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 :)