What’s the Problem?
Terence Niehoff, October 21st, 2007
One of my favorite classes when I was an undergraduate was entitled “Patterns of Problem Solving.” It was offered jointly by the philosophy and design (engineering) departments. The class focused on how problems of all kinds are solved including what barriers, both psychological and methodological, there are to finding solutions. An essential idea of the course was that there are numerous methods, ways, or approaches to solving various problems. These approaches include mathematics, verbal reasoning, logical analysis, graphical representation, intuitive insight, etc. However, not all methods solve all problems. Some problems are, in fact, insoluble using a particular method. And, even when one or more methods may be used to solve a particular problem, there is usually one method that is more elegant and simple in its solution than the rest.
Fortunately, one doesn’t need to “reinvent the wheel” with each attempt at solving a problem. Most problems can be broadly categorized or grouped based on certain similar characteristics. A solution method that works well for a specific problem will likewise do so for others within that category of problems. Thus, once these patterns or categories are known and understood, it makes the solution of a specific problem much easier. One needs to just identify a specific problem’s category, select the most efficient solution method for that type of problem, and then simply “plug in” the specific parameters of that particular problem into the solution method to generate an answer. But, of course, this assumes that one is proficient in the various methods or ways of problem solving.
Years later, when my wing chun kuen sifu, Robert Chu, taught me the wing chun faat (methods), he told me that “problem solving is the key to making wing chun your own art.” That started me thinking. I’ve come - thanks in part to my undergraduate class - to recognize that what he told me is true: wing chun may be viewed as an approach one takes to solving the problems inherent in combat — how to deal with an opponent’s attack, his force, his tactics, etc.
Wing chun has tools (tan, bong, and fook, for instance) and various ways or methods of using those tools. Our first task is to try to understand these various tools’ potential and then develop them so that they become second nature. In general, we are told that at a minimum every tool or movement must work in offense, defense, striking, locking, and throwing. Some think that knowing the tools is enough - that with them they can solve all combative problems. However, it is through the wing chun faat that these tools come alive.
These faat are the basis of wing chun kuen. These methods include jeet (intercept), chum (sink), fou (rise), tun (swallow), tou (spit), tao (steal), lao (leak), chit (slice), dong (swing), kao (detain), mun (ask), jou (run), jie (borrow), etc. The exact number and types of methods differ among lineages depending on the conceptual classification for the method that the lineage uses. These methods allow for the flexible usage of a particular tool (hand, foot, or body). In fact, one could go so far as to say the wing chun tools are merely ways of implementing the wing chun methods.
Consider a specific tool like the tan sao (dispersing hand): instead of being constrained or limited by its model example in the forms, its application as offense, defense, strike, lock, or throw can be greatly extended by using the various methods (faat). One may, for example, emphasize the tun (swallowing) method with the tan sao (i.e., swallow to disperse) or use it to jeet, chum, mun, kao, etc. These faat are not limited to just hand tools but also include the legs and body. They describe not what one does, but how it is done.
With wing chun, as in every type of problem solving, it is important to recognize that not all approaches work for all problems (e.g., “running” from force isn’t always the answer). In addition, even if a specific method works in a particular situation there may be a more simple or elegant approach to solving the problem (e.g., “running” from force may work in that case, but “intercepting” was more efficient). The wing chun practitioner needs to become acquainted with the various methods and then explore their potential and limitations in conjunction with the various tools. For example, one needs to know how to use the tun (swallowing) method with tan sao, find out when it is appropriate - and most efficient - and when it is not. Only proper instruction can provide both this knowledge base and appropriate “tests” to ensure proficiency.
The more methods one knows, and is proficient with, the better chance one has of solving unexpected problems that may arise. Some may argue that knowing just one method well gives them a better chance in combat than being merely acquainted with numerous other methods. Certainly sound proficiency with any method is a prerequisite to effective usage. However, reliance on a single method or even a limited few methods may leave one at a significant disadvantage when meeting an unexpected or unfamiliar “problem” (e.g., an attack or tactic in which one is unfamiliar). For this reason the more problems - and not just the same type problem over and over again - one encounters, the better his wing chun problem solving skills will be. And since we don’t know what we may encounter in combat, to be forewarned is to be forearmed.
By investigating these methods one can find which ones compliment one another and which methods counteract each other. Once the wing chun practitioner is aware of which methods don’t solve certain problems (i.e., tactics or approaches) it gives him a tactical advantage over an opponent: if he sees that his opponent is relying on a certain, narrow method, he can then use the “problem” which that method can’t deal with!
This does not suggest that wing chun can be reduced to an algorithm or formula. A requirement of combat is that one be able to constantly adapt to the changing demands of the moment. One needs to possess the sensitivity to recognize these changes and the timing to make the appropriate adjustments. But only full understanding and skill in applying the wing chun faat enables the practitioner to make these adjustments instantly and to his maximum advantage. At the advanced levels, the solution to the problems posed by his opponent (e.g., the application of these methods) becomes almost intuitive. The faat are transcended and one’s wing chun becomes one’s own.
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