Part 4
Biu Gee can generate tremendous fightback Power, so great that it surpasses the power generated by the body when it is still. Also, characterized by its unique techniques, Sending-power-to-fingertips and Channelling-force-to-centre, Biu Gee certainly embodies the wonder of Power!
Sending-power-to-fingertips: The theme of Biu Gee is exactly to send out all the cumulated power in the body up to the palms and fingers. This has been explained in the previous section – the cumulated power can be delivered at any position along the arm.
The first thing to do to achieve this idea is to cumulate Nim Tao around the solar plexus area. The Tan Sau, Fook Sau and Wu Sau Hand-forms in Siu Nim Tao moving multiple times along the centreline from the solar plexus is an initial exercise right for this purpose – practising how to accumulate power at the centre and send it out to the forearm.
Biu Gee extends it to train how to further send out the power generated by speedy rotations into the palms and
fingers, delivering overwhelming power for offence. Channelling-force-to-centre: When the arm receives an oncoming force, the force is channelled through to the centre of the body’s trunk, where it is further redirected to be accepted by the legs. At this point the energy/weight in the body increases according to the strength of the oncoming force; pressure originally in the arm can no longer be felt, as if it had disappeared – this is the simultaneous moment for fighting back.
To acquire the technique, filling up the entire body with Nim Tao is the prerequisite; the spine is maintained upright, the joints of the limbs are absolutely relaxed; the arms, in whatever shape, are conceived as constructing an elastic sphere that completely encloses and protects the body, in the way that when it is attacked by an external force at any position, the highly elastic surface dissipates the pressure exerted, fully absorbing the power of the
offending force into apparently nowhere but reflected in the built-up fightback power that is rooted in the seemingly increasing body weight.
As such, the effects of Sending-power-to-fingertips and Channelling-force-to-centre, once reached, indicate the highest attainment in practising Biu Gee. When they are well harnessed and can be deliberately performed, an offending force at 100 pounds, for example, which thereafter elicits a corresponding resisting force equally at 100 pounds, will finally induce a resultant fightback force at the total of 200 pounds – this is precisely the wonder of Biu Gee.
Biu Gee can generate fightback power exceeding the limit of the body when standing alone. In every movement, regardless of the direction of the oncoming force, the fightback force resulting is always massive, even though the movement is applied in positions and structures unfavourable to reaction or already highly subject to pressure. All this is enabled by the skilful use of Sending-power-to-fingertips and Channelling-force-to-centre effects.
Such mysterious power can be analysed, as an attempt, with reason and logic for an explanation on the principles of the two effects, and for an explanation of the core of the wonder. Presumably, the principles and the core are scientifically sound, as well as evidence laden.
First, from the fundamentals of Wing Chun practice, the keys for enabling the connecting of the different parts of the body into one are:
- Nim Tao (ultimately developed into Nim Lik): The holistic entity that stabilises and connects every hand-form structure, freely mobilising the power cumulated.
- Relaxed muscles: In relaxation mode, the characteristic of muscle exhibits as extraordinary resisting power. (This is grounded in medical experiments.)
- Relaxed joints: Relaxation equips the joints with elasticity which, when accorded with the characteristic of muscle, is conducive to springy power.
- Erect spine, upright body centre: A solid base for maintaining a stable axis for manifesting the power of pivoting.
- Hand-form structure: To be maintained in the shape of a sphere as far as possible (Optimum Angle), both in the actual forms and in the mind.
Operated by mixing the above keys, further added with the rolling action, the body will become a highly elastic rolling sphere of which, when being attacked, the surface receiving the attack will dent naturally, dissipating the oncoming pressure without interrupting the ongoing rolling and advancing of the sphere. In reaction, the dented surface then bounces back with a resultant fightback force that can be interpreted as being built up
by utilising and reacting to the oncoming force, which is further amplified by the power generated by rolling.
Such amplified power, when applied to moving the forearm, causes the Sending-power-to-fingertips effect; whereas when applied to the forearm performing the drawing action harnessed by Idea, causes the Channelling-force-to-centre effect, akin to the drawing power of a whirlpool which is, in this case, the rolling sphere.
It follows that practising Biu Gee demands the learner to gear up to the highest possible speed, so that when the hand-forms of Darting Fingers are put to work they can generate extraordinarily enormous power, both in offence and defence.
Basically, there are no fixed rules confining the usage of the movements of Biu Gee; they are at one’s deliberation. Most of the movements embody both offence and defence functions simultaneously – every movement serves the double purposes of offence and defence at the same time. This is based on a marvelous mechanism – cumulating the entire body weight for launching – that can output exceptionally massive power for offence and defence.
Movements rooted in pivoting and rotating entail high-level techniques. When the arm, at any position, receives an oncoming force, with such techniques harnessed by Nim Tao, the force can be deflected away from the body, upsetting the opponent’s balance.
Alternatively, the received pressure can be channeled to be borne by the body weight, followed by Forward Stepping and Pivoting (a bi-directional force to be explained separately) for launching a counterattack. The power in such fight-back is beyond imagination; it can only be acquired through practising Bu Gee by following methods that are strictly proper.
As on the Circling Leg-form, its movement is similarly initiated by the body centre to where power is cumulated by Nim Tao, translating into great leg power. It follows that when practising Biu Gee, the axial point of Pivoting should be made, by the operation of Nim Tao, to situate at the nucleus centre of the rotational movement which, when applied together with various movements, can generate rotational momentum in different directions, including left, right, upwards, downwards and obliquely.
In any such rotation, it actually encompasses and combines all the rotational power from the shoulder,
the shoulder joint, the elbow joint and the wrist joint. Based on this mechanism, every hand-form, regardless of the position that is in contact with the opponent, can attack and defend with the same power generated by the body in rotating, advancing and drawing motions.
Bi-directional Force denotes that the application of the force involves two different directions. Its basics has already been practised in Chu Kiu; its actual power is now manifested in Biu Gee. It is hard to deal with Bi-directional Force: on one hand, it confuses the opponent on the exact direction of the applied force; on the other hand, even if the opponent is certain in one direction, he is still not able to counter the attack from the other direction.
Its principle is similar to that of lifting a weight upwards: during the lifting, if extra weights are added, the lifting can still go on comfortably as far as the total weight does not overload one’s bodily strength. On the contrary, if a force from the side is applied instead, the lifting will be hard to maintain even though that force may just be mild. This principle is straightforward and can easily be practically verified.
Following this principle, if one looks into the operation of the various Biu Gee hand-forms, one will discover more different directions of force application – which characterise and reveal the wonder of the Biu Gee structure – and thereafter find immense interest in the form-set.
