015 - Unorthodox Lap Sau Changes

There are other ways to initiate changes from side to side besides the three grabs. Consider these two:

When you cross your partner's bong sau with your punch, convert the punch to a gon sau/punch or huen sau punch (like in the wooden man form). The punch forces them to counter with the opposite side bong sau.

When your partner crosses your bong sau, convert your bong sau into a tan sau and punch, forcing them to use the opposite hand to bong sau.

014 - Bong Sau with Your Core

When you conduct a bong sau block, you should feel your dan tien connect through the bridge and affect the dan tien of your partner. Your block and your partner's punch should connect evenly and totally through your core muscles and stance.

013 - Asking Hands Counter

Practice asking hands pull/gum sau set with throat chops. After warming up, when your partner goes for the pull, huen sau and then tan sau strike like in lesson 012.

Variation: Let them pull your hand to execute the chop, which you counter with a wu sau. As they go to pull your wu sau, huen sau and strike like in lesson 012.

012 - Tan Sau/Tan Sau Strike drill

Stand in forward stance with your guard up. Cross font hands with your partner. Have your partner push into your hand twice, as if he was going to do an asking hands pull and chop attack. On the second push, Huen Sau with your lead hand so that their push passes by your guard. Then check the hand as it passes the centerline with a tan sau and strike!

011 - Chi Sau and the Wooden Man

The arms of the wooden man are purposefully loose in their sockets. They let you see the different vectors you are using to apply your blocks, grabs, and attacks. By paying close attention to the way you are moving the arms within their sockets, you can tune your responses to various kinds of energy in fighting.

010 - Elbow check for underside crossover

When your chi sau partner changes underneath to go from a two-hand facing chi sau to single-hand outside guard, use your freed hand to check their elbow. This will allow you to maintain your line.

009 - Asking Hands

Before walking the bridge, it is useful to judge the intentions of your partner. One way to do this is the feel their motion and react accordingly. This can be a passive experience, where you exert little to no energy into your opponent and just react based on the energy they give you. Then you can also exert slightly into your opponent to find their intent. This is more like active sonar, pinging the partner through touch and pressure. Think of it as "asking" your opponent what their intention is through your contact.

Beware: asking to loudly reveals your intent which they can use against you.

Idea: you can sometimes entice your opponent to answer by applying some pressure to them. Their reaction in stiffness or reaction can become the lever you use to walk the bridge.