My 2 cents - that's all it's worth
I like Xiao3 Meng4 's take on Basics. One of my teachers constantly tells me that all his power comes from training the basics. Without them, he couldn't pull off the more advanced things. He also says that the Core basics are the advanced things.
Back to Dissolve - I am also confused by Hendrik. I am not bashing him and think he knows a lot, but he feels like a stereotypical psychologist or monk in all those movies I watch. They kind of cause frustration and force you to think or let go and after many of your own self trials and time, you finally understand them. The funny thing is that he's not the teacher and then he tells you to find one. If he's not the teacher, I feel he shouldn't pose the question. If he's not willing to guide you, he shouldn't pose the question. Once you've posed the question, you've taken the responsibility for the conclusion. Especially if we have found a teacher and they can't answer either. Some of the people here on the forums are teachers themselves and can't answer the question. I really wonder if Hendrik has the answer either, if he doesn't guide us to the answer. We don't need him to give the answer but some guidance might help.
Anyway here are my 2 cents about Dissolve. What I understand from this term is that if someone has touched you, instead of redirecting the force, we kind of cancel it out. Taking away the form and energy, kind of. I'm not sure if I'm saying it right though.
So imagine some guy puts both of his hands on both of my shoulders and intends to shove me. If I redirect, I will let his energy continue in another direction. I can pivot and guide him to either side with my hands, away from my body.
If I resist, I will just sink down in my horse, root and maybe lean a tiny bit in their direction to move my mass over a new center of gravity between the 2 of us. Not so much that if he lets go, I will fall forward though.
If I withdraw, I will take a step back and he will push nothing.
(Or I can withdraw enough so that he can not affect me and stay in contact with his hands. Then at the furthest extension of his hands where he can no longer exert force, I will bring his hands off the original direction and send his body with them.)
If I dissolve, I need very good sensitivity and timing. When he exerts his force, he will gather energy from the ground and into his hands for the push. His intent is already set at his hands and feels stable with a tiny push forward. Before I take the full brunt of his force, I cut off his power so his technique cannot be fully realized. To do this I can Pak both his hands off of me from the inside, or I can come with both hands from the outside and bring down his elbows which can also bring his body downwards with 2 Chum Saus, downward Fook Saus, Gang Saus, Gwaht Saus, Kau Sau or Huen Saus, Jut Saus, etc. all with the intent of Sinking the Elbows (Chum Jarng). In my opinion, the second part of withdraw could also count as dissolve as long as we don't disengage.
The only other idea I have about dissolve, is if I let someone hit me and I take it with little or no effect on my body. If you believe in Qigong, then this might be the answer. But I believe Siu Nim Tau has impact on this and I don't think so because everyone thinks there is a Qigong set in SNT.
My Sifu always taught me to relax in SNT. The way we move in the first section is extremely slow, especially when we do the Tan, Huen, Wu, Fook area. We should move as slowly as the big hand (Minute hand) on the clock. That one area for us could last at least 10 minutes for both hands. Our bodies are so tired from holding those positions up that we slowly start reducing the use of unnecessary muscles. I guess this is "Fang Song" or relaxing in one respect. We still need to move, but only using the bare minimum needed. Slowly the rest of our body does that.
After I started to realize I was kind of loose but this got taken away in Chi Sau when I got punched in the chest. It hurt! Basically I tensed up and provided a hard surface for someone to hit. This also happens if I hold my breath in. If my body was relaxed, it wouldn't hurt so much. So I tried an experiment to see if I could feel the difference. I let my friend hit me and when I saw it coming, I couldn't help but tense up. It hurt. So then I closed my eyes but I still felt scared and tense. To relieve that tension I started to count with my eyes closed. I concentrated on counting and when the hit came, it hurt but not as much. Actually, my voice got louder on impact and that expulsion of air also helped reduce the pain. After that experience I didn't mind getting hit on the chest and got far less bruises.
What do you guys think. Please don't slam me too hard, I'm a newbie to this board hehehe.
Forgot to mention something
Sorry my computer crashed before I finished my post. I said that I felt my teacher's expression. I never said he said it was dissolve. I never thought of asking about dissolve until now, but I will.
But he's a Taiji teacher, I still don't understand how that relates to Ving Tsun. I don't think that using Taiji mechanics to dissect Ving Tsun is a good way to do so. We might find similarities but it's different. If you have to always look outside the system, how well do you know your own.
So Hendrik, I'd like to ask a favor. Please tell me how my answers are wrong. I can only learn from my mistakes. I am open to criticism, but you didn't give any.
This is only what I feel. If you pose a question like you did and you're truly looking for an answer, then you must help in the pursuit of the answer. If you already know the answer, then why pose the question. If you posed the question to help others gain insight, you must guide. It feels like you don't know the answer and you know what the answer isn't, but you'll know it if you see it. If that's the case, then please be honest.