Relaxation versus Structure Dilemma – Article 3

Why Relaxation Proves So Difficult

As we continue deeper into this series of the relaxation versus structure dilemma, it is important to have a quick recap of where we have got to.

In the first article, The Relaxation versus Structure dilemma and the use of gravity in Wing Chun (1), we introduced the seemingly dichotomy faced by the beginning Wing Chun student – the dilemma of how to develop structure through relaxation; that relaxation is only possible through developing the correct structure, but that it is not possible to develop this structure without relaxation. The solution to break out of tautological dilemma is in how Wing Chun makes use of the essential role of gravity. This was explored further in the second article.

The focus of the second article was in understanding correct Wing Chun posture – specifically, what the correct posture Wing Chun should look like. It looked at the traditional Cantonese terminology to start to understand the internal physiology that is used in the Wing Chun stances and structure. It also gave visual examples of the correct position with relaxed structure versus the incorrect position that the developing student typically holds through using muscular tension.

In this third article, we will explore why relaxing proves so difficult – specifically, looking at how the transition from a normal position to a Wing Chun position is not easy. Instead, this requires reprogramming the mind and body to be able to use the body structure in a whole new way. Only in doing so, can the advanced Wing Chun practitioner use their whole body with relaxed structure to better physiological advantage and seek to defend against a larger, stronger attacker.

The fourth article will explore how to start to use this this re-programmed, relaxed structure to your advantage in fighting application. It will focus on the concepts of ‘rootedness’ and ‘forwarding’ – the sinking and springing effect that correct relaxed structural posture achieves in creating a whole-body unification. Finally, the fifth article will provide some exercises and insights into how to achieve this relaxed, structure posture using gravity to minimise muscle effort.

Transitioning to Wing Chun structure

In the previous article we looked at the muscles that are used in the normal standing position – the Hamstrings, the Quadriceps and Adductor/Abductor muscles. These muscle pairs provide a stable base for normal standing.

For the new Wing Chun student getting into the Yee Chee Kim Yeung Ma basic stance feels odd, an unnatural. This is because the brain is not used to supporting the body in this way.

With the legs bent, and importantly the pelvis titled, the hamstrings and quadriceps are no longer involved in the action of stabilisation – this role is passed to the adductor muscles. In our normal standing position, we are used to the front (Quadricep) and back (Hamstring) leg muscles. As such, when the student moves into the basic Wing Chun stance their mind/body attempts to use the same ‘logic’.

The result however is to bring the weight of the body into muscles that are not intended to support this load. The affected muscles are show in the images below:

The Hamstrings (1) tense up to try and hold the weight of the body. The entire upper-body weight now bears down into the knees (2). This is shown on the right-hand image (4). The correct line (5) shows the weight passing straight through the upper leg, through the knee and down into the foot, forming the side of the lower-body triangle.

The weight of the body is also loaded into the Adductor muscles, causing them to tense up in trying to support the weight of the upper body pressing down under the force of gravity.

Additionally, the muscles in the bottom – Gluteus maximus (2) and Gluteus minimus (1) – are held with muscle tension because the new student is using these to forcibly rotate the pelvis and hold this thrust forward.

The end result of this transition from the normal standing position into the basic stance is the new student’s lower structural frame is completely locked out through muscular tension, leaving them feel immobile. Additionally, as a result of the muscular tension, the student can easily be topped over through the stance test – where a training partner presses into the student’s arms (or an even better test, into their chest).

This leads many students to question the basic Wing Chun stance, seeing it as something ineffective. After all, the aim of the Wing Chun stance is to provide a solid base providing structure and the ability to move this around with fluidity. The reason is that the Wing Chun student has not recognised that it is not simply a case of making the triangular shape of the stance, instead they must re-programme how they use their leg and pelvis muscles to support their weight. This is why Wing Chun is an ‘internal’ style of martial art – the developing student herein starts a journey to start isolating muscles that are no longer required, finding new muscles and letting tension out of muscles in and around this transition process.

So, now we begin to get a sense of why relaxed structure is so tricky to find – well, for starters, we are having to find a whole new way of standing. And this takes as much time and attention to do as it takes a child learning to stand for the first time. We are having to un-learn how to stand from the normal position in order to be able to stand in the Wing Chun stance. It is not a natural way of standing, and it will take a great deal of focused attention and patience over a number of years for the developing student to master this.

There is no one light-bulb moment or magic bullet where the student moves from incorrect to correct. Rather, then student will need to gradually move through iterations of learning to find ever deeper levels of relaxation and structure – letting go of tension in wrongly used muscles to the relaxed use of the correct ones.

The path to muscular relaxed structure

Each student is different, and they will make progress in different areas as they start to ‘feel’ the correct way. Their Sifu will be able to guide them to some extent, by testing the structure for its effectiveness and based on the Students feedback. Basically, in Wing Chun, you know if it is working, when it works. Internal martial arts tend not to be judged by external shows of positions for this reason. As we have just made clear, the external appearance of the basic stance can easily be emulated by the new student (to the untrained eye), but this is no guarantee of its effective use and application.

This is why a critical feed-back loop to finding relaxed structure is to work with your Sifu and training partners to test your structure as you evolve through the different iterations of peeling back the layers of tension in the muscles, letting go of unnecessary muscle use and finding relaxed structure through to the correct musculature. The bottom line here is that DVDs and articles, such as this, can give some insight that can help you, but they can only supplement this. Wing Chun is a journey that you must take yourself and the path to relaxed structure is a difficult mental and physical physiological process – which is often why it is describes as ‘the thinking man’s martial art’.

I was often told at the start of my journey nearly 20 years ago now, that Wing Chun is a ‘feeling’ that is passed on from Sifu to Student. This ‘feeling’ has to be found internally within the developing student and will require the development of mental visualisations and terminology that that the Sifu / Student use to describe the physical, emotional and mental states and physiological expression that is Wing Chun.

However, that does not mean that we cannot take the learning that we have made on this path, capture this and share it with others to potentially help them progress along their path quicker. Given we have seen in article 2 the correct structure we should be using, and we have in this article identified the incorrect muscles in transitioning to this, it is possible to give the developing student a breakdown of the key steps that will need to be covered. It is even possible to give guidance on the order that these steps typically are taken. After all, we may be different, but as basic organisms (recognising some exceptions) we each have two hands, arms, legs and feet.

These steps will be covered in article four as we move towards an understand of moving away from muscular force in the hands, arms and shoulders, to whole body-unity driving from the ground up. For now, we must remain patiently focused on understanding why it is so difficult to move between these positions – as this is ultimately the pathway that the developing Wing Chun student has to take; it is a mixture of evolving our physical, psychological, emotional and physiological behaviours. Understanding the muscles involved in this process is a start, but this is just the tip of the Wing Chun iceberg.

We not only need to learn how to stand in a new way, we must find new ways of thinking, feeling and responding – training ourselves away from our natural responses to those of a fighting machine. This is why – although basic Wing Chun application can be learned within a relatively short period of time – mastery of it to a high degree of competency takes 10-15 years of dedicated, regular training.

Emotional / physical response

Apart from the initial structural changes to how we stand in the Wing Chun stance there are other more complex factors that impact our ability to maintain relaxed structure. The biggest of these is the human natural response in a conflict situation. We must remember, after all, that at the heart of all martial arts is the ability to be an effective fighter, having trained for a long time. A trained fighter has mastered their ability to focus their body and mind for this purpose – and this is something that takes time and effort.

In the safe environment of a training class the body is not exposed to the physiological changes that the body undergoes when faced with a life-threatening situation. However, through the use of sparing and training with a partner we can start to experience these and begin to train in our ability to control the response. For example, I have often trained with students who are able to be in a relaxed state when they are practising their form work on their own but tense up as soon as they get into chi-sau or sparring. Having to deal with incoming force from the attack of an opponent is a game changer.

The legendary boxer, Mike Tyson, captures this well in his famous quote:

“Everybody has a plan until they get hit. Then, like a rat, they stop in fear and freeze.”

So why is it that people freeze, tense up and the relaxed structure that they have been working on for years suddenly goes out of the window in a combat situation?

Well, for starters, the only way to train for a fight is to practise fighting – a lot! Only then will be body get used to it. Now, for most people who are not natural street brawlers, this means finding a way to train this in without regularly ending up at the Accident and Emergency department on a Saturday night. Training in a martial art, such as Wing Chun, allows us to expose ourselves to conflict situations and build up the intensity of the situation in a control manner.

Understanding the emotional and physical response is also critical in Wing Chun. This is because the natural body reaction goes against the relaxed structure that we are seeking to realise. Staying with the boxing analogy, we do not want to stand rigid with our fists, arms and shoulders tensed up, rather we need to be able to move with the fluidity and power of Muhammed Ali – to be able to “float like a butterfly and sting like a bee”. However, having the confidence and capability to remain relaxed and loose whilst an opponent is trying to knock you unconscious takes skill, and a lot of practice.

In moving towards this, the developing Wing Chun student must first understand the physiological responses involved in the body in this conflict situation. This is often referred to as the ‘fight or flight’ response.

When a person perceives that they are in the face of danger is possible, where they are confronted by a person in a threatening situation, for example, there is an automatic physiological (bodily) response that takes over and is a natural defence mechanism designed to protect them. This is called the “fight-or-flight response” because its purpose is to help you either fight or flee from potential danger.

At the point of perceiving danger, the brain sends messages to a part the nervous system called the autonomic nervous system. The autonomic nervous system has two subsections or branches called the sympathetic nervous system and the parasympathetic nervous system. These two branches of the nervous system are directly involved in controlling the body’s energy levels and preparation for action. The sympathetic nervous system gets the body aroused and ready for action (fighting or fleeing), and the parasympathetic nervous system returns the body to a normal, non-aroused state.

During the fight-or-flight response your breathing automatically becomes faster and deeper. This occurs in order to increase the amount of oxygen you take in since the body needs higher levels of oxygen to be able to fight or flee. When activated, the sympathetic nervous system releases a chemical called adrenalin. Adrenalin is used as a messenger to continue sympathetic nervous system activity, so that once activity begins, it often continues and increases for some time.

Having trained in the gym for many years, I know the amazing rush that adrenalin has and the strength that this can bring to the body. By summoning and focusing this chemical reaction within the body it is possible to train the muscles more intensely because of the additional strength you can summon to add more repetitions or greater weights. Equally so, in Wing Chun we are not looking to somehow be able to switch this response off, as something that we consider is negative. Rather, in the same way, we must be able to control and use this natural response. Every professional fighter before a fight will tell you that they feel the surge of adrenalin. The best fighters know that it is how they use this response in the ring that makes the difference between winning or losing.

In order to efficiently circulate oxygen and nutrients to your muscles for fighting or fleeing, your heart rate and the strength of your heartbeat both increase during fight or flight. The fight-or-flight response involves activation and arousal of many of the body’s systems and large muscle groups. The blood instead goes to large muscles, such as the thighs, heart, and biceps, which need the oxygen for fighting or fleeing. These muscle groups tense up in preparation for fight or flight, and this causes feelings of tension. This tension may occur in the form of trembling or shaking. This takes a lot of energy, and therefore people often feel exhausted, drained, and washed out during and after experiencing this type of arousal.

This is often why new Wing Chun students will be exhausted after only a few minutes of sparing – because of the amount of energy they are expending in holding tension in their muscles. It is also why the developing student can become frustrated because the relaxed approach they had managed to cultivate in the form suddenly goes out of the window and they are finding that the emotional / physical response of facing an opponent has tensed up their larger (external) muscles. As the advancing student gets used to this situation and is able to control their state of relaxedness, then they are able to chi-sau or spa with a partner for a long time without being fatigued at all. They are able to keep the external muscles relaxed and maintain relaxed structure through the use of the internal (core) muscles.

Finally, the fight-or-flight response leads to an increase in alertness and attention. Your pupils also become dilated (widened) to allow in more light. This helps improve the ability to scan the surroundings for danger. Attention is focused on the source of the perceived threat or danger. This is a very useful effect of the fight-or-flight system because if we didn’t pay attention to things that could harm us, we would not survive for long.

For the Wing Chun practitioner, we have to be conscious of this focus, as this can leave us vulnerable. For example, facing a single attacker and being ‘locked on’ them means that we are not seeing the other two oncoming attackers. This is why we have to learn to use our peripheral vision. This is often referred to as the ability to “look at nothing and see everything”. Again, this goes against a very deep, automatic physiological response and takes a lot of time and practice to get to a position where this becomes the trained response in a conflict situation.

The lesson from this limited introduction to the emotional response of the body in a fight situation is that without extensive training, we must recognise that the mind / body has a default safety setting that takes over. It does so through the automatic release of chemicals and effectively takes over what your body is doing – leaving you out of conscious control of it. It will continue to do this as long as it feels that it knows how best to save you in a danger situation. Only by training in trusted new responses will this response change. This is what the advancing Wing Chun practitioner (or any fighter) must do.

To give you a sense of how much effort is involved in this process, in the following section I will look at a specific example of a core muscles that is involved in this automatic ‘fight or flight’ response – the Psoas muscle. I choose this particular muscle because this is at the heart of being able to maintain the relaxed structure and keep whole body unity – the central principle of Wing Chun.

Connecting all the parts – the Psoas muscle

The Psoas (pronounced ‘so-as’) is comprised of the Psoas minor and Psoas major muscles. The Psoas is the deepest muscle of the human body affecting our structural balance, muscular integrity, flexibility, strength, range of motion, and joint mobility. It is even believed that this plays an important role in the function of organs.

The Psoas spans laterally from the 12th thoracic vertebrae (T12) to each of the 5 lumbar vertebrae. It flows down through the abdominal core and the pelvic girdle and inserts along with the Iliacus (a fan-shaped muscle lining the inside of the pelvic bowl) in a common tendon at the lesser trochanter of the femur (the thigh bone near the groin area). The psoas and iliacus combine to form a muscle group called the Iliopsoas.

Why is the Psoas muscle important for Wing Chun?

The Psoas is the only ‘muscle’ to connect the spine to the legs. It is responsible for holding us upright, allowing us to lift our legs in order to walk. A healthily functioning Psoas muscle stabilizes the spine and provides support through the trunk, forming a shelf for the vital organs of the abdominal core.

This major core-stabilizing muscle acts like a suspension bridge between the legs and trunk. In earlier articles we looked at the concept of structural strength through triangulation. In the picture below we see triangle pyramids formed in the upper and lower body.

These triangle shapes are formed through the repositioning of the limbs in the Yee Che Kim Yeung Ma stance. A key part of being able to use this structure to defeat a larger opponent is to move beyond using individual limbs, or smaller isolated muscles, to instead using the whole body – using everything together to generate a gestalt force. A critical part of this is uniting the lower body triangular pyramid structure with the upper body triangular pyramid structure. This is achieved through the pelvis – the intersecting point where the two structures meet in the centre of the body.

Initially, the developing Wing Chun student will not be able to feel the use of this deep, internal muscle. Instead, they use the external muscles which are not intended to support to body weight and invariably end up rigid with tension. The advancing practitioner begins to move away from the initial ‘external’ focus to instead more ‘internal’ aspects – not only looking at how to flow between movements, but how to get into the correct position in the correct way, rather than a limb merely being placed into position. Here the Wing Chun student begins to take note of the muscles that they are using, where they have tension and begin to try to remove this from their form practice. Ultimately, this involves a difficult internal process of isolating the external muscles, feeling the internal ones that instead need to carry the weight of the body, get used to using these muscles and mindfully letting go of the unnecessary use of the external muscles.

Only then can the advanced Wing Chun student unit the upper and lower body. Having done so, they can then use the sinking and rooting into the ground to take energy down and into the structure from an opponent whilst at the same time using this compressed ‘spring’ structure to deliver full-body, relaxed structural power into the opponent. Any tension will disconnect this floor to fist process.

Reprogramming automatic nervous system responses

Another area where the Psoas muscle provides a perfect example for this article, is the central part that it plays in the automatic nervous system ‘response’ of tensing up when we perceive we are in danger – this being the physiological ‘fight or flight’ response we outlined above.

Typically, this natural response also involves stepping away from attacks, tensing up limbs, pushing the opponent away and seeking to resist pushes and grabs with force. All of these things are the complete opposite of what the wing Chun student must do. Again, it takes a long time to reprogram the ‘natural’ response to the Wing Chun response. The principles of attacking the attack, stepping in and welcoming an opponent’s force are all completely alien to the new Wing Chun student – it is something that the mind must train itself to accept and the body to be able to achieve.

The Psoas plays a key part in this automatic response. It is connected to the diaphragm through connective tissue or fascia which affects both our breath and fear reflex. It is connected to the diaphragm as well, which modulates breathing and can influence, or respond to, feelings of fear and anxiety. There’s also a direct link between the Psoas and the Amygdala, the area of the brain responsible for our fight or flight response, which is sometimes referred to as the ‘reptilian’ brain. This is the most ancient, interior part of the brain stem and spinal cord.

Liz Koch, an expert on the benefits of awareness and relaxation of the Psoas muscle, writes:

“Long before the spoken word or the organizing capacity of the cortex developed, the reptilian brain, known for its survival instincts, maintained our essential core functioning.”

Koch believes that our fast-paced modern lifestyle (which runs on the adrenaline of our sympathetic nervous system) chronically triggers and tightens the Psoas – making it literally ready to run or fight. The Psoas helps you to spring into action – or curl you up into a protective ball.

A relaxed Psoas muscle is critical in the use of the body for creative expression. Instead of the contracted Psoas, ready to run or fight, the relaxed and released Psoas is ready instead to lengthen and open, to dance. In many yoga poses (like tree) the thighs can’t fully rotate outward unless the Psoas releases. A released Psoas allows the front of the thighs to lengthen and the leg to move independently from the pelvis, enhancing and deepening the lift of the entire torso and heart.

Koch continues:

“The Psoas, by conducting energy, grounds us to the earth, just as a grounding wire prevents shocks and eliminates static on a radio. Freed and grounded, the spine can awaken”.

The advanced Wing Chun practitioner will attest that without the correct internal relaxation that the transition of the pelvis in shifting the body weight is not fluid, nor can the full range of motion be achieved. Without this ‘floating’ movement we lose the fluidity needed for stepping and maintain our relaxed structure as we move around. It truly is a powerful muscle, that can either immobilise us, or provide the core of our Wing Chun structural power.

Using the Psoas and the natural weight of body through gravity

The key thing for the developing student to understand here is that the first stage of transitioning to relaxation is to step back from using muscle alone, and instead move to a more natural position where we can allow the natural structure of our bodies to work. Where muscle force is used, this is counter-productive to the way our bodies naturally work most efficiently.

The process of moving to relaxed structure is therefore one of actively identifying tension in the different areas within our bodies and, slowly but surely, striping this out. For example, tension will invariably be found in the fist, in the forearm and shoulder, effectively locking the arm up and stopping this from moving through its whole range of motion in a relaxed way. It is not possible just to strip something out from the body – instead, it is a case of using the natural skeletal structure, the joints, tendons and ligaments in place of holding tension in muscles.

It is important to understand that this does not mean that muscles are not used in Wing Chun at all, as this would not be accurate. Indeed, just the process of standing up requires us to use a multiplicity of muscles all over the body. However, the process of standing or walking is one that the body has become very accustomed to, and the muscles involved are used to providing structure but in a relaxed fashion – for example, we are able to walk in a fluid way, rather than wobbling side-to-side in a stiff robotic type fashion. This all comes from the core structure, rather than the external muscles which are incorrectly used to override the core muscles – resulting from poor posture and a lack of understanding of human physiology in the modern western world. An equally big part in finding relaxed structure is in changing which muscle groups, or muscle types we use.

Releasing tension in your Psoas realigns the way you experience yourself in the world. Sensing your bones bearing weight translates into a physical sensation and an emotional feeling of ‘standing on your own two feet’. Learning to let the Psoas be supple is by no means the first step in shifting a dependency on muscular support to skeletal stability, but it is the most critical one.

At first it can be difficult to access the subtle sensations of the Psoas. Buried deep within, often engaged in habitual postural patterns and linked to your emotions, it can take a great deal of patience, perseverance and quiet, mindful attention to sense your Psoas and experience the core. Awareness is the first key. Just as a flashlight can clarify what is in a dark closet, so too your awareness can give definition to your internal sensations. Each time you are attentive to your inner sensation your awareness increases. At first it may only be vague or acute tension that you sense, but eventually you will begin to distinguish and perceive the difference between muscle, ligament, tendon and bone.

Using the Psoas versus Adductor muscles

Although it is not possible to again go into the necessary detail here, it is useful to point out how easily the developing student can mistakenly use the wrong muscle – resulting in adding tension into the Wing Chun stance. As mentioned earlier in the article, when the beginner Wing Chun student first gets into the basic stance, they are still trying to use their Quadriceps and Hamstrings to support their weight. In doing so, this engages the Psoas muscle to engage in a weight-bearing capacity. It takes a while to break out of this.

On my own journey I felt the Psoas muscle after having long discovered the Adductor muscles – perhaps even as much as 5 years later. In my own discovery, the two definitely ‘felt’ different – the Adductor’s felt like they extended from my inner thigh and went deep into my pelvic girdle. Looking for the first time at the physiology and anatomy of these muscles, it was no great surprise to see that what I felt was indeed reflected in the placement and connections of these muscles.

The same was also true for the Psoas muscle. When I started to become mindfully aware of this muscle through inner reflection, it felt further along the pelvis towards the outside of the body. It also felt like it extended over the top of the hip, nearer to the surface of the front hip bone. Again, investigation into the physiology revealed this matched the internal structure.

Being able to use the great anatomical resources we have available to us can greatly help with the necessary internalisation that, historically, could only be described in words. My hope is that by seeing the different muscles and shining a light on the different functions, that this will greatly reduce the ‘discovery’ window and allow developing students reading this to progress quicker.

In the next article I will provide a key example of how the beginning student falls into this trap, what it feels like, the weakness this adds into your structure and ways to train in how to move to the correct muscle use. In summary here, holding tension around the pelvis is not able to fully ‘shift’ the weight of the body correctly across to load the weight of gravity into the Adductors in 45 degree stance position, instead loading the weight into the Psoas muscle – breaking the upper and lower body connection and losing structural integrity in the process.

Be patient – finding relaxed structure is worth the effort

We have seen that the developing student faces a greatly internal challenge in overcoming automatic nervous response processes and deeply seated use of muscles. The developing Wing Chun student must literally reprogram their minds and bodies to work in a different way.

We have seen that the first step towards this is in recognising the need to let go of old ways and embrace new ones. This includes letting go of muscular tension and instead seeking to find relaxed structure. In doing so, the advancing student must be patient, look inside and understand how their body works. They must strip away unnecessary, external muscle use and find how to use their core muscles. Furthermore, they must find how to use the Wing Chun principles to achieve relaxed structure. In order to do this, they must work with their Sifu and training partners to ‘feel’ how this relaxed structure copes under pressure.

This is no easy task. On the upside, by cultivating a healthy Psoas, we can rekindle our body’s vital energies by learning to reconnect with the life force of the universe. In the Taoist tradition, the Psoas is referred to as “the seat” or “muscle of the soul,” which encircles the Dan Tien — a major energy centre of the body.

Furthermore, the combination of aligning your body with gravity and increasing your inner awareness facilitates not only a healthy Psoas muscle, but it allows you to energize your deepest core – reconnecting you with the powerful energy of the earth. Connecting to the inner core enriches your life, quiets your thoughts and reconnects you with the larger web of life energy. Learning to release and engage the Psoas brings you directly in contact with your instinctive wisdom. Referred to in ancient traditions as the hara, dan tien and Buddha belly, your gut feelings empower and guide your personal choices and spiritual path.

The difference that you will find this adds to your Wing Chun cannot be over-stated. When you touch hands with your Sifu and you feel that wall of force coming at you, flowing in and around you through a relaxed, fluid structure – this is where you will get to when you are able to find relaxed structure.

The path to relaxed structure as a continual process

Now, the best Sifu or Master will indeed tell you that they themselves have further refinement to make. This is why Wing Chun is the great mistress who keeps on giving. As someone who has been training and learning for 20 years I am a relative newbie compared to some. Even those who seem at the height of skills after having trained so twice this amount of time continue to seek improvements and refinements.

The thing that I have come to understand about Wing Chun over the years is that the path to mastery is a bit like peeling an onion. Once you have peeled off one layer and mastered this, then the next layer presents itself and you peel that one off. Each time you go deeper and deeper into the core understanding, the controlled skill and ability at the heart of the Wing Chun system. Initially this can be frustrating, as just as you feel you have understood something you realise that there is yet another step in the path and a new depth of insight you can explore. However, over time this becomes the true insight of the Wing Chun practitioner – it is not the destination that brings us what we seek, rather it is being on the journey itself.