Eight Principles of Fighting & Energy
Using Leung Ting's eight principles of fighting and energy can help to describe principles of our ever-evolving Wing Chun training. There are many ways to express these principles, since they are essentially very simple. However it takes years of performing the forms and practicing Chi Sao to train the body to follow the principles reflexively and to understand their applications in specific situations.
As well as describing the progression of a self-defense response, the energy principles also describe the progression a student must follow over years of training: first, form training and a great deal of punching to learn to be relaxed in a fight and to (counter intuitively) punch without tension; second, countless hours of Chi Sao training to be able to yield to — and exploit — the attacker's strength; finally, strength training to increase punching and striking power.
Fighting Principles
Go Forward (問路尋橋手先行)
Advance immediately in order to establish contact with the limbs (allowing for Chi Sao reflexes to take over) or — even better — to strike first. This counter intuitive reaction will often surprise the attacker, and moves the fight into a close distance in which tactile reflexes will dominate over visual reactions, where the Wing Tsun practitioner is likely to have an advantage.
Stick to the Opponent (手黐手,無訂(地方)走)
If you are unable to strike and disable your opponent, but instead make contact with some part of his body (other than his face, throat, etc.), stick to it. Often this will be an opponent's arm; if you maintain constant contact with his arms, how can he launch an attack at you without your knowing? This applies for the time only when the opponent is blocking your shortest way of attack. Once there is opportunity, you give up sticking, and go in with your attack (flow).
Yield to a Greater Force (用巧勁，避拙力-即借力）
Since one cannot expect to be stronger than every potential attacker, one must train in such a way as to be able to win even against a stronger opponent. Chi Sao teaches the reflexes necessary to react to an opponent's attacks. When an attack is simply stronger than yours, your trained reflexes will tell your body to move out of the way of the attack and find another angle for attack.
Follow Through (迫步追形)
As an extension of the first principle, if an opponent retreats, the immediate response is to continue moving forward, not allowing the opponent to regroup and have an opportunity to reconsider his strategy of attack. Many styles that rely on visual cues prefer to step back and wait and time their attacks, as commonly seen in sport and tournament fighting.
Energy Principles
Give up your own Force (捨拙力-捨棄不必要之力量)
One needs to be relaxed in order to move dynamically and to react to the actions of an opponent. When you are tense, your "own force" acts as a parking brake -- you must disengage it first before you can move quickly.
Get rid of your opponent's Force (卸來力-卸減他人來攻的力量)
This is similar to the third fighting principle. When an attacker wants to use strength to overpower a fighter, the response is not to try to overcome strength with strength but to nullify this force by moving your attacker's force away from you or to move yourself away from it.
Use Your Attacker's Force against him (借他力-來留去送)
Take advantage of the force your opponent gives you. If an opponent pulls you toward him, use that energy as part of your attack. Or if an opponent pushes the left side of your body, you can act as a revolving door and use that force in an attack with your right arm.
Add Your Own Force (施巧勁-甩手直衝)
In addition to borrowing power from your attacker, you can add your own force in an attack when your hand is free.
