Courtesy from the site Dark Wing Chun. I will admit that it was the wonderful ladies that led me here. But after reading this I wanted to post a question to the Aikido and Wing Chun folks that came to mind a while back.
Does Chi Sao fill the same position in Wing Chun as ukemi does in Aikido? Ukemi as a process is allowing the body to protect itself in fall. After training in Aikido for several years it there are certain dos and don’t in ukemi. There are differences in between how one should fall on a mat and on concrete! (falling on concrete sucks regards of situation).
Anyway, back to homework. I have a video camera interview tomorrow so I’ll see how that goes.
I am Avatar Andrew 
Hmm. I don’t think Chi Sao fits into that paradigm. There are many ways to play Chi Sao. For me, Chi Sao is a post-contact drill to instill the positions and ideas of the Wing Chun system. Forward pressure and controlling your opponent’s centre of gravity (while keeping yours under control) are key components.
Chi Sao is also highly adaptable, if a player wants, to locks, throws and takedowns. For me, it’s a bridge to sparring, as Wing Chun often develops from post-contact to farther distance-fighting. Then the positions in Chi Sao become ‘blips in time.’
Hope this diatribe makes sense!
Thanks for the perspective! It’s always cool to hear explanations and to expand one’s horizons.
I will add that Ukemi in Aikido can also be explained as how one “exists” in the moment during movement (as uke, nage, free-for-all exercises known as jiyu-waza). It’s not just a strategy of protecting oneself during a fall, but also being able to allow oneself to exist in a state where opportunities to reverse a movement (an attack for example) are made possible.
It is as uke that one truly learns to yield, follow and stick… which pays off when you take the part of shite.
Take the part of shite?
My background was in Yoshinkan aikido. Yoshinkan uses older terminology.
Shite = Tori.
I see, and Tori = nage if my memory serves me correctly?
Right. The guy who is left standing at the end.
I want to do a little project with you. Email me, bro (crashtestkenton at gmail).