Chi Sao ~ sticking hands exercise

Chi ~ Cantonese term meaning: to stick adj., to make and maintain contact

Sau ~ Cantonese term meaning: hand or arm.

Chi Sau, or 'sticking hands', is a very important and fundamental exercise, unique to the Wing Chun system. There are only two guarantees in street self-defence; Contact and movement. It is those two elements that are the basis of Chi Sau. Chi Sau is a close quarter, contact oriented, continually moving training exercise, which enables the Wing Chun practitioner to develop the sensitivity and awareness to be able to feel and directly respond to an opponent's movement through contact. By gaining and maintaining contact with an opponents arm or arms, it is possible to control their movements, restrict their ability to use force and to close down their attacks, whilst allowing the Wing Chun practitioner to deploy a counter attack based upon the weaknesses felt, or created through that contact.

Hand comes, detain, hand goes follow, hand lost, spring forward

Wing Chun Maxim

In Chi Sau, it is vital that neither partner tries to fight or beat the other, since this will only lead to a breakdown of the learning process and a distortion of the required techniques. Training aggressively will only make the other partner afraid of being hit or injured, resulting in them either hitting back or flinching and stepping backwards, a habit which is detrimental in self defence and hard to train out. Instead, practitioners should train with each other, using each other's positions and movements as a reference to correct their own techniques and structures. Only once the basic techniques, functions, positions and associated energies have been developed and understood, is it possible to apply freely, explore and react according to the fluid and unpredictable scenarios, responses and techniques faced within Chi Sau. It is important to understand why Chi Sau is beneficial, where it fits into the training process and how it applies in self-defence.

'Chi Sau Leung Bye Muk' ~ Chi Sau with both eyes closed.

Wing Chun Maxim

A fight or attack situation escalates very quickly and is a very fluid and volatile situation. The time from reception to disengagement can be a matter of seconds and the consequences can be terrible, potentially deadly. In those few vital seconds, damage limitation is the key to survival. To achieve that at such close proximity and within such a short time frame, every movement must be an instinctive, automatic, subconscious and accurate response without any time for thought, consideration or indecision. It is this close quarter proximity that Chi Sau practice aims to imitate, control and dominate. Through correct continuous practice and training, Chi Sau develops the skills and abilities to enable the Wing Chun practitioner to respond quickly, accurately and precisely to the movements and even energy changes of the opponent. That enables the defender to control and dominate the situation and therefore the opponent.