WWYVTD?

According to legend, Ng Mui, an abbess from the Shaolin temple took pity on a beautiful young woman who was being forced to marry a local warlord. The woman had an agreement with the warlord that if she could defeat him in battle, she would not have to marry him. Ng Mui designed a system of kung fu and taught it to Yim Ving Tsun enabling her to defeat him. Ng Mui named her new system after her first student. A more detailed account of the legend as spoken by Grandmaster Ip Man can be found here.

The legend of Ving Tsun can be utilized to help our training.

What would Yim Ving Tsun do?

One may assume that Yim Ving Tsun was smaller in stature than the warlord. If a technique you’re playing is not working because you seem to be expending a large amount of energy, ask yourself, “What would Yim Ving Tsun do?”

The Ving Tsun system enables a smaller person to defeat a larger opponent without using strength. If you’re larger than your partner, are you using your size or muscle to force the technique to work? If you’re smaller than your partner, are you using strength to compensate? Would Yim Ving Tsun have done it that way?

Train hard, relax hard.