S'been a while.

I'm getting older. My reflexes are nowhere close to where they were when I was in my 20's, having just been promoted to instructor. (The equivalent rank in other martial art systems would have been Black Sash 1st Degree.)

Back to the story. I'm getting older. It's only now that I have come to realize how many of the techniques I know are empty. I'm not belittling the knowledge, only hoping to refine it. In my earliest studies in Wing Chun, I learned all of the characteristic techniques that define our method of study, pak da, bong lop da, lin wan choi, lut sau, and others. Now that I no longer have the speed to place these techniques out there, I must rely on a fundamental knowledge of the inherent structure of my own body and speed of my mind. I understand now that techniques were NEVER the point of my lessons, but they were a means to grasping the true knowledge in the forms.

The first form is not called "Dragon Slays the Village" or something scary and threatening like it, but "Littl Idea." The form is better understood as HOW to place the hands instead of WHERE to place them. It is the seed of all kung fu power, speed, and thought. The most advanced kung fu I know is found in its opening three movements.

1. Root yourself to the ground.
2. Let the hands seek the target propelled outward by the power of the rooted stance.
3. Define the length of your reach.

All techniques are based on these thoughts. If they are present in your practice, the techniques you use will not need to be fixed positions with prefabbed follow-ups. Thus, the non-techniques will be harder for your opponent to counter.