Better living through Wing Tsun Principles

#1 Free Yourself From Your Own Force

At the Winter 2015 seminar, Dai-Sifu Tausend, the national instructor for Ireland, stressed the importance of fighting with principles rather than technique. With that in mind the Navan School have started a 4 week programme focussing on the 4 Wing Tsun principles around Force. The first of those principles is Free Yourself From Your Own Force.

OK, and what does that mean? Well looking at it from a strictly Wing Tsun point of view it’s about keeping the striking limbs relaxed. A punch thrown with the muscles of the arm and hand relaxed can feel powerless while a punch thrown with a tightly clenched fist can feel strong and powerful. In fact this feeling of strength and power is the body fighting itself. The tension in the arm muscles acts as a brake, slowing the punch and reducing the effectiveness of the strike. Without this tension the punch flows easily and results in a faster and more devastating strike.

So how does this apply to life in general? By freeing ourselves from our own force when striking we remove the tension in the body and move forward quickly and smoothly. The same is true of tension in our lives. As a simple example, the past can only harm us by making us second guess and constantly question our decisions. Dwelling on past mistakes and regrets or obsessing about perceived slights prevents us from moving on and reaching our full potential. Instead we learn from them, cast them aside and strike out to a better future. By ditching the deadweight that’s holding us back we can remove the tension from our lives, freeing ourselves from our own force, and face the future with confidence and optimism.