Chisau is the nuclues -- or the heart & soul -- of the wing chun training system. It's quite a profound & advance level learning method, being dynamic, alive & multi-layered in practice, encompassing many wing chun requirments. This form of training is unique to the wing chun gungfu system, and although other martial arts -- in particular, Tai Chi -- has a similar looking training in Tou sau (pushing hands), its concept & objective is rather different to that of wing chun chisau.
Chi means to stick, and sau is hands in Chinese -- therefore, chisau means 'stick hands'. Although chisau doesn't mean much to anybody outside of the wing chun community & other martial artist, it's really just a way how the Chinese describes \ label things, or what some may term as a metemorpher.. They call this wing chun excercise chisau because that's how it looks like -- practitioners' hands being stuck to each other.
There are many, many objectives to chisau training. I will list some of the key benefits of chisau training as fellows:
1) To practice wing chun 'tools' in a reciprocal manner.
2) To develop wing chun fighting attributes.
3) To increase one's sensitivity & awareness.
4) To learn how to react by touch rather than by sight.
5) To learn timing, distance and angles.
6) To learn how to apply close-quarter (short-bridge) power.
All too often, wing chun practitioners that see wing chun in a MMA context say students spend too much time on chisau, but as one can see from the benefits of chisau training, it's usually the case of not enough.
Some people that don't understand this model of training has stated that chisau isn't realistic. However, what they don't take into consideration is the fact that chisau works on a progessive basis. In the begining, the intensity & pressure is low because we are focusing on the correct positions, shapes, angles, feeling, structure, rooting, but as the practitioner gets better, the intensity & pressure increases in correlation to the increase in skill, until it's almost at fighting level. This progessive basis of training is at the heart of all good Chinese martial arts, adhereing to the philosophy of 'prevention is better than cure', which means that health & safety is paramount in our approach, with the model of learning designed to minimise the risk of injury. The development is slower than other models of training to begin with, but it's a lot safer and it can be practiced by all, and not just the young & fit.
Although chisau isn't at full power & intensity until you have reached a very high level, it's still never the less a real indication of your ability to apply wing chun 'tools'. If one can't apply simple wing chun tools at low pressure & intensity, what chances do they have at fighting intensity? Think of it in another way, if you can't control your opponent at low intensity sparring, what chances do you have at full power?
Chisau is very easy to understand model of training, but for some reason, even long term wing chun practitioners seems to have made something simple, into something extremely complicated. I will try to address some of the main misconceptions in chisau.
1) Chisau starts with partners in contact position. This isn't true. Only begginers need to start from a contact position.
2) Chisau isn't fighting. This is true, since only fighting is fighting, but chisau is the 'tool' in which we use to fight. We should be able to use what we train within chisau in actual combat.
3) Chisau isn't sparring. This is false. Since we are exchanging techniques in a random way, it can indeed be labled as sparring. That's why we call it 'gwohsau' -- cross hands.
4) Chisau is a complimentary drill. This is only true at one level of chisau, and it shouldn't be our aim. In fighting, no one is trying to compliment your moves, so there's no purpose to compliment your partner in chisau other than during the early stages of training. You must resist your partner's intentions in order for them to find solutions to the problems you present to them.
5) We must not use full power in chisau. This is absolutely false. If we only train using low intensity & power, it means we can only control low power. We are not giving our partners the chance to feel what 'fighting' intensity is like, and therefore give them a chance to learn how to handle that level & intensity of power.
6) Chisau has no direct combat applications. This is one of the most misunderstoond aspect of wing chun gungfu. Ask yourself, if chisau has no applicable wing chun applications, why spend so much time & effort on it? Also, if chisau has no combat applications, then all the 'tools' within the wing chun system must also be useless, since they are one and the same.
7) We can't make our opponent 'chisau' with us (implying that chisau is useless in a real situation since our opponent won't play our 'game'). This reveals how 'confused' the wing chun teacher is. It matters not whether our opponent can apply or wiling to apply chisau or not. The most important point is that we can apply chisau on our opponent. In the same sense, it matters not whether our opponent is willing to apply western boxing or MT kicks or not, as long as we can apply those skills on them.
8) We should practice chisau soft. This is absolutely wrong! I notice that a lot of wing chun practitioners nowadays adopt the policy of practising chisau consistantly soft (little intent or power), reducing what was once a effective training method into something little more than a game of 'tag'. You will not accumulate any significant wing chun fighting attributes in any form via this method of training, and worst still, none of your chisau\gwohsau skills will be transferable to actual fighting. Subjecting your wing chun 'tools' to soft power & intensity only will result in your wing chun being able to provide solutions & answers only to weak energy, and we know realistic fighting isn't anything like thiat. You can easily verify this: ask your partner to give you 70% power in chisau, and you will find your tools will 'jam up' and you won't be able to deal with it -- even though it's no where near fighting power\intensity.
9) All too often, wing chun teachers repeat the mantra of chisau isn't fighting to their students, but what does this really mean? Yes, chisau isn't fighting, but only in the sense\context that fighting is when you are trying to inflict as much injuries to your opponent as quick as possible, using all options & means open to you, in the most efficient & effective manner, doing whatever it takes. So, in this context, nothing but fighting is fighting. However, we should be 'visualising' our chisau \ gwohsau as fighting, getting as close to real fighting as possible in power & intensity at the advance stages. Chisau may not be fighting in the context which I'd just described, but it's the tools in which we as wing chun practitioners use to fight and it should be viewed as such. If we don't see the correlation between chisau\gwohsau as fighting, then why are we spending so much time practising something which has no actual combat applications? After all, isn't wing chun supposed to be efficient in application as well as training? If it doesn't work in combat, then why are we doing it at all?
When western boxers do 'light sparring' do you hear the coach repeat 'it's not fighting' phrase to them? When Thai boxers spar in the ring, are they told the same thing? Indeed, is there any value telling them that what they do isn't fighting? It's a joke to the rest of the martial arts world that wing chun practitiioners constantly get told that what they are practising isn't fighting.
Final thoughts: chisau may not be fighting, but every aspect of chisau, when trained correctly, can be used in fighting. The only distinction between the two should be the 2 Is. 1) Intent -- which means how much you really want to hurt your opponent. 2) Intensity -- the amount of power you are exerting in your attacks.
As wing chun teachers, we owe it to our students to be able to convey concise wing chun principles & ideas to our students, so that they can develop a good comprehension of the wing chun method. Without this vital point, they don't have a clear direction on how best to develop their wing chun skills, or to aquire a wing chun 'mindset'.
Some people may be angry & disagree with what I’d written, but before you judge me, ask yourself what’s the basis for your disagreement? I've asked this simple question because I know from experience that some people form their opinions\disagreements on watching TV shows or from very limited exposure to the wide wing chun world. They only practice in the confinds of their own club\lineage, with the same people, doing exactly the same same thing, using the same energy & 'predictable' moves. If this sounds like 'YOU', how truthful would your opinion be? Go out & chisau\gwohsau with other good people from different lineages and you will find many 'truths' for yourself. My 'hand of friendship' is always open to all genuine wing chun practitioners. I welcome every one of you to vist & 'play' so that I can convey my points to you in person. Then, if you still disagree, I will respect your decision.
1) Learn the correct angles & shapes of your 'tools' first. All too often, I see wing chun practitioners forming the wrong shape & angles of the bong-sau, fook-sau, tan-sau, rendering their structre weak.
2) Learn to apply the tools in its proper context.
3) Learn to 'root' with your tools.
4) On the surface, most wing chun lookalike. It's only in 'touching' hands that we can 'feel' the difference. That's why we should try to chisau with as many people as possible in order to feel each others energy. Wing chun people argue all the time on the net, but a simple 'touch' of hands will reveal the 'truth'. Why, then, don't more wing chun people just get together and 'play', instead of arguing using keyboards? The reason is painfully obvious: your level of skill will be revealed as soon as hands touch.
Many wing chun practitioners have accused others for spending too much time on chisau. This may be true, but think of it this way. If wing chun practitioners can't make their 'tools' work in a friendly environment, under low pressure, intensity & intent, how are they going to make it work when someone's is really trying to break your face? Looking at it in another way, if you can't swim in your local baths, how is it possible for you to swim in the sea?
We can 'cross check' to see whether we are on the 'true path' in our chisau practice. Simply answer yourself truthfully whether what you are doing transfers directly into actual wing chun fighting. Would the power you are using within chisau inflict any sort of damage to your opponent in the heat of the moment, or, at the very least, off balance him enough for you to set up or continue with your attack.
Another way to discern when practitioners are training wrong is by looking at their attacks. They will compromise their structure, position -- and therefore their saftety -- just to get that hit (tag) in. This type of training doesn't transfer over to real life fighting in any way. Once you've compromised your position with a skilled fighter, they would attack with a punishing blow.