This is one of the most critical points drummed into your wing chun training when you first begin. That is controlling/protecting your centre line..that is imaginary line that goes down the middle of your body from your crown down to your groin. Indeed even in chinese medicine this is an important concept in term of chi flow and the main meridian of the body.
In wing chun you are trained to strike along this central line to control it a s a method of attack. This explains why the wing chun strikes are straight punches and not round hooks.. This makes sense as physics tells us that the quickest route from one point to another is a straight line. A straight punch is quick and efficient and takes the least amount of time from intention to hitting its target.. so it is only milliseconds but every little bit counts.
Also if you are attacking and simultaneously have a defending (as any good wing chun practitioner should) the idea is to overwhelm your opponents.By gicing a straight punch your opponent can either try and defend this front on assault or our of frustration try and go around ..i.e through a few hooks. Because you are controlling this central line, your opponent, in theory , can’t strike back (due to the barrage of fists coming at their centre line)-So they may back away and throw round house punches.
…Now stay with me here..you may want to try this in front of a mirror..When confronted with round punches your guard should be at your centre- head level. The large motion will create an opening with you to strike.. keep in mind a hay maker like this has to be cocked back then slung randomly however if positioned correctly in your wing chun guard your front punch only has to be extended slightly to be effective..done efficiently with time & effort. This is in principle the logic of the wing chun training system and one that you can practice also on the wing chun dummy. There are many variable in a real life situation.Strangely the haymaker and king hit are most common. However never underestimate your opponents and always keep your wits about you.
Wing chun is probably one of the most well known kung fu systems in the world, mainly due to the exploits of Bruce Lee, who popularised King Fu, especially Wing Chun to the western world.
But you don’t need to have the talent, strength or skill of Bruce Lee to learn Wing Chun. In fact as legend has it, Wing Chun was taught to a humble village girl in China from a Nun of the Shaolin Temple. Wing Chun was created for Women.
Formulated base on a series of manipulating body mechanics Wing Chun does require brute strength. These are taught at the very beginning of your wing chun training.
The most basic yet most important form for beginners is the shil lim tao form. This is where the foundation concepts and ideas of the wing chum system are learned. The basic stance and defensive guards of Wing Chun are taught here.
Next form is Chum Kill also known as bridging the gap- where advanced footwork is introduced and attacking moves and strategies. Bridging the gap refers to the gap between you and your opponent and how to make up that ground in an attacking manner to nullify and win over your opponent. Be mindful of your distance from your opponent as the real threat is when they are close. Remember ‘stick and stones will break bones but words never harm.
You must ignore name calling in an altercation its a ruse to provoke you-your real focus should be on the physical threat. The space between you and your opponent is neutral ground. Bridging the gap between you and your opponent require a specific strategy as you are engaging towards a physical threat. You learn how to make up this ground with Cum Kill.
Bill Jee is the most advanced form in the Wing Chun training system where you train to strike with your fingers. The basic idea is that fighting with this technique amongst other thinks increases your range to strike your opponent and targets specific areas. A little knowledge is a dangerous thing so his advanced technique is offered for informational purposes only.
The one thing that distinguishes Wing Chun from other styles is Chi Sao. This is a sparring technique where you apply the hand forms learned by the previous wing chun training forms and apply them to a sparring/ fighting situation. The sticky hands technique teaches how to guard/attack by the feel of your opponents arms.
Wing Chun fighters should have both wrists interlocked with each other in a specific position to break through the others defences. You Block your opponents attacks by sticking to their wrist, controlling their attacks and setting up your own.
It is a lot more involved than this, however it is a critical part of your wing chun training.
Finally you have the Wing Chun Dummy to contend with. This simple wooden dummy provides infinite amount of concepts and strategies to practice from-and can take a beating only thing I would warn is to work on your conditioning. The wing chun wooden dummy or Muk yan Jong will last a lot longer than you during a training session ..but not sure if your arms can take the Wing chun wooden dummy and its solid base and solid arms However it is an invaluable tool and an essential component of any students wing chun training.
There are a number of reasons to start learning a martial art. I know when I began wing chun training it was more out of fitness and a side effect would be the ability to kick but. I didn’t really enjoy going to gyms with their beefy muscle walking around just grunting at your direction.
Others learn wing chun kung fu to build confidence. Which is ideal. Learning a martial art or any method that offers security and a sense of pride. A lot of the times we live or lives in fear, what is going to happen with me? This holds true in all aspects of our lives.More to the point i have found that it is the biggest bullies that seek to impose their physicality that are the most fearful and insecure.They are usually bullies and seek to be the strongest.
However I side effect I found whilst doing my wing chun training was that the more I learned the more comfortable I became with myself.Out with friends i was calm and relaxed. Whenever there was someone acting inappropriately –usually drunk and calling names before I would get upset and felt a great insult and had to prove my self by a physical demonstration of strength so I didn’t lose face.
However as I developed my skill and came confident in my abilities I came to realise that it I was the only one I had to prove anything to.drunken stranger does not determine how i behave, i have the confidence to ignore all negativity that comes my way. To be totally superficial, did I need to prove to the world that I was able to beat up a drunk who didn’t know better.I had the confidence in myself that i could defend myself and other around me.. I didn’t need to start an unnecessary altercation to prove anything. I had the inner confidence and did not have the need to prove my self to anyone. That is the gift wing chun training gave me.
Aikido is a new type of martial art. Its stress lies on the balanced fusion of body and mind with the natural laws of Nature. Aikido focuses on accepting and respecting the energy of life and nature and channeling this harmony onto techniques that expresses this energy in physical forms.
Aikido is commonly viewed as more of a defensive martial art since its methods and teachings are made for you to avoid or get out of difficulty. To the contrary, Aikido’s systems are terribly forceful and effective.
Basically, there are four levels of technique in Aikido training. These are the katai which alludes to the basic coaching and is designed to build the bedrock of body movements and respiring; the yawarakai trains the defendant to deflect attacks and fuse movements to take control of the attacker or situation; the ki-no-nagare which involves coaching the accused to protect or counter attack by merging his movement with the assailant even before the second makes contact; and the ki which is the downright Aikido strategy and involves building a link of ki or spirit from the defender to the assailant.
When training for Aikido, you need a sparring partner. The uke and the nage. The Uke is the initiator of the assault and receives the Aikido methodologies, while the Nage is the defender and the one that neutralises the assault.
Aikido basic methodologies include ikky which involves control an assailant by placing one hand on the elbow and one on close to the wrist giving a chance to throw the assailant to the ground; the niky which draws in the uke using a wristlock and twists the arm while applying painful nerve pressure; sanky which is a revolving method directed at trying an arching stress on the entire arm including the elbow and shoulder; yonky a shoulder control technique with both hands gripping the forearm; goky is another alternative of ikky whereby the hand gripping the wrist is reversed and is reasonably handy in weapon take-aways; shihnage or the four-direction throw; kotegaeshi or wrist return which involves a wristlock-throw that stretches the extensor digitorum; kokynage also known as breath throws or timing throws; iriminage or entering-body throws which looks like a ‘clothesline’ methodology; tenchinage or heaven-and-earth throw; koshinage or the Aikido’s version of the hip throw; jinage or the shaped-like-’ten’-throw; and kaitennage or rotation throw wherein the nage sweeps the arm of the uke back until it locks the shoulder joint after which the nage applies forward pressure to throw the attacker.
These are just basic methodologies and from the list thousands of possible implementations or mixes can be drawn by the aikidokas. In Aikido, the strikes employed in the implementation of the Aikido system are called atemi. For beginners, grabs are the first ones to be taught. It is safer and the aikidoka can easily feel the energy flowing from the uke to the nage.
Among the basic grab methodologies are the katate-dori or single-hand-grab which includes using one hand to snatch one wrist; morote-dori or both-hands-grab which uses both hands to grab one wrist; ryte-dori another both-hands-grab strategy whereby both hands are used to snatch both wrists; kata-dori or the shoulder-grab technique; and the mune-dori or chest-grab which involves grabbing the clothing of the chest of the assailant.
Mastering each technique involves discipline and dedication. To be a good aikodoka, one must master both the methods and principle of the marriage art.
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