As you move into second section of the Siu Lim Tau form, you are shifting gears to move at a much quicker pace. You are still focusing on being precise and smooth rather than fast, but you are no longer deliberately trying to move slowly. The great Chinese Kung Fu master Gol Dee Lokz* used to say, “Not too fast, not too slow; just right.”
Finding that elusive “just right” becomes easier when we allow ourselves to let go of any unnecessary mental or physical tension. Releasing taut muscles and rigid thoughts results in Hing Mui Dom Se, or a state of being relaxed and effortless in mind and body. Continuous practice in this manner, combined with correct structure, allows the Wing Chun fighter to block and strike with devastating force, and to flow smoothly from one technique to another.
The second section also introduces you to the concepts of Compound and Complex motions. These are techniques where the hands move together in a coordinated attack or defense, and where the hands may be moving in very different or even opposing directions.
You also get to meet several new Wing Chun hands, or see previously learned hands from a new perspective. This set of movements is very short, but densely packed with seed ideas. Remember that there is no “filler” in the Wing Chun forms. Each and every motion has a purpose and a lesson to teach. It is our job as students to untie that knot and absorb the concepts within.
* A reference to Goldilocks and the Three Bears, for those of you who missed your childhood.
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