require an extremely strong defence. Thus, in self-defence, avoid striking from the centre of the body as much as possible. One of the most important aspects of our system is learning to repel straight and curved strikes from the outside. Therefore, not even one Section contains a punch from the centre. As far as I can remember, hitting from the middle of the body came from the same jesters who tried to defend themselves by training blindfolded (see my essay "Sapere Aude"). For this group it is okay. They can stay nice and soft so that nothing happens in order to maintain their comradely feel-good sessions (...)

 

6. Maintaining contact

A worse mistake is to maintain contact with the opponent's arms after an attack or defence. This error is caused by incompetence in the implementation of techniques, but can be quickly corrected with even the simplest of exercises and some dedication. Our first 5 Programs of the Basic Levels already contain the most important applications of all the Forms, including the Wooden Dummy (Mok Yan Jang). We therefore like to call these Basic Level Programs "The Best Of". They are a cross-section of the most essential and connectable techniques in the system. One who masters understanding of the Basic Levels has committed to the path.

 

7. Yielding

An adept combatant never gives up. Due to physical or technical weakness, the inexperienced tend to destroy their positions by yielding. Yielding results in the loss of control. In fact, many of these people advocate voluntary loss of control and have subsequently invented an effective exercise for a passive touch art. Of course, this saves one from the tough and realistic version of training. But in order to spare yourself you could also stay at home. The effect would be the same.You should never confuse flexibility with yielding. One who yields definitely gives up his flexibility because he only allows for one option. Yielding is a synonym for resignation and capitulation and is the opposite of flexibility. Flexibility is the freedom to remain open to all possibilities.

 

8. Not using power

Not using your full power in a dangerous situation is not only reckless but also rather idiotic. Via the release of adrenaline in a stressful situation (in the first phase) heart rate and breathing are stimulated. Adrenaline, among other things, releases glucose from energy stores in the muscles. Even if one trains for years to not use this energy, the training will never work. Anyone who does not develop his muscles to exert their full power cannot defend themselves against strong opponents. One needs to strengthen oneself. Good self-defence training not only fortifies the muscles, ligaments and bones but also, ultimately, the technique and spirit. Anyone who feels strong, feels well and healthy. To be weak, soft and passive is not the goal. That was in the beginning when we drank milk from a feeding bottle and our mother wiped our posteriors.

 

Conclusion

The mistakes described above might confuse a stranger to the scene. My essays serve as general elucidation and to help people avoid worthless training offers. In my time from instructor to master to Grandmaster, I met many teachers of other styles that began with these exact errors who finished in a dead-end of helplessness. Some of them commenced under my direction straight away, others unfortunately resigned after numerous years of training in the wrong direction.

Actually, resignation - in other words, yielding - was exactly what they had learned. In our scene, almost everyone in his younger years failed because of the misconception that he could defend himself without power. In retrospect I'm not exactly sure why it happened, but we searched for softness, yielding and other nonsense that the world did not need.

Today I can heartily laugh about those years. Nothing works without power. Power is the foundation of our existence. But these silly sins of one's youth are forgiven. The healthy human mind sees very quickly if something is incorrect, but sometimes does not allow us to admit it. Especially when one has devoted oneself to a cause for many years, it is hard to throw one's convictions overboard immediately even if the specified (specious) target is absolutely unattainable. Such a mistake costs us our most valuable years. However those who realize it do not lose these years.

If you want to learn to defend yourself, you should be prepared to delve deeply into the art of war. You should be ready to discern all facets of combat and study their consequent risks. In order to master others, you have to master yourself. You will need to acquire particular and even extraordinary skills, then learn to apply them in the right moment. To accomplish this requires a strong will. A qualified instructor leads you step by step on your path through the Programs of our system. Will, attitude, technique, power and speed are the foundation of success in the art of self-defence. All you need to bring is "will". Will is the ability of self-determination, the responsibility for one's own actions and the conscious decision to want something. It is the engine that propels you.

©Sifu Klaus Brand, Grandmaster of the IAW.