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Getting to Level 9

Last week, we talked about why thinking can get in the way of training. In the
beginning, we train so that our bodies can learn the movements. The arm has to
learn the correct position for the bong sau and it has to learn the correct path
(energy direction and all) from the bong sau to the tan sau. If we start overthinking
however, we begin to ask questions that are irrelevant to this simple training - and
that leads us to do all sorts of unwanted things.

Once we have the path and positions, we next work on the reactions. In double
sticky hands, there is always one open corner (3 covered). When a strike enters from
straight ahead into that corner, we simply change our bong sau to a tan sau. When a
strike comes into a covered corner, we meet the incoming force by pushing our arm
out. If this force becomes too great, we turn. If a strike comes in from an angle, we
turn. By training our bodies to naturally react to these situations, we build reflexes
that allow us to react correctly and quickly in any given situation.