At the beginning of the month I deconstructed single hand Chi Sau (Dan Chi Sau). I broke the drill down into fundamental elements in order to improve everyone’s understanding of what they are doing and their execution of this fundamental drill. I have worked on the connection between Chi Sau and the Siu Nim Tau form (SNT is Dan Chi Sau without a partner) and development of “forward energy”.
Key things to remember when practising Dan Chi Sau:
- Keep your spine straight and your neck long (don’t shrug your shoulders);
- Attack with relaxed power and speed using strikes that you would use in a real fight;
- Do not use force; redirect your training partner’s attack;
- Always have a trickle of forward intention, don’t switch it off at any stage;
- Focus on what you feel and train using a broken rhythm; ensuring you develop your reflexes
Towards the end of the month I got you working on two handed chi sau; emphasising the importance of the roll and honing your ability to roll properly. It is essential to make sure that every time you initiate the roll you generate two simultaneous attacks that force your partner to deflect them and when on the receiving end the manner in which you deflect your partner’s attacks ensures you constantly have forward energy.
