Fill the Gap

Chum Que means "seeking the bridge", but what does that mean?  Well I've always attributed this to closing the gap, meaning closing the space between yourself and your opponent, and I'm sure most people have this interpretation.  It's a very important part of combat, and one that translates through all schools.

Out-fighting is somewhat physically different than being connected with your opponent already, like when you start your chi sau drills, but the mentality is the same.  Keep your focus moving toward your opponent and keep your center line/wedge theory.  If someone kicks, kick it.  When someone punches, punch their punch.  Put an amount of energy into your counter to dissipate the necessary energy for their attack to move through.  If they're much stronger than you, your punch/kick will move you out of the way.  If they're weaker, your attack will push them off balance and allow you to follow attack, but there is something here that's tough to consider.

Once you have made contact with your opponents attack, you must move your feet.  It makes sense in battle to maneuver your forces away from the most powerful front of your enemy.  The same can be said in any martial art. Why would you face your opponent straight on, when you can move around their side?  Part of closing the gap is choosing a side, and then moving there when you've made your contact.

When doing chi sau with my students the other day, I thought of another aspect of, "seeking the bridge." The best punches hit without trying to.  Your spring and structure should guide you through any gaps left by your opponent, but how do you seek these gaps?  You cant make them happen or your intention is revealed, and you can't stand still or you'll never find a gap.

With this in mind, I thought, "why not focus on the gaps and try to move my punches into them?"  It works.  A good drill to try is to do lap sao with your training partner.  One person plants their feet, and the other person, while chain punching, steps into an area where their chain punches move around their partner's.

What a good way to show people how to attack! You're not trying to hit your opponent.  You're trying to keep your form.  It shows that when you're off your center line, you create gaps for your opponents, and it shows how you can find someone's gaps just by moving your feet.

Last Leg and Systema

So Saturday classes have started back for me, which means I get to finalize my open hand (no weapons) training and refine what we chunners call, "the spring."  I know I've described, "the spring" in previous posts, but it boggles my mind how after 5 years of study, I can still learn minute details about my own body by applying this theory.

Last night I was talking with Ryan and he mentioned something that continual confirms what I'm talking about.  There always seems to be some very simple economic motion to return to our center line, and it's always the spring that guides us there. He said that often he has to not think of the motion as combative to figure out a way to his center.  I think that's true about all motions in Wing Chun.  Everyone I've ever sparred with and when I myself attempt to force an attack to hit, it opens our center line more.  This in turn distorts our wedge theory and makes it easier for an opponent to hit us.

This lesson is hard for a lot of people, as their ego's get in the way, but if we can drop our ego's and just stick to our structure and spring, we're much more effective.  example:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hhvBTy28VJM

The Wednesday night class that I teach was cancelled last night because EVERYONE was sick.  How lame is that?  So I went to Systema.  It was interesting to say the least, but personally and maybe obviously, I prefer Wing Chun.  Fight Yoga is a way I would use to describe it, or Russian Tai Chi. I really thought their warm ups were nice, and I like the mentality.  The parallels between different martial arts is always fun to encounter because when it works, it works!

My teacher gave me a great compliment last Saturday.  He told me that I'm moving into a master skill level!  After this quarter, I'll be getting my final certificate with Minh.  Wing Chun... what a journey :)

Circle Circle, Dot Dot

Now I've got my Kung Fu shot!

We've been working on kicks more and more, and it's working out great! It's fun to watch people integrate foot work into their lap sao and chi sao.  Heads facing down... not paying attention to the punch >:)

For the past couple of months I've been trying to integrate the two, but it's not very easy at all.  People want to either punch or kick, but doing both at the same time while stepping and keeping your balance? Forget about it.  They're getting it though, and the more they get it, the better they get, which is pretty awesome to watch.

We also worked on kick defense last night. Pretty straight forward stuff.. literally.  The defense against kicks in Wing Chun is about as simple as it gets.  When being kicked at, kick back straight up through your center line. If you're in a proper Wing Chun stance, your foot should already be primed and ready to kick anyways.  If you're faster than your opponent, you'll kick them first.  If you're slower, you'll kick their kick.  It's easy stuff in theory, but the balance and follow through can be tough.

They don't have Chum Que down quite yet, but I want to work on Biu Tze.  So I'm moving on.  If Chum Que is 2x more complicated that Sil Nim Tao, then Biu Tze is 4x more complicated than Chum Que.  It's supposed to be a culmination of all previously gained knowledge and a means to regain your center line in compromised situations. They recognized most of the sections as things I've already shown them, which was nice.

When integrating kicks into Lap Sao, it pays to understand the circle stepping found in Biu Tze.  That's really why I wanted to move forward with it.  My teacher, Minh always said that learning the form should be 2nd compared to putting things into action.  I completely agree, and understand that now more than ever.  Once you learn how something works, the forms are such a great way to refine it.

Assuming a particular path for your foot work is going to always be available is foolish, but to practice a path, commit it to memory, and forget it (as Bruce Lee would say) is a great idea.  Last night I showed Tyler a path that I think we'll make a drill next week.  I'll call it:

Circle Circle, Dot Dot:

1. Never stop your chain punch ever. Even if you're not punching, keep your spring on and be ready to continue punching

2. With left leg leading, kick your opponent in their knee or shin or whatever is in front of you.

3. As you plant your left leg after kicking, remember to not leave weight on it for long as it's quite the target.  Circle step into your opponent with the right leg (think counter clock wise motion going from 6 to 12 on a clock).

4. From here you can trip them, kick their back leg, push them, punch them, step past them, grab them, arm bar them, throw them, elbow them, etc...

It really sets you up to do a lot, but remember it's not always going to give you what you want.  That should never be your goal.  Your goal should be to always keep your structure, spring, and balance/isolation :)

Class

Sorry for no class last week.  I've been programming in a new language at work, and it's destroyed my brain.

I also skipped the week before last's blog! Well it weren't nothin' special.  Just some chi sao starting from out fighting. We'll be doing that every class from now on.  That's the best way to practice because it's the most realistic!

I've got 3 ranges down for knife throwing, and when I say down, I mean I can hit about 60% of the time :)

Saturday classes have started back! I went camping this last week though, as it's probably the last of the season.  Nothing like backpacking that trains you for kung fu. Clears the mind, and resets the soul.

Dancin'

I skipped a class!  yeesh.

I have 2 lessons now on video that I haven't edited yet :(

Both Lessons were similar anyways.  It's all about the footwork.

Often you'll hear people say that kicks do not exist in Wing Chun, or that they're not used very often. Nothing could be further from the truth.  The fact of the matter is, you are always kicking in Wing Chun.  Just like you're always punching.

In order for the triangle/wedge theory to actually work, we need to be creating a wedge with actual energy in it. To do this, you need to push your spring out to the edge of your triangle continuously. You don't necessarily have to chain punch or kick constantly, but you do need to be focused on the point of your wedge and be conscious of putting your hands and feet there. Focus.

The reason this class is titled "Dancin'", is that Wing Chun's foot work can be akin to dancing.  When an opponent steps back, depending on the distance, you either kick to fill the gap created or step forward and keep contact.  Think of your opponent like a gravity well.

Alternatively, when the opponent moves forward you do not move back.  If their center is gravity, then you begin to orbit.  The foot work here is the same as it is with the hands.  If you move your hand into your opponents arm, you have to roll your wrist around that arm to free your hand to move toward the target.  The same can be said about the feet.  If your opponent moves forward and you orbit around while continuing to move towards their center of gravity, then your foot will hit their foot or leg. When this happens, you must roll your foot around your opponent to get to your target, which is their center.

I think the reason people don't consider kicking a part of Wing Chun, is that most chunners practice Chi Sao without kicks. There might be some leg work done there, but it's usually fine tuned after the hands can work by themselves, which really takes a long time.  So often people only observe someone just starting out.

Hopefully these Fall months will be full of good kicks and Wing Chun kicking! :D

Chi Sao return

We had a great class last Wednesday! A good return for Ryan and David to the world of Kung fu.  All basic stuff and great!  I'm excited for Fall and moving into the 2nd form.

My goal for this Fall season is to learn the wooden dummy form and get knife throwing to some semblance of consistency. 

Still haven't edited all the video Tyler and Katelyn made.  Life is so busy!

No class today

There's no class today (my parents are flying in from TN), but Mike and I did some chi sao at work.  His years of Kempo really lend a hand into applying the theories of Spring. I'm interested in seeing him back in the class working with the other students after 2 weeks of micro training twice a day.

I'll be putting up a video from the last class sometime this week! Haven't had time to edit due to the parents coming up here.