Dan Chi Sau

Dan Chi Sau translates to "Single Hand Sticking". This is a basic drill every student has to learn before they progress to the double arm stick exercise, the "famous Chi Sau" of Wing Chun. Dan Chi Sau is very traditional and is often ignored in today's Modern Wing Chun Instructions. 

 

In my point of view, neglecting Dan Chi Sau is not a good thing for most students. Progression is important because most people cannot start by controlling both limbs at the same time, each one feels different pressures. So, Dan Chi Sau allows you to set a solid foundation - the stronger the foundation, the faster you will learn when to move to the double arm sticking level.

Dan Chi Sau teaches the idea of 'feeling is faster than seeing'. It teaches students when to use disengagement when to use direct attack when to use removals. The fact is, there is no one better than the other - direct attacks, removals, and disengagements take turns; their relationship is the same logic as rock, scissor, and paper. The concept of 'best' does not apply to this situation, it is a matter of "when", a matter of timing. And timing is not an intellectual thing, the right decision has to be made in a split second, if you have to think about it, it is already too late and you are already hit, combat is a fast event. This is why feeling, tactile sensing are more important than seeing and thinking. This is why, in my opinion, the basic drills should not be ignored.

This basic idea can help a student in daily life. We live in an age of overthinking instead of direct feeling. Thinking is great but our intuition, the gut feeling should not be ignored in our decision-making progress. The thinking, the gut, the heart - all should connect and work together. This balance creates more balance and efficiency in our living. It is important to get out of our heads and be in our bodies, to turn off the thinking and let the gut feeling guide us too sometimes.