Non interference is a Taoist ideal throughout the philosophical lineage of taoism. It refers to allowing nature to e nature and as such allowing the self to e just that the self, which is a being of many layers, a being that is not separate from nature or the3 tao.
The idea of non interference is a major part fo our drunken boxing style. there are many Chinese fighting sayings that reflect this, “allow the fist to touch your beard” being a great one. My own Shifu would tell me that if an opponent really wanted to put their had in a particular point in space to let them. There is no reason you have to be there to take the impact. Indeed while you let them do their natural technique (their own idea) you empower them to ring forth their resolve and commit themselves to the technique. Well now, there is also no reason you cant put your hand on theirs to give them a helping had either. Drunken boxing rarely has the mindset of “fighting” “I am in a fight” ” I must eat you” or anything of the sort. It does exist of course and is seen in form many times with the application of fajin power to punches and locks, breaks and holds. But this mindset is not really one of fighting in the sense we would most likely understand it. This mindset comes from not interfering with the opponents technique too much. They should not sense that something has really gone wrong. In fact it is this sensitivity training that will allow you to win the fight in the end. The sensitive drunken boxer will e able to gain information through the subtle touch (bridge) that will tell you what technique will lead to victory. This is why we do all the swaying and rocking, the strange backwards and falling steps. We want to act in accordance with the flow of the fight and the opponent, not against it. We just happen to take advantage of that flow. An old story talks of an old man near the raging and flooding Yantgtze river. To the horror of those on the bank opposite he falls in and disappears, He then reappears on the other bank unharmed, picks himself up and begins to walk away. Puzzled the observers rush to ask him how he could have accomplished such a feat when many hundreds were dying from the waters? “I went where the river told me to” was his reply. Follow and understand the opponent, bind with his movements and body and then turn the tables to your advantage, To simply strike and smash your way through is low level. A drunken boxer is working to attain a very high level of gongfu. This is why a major part of the style is focused on sung jin and qi shou. Relaxed and supple energy and sticking hands respectively. Study the foundations of the art for it is through them that the high level skills are gained. There are no secret techniques. Until there are.
Neil (thekungfuguy) Ripski 