10/08/2026
B**g Sau under the lanterns. Temple Street, Hong Kong, after the stalls had closed.
There’s something about standing in that street at night. Kowloon still humming, the smell of the food stalls hanging in the air, and above you a few hundred lanterns strung between the buildings. This is the city where Sigung Ip Man taught. Where my Sifu learned. Every alley has somebody’s Kwoon in it somewhere, or did once.
So you take the position, and it means a little more than it does at home.
B**g Sau is one of the most misunderstood shapes in the system. People treat it as a block, which it isn’t. It’s a deflection built from structure, not strength — the elbow does the work, the shoulder stays down, and the moment it becomes a wall you’ve lost the idea entirely. Get it right and a much stronger arm is deflected away, leaving you in the perfect position to counter-attack. Lift the shoulder or push back against the force and you’ll be holding the weight yourself, which is a losing game against anyone bigger.
Same principles, whether you’re on a wooden floor in Cornwall or a brick street in Kowloon at midnight.
What’s the one technique you’re still refining after all these years?
Learn it properly from the ground up 👉 robleyacademy.com/online-manual (link in bio)
