Blogs

 

The following are blogs by various contributors relating to Wing Chun-Robert Anthony

 

"I wanted to bring up the subject of footwork. In watching people doing the rooting exercises in Chi Sau, everyone is doing some triangle, but that seems to be it. Footwork is one of the most important parts to the art, and is the base for the hand skills. There are a total of ten different types of footwork drills that we do in a free format, not to mention the footwork found in the forms, dummy, and swords. Another rule to remember is that footwork is kicking, and kicking is footwork. What this means is that kicking is needed to break down a person's structure. This can be done via means of low-level kicking such as in sweeping, or in the chambers from the kicks. Drills such as circle, ninety degree, reverse, forward entry, and rear entry are designed to attack a person's structure. Wing Chun footwork is not like boxing footwork, in that boxing weaves in and out, rather it is to take the other person's line. When someone first trains in Wing Chun, the first thing learned are the timing drills, which utilizes footwork (turning), interception, and counterattack, all done precisely at the same time. It then builds from that, to include the other drills. Over time, feet and hands need to develop interdependently, meaning that the one supports the other. In an internal art, power is no derived from the movement of the body, but from the Dan Tian. Fa Jing comes from intent, and if done correctly, a one inch strike is as powerful as a long range strike. Ultimately, footwork serves to transfer the root from one point to another, and to destroy the other person's bridge and structure. The hands serve the feet in that once the structure has been attacked or taken, the hands can finish the job."-Robert Anthony 11/30/2005

 

"Hey, I did want to go into Timing Drills in a little more depth. to explain there purpose, and hopefully clarify they are done the way they are.

1) The reason why they are named timing drills is because they are to train position. As I have mentioned in the past, the body as a whole moves and stops together. If any part of the movement is out of synch, then the energy is out of synch. The basis of timing is both external and internal. In the external sense, muscle memory is developed to teach the body to be fluid and dynamic. In training to have the upper and lower body to respond as a whole, the body learns to move in a way that one causes the body to turn out of the way of an attack, two to attack the opponents weapon, and three, to counter. In Karate, emphasis is first put into blocking the attack, followed by the defendant to move within range to counter the attack, and then the defendant throws a punch, to take out the attacker. No, No NO!! This way is far to inefficient, for this creates a three movement response, and is very inefficient.

Let's look at the first step, which is the block. Karate blocks are designed to be close into the body, and is expected to receive the punch or kick at a point close into the body. Timing is of the utmost importance in a block, and you have a vast margin in error in doing this, for if the attacker has faster speed, the defender will get hit. In Wing Chun, we do not block, we intercept. The interceptions can be seen as a patriot missile being fired at a scud missile. If done correctly, the patriot will destroy the scud before its mission is complete. Given that we are doing this from a human perspective, the chances of interception are much higher. Since speed is of the essence in meeting an attack, and following the rule that the shortest distance between two points is a straight line, common sense says that interception is the fastest and most efficient way of dispersing an attack. The way to develop speed in such, simply train them by using repetitious chain motions, such as in chain punching. All of the tools from Siu-Nim-Tou (Cross Tan, Gaun, Inside Tan, Wu, Supporting Palm, etc.) all follow this pattern. With some in class, they place the tool being trained in the path of the punch, but do not have the forward motion. If an interception is sent out, but drawn back as one receives the attack, then the needed emphasis of receiving the attack via the root is lost. Interception must always be forward, with the root ready to swallow the incoming energy, and disperse back into the opponent.

Secondly, let's look at the second part of the Karate response, which is to move into the line of the attacker. What happens in this case is that the response is external, with Yang countering Yang. In such a case, the defender puts himself at risk in that if the opponent is larger, then the footwork attack in negated. In Wing Chun, we turn the body at a forty-five degree angle to move us out of the line of the attack, which also puts us at the advantage of having our line towards the attacker's line, which, if they moved in for a straight line attack, puts their line away from the defender, and into a position of vulnerability. Once the Wing Chun fighter controls the opponent's line from the outside, which places him or her in a superior advantage. Turning is used to attack the attack if the attack is circular in nature, to eliminate the opponent's weapon by injuring it, and then striking up the center with the counter. Some of the stronger interceptions in this situation are Tan, Laan, Fuk, and Pak. For lower attacks, one may use Kua, Gaun, and Gum. Gun is a very good interception to a low attack, because it has great fa jing power, and can cause painful disruption to the opponent's weapon. For inside or straight attacks, Jum, Pak, Cross Tan, Outside Tan Sau, Bong, and Kau are excellent in moving the attack away from you line, and exposing the attacker's ribs and other vital targets. When using Bong, be sure to follow the path of the attack, and respond immediately with a counter, to reduce exposure to your ribs and vital areas.

Thirdly, let us look at the Karate counter-punch. In Karate, emphasis is place on a single punch response, with a great amount of force, in conjunction with a loud "KIA!!" The Kia serves little purpose in a martial sense, except to intimidate, and the punch, while causing paining, is rarely damaging. In having seen Japanese fighters doing these demonstrations, the defender strikes the opponent with all of his Yang force. And yet, the attacker is barely phased by such. There are cases wherein bodily harm does take place, and that is when the defender has trained in internal. In many of the Japanese arts, most will move on into internal training by the time the practitioner is in his or her mid-thirties, about the time when physical strength begins to go into decline. In Wing Chun, the counter is used to disrupt the energy of the attacker. In combining both the interception and counter attack together, this lends towards destroying the core of the attacker's ability to fight. A Wing Chun fighter will use greater speed in pressing the counter. On average, a Wing Chun fighter can throw as much as ten punches in a single second (We timed Scott, and he did an average of fifteen punches per second). By training and using Timing Drills correctly, a fight can be over in as little as three seconds.

2) Another point that I wish to make is that when doing the timing drills as a two person drill, is that the drills are designed to develop cohesiveness in response, as mentioned above. However, on Thursday some noticed that in some of the drills, the counter punch will not reach the opponent. This is okay from the drill's point of view, the goal of which is a precise response. Once that has been mastered, then other elements of footwork and counters are bought in to teach the proper fighting response. Footwork such as arrow stepping is used to attack from the outside, bringing the interception and counter to the opponent Also, at this point in training, combinations of various tools are learned, such as Fuk & Jyut, Tan and Pak, Jeet Ceoi, and so forth. Timing Drill as this point reflect more on fighting and are taught to become part of the main core concepts of bridging, dispersing, breaking, attacking, and sticking. The progress of such are trained first in basic fighting, entering, intermediate fighting, and advanced fighting. Generally, the transition from basic Timing Drills into a more basic fighting format is within two to three months of the beginning of formal training.

3) On a final note, Timing Drill training should be practiced throughout all of a students training, and into the disciple levels and beyond formal training itself. For beginners, the dummy itself should be utilized, to teach correct position. As the practitioner learns to relax and be soft, placement of Jing should be developed in the movements, and eventually lead into Fa Jing itself. Timing Drills are at the core of fighting, and these skills can be easily lost. While attacks in the footwork drills are important in and of themselves, for they teach how to expand fighting skills, they are born from the precision of the early timing drills, and will become more sharp as we learn to remain at the core."-Robert Anthony 12/04/2005

 

"I did want to expand a little about what I was talking about tonight. To me, the first and foremost important thing about Wing Chun is the internal-root, Qi, and Jing. This is why we are working so much in that. In the years that I have taught, I glossed over such too much, expecting people to be doing what was necessary on their own. Now, I am focused solely on development of the internal side of the art. All of what we are doing-the brocade, the postures, the sticking bridge work, is to make all of you uniform in your Qi skills. The thing to remember about Wing Chun is that as your teacher, I pass onto you the knowledge that I have to the best of my ability, and then as students strike out on your own, and make the art yourself. A good teacher should expect his or her students to become better than themselves. While there exist differences amongst the Yip Man line, such as the differences that are found in what I do, what Bill does, and those of Justin Corey, the important thing is to do your best, and be the best person that you can be. Take what you learn, make strong the things that are weak, and refine the strengths that you have. The differences in the lines should not be seen as differences, but as part of a greater puzzle that as we journey on the path of life that is Wing Chun, we learn to make the pieces fit together for ourselves. While I must admit that I do like the uniformity of what is Yuen Kay-San, I also like the diversity of the Yip Man line. If we learn to work together as a whole family in the Yip Man line, we can find the core of what binds us all. The thing is to be fluid, to be linked, to be one with the void, with the way. The great Daoist Sage Lao Tzu said it best in the following poem:

"The way is a void,

Used but never filled:

An abyss it is,

Like an ancestor

From which all things come.

 

It blunts sharpness,

Resolves tangles;

It tempers light,

Subdues turmoil.

 

A deep pool it is,

Never to run dry!

Whose offspring it may be

I do not know:

It is like a preface to God."

 

So is Wing Chun, a void that is never filled, and which grows with us, an endless pool, of which there is no end. Wing Chun just is." Robert Anthony 12/13/2005

 

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Last Updated 14 December, 2005