高级徒弟 水平一
Gāojí Túdì Shuǐpíng Yī
7th Grading – Advanced Disciple Grade 1
Upon graduation, the student will be awarded a
Brown Sash of the First Degree
All gradings require general improvement since the previous, in addition to the points laid out in the syllabus. Individual development points must be worked on continually, for example a trailing back leg or a compromised guard in certain techniques. Now, however, at the advanced level, the student must make significant improvement. They should be noticeably stronger, faster and much more skilled then they were before. Their conduct should be excellent, and by now they may have gained a little experience of teaching as an assistant under supervision if they aspire to become 师父 – Sifu.
At the advanced level, the student keeps one eye on perfecting the earlier techniques and the other on learning new ones. It is with this balance that they must go forward. It is easy to forget old teachings in the excitement of taking up new ones, but it is essential that this balance is maintained.
At this level, the gradings begin to take much longer than previous gradings did. Beginner’s gradings can be undertaken in one session, and at the intermediate stage there are simply so many points to be graded on that it becomes impossible to cram a grading into one standard session. At this advanced stage, a grading may take multiple weeks to complete to a high standard. It is a significant undertaking requiring commitment and diligence.
Striking again takes another step up, with a great variety of strikes that have very specific applications. As they can be dangerous if performed poorly, they are the staple diet of the advanced student. It is in the detail of their execution that the student finds success. The student at this stage is trusted to learn some extremely dangerous methods which would be unethical to teach to anyone who has not demonstrated, again and again over a period of time, that they can be trusted to use such knowledge wisely and never abuse it. In addition to these devastatingly effective methods, they also explore the 鶴Hè (Crane) Style, incorporating 鶴嘴Hè Zuǐ (Crane’s Beak) finger strikes in their traditional side of the syllabus.
Kicking too continues with its development, training a whole new level of fluidity in motion and transition between movements, as well as incorporating many different angles, such as with the axe kick and turning variants of the reverse heel kick and outward crescent kicks. Feinting takes centre stage while working on technical sparring here, both for upper- and lower-body striking methods.
提手 Tai Sao (Uplifting Hand) comes into play at this stage, and also (unusually, we are aware) the student also starts to incorporate blocking rather than parrying with 内格 Nèi Gé (Inner Block) and 外格 Wài Gé (Outer Block). The reason for blocking to come so late in the journey compared to the often much more complex and challenging parries and trapping methods is because beginner and intermediate martial artists can rarely make blocking work effectively against sustained, realistic and repeated strikes from an aggressive attacker. They work wonderfully against compliant partners, but rarely have a high degree of success under pressure unless they are used by a practitioner who can deploy the right method at the right time in the right situation, which is the mark of an advanced student. With such mastery of parrying and trapping, as well as evasion such as slipping, that the student has built up to this level, now they are ready to incorporate powerful blocking techniques in conjunction with their parrying and trapping, not instead of them. Learning the blocks is very simple and straightforward, but it’s the effective execution of them that provides the challenge. In line with this, the student must bear our Interception Principle in mind when training at this level.
In 擒拿 Qínná (Biomechanical Manipulation), students continue to explore mastery on the ground through methods such as 膝十字固 Hiza-juji-gatame (Knee Bar), ヒールフックHīru-hokku (Heel Hook), 横四方固め Yoko-shihō-gatame (“Side Four-Corner Hold” – Scarf Hold) and of getting people on the ground with 払腰 Harai-goshi (Sweeping Hip Throw). With the aforementioned trust in their wisdom and ethical conduct, it is at this advanced stage that students are first taught chokes such as 前裸絞Mae-hadaka-jime (“Front Naked Choke”- Guillotine Choke), 前腕締め Zenwan-jime (Forearm Choke), 肩固め Kata-gatame (“Shoulder Hold” – Shoulder Pressure Choke), and of course 裸絞め Hadaka-jime (Rear Naked Choke).
The advanced student is also introduced properly to the concept of counter-throwing: turning a throw or takedown attempt back on the attacker and reversing the technique so that they effect a throw or takedown of their own. They must be able to do this for all throws and takedowns explored in the beginners’ gradings.
轻功 Qīnggōng (Agility and Mobility) develops continually through all gradings, but now begins to take a step up to more complex methods of evasion and avoidance.
This grading sees three more major developments in the student’s path. The first is 器械 Qìxiè (Weapons Training). While they have spent years learning to protect themselves from them, for the first time now the student is ready to undertake training of using weapons themselves. The first weapon they are to master is the humble 短棍 Duǎn gùn – the “Short Stick”. Taking a leaf out of the Filipino martial arts’ book, the student undertakes a comprehensive study of the weapon and its usage, and learns to strike from any angle, block attacks, counterattack and disarm. The movements and methods practised with a stick form the basis of other weapons’ movements too, for example the ヌンチャク (Nunchaku) and swords such as the 蝴蝶双刀 húdié shuāngdāo, which in Wing Chun is called the Baat Jaam Dao, after the Taolu attached to them. They also learn how to find viable weapons to use if cornered and given no other option but to use an improvised weapon to survive.
The second significant development for the advanced student is that sparring now includes high-contact bouts where they apply a greater level of intensity than they did in medium-contact sparring. By the time a student is training at the advanced level, they have learned how to protect themselves and how to spar productively and safely, so it is safe for them to increase the intensity by putting more power into their strikes. Back-to-back sparring has, until now, involved grappling only in order to develop a high level of skill with biomechanical manipulation. However, at this stage, light-contact sparring is added to back-to-back sparring rounds. This opens up a whole new paradigm for the student, which more closely resembles the dynamics of real violence in a structured and progressive manner. In order to gain the level of sensitivity and adaptability needed for training at this level, 双黐手 Seung Chi Sao – Double Sticking Hands – is a training method that the student will have been familiar with long ago, but at this stage their performance within this drill is expected to be truly excellent and is performed blind.
The third is the first of the much-loved Wing Chun Forms: 小念头 Siu Lim Tao – “Little Idea”. By this point, the student will know the Form like the back of their hand. They will know every minute detail of movement and every nuance of application. The knowledge contained within will be fully available to them, and they can perform the Form repeatedly with absolute consistency. They can use the Form as a form (pardon the pun) of meditation, and will be aware of breathwork in its use. They can also perform the Form in their minds as an exercise in meditative visualisation, affording them a level of focus that will serve them well in all walks of life. They may be able to do this with either a first- or third-person mental perspective if they are adept enough in meditation. While the student will have performed the Form regularly for a long time, it is only now that they are being tested on its performance. This is because at this level we are looking for no less than perfection. These Forms, much more so even than the others learned previously, serve to sharpen the practitioner’s skills to a formidable point. A comprehensive understanding of these Forms is invaluable to those seeking true mastery.
The advanced student is increasingly more independent as a learner and practitioner. They should now demonstrate true independence in their attitude to learning, seeking out new knowledge and understanding independently, discussing this with their Sifu and incorporating it into their practice.
Evolutionary Martial Arts 