Commentary -

In Wing Chun, there are principles such as interception, redirection, and deflection just to name a few. As mentioned before, the Chi Sao drill can help you to develop the sense to detect situations where you can execute your stop-hit. If we continue to think of the stop-hit as a concept, we can use it as an interception of incoming attacks as well as intercepting your opponent's intention to attack or even allow your opponent a false sense of control of the situation and then trap and immobilize him. I sometimes call this a destruction of intent (on your opponent's part that is). In any case, you can see that we can use this concept not only defensively but offensively as well.

COUNTER-TIME

"Counter-time is the strategy by which an opponent is induced or provoked to attack in tempo, with the object of counter-timing or alternatively taking possession of the opposing hand or detaching it and executing a subsequent attack or riposte. It lies not so much in drawing the stop-hit as in correctly timing the parry which deflects it. The speed of the opponent's reactions will have to be found and his cadence judged." -- The Tao of Jeet Kune Do - Bruce Lee

Commentary -

Counter-time, when applied to empty hand combat, would take precise timing, accuracy and above all, a vast amount of combat experience. Learning to judge proper cadence and the speed of your opponent's actions has a lot to do with how the practitioner practices his/her drills. Depending on how accurate the drill is constructed and practiced would determine how accurately the practitioner can judge proper cadence and speed of his/her opponent.

I will mention one type of training method one should avoid. In my opinion, I believe there is such a thing as an inferior or a superior training habit. If we train a certain way and this way induces undesirable combat habits, then all other aspects of your fighting mentality can conform to this way as well. For example: It would not be a good idea to tell your partner to throw a reverse punch and then your partner is still holding that same arm up in the air and waiting for you to finish your eight bone crushing moves. This is not realistic and therefore is considered an inferior training habit.

"Distance must be judged correctly to minimize the danger of being hit while within reach of the opponent in order to land the final movement of the counter-time sequence (the reposte)." -- The Tao of Jeet Kune Do - Bruce Lee

Commentary -

In the Ying Gi Ga method of Wing Chun, there are many distance drills, which force the practitioner to become fully aware of proper distancing at all times. Proper distance involves knowing when you are or are not within striking range of the lead hand or foot. One way to make sure that these drills will work is to understand completely the 'true' purpose of the drill in the first place. Be careful not to perform unrealistic transitions from one point to another.

Proper kinetics and body mechanics are very important in practice. It is one thing to be able to perform your defensive and or offensive moves in slow motion while the kinetics and body mechanics may be incorrect and still get away with it. However, if performed at full-speed and full power those same moves may feel uncomfortable to you and perhaps will restrain your movements, which may render your techniques useless in combat.

In fencing, there is a principle called absence of blade. I believe that this principle can be applied to any martial system once you have understood how it is to be applied. In Wing Chun, this principle is induced continuously during Chi Sao practice. I believe Bruce Lee called it "absence of hand". If we take this a little further we can apply this concept to the absence of any weapon of the body (i.e. hands, forearms, elbows, the head, knees, shins, feet, etc).

When in Chi Sao, the practitioners will try to determine his/her opponent's intentions by touch. The idea is to catch your Chi Sao partner off guard making an error in movement. You can respond to the error by hitting or trapping and hitting. This drill is not another type of fighting. It is simply a drill used to enhance your contact reflexes. Factors involved in this drill include, but are not limited to; the amount of offensive force applied, direction, pushing, pulling, angles, speed, absence of the hands, wrists, forearms, or elbows, leverage, usage of the center and central line, and the radial axis area, etc. So you can understand how the practice of Chi Sao can help anyone to understand how to respond to the absence of hand(blade). Imagine what this drill can do for a fencer!

"Unless there is a tactical reason for acting otherwise, gaining and breaking ground is executed by means of small and rapid steps. A correct distribution of weight on both legs will make for perfect balance, enabling the fighter to get off the mark quickly and easily whenever the measure is right for attacks." -- The Tao of Jeet Kune Do - Bruce Lee

Commentary -

I believe this to be a fundamental principle in the art of fencing. However, in most other forms of combat, the method of footwork may be different. The differences exist simply in order to accommodate the type of fighting art being practiced. Bruce Lee believed that where there were superior forms of footwork there were also inferior forms of footwork to avoid practicing. In knowing this, it is obvious that the fighter should study and come to understand the science of footwork so he/she can accurately choose the method of footwork that will best suite him/her.

Commentary -

One last JKD principle I wanted to mention is that the intention of the JKD practitioner is to understand and get to the root or source of the problem and then deal with it from there. This is, if not the best, one of the best combat mentalities any fencer, Wing Chun fighter, Boxer, grappler, etc., could take with him/her onto the mat, on the strip, in the field, in any combat situation.

"Clear perception includes direct and immediate experience. It implies that the windows of the senses have been cleansed, that previous experience and belief are not coloring the reality seen as it is Now." -- Enlightenment - MSI

Concerning ascension (a special form of meditation), the last quote made by MSI, the author of the book Enlightenment, goes much deeper than it appears. But I will give a very brief explanation. It is a by-product of how the mind functions when you ascend (meditate) repetitively and for a period of time. However, when applied to an athlete's frame of mind, if you could go into confrontation with a clear perception and the windows of your senses have been cleansed, and previous experiences and beliefs are not coloring the reality seen as it is Now, perhaps half the battle could already be won!

In Closing -

"The truth in combat is different for each individual in this style. Research your own experience, absorb what is useful, reject what is useless and add what is specifically your own". -- Bruce Lee

"It's better to be the one wave in a pond that has no circumference than it is to be the small rock that caused that wave. For sure the rock will hit bottom." -- Sifu Sidney G. Martin