All,
First, it should be clear that Chi Sao is an exercise and it’s benefits come from a long process. Chi Sao, for all the training of martial attributes and the priniciples of the system, has a part of it that constrains it to another Wing Chun player. The goal of Chi Sao is to incoporate your training so that your reactions become instinctive. One gains trust in their “weapons” as well as learn to commit to entering an opponents boundary. Chi Sao allows us an immense amount of time to break down, discuss and study this.
Sparring is generally a more controlled atmosphere consisting of rules and protective gear (usually). The opponent does not have to be another Wing Chun player to share in its value. However, unlike Chi Sao, sparring often times does not present itself as an arena for study during the session. Little to no discussions. If someone has a great technique (i.e. Kick), will they share with you how best to defend it? Or will they just continue to use it until someone else figures out on their own how to contend with it? And if that happens, will our kicker avoid that person or work on it to make it better?
We view sparring as an experience. We spar other schools and other styles. We present our intentions to the leaders of the other schools as an opportunity for each of us to experience the others style as honestly as possible with more realistic results than someone from within simulating some techniques from the other style. It is understood that as an experience, there are no winners and losers. No points. No cheers. There is no determination of superior style or school or teacher. We video tape to review the sessions for later discussions. We then can relate the ways the Kung Fu can help any areas of weakness. Another important aspect of Sparring also allows for the student to deal with the emotional and psychological elements of engagment.
We circumvent the politics through presentation. The students put together hung bo (lucky money) to give to the school leader and everyone usually congratulates each other at the end.
In our training, we prefer to emphasize the Kung fu over the sparring. One interesting note is that we spar people who have sparring as part of their curriculum. Our group primarily utilizes their Kung Fu skills to adapt to the sparring arena, which we have found very effective especially from students at junior levels. To date we have sparred with a couple of Karate stylists, a Shaolin Kung Fu group, and one other Wing Chun group. It has so far been a great experience for us and them.
To seek some value from the sparring, we have one match at a time where everyone can observe. Two two minute rounds with a minute rest between.
The Chi Sao serves as a laboratory to test and heighten your skillset. The principles and attirbutes (balance, coordination, timing, sensitivity, and relaxation) are trained to become a part of you. Sparring offers a method to test using your skills for fighting. Notice also that in Chi Sao we start from a point of touching while sparring we often do not. We must also remember that a real fight in the street introduces the psychological element of life or death, which is not present in either Chi Sao or Sparring.
Does being good at chi sao mean you can fight or be good at sparring? The question begs at what good means. If one may be considered good by means of extracting and applying the benefits to application while also penetrating and controlling another player, then yes maybe they might be good at sparring. If one just overwhelms opponents and treats Chi Sao as a game then most likely not. Keep in mind that being the Chi Sao or Sparring champ of your own club is limiting. One should travel around and respectively play Chi Sao with senior students (not the Sifu’s) of other schools to test your ability. If you are so lucky to do so!
Martial Arts is not so black and white that if one plays good Chi Sao or does well in sparring they will be successful in a realistic fight or vice versa. Like training 5 days a week versus 1 day a week, it should have some positive impact. But we all know that more does not always mean better, especially if those 5 days are not trained correctly and the one day is.
Good luck in your Kung Fu!
