Blog

II. The River of Time – Softness, Strength and Trust

Wing Tsun is a river of time. A river flowing through lifetimes, generations, and centuries. Do you imagine a wild, roaring stream? I see something different: a wide, steady, peaceful river moving confidently through hills and plains. Not violent. Not destructive. Strong, supportive, life-giving.

Have you ever rowed a boat? Short, rushed strokes drain your energy with little progress. Long, smooth, calm strokes carry you forward effortlessly. Find that rhythm, and you find peace.

Practised correctly, Wing Tsun gives you the ability to think and move faster than you ever thought possible — when needed. Or to remain slow and calm.

Chi Sau, one of the most beautiful training methods, is a perfect example. Attack with speed; defend in a way that slows your opponent. Water. Flow. Chum Kiu, the art of bridging and defence. “Be water, my friend,” famously said Bruce Lee.

Years ago, I spoke with a Wing Chun master from another lineage who loved practising Chi Kung — the calm, slow, soft movements. As a young master, I told him I preferred the fast, hard, aggressive side of training. Still, I admitted that one day I would grow to appreciate the softer side more deeply.

Almost ten years later, I am still halfway there.

The importance of softness often reveals itself through injury. Broken bones, torn muscles, strained tendons — they teach patience. They teach you not to fight every battle as if it must be won. As my Si-Kung always says: “Si-Fu is always wrong.” At first, this sounds strange. But it means that a master intentionally leaves space, makes small errors, creates opportunities — testing whether the student can see and exploit them.

High-level training — Lat Sau, Chi Sau, and beyond — can become competitive. A teacher’s job is not to beat up the student. Sometimes pressure is necessary to unlock potential, but more often aggression creates tension and unwanted reactions.

After one of our last classes of the year, we went for lunch near Old Street. Someone asked what I enjoy most about Wing Tsun training. After thinking for a moment, I said: “When I can let it loose.”

That means training with complete freedom — without holding back, without needing to slow down, without worrying. This level of training requires total trust and years of shared experience. I am fortunate to have dedicated, high-level masters around me who make this possible.