Archive for the “Wing Chun” Category

Wing Chun is great for trapping, but I always hear from some that it doesn’t work or they can’t get into trapping range. I think that there is a couple of issues when looking at trapping, mindset, timing, & distance.

Mindset – If you limit yourself into thinking that there is only one way to trap, then you may be missing many opportunities to trap. Or your understanding of it’s use, may also lead to your frustrations. Lets start by defining what a ”trap” is.

What is a trap – Well, a trap as I define it, is anytime I can limit the movement of my opponent (either his arm, leg, body, etc). This is a trap.  When looking at a trap, consider them either in two terms “simple” or “complex” traps. A simple trap is limiting one limb with one limb, a complex trap is when you use one of your limbs to trap (or limit) two or more of his limbs.

How a trap can be used – When using a trap, don’t think of a trap necessarily as a ‘submission’ type technique. Think of a trap as part of a solution to bigger problem. If my objective is to strike someone, but their limbs are in the way, by pinning or limiting the movement of a hand out of the way, I can facility my strike. The other thing to consider is that a trap doesn’t stay permanently. In the ideal world it would, but reality is you may only have a trap for 1 or 2 seconds at a time.

How to get punched in the head while doing a trap – There are a few way to fail at trapping and get yourself punched in the head.  Here are a couple of ways:

1. Forcing the Trap: You are trying to force a trap to happen, and as such you are not listening to what is really going on. This would be the equivilant of having a conversation with someone, but both of you are talk at the same time, and also talking about two totally different subjects.
2. Chasing the Trap: You saw the opportunity but it came a moment to late so you chase after it. This is much like chasing an armbar in BJJ or chasing a weapon disarm in Kali. If you focus on chasing the trap, you will surely miss it, and get a hit at the same time. In Wing Chun there is a saying, “Chase the center not the hand.” In this case, when you chase the trap, you are chasing the hands.
3. Trying to Keep the Trap: This is as bad as chasing the trap. If you managed to trap the hands, you’ve placed a few hits in, but now your opponent has started to find a way out of the trap, and you now start to either Force the Trap or Chase the Trap. In Wing Chun there is another saying, “Accept what comes, Follow what goes, loss of contact strike.” So if you’re trap starts to fall apart, accept it, and continue to flow with what is happening. Just be happy that you were able to get the trap in the first place.
4. Wrong Distance: so you see the possibility of a trap, but you are either too close or too far from your opponent. Trapping occurs at a very specific range. It is located between Boxing and Stand up grappling, somewhere around the clinch but not quite. If you are too far, you’re using the wrong tool at the moment you should be kicking or boxing, if you are too close, you should be looking to clinch or grapple.

When trying to learn trapping, I believe in starting in isolation, so you can see the trap possibilities, but then move to training the trap in chi sau with a partner.

Good luck in your training!

Some things to ponder while you train your Chum Kiu form from Wing Chun:

Chum Kiu the second form in the Wing Chun system is both simple and complex in theory and in physical application. Chum Kiu moves the Wing Chun practitioner from remaining stationary (Sil Lim Tao), and introduces them to both movement and engaging two new ‘engines’ or ‘power sources’.

While each of the hand positions(bong sau, etc) are found in the Sil Lim tao form individually, it is in Chum Kiu that we learn to put two hand positions together. To give you the analogy that Sil Lim tao is the ‘letters’ in the Wing Chun alphabet, Chum kiu is the formation of letters into words. For example in Sil Lim Tao we are introduced to the hand positions (or letters) of Bong Sau, and of Wu Sau. When found in Chum Kiu, they are put together to form a familiar but different ‘word’. Much like taking the letter ‘a’ and the letter ‘n’ and making the word, ‘an’.

While Students are told to unify their lower and upper bodies together to make a singular unit, it is in Chum Kiu that this is tested and power is put into the system. For many practitioners, this is a ‘re-learning’ experience, or more possibly a ‘refining’ experience. It is during the learning of the Chum Kiu form that Wing Chun practitioners learn to apply the Keun Kuit (Fist saying), “Power comes from ground.” For if the Wing Chun practitioner does not learn to apply this concept, the power they do generate will be limited to muscular tension through the upper body, relying on an inefficient method of power generation. For when Wing Chun practitioners move, their bodies should move with them. Neither the hands or legs should lead the body, but together in harmony following the ‘intent’ or ‘mind’ of the Wing Chun practitioner, following two other Wing Chun keun kuit, “Fist come from Heart” and “Hand and feet go together.”

It is during the training of Chum Kiu, that Wing Chun practitioners also learn to ‘cross the bridge’, this I feel is a better meaning of the form than ‘searching the bridge’. We find that in Chum Kiu, the practitioner never overextends, but moves his (or her) body forward toward the intended target. This movement phase in the Wing Chun training system, is focused and intentioned. It is my thought that the founders of Wing Chun knew that adding movement to early into the system would prevent the Wing Chun practitioner from learning the concepts of Centerline, facing & unification which are found and isolated in Sil Lim tao.

We also find kicking for the first time in the Wing Chun system. Interestingly enough,  of the three empty hands forms (Sil Lim Tao, Chum Kiu and Biu Jee), kicks are only found in the Chum Kiu form. This brings me to ponder what the founding members of Wing Chun knew about kicking. Some studies have shown that it takes a significant amount of hours to become an effective kicker. Maybe this is why in Chum kiu only two kicks are introduced. Both of which can be quickly learned and executed by beginner Wing Chun practitioners. But when allowed to practice for a longer duration, the student gains added power, flexibility and increased balance. Depending on your sources for Wing Chun Keun Kuit, you may find one or both of the following maxims, “9 times out of 10, a kick misses.” and/or “9 times out of 10, a Wing Chun kick does not miss.”

Until Next Time. Keep Training, Keep learning…..

Chi Sau is a major component in the Wing Chun curriculum. Chi Sau can become an obsession to many Wing Chun practitioners. One of the most significant ways to get better of Wing Chun Chi Sau is to put ‘Time in the Pattern’. But the big problem is that if you just ‘spend time in the pattern’, you will be gaining very little in the way of advancement.

If you want to get better at your Chi sau, you need to train intentionally. Sometimes the best thing to do is to find a partner that you can work with, and is willing to help you work on areas of your Chi sau. Some of the things that you can focus on:

1) Lines of Force
2) Footwork
3) Coordination flows
4) Individual techniques
5) Facing
6) Centerline

It’s important to remember that Chi Sau is a total sum of individual parts brought together into one motion.

Hey All,

I’ve seen some people just practice the Pak Sau drill or Bong Sau/Lap Sau drill over and over without realizing the awesome tool that they have for learning and functionalizing their Wing Chun.

Let’s look at the Pak Sau Cycle (or Drill):

Person A: does Chair Lum Keun (Chain punching) while in Yee Gee Kim Yeung Ma.

Person B: Does pak sau while in Yee Gee Kim Yeung Ma (YGKYM).

For some reason, this is where many people stop, or they only have 1 or 2 drills that they do.

But From here, so many things can happen. Here’s just a couple of options:

1) Pak Sau, Lap Sau: The person doing pak sau can every once and a while do a lap sau. This helps with developing timing and understanding angling.

2) Pak Sau, Inside Pak Sau

3) Pak sau, Tan Sau, Bong Sau

All of these help with developing Flow, timing and angling. But the best is if you look at either Pak Sau cycle or Bong Sau cycle as a ‘Container’ in which you are only limited to your creativity. The Bong Sau cycle and Pak Sau cycle should be looked at the same way that Luk Sau (Rolling hands) is to Chi sau. Rolling hands isn’t chi sau, but it is the container for chi sau.

Hey All,

While I was teaching and also doing my own training I noticed several students practicing their forms (Sil Lim Tao, Chum Kiu, Biu Jee). But what amazed me the most, was that they were doing the forms in a passe way. Just going through the motions, and not minding what they were doing or how they were doing it.

I understand that there are times when we just aren’t into training our forms, but that should be the exception, not the rule. Most of us don’t put our mind and spirit into our forms. But if you want to excell in your chosen martial art, and what to get the biggest bang for your training time here are a few tips to help you through it.

1. Become One: Connect your Mind with every motion of your body. Think and feel every motion, your body should have a unity that can generate ‘effortless power’, but look graceful.
2. 10 to 1 Rule: For everytime you do your form at ‘Normal’ or ’Fast’ speed, do it 10 times slow. Now I know some of you are thinking, ‘But traditionally my form isn’t done that way!’, well, that may be true, but if you really want to get the mechanics down, and KNOW where your body is during every motion, do it slow. By slowing down the form, it is like doing it 10,000 times.
3. Feel the Power: Focus on where your body should be generating power during any given movement. There are several ways to do this, but one of the ways it to put a ‘Mind of Pressure’ in each move. Meaning pretend there is some pressure that is giving you some resistance trying to prevent you from doing the action.
4. Body Bump: Get a partner to push or ‘bump’ you after every move. This will help you know if you are balanced and rooted properly. Now Don’t have your partner give you so much force that you can’t stay rooted.

Well I hope it helps. And remember:

Keep Training, Keep Praying, Keep Learning!