No Partner? No Problem

Building Chi Sao Skills When You Train Alone

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No Partner? No Problem: Building Chi Sao Skills When You Train Alone

Wing Chun Magazine, Issue 7

Chi sao, or sticking hands, is the heart of Wing Chun sensitivity training, and it is done with a partner. So what happens when there is no partner, no school and no one nearby who trains? For many students, that has been the wall that stopped them. It does not have to be.

What You Can and Cannot Build Alone

Training alone will not replace rolling with a real person who pushes, pulls and changes direction. What solo training can do is build the pieces chi sao depends on: a stable structure, correct elbow position, relaxed shoulders, the rolling shapes of the arms and the habit of keeping forward intention. When you do meet a partner, those pieces are already in place.

Five Solo Drills

  • Shadow rolling. Stand in front of a mirror and roll through Tan Sao, Bong Sao and Fook Sao slowly. Watch that your elbows stay on line and your shoulders stay down.
  • Contact rolling. Rest your forearms lightly against a door frame, a padded post or a hanging bag and roll the shapes while keeping gentle contact. Feel for the moment you push too hard or lose touch.
  • Forward energy with resistance. Anchor a light resistance band behind you and hold your Fook Sao or Tan Sao position against it. Learn what steady forward intention feels like without stiffening.
  • Visualization. Roll slowly with your eyes closed and picture a partner’s arms. Imagine a push, then respond with the correct shape. Mental rehearsal helps the movement become familiar.
  • Film yourself. Record a minute of rolling and compare it with your instruction. The camera shows what the mirror misses.

When a Partner Comes Along

A family member, a friend or a fellow student is enough to start single-arm work. Go slowly, agree that the goal is learning rather than winning, and build from there.

How Kendra Teaches It

In Kung Fu Kendra’s Wing Chun Online Certification Course, students who have a partner are encouraged to train with them, and students who train alone use solo drills Sifu Kendra created to build the same skills through visualization and objects of resistance. Either way, every level ends with a graded exam and personal feedback.

Read the Issue 7 cover story: Breaking Down the Walls.

Editor’s note: Wing Chun Magazine is published by Sifu Kendra Mahon.