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In this first partner practice, one person will be working on new layers of the Chair Hung Choi fundamental punching drill while the other will be learning Pak Sau, or the forward palm block. This drill focuses heavily on taking the centerline, and introduces new concepts such as Forward Energy, Sensitivity and Gates.

While Pak Sau is shown here as a single lesson, it is actually a multi-layer drill that evolves over multiple practice sessions. The first phase focuses on structure, and allows the use of cadence or set timing to introduce the motions. The second phase breaks the timing, forcing you to use tactile sensitivity to block appropriately. The third and final phase uses varying force levels on the punching side, which develops another facet of sensitivity for the blocking partner while also training a reflexive adjustment of the forward energy.

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Tan Sau – 摊手 – is introduced as the first of Wing Chun’s Three Poison Hands, and is used primarily to disrupt an incoming attack, redirecting and possibly trapping the attacker’s arms. Tan means “spread,” and is most often translated as “dispersing hand” based on the action of redirecting an attacker’s incoming energy.

Tan Sau is also called “Serving Hand” based on the most common shape of the hand and arm. Often the arm is pressed forward with the palm held open and flat towards the sky as if you were holding a plate or serving tray. It is disruptive, as if you met an attacker’s incoming punch by offering him a tray of hors d’oeuvres and asking if he would like to try your small cheese sandwiches.

Tan Sau is also known as “beggar’s hand,” as if you were extending your empty hand to ask, “Brother, do you have some spare change so I can afford Kung Fu lessons?” Collectively, Tan Sau is simply the “Palm-Up Block.”

Tan Sau is also the foundation for the Tan Family of hand forms, all of which primarily use the thumb side of the wrist and the back of the hand in application. Other members of the Tan family include Jong Sau (picket guard), Ngoy Jut Sau (outside jerk) and Tai Sau (upwards wrist block), also known as Ding Sau or Hay Sau.

The emphasis on the back or thumb-side of the hand for blocking allows you to maintain control of the line of attack while displacing an incoming attack. Attempting to use Tan Sau with the pinky-side edge of the hand can lead you to cross the centerline where you cannot effectively counter an attack. Extending your Tan Sau across your centerline is also a position of disadvantage where you are in danger of being pinned and controlled.

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In this lesson you will learn the foundational concepts behind Wing Chun’s signature strike. The emphasis is on accuracy, structure and speed through relaxation.

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The first third of the Siu Lim Tau form is performed slowly, precisely and with a laser-sharp focus. It exemplifies the idea of a “moving meditation,” but also has much to teach us. In just this first section we are introduced to a new toolbox full of “Wing Chun hands” to help us deal with a variety of violent problems. Grandmaster Moy Yat summed up the challenges of this form concisely:

Siu Lim Tau is a form that is easy to learn but not quite so easy to play well. Of course, the most important requirement is to know all the movements in the proper sequence. The movements are in themselves simple ones, but it is essential that they are performed frequently, in a relaxed manner. A relaxed mind and body is the key to perfecting them.
    – Moy Yat, Ving Tsun Trilogy,

In this lesson we are going to explore all of the “little ideas” in the first section of the form. This includes learning a stack of new hand techniques, chaining them together into a smoothly flowing sequence, and then comprehending the underlying concepts and principles.

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The Wing Chun punch is somewhat unique among martial arts and combat sports for a number of different reasons, including its emphasis on safe structural alignment, power generation, and concept or strategy of striking.

The name “Yut” Jee or Sun Character comes as a reference to the written Chinese ideogram for “sun,” which resembles a box with a bisecting horizontal line. The line represents the lines between the fingers when the hand is tightened into a fist. The fingers are stacked horizontally, with the knuckles oriented up and down vertically. This fist structure is the root of all strikes in Wing Chun, and is often simply called the “vertical fist.”

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The Tan Dan Drill builds off the foundation created with the Pak Da Drill and follows the same basic pattern. One partner punches and the other responds with Pak Sau followed by Tan Da:

• Punch One: Pak Sau Block
• Punch Two: Pak Sau Block
• Punch Three: Extended Pak turns over into Tan Sau, back fist punches along centerline.

Tan = “spreading or dispersing”
Sau = “hand”
Da = “hit or strike”

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The Siu Lim Tau form is divided into three sections and an opening sequence to make it easy to learn. In this lesson we will learn the details of the opening sequence separately from the rest of the form.

Siu Lim Tau translates to mean “Little Idea Form” or “Small Idea Form.” As with many of the concepts, there are layers of meaning to this name. At our foundation layer, “little ideas” can be thought of as “seed ideas.” In this form, the Wing Chun grandmasters have planted the seed of ideas and concepts that we will cultivate throughout our Kung Fu training.

There are no wasted movements in any of the Wing Chun forms. Every structure and every motion has a lesson to teach. By practicing the Siu Lim Tau form daily, we absorb these lessons into the very fiber of our being. And as we noted with the name of the form, many of these lessons have layers of meaning. This gives us, in a very concise package, a wealth of information to explore.

The opening sequence itself is highly symbolic, and contains keys to both the philosophy and fighting concepts that make Wing Chun so unique. In this lesson we will first learn the full opening sequence, then explore the concepts within each movement.

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In the About section, you discovered that Wing Chun originated in and was developed for crowded urban environments such as the cities most people live in today. This simple shift in context completely redefined both the principles and techniques of Kung Fu combat. Before this, most styles of Kung Fu — and all martial arts in general — were designed for the battlefield, where you most often had wide-open space in which to fight. The techniques of Northern Shaolin Long Fist, for instance, are designed for an environment where there is plenty of room to move.

By contrast, Wing Chun was never intended for military combat against soldiers on an open battlefield. It evolved as a response to two very specialized needs: (1) to defeat military forces in urban environments using asymmetrical, guerrilla tactics; and (2) to defend yourself against bandits when caught in their favorite traps: tight alleyways, isolated stairwells and any other nook and cranny that limited your means of escape.

As you may recall from the chapter on Wing Chun history, this style was born during a period of turmoil and rebellion. The Qing military was bigger, better armed and better supplied than the fighters of the Ming resistance. However, it would be centuries before army chiefs would begin to formulate doctrine for Military Operations for Urban Terrain (MOUT). The Qing soldiers were trained for traditional, open combat. The Ming rebels decided to cheat. They changed the terms of the conflict with new tactics that Qing fighters were both unprepared for and ineffective at countering.

This same mindset of changing the rules also applied when dealing with bullies, bandits and other forms of violent assault. Predators like to isolate their prey so they can neither get away nor summon help. In cities, human predators preferred cramped alleys and similar spots that cut off the victim’s escape route. By the way, what was true back then is still true today.

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By practicing both the Attacker and Defender roles in the Pak Sau Drill, you have learned how to punch and how to block. Now you are going to develop the skill to do both at the same time. Called Lin Siu Dai Da, the strategy of “Simultaneous Attack and Defense” is a cornerstone of Wing Chun strategy.

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Wing Chun uses a single training stance for the Siu Lim Tau form and all of the foundation level drills. Called “Yee” Jee Kim Yeung Ma, this stance conditions the legs, introduces you to the concept of “rooting,” and trains one of the essential components of Wing Chun: full body integration.

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