FREE YOURSELF FROM YOUR OPPONENT'S FORCE - 2nd principle of power

If our force is a kind of matter that is projected from the inside out, on the other side the opponent's strength tends to follow the opposite way, to enter into us, in our spine, our center. Therefore, these two forces going in opposite directions, mine from the inside out, the other from outside to inside.
By the term "to free", we mean in this case "avoid this force being released into our body"; it will be necessary to prevent the entry of the opponent force while continuing to project our own (to not violate the first law of force ).
However, if the two forces collide in a direct way we could hardly apply the first principle: it is as if a person wants to leave a room and the other one wants to enter, if ythey try to do both frontally and at the same time, probably none of them succeed in his goal, just they keep pushing one each other, using the raw strength - that we want to refine at least -. So it is necessary that the opponent's strength does not affect us without this being a result of a confrontation between the forces.
The possibility therefore are two:
1. The strength of the opponent does not enter, but it doesn't meet my strength (I create the vacuum);
2. The strength of the opponent does not enter, meet my strength, projected outward at an angle different from that attack.
The very existence of the third principle ("if the opponent's strength is greater, yield") suggests that the encounter may well be possible, therefore we have to consider both the possibility. The first situation occurs when my body will not be aligned with the strength of the opponent (see the footwork); while the second one when I can deflect the force of the opponent, projecting mine with a different angle, without the two colliding frontally (see the wedge or pyramid, and yang techniques).
"Get rid of your opponent's strength"for me means not being crushed, not going to apply force against force, but rather using my own where there is not the opponent's one, trying, of course, to find a gap."Get rid of your own strength", however, as we have said elsewhere, do not mean to be "inconsistent" or yielding always and anyway. The release must be through specific principles and concepts. One thing is to get rid of his strength not worrying too much about what of this force, another is to get rid of it while maintaining control and being able to use it to our advantage.
For some people, the principle we are talking about means "take out" the opponent's energy, while for others it means "not being in front of the opponent. " Many describe the Chi Sao as a technique through which the most skilful of the two creates a vacuum in relation to the push or thrust of the opponent, a sort of "dematerialization" before the attack ... Corners well prepared and well distributed pressures lead "outside" the strength of the opponent. The problem is that our level of knowledge and application often is not adequate and creates handholds which the enemy tends to stick, allowing him to find a gap in our sphere.
In some lineage is believed that in order to get rid of the opposing force is necessary a full rotation of the trunk - old memories ... -, which would allow the release of the opposing force out of our vertical midline (and, consequently, out of our center line). Well, in my experience, I can only "put aside" - to be kind - this theory, which has caused so much damage in the stability of the practitioners, who performed the rotation of 90 ° without any roots to the ground. Rotate your upper body on one leg, but in exceptional circumstances and with the necessary precautions, is like to let everyone, who knows a minimum of concepts of plyometrics, hurl you down!
Let's get back to us. The moment you want to get rid of the other external forces, remember do not get too close your elbows to the body, because you risk being crushed. This is another bad souvenir that many will carry with them, but it is also another luggage - or ballast? - we have to throw into the sea. Does it mean that the arms must not yield back? Of course not, but it is important that the angle of the elbow does not exceed the minimum threshold of 90 °, after which only elbow strikes or other type of shock can save your ass.
We assume that in order to learn the mechanics of how to unload the weight, or, better, how to get rid of the opponent's strength, we must first understand what it means to actually get rid of our own force and all those instinctive reactions leading to muscle contractions in a situation where we receive very strong stimulations on our arms or on our bodies in general. Only after understanding the first concept related to the force we can understand the second one. 
Getting rid of the strength of the opponent is an effective way to understand how to take advantage (freeing ourselves from) of the lines of force that our opponent uses (attacking us), to our full advantage.Through a structure built out correctly, our arms will be able to receive all the streams and lines of force of the opponent, unloading all the energy of the opponent to the ground, throughout the body, to be able to fight back dynamically, in the moment in which his strength, that we have unloaded, is equal to zero (thus reversing the situation in our favor and applying in this way the 4th principle of power). If I may suggest a practical thing, I suggest you first unload the opposing force at a diagonal angle: if the attack is to the right arm, get the weight (and strength) on the left heel and vice versa for an attack on your left side. With this basic exercise, you can work to unload the incoming forces. The exercise can be also executed with pushes directly on the body or on the arms. 
This principle reveals another aspect of the system, to not ever oppose resistance (composed of raw force) to the opponent. Getting rid of the strength of your opponent means to take possession of his strength for us, then to be able to use to our advantage in combat. The strength of our opponent should not be an obstacle to our action. Even with the Siu Nim Tao, we have to be able to develop the principles that allow us to convey into our body the strength of the opponent, to accumulate and turn it into explosive energy when we go into action to attack.
The application of the principle we are dealing with, is an important element of distinction between the different lineages; it is closely related to the way in which they plan to absorb the opponent's energy.
We use our principles and different strategies (Kiu Sao) to make the first contact and to absorb the force of our opponent (a fist or whichever other action), creating our bridge (Kiu) and trying to sink his (Cham Kiu). From here youwe can have various scenarios. Sometimes it is sufficient to take the weight on one foot, others to apply a small rotation of the trunk, others a step. Create distance, somehow, from the point of pressure - "deflated" - with the center of gravity down and back, so you can decide what to do. But for today I will stop here, because we are dealing with the second principle. To get rid of the attacking force, we should not stop to have pressure towards those who attack us (contact points, lines of force, etc..) how many instructors from the more different lineages explain, with only "power forward" - without saying  forward where -.Rather, we must remain stuck to the contact point and we must take care not to let the opponent's pressure or attack enter into our body structure, or we risk to lose our balance and, consequently, we will not be able to get rid of his strength. The stability is vital, remember always that.

                                   (adapted from the Riccardo Di Vito's Blog)

FREE YOURSELF FROM YOUR OWN FORCE - 1st principle of power

"Free yourself from your own force" seems to be one of the main points to face Chi Sao ("sticky hands", one of the typical exercises of the style), but not only this. Let' s go deep inside the topic.
First, we have to consider that the energy is not the force. Energy is an internal concept, that can be expressed externally without the use of the force. Often, it' s the absence of force to give us the energy we need to face a fighting. When we  create a bridge (Kiu) between us and the opponent, we create also an energetic pressure. When we use the force instead of pressure, we give the opponent a signal, so he will have more opportunities to free himself from us and from our force. That's why we need do not use force during the contact, but instead we need to create the right tendon and muscle tension, in order to control and manage our won balance as well as the incoming forces.

Now, many people ask themselves if the point of contact-pressure has to be the one in which  to focus the energy. The right answer would have be "yes, absolutely yes, in absence of force", but it would not be easy to understand. So, therefore, we have to analyze the problem without prearranged sentences, to allow the comprehension of this extraordinarily important principle. Free yourself from your own force means you haven't to stimulate the reaction of the opponent, you have to create the void. You have to concentrate  the energy (energy here means a status of internal attention, not the force) in the point of contact. To put force against force is like excluding the possibility of action for both. So, how to react to a stimulation on a point of contact? We have to eliminate the force, to create an equilibrium of energy, to react with a Yang or Yin attack - you've read well, a Yin attack! - and then to come back to a position of equilibrium.

To free yourself from you own force doesn't mean to be weak or "to empty yourself" while receiving the opponent's attacks, as usually someone misunderstands, but, more correctly, do not allow your own muscle force to block the fluid flow of the energy, sending and focusing it on one point only. This is that I want more focus on, here. This means that you have to use the force in the right way, by using the right force lines on the right specific angles, always keeping a correct postural work, looking at your balance, at your rooting and at the elasticity of the movement, otherwise it would be useless to study our beautiful martial art.

I think that this principle we are speaking about since our very first days in the kwoon is important to stress the concept of "flowing", of "fluidity", of "harmony". We have to remember that our purpose is to become like "water", which flows softly or impetuously, with an incredible explosive and devastating charge, be it a little particle of water (which digs the rock), or the entire flow of water which destroys and sweeps away.

We haven't to allow our instinctive powerful reactions to block us. It remains true that we have to use the muscles, but in a appropriate way, using the right directions and the correct power lines, which make us able to change these same power lines, keeping a constant pressure, not creating holes in our defenses, holding the bridges which we have created and sinking the opponent's ones. Only in this way we can flow. That's why we use mainly the posterior muscles chain of dorsal, triceps and shoulder stabilizers, paying attention to use not to much the biceps, the chest muscles and the shoulders muscles. But now is also important to free ourselves from the too much "muscular" theory, because it can be counterproductive for the practitioner. Don't fix on one muscle or another one. Have always an holistic, entire overview of the body.

Let's deepen now the questions related to force, to pressure and to sensibility. We assume that, in my experience, only studying the Chi Sao makes possible actually and properly to understand, to refine and to feel. In Chi Sao we can have comprehension of the meaning of force, pressure, stability and sensibility, softness and flexibility.

By using the term force (Li) I mean the use of the muscles, which allow me to develop explosiveness against the opponent, just in the moment I have an opportunity, or, which is the same, the quantity of energy released by a shot. Obviously you can train the force with various methods not foreseen by the Art itself, for example by using weights, physical exercises aimed at building up your muscles. Many people assume to be wrong to use the term "force", because they think that the power of the shots comes only from tendons. I think instead, that muscles have to be used in the right measure: the force has to be the result of the dynamic tension of the muscles, a tension which is freed when the obstacle disappears,  or when we take a good angle. The tension is created part from us by our pressure, part from the opponent, who charges, just by simply attacking, our “springs”.  Only by the body movement you can create a complete attack, not only leaded by muscles.

By using the term pressure, instead, I mean  the constant energy flow against the opponent, which allow us to maintain our own balance and  to put our partner out of balance. The pressure doesn’t make use of powerful muscles, but by the simple energy flow coming from a correct posture and from the right use of the spine – nevertheless the tendons lengthening -, and using the correct angles of engagement, the pressure allows us  to maintain a constant energy, which creates like an energy field around us, as being in the center of a sphere. The pressure  comes from the right use of the elbow and from the shoulder joint in collaboration with the shoulder blade, but not only. I don’t want to create ore complications about this point, because it is mined area.

When I say sensibility, finally, I mean the skill to develop a fluid and flexible answer to the impulses coming from the opponent, without forgetting the 2 other concepts of force and pressure. Probably the concept of sensibility is the most misunderstood (or discussed, it depends from the points of view) in all Wing Chun lineages. In my opinion it must not exist a conscious sensibility. Our actions are not supposed to be the result of a logical process (input-processing-output), but the natural result of spontaneous reactions of  our structure (muscle, tendons, skeleton) which naturally works following well precise principles. You have to understand what is going on 'listening' yourself, your increase or decrease of your muscle tension and, according to the changes, the ability to work on angles, changing the joints properly. From the hard - not stiff - often comes the soft - not weak -. From here, a principle that does not feature here, now.  To not make heavy the discussion, let’s say that the sensibility must not be a "program" (logical process) which works in our computer (brain), but rather as a "operative system" (structure). Anyway I think that the idea of skin-sensibility is a conclusion created to indicate the concept to the new Wing Chun followers, but this conclusion has been the source for a great misunderstanding. Briefly, I think that this "skin sensibility" is a nonsense.

For sure the use of the term “free yourself”  presupposes the existence of a constraint, of an impediment. Perhaps this constraint is represented by the force – in his "rough", "rigid" and "static" side - that prevents the flow of energy, allowing the opponent to "cling" to it, finding a strong support in the fight. Perhaps the fact of living in this model of society also implies a whole series of negative acquisitions, such as, for example, the use of force for resolving contradictions. Get rid of your force is also a philosophical shift that involves forgetting oneself or ,to better say, estrangement from the self. Surely you noticed how the best teachers use less power than students, because they have come to this realization: only the presence of energy causes a fluid and flexible reaction, while the force, in contrast, generates staticity and discontinuity.

To control the opponent's attack, we must not resist and oppose with our muscles power, but be soft and sinuous, like a snake. We must learn to move case by case, depending on the sensitivity that we acquire through training, on the one hand, and with the knowledge that our strength is only an impediment.

The metaphor of the water is fundamental to understand the concept expressed. Once you become like the water, every little creek will be filled by our energy, will not remain empty space and, if you will find a well-structured opponent, you will have a stable equilibrium, you will inundate unconsciously his faults or you’ll be well glued to his stability, trying to remove the opponent’s one. It’s not just a coincidence the motto "if the way is not free, be glued to your opponent, related to the strategy in combat.

Get rid of its strength means to eliminate the muscle contraction due to nervousness, anger, stress of everyday life. Here it happens that a principle of force can have a philosophical and existential reading, which helps us to abandon the mental state of unbalance to project us into a state of perception, reception and absorption of external forces, which we will be able to answer to. A relaxed body follows a relaxed mind. A free body follows a free mind.

The energy that you create in the stability is not rigid, because the body is never motionless. The movement is the key to stability, although it is an internal movement. But remember also that you cannot be stable unless the movement is not known to be stable in the static phase. If we do not test our ability staying motionless, we cannot go to analyze it in motion. Without this step, we risk to create movements without stability, seeking and looking only at the speed of movement - external - not giving any space to search for postural stability - Internal -.

Doing Chi Sao, for example, we have to keep all the time the balance, which depends from the weight distribution, the angle, the arms and legs position, the pressures, etc. You have to keep your balance for all the duration of your movements. But, pay attention, the student uses the Chi Sao when he becomes conscious of his own stability, because without this, it is not possible to stand more than one second in front of another person. This is why we pay so much attention to this aspect in the first years of learning!

Let’s analyze the unload of the incoming force to the ground.

We assume that a body unloads the force naturally to the ground, whether the body moves or the body stands motionless, as the structure of the body brings the forces to unload. The moment we turn our force and strength against the opponent (such as "absorbing" with one arm and hitting with the other) , in the same time we unload force to the ground, because the rotational movement can take place only if there is good stability. The unloading to the ground has the sense of rooting, which we have already spoken about. The root is the feeling of being in equilibrium that you perceive and feel when you absorb the opposing force or when you create stability in absence of (visible) forces.

At a time when we learn to unload to the ground the incoming energy, using the correct angles, the change of weight on the legs, the skeletal/joint/tendon-muscle system, here is that we have access to the exercises in movement dedicated to fighting. I am not here to explain how you get rid of your own strength through the use of the components described above, but I would just call to mind the fact that each exercise posture does just that, teach you to get rid of muscle tension and your own strength in general, giving the ground that it is not necessary. We will see later how to give the sky what we take from the ground.

This principle is really fundamental, because only by developing this you can apply the 3 following principles. To free from oneself force means that our force is not representing an obstacle between us and our opponent. Therefore we have to make our muscle flexible and relaxed, in order to develop the energy in a way similar to a water wave. All this you can develop by studying and practicing the 1^st form of Wing Chun, the Siu Nim Tao, just to begin.


                                           (adapted from Riccardo Di Vito's Blog)