COMPOSURE; THE SECRET SAUCE.

This is a very counter-intuitive IDEA,  to do the FORM during a violent encounter.

The most important ability in a violent confrontation is maintaining composure.

Composure is the state or feeling of being calm and in control.

How do we train this, and most importantly how do we transition this skill from the training hall to the street?

There are only two ways to accomplish this.

1. Make training the same as a violent event.

2. Operate in a violent event in the same way as we operate in training.

The obvious problem here is that these two sides never meet, they are opposites, training is the camp of the left side of the Brain whilst actively using our training is in the camp of the right side of the Brain, with the left hemisphere being more analytical and logical, and the right hemisphere being more creative and intuitive.

The only sensible choice is #2.

This is neither as simple nor as straightforward as it may sound.

Without any intention of pointing fingers, most students mistake playing for training and spend far more time in that zone, there is nothing wrong with playing it is a very important part of transferring information and skill, but it is not the best vehicle for attaining knowledge.

In many ways playing or practising is similar to fighting, it is mission-critical with pre-determined objectives, namely coming out on top, whereas training is about understanding the things we will choose to use when we play.

Training is about understanding the theory, the IDEA, the WAY and not so much the how or the why, and this can only be done in a calm, relaxed environment, where no one else is trying to push their agenda, which essentially means that it can only be approached through solo training, through the FORM.

Through understanding the deep meaning of the FORM, or perceiving the connectedness of information regarding individual aspects of the FORM that are not about movement or shapes.

The WAY, and not the how or the why.

The WAY we make rather than use the movements and shapes.

This is why I say that Wing Chun does not fight, we use the WAY, the IDEA, the “FORM” even when we beat the shit out of attackers.

This is tricky stuff to write or talk about, mainly because many of us will believe we already do this, but frequently, and against our best intentions, our nervous system hijacks the situation at the last minute and we slip out of the FORM and into playing/fighting.

This is a very counter-intuitive IDEA,  to do the FORM during a violent encounter.

But think on this, when we are doing the FORM {correctly}, even amid Chaos, we remain physically, mentally, and emotionally relaxed, in short, we have the potential for COMPOSURE.

If I am fighting someone I am concerned with and responding to someone else’s agenda, this at the very least requires some level of multi-tasking, and trying to multi-task in a shit storm is not my IDEA of SIMPLE.

Words are tricksy, we will work on this.