Chi-Sao with the teacher
(SiFu, Si-Hing etc.)

„Why did my teacher give me such a hard time during today’s Chi-Sao training?“

Many a student may have asked himself this question, but has probably never asked the only person who might know the answer, namely his teacher (SiFu).

It is important to understand the teacher and his role

I am a WT teacher, and was a student myself for over 30 years. I therefore know what goes on inside the student and the teacher. By „student“ I do not mean a beginner. For his SiFu, even an 8th or 9th master level is a student.
In his exposed position, and especially in front of spectators, a teacher cannot afford to sustain blows or cut a poor figure. In the end there is more at stake for him than for his student, who only wants to have fun or perhaps gain a little kudos in front of his classmates.

Educational reasons

Even if the teacher is sufficiently confident, has his ego under control or does not see or project himself as „unhittable“, he may think – for educational reasons – that it is not good for a specific student to gain the impression that he can hit his teacher.

Beware of showing-off

Perhaps it has come to the teacher’s attention that the student has a habit of telling his fellow students that he can easily cope with the teacher’s attacks?

Spectators are also participants

If there are spectators present, the student’s or the teacher’s girlfriend, other students, colleagues of the teacher or a video camera, this will influence what happens. Because as we know from quantum theory, every spectator is in some way also a participant, and the same applies to Chi-Sao.

Beware of the mobile phone trap

Perhaps a friend of the student who has taken undue punishment was standing there with one of those modern mobile phones with a photo and video function, recording the Chi-Sao session with the teacher for the future? So is it surprising that he gave the student no chance?
Of course managing to hit the teacher is not per se evidence of achieved progress.
It is not about being able to land solid blows on the teacher. Even without this, the teacher will notice that you have made progress.

Challenge accepted

Neither will the response be very positive if you ask the teacher: „Am I allowed to hit you occasionally as well, or do I just have to let you me beat me up?“ The teacher might interpret this as a challenge which he cannot refuse: „Well of course you can attack anytime you want. Have fun!“
Want to bet that the fun will be very one-sided?

Other problems that can occur during Chi-Sao lessons with the teacher

Is my teacher’s version the only correct one?

Another question that naturally occurred to me during my time learning ChiSao, but which I wisely kept to myself, was this: „Must I always respond in this prescribed way? Can’t I do what suits me best, and what I am much more comfortable with? Why is everything else completely wrong, and only the reaction you prescribe the right one?“
As the teacher is your authority, you feel obliged to adopt positions that you believe will never occur in real combat – and you are right!
But it is also true that according to WingTsun logic, there is only one really effortless solution for you in any given situation! The teacher can try as he might to reproduce and reconstruct this situation afterwards, the opportunity is unrepeatable. And even if it were not, the teacher is not you, and the person who knows you best is nobody but yourself. You are the expert when it comes to knowing yourself!
The real superiority your teacher or master should possess is innocuous, not spectacular, not obvious and not readily comprehensible. It takes its source from elsewhere: not from the authority of seniority or a high grade, and not from a box of tricks. It has to do with a constantly replenished fount of sensitivity and timing, and therefore really „unavoidable“.

Don’t exploit the teacher’s carelessness

Naturally e.g. the teacher’s Fook-Sao will be so good that the student is unable to penetrate with his attack. Normally, at any rate. But if he is too casual or even careless, he may not be paying much attention to the position of his elbow. While he considers it his privilege or indeed responsibility as a teacher to give the student a light tap on the stomach if the latter is careless and has an incorrectly positioned Fook-Sao, he will not consider it appropriate for the student to do the same. Especially if the teacher intends to follow a certain learning aim with the student which has been precisely defined beforehand, and on which he is concentrating, he will certainly not respond very positively if the student plays the clever-dick and puts in an attack under his Fook-Sao.

„Sorry SiFu, I didn’t mean to hit you!“

Another thing you should absolutely never do is loudly apologise to the teacher, so that all the other students can hear you, if you have just managed to land a punch on him: „Sorry for hitting you just now SiFu, I didn’t mean to.“
Teachers are not supermen either, and it is possible to hit them, but it is not a good idea to let everybody know if it happens. The teacher might well get the impression that your real motive was not to obtain forgiveness, but to boast about your successful attack.
And quite possibly the teacher intentionally left a gap in his position to give the student an opportunity to practice.

This is a further extract from my book "Fightlogic 3!" published by EWTO-Verlag in June 2011, which is now available in its 2nd, extended edition with 441 pages.

Your SiFu/SiGung
Keith R. Kernspecht