Learning a Real Close-up Martial Art

The close-range fighting methods of southern China have their own methods and WingTsun is premier among them. WingTsun fighting techniques operate inside the comfort zone of many people and well inside the comfortable zone of many other fighting systems. At this range, most fighting methods have no defenses. It is assumed by some martial artists that when you are very close to your opponent, one simply switches to knees, elbows and grappling techniques. There is more to the story than just switching distances and weapons.

WingTsun begins close up. It is easier to hit a target when one is closer. In addition, one cannot hit the appropriate targets on your attacker at such close-range with punches launched from the waist or the side of the body. Instead, WingTsun launches punches from the center of the chest, a starting point that is much closer to one’s attacker and simultaneously defends the centerline. In addition, one cannot use the hips for power or a low stance for such close-range positions. The WingTsun way of thinking is that using hip power is too slow and not necessary to generate power. WingTsun uses more upright stances which are quicker to use and explosive energy in close-range striking and punching. WingTsun stances are very mobile, very flexible and very stable. The feet form a triangle or parallelogram to offer stability from all angles. To reduce the probability of falling to the ground, WingTsun does not throw high kicks. In fact,monster energy hats for sale, WingTsun limits the occasions when only one leg supports the body.

Body posture

In a close-range system,http://chs.glazenfyre.net/index.php?...2382#msg472382, it is even more important to keep the body posture straight. The upper body muscles such as the shoulders and the chest muscles are not the primary source of power in WingTsun hand attacks. Power is generated by the sudden explosive thrusting of punches and kicks and by borrowing the force of our attacker. Throwing the upper body forward and thereby throwing weight on the forward leg or pointing the face forward ahead of the shoulders is not correct technique in WingTsun. Doing this corrupts the upright posture and therefore, balance. In addition it allows an attacker to grab the defender around the neck or the upper body.

At close-range,Discoutn Mulberry bags, counterattacks from an attacker are far less likely due to the brief amount of time available to defend when punches start from such a short distance away.

The WingTsun defense is effective from just a couple of inches outward with the wu sau (protective hand). The redundant defense is on the centerline which means that we do not use blocks which cross the front of the body but, instead, use defenses that extend outward along the centerline - the line that connects the center of one’s chest to the attacker’s chest. The whole distance on the path to one’s chest is being protected with a lead arm (man sau) and a rear hand (wu sau).

The grabbing of one’s body by an attacker is made difficult by keeping the whole body weight on the back leg and the head balanced straight above the shoulders. The front leg has no weight and yet has power. It is empowered to pull the body weight forward without placing weight on it and can execute a kick at any moment without giving away this movement as a telegraph. The front leg is extended far out in front of the body in advancing forward.

Unlike long range martial arts, the close range systems normally keep their arms quite close to their body to avoid them being grabbed. In punching, the point of the elbow is pointed downward to create the correct body geometry to defend the centerline and create power in the punch.

Aversion to being grabbed

The aversion that some have to getting close to one’s attacker is mostly rooted in being grabbed. The WingTsun concept in this circumstance is to hit the soft spots of an attacker before a grapple is firmly applied. WingTsun students learn all forms of punching and striking at very close range. The main objection that one hears from long-range martial artists is that one cannot generate enough power at such close range. WingTsun disproves this with “inch-force” punches. This may look like magic in the movies but what is really taking place is the result of training in explosive force punching. The initial training in completely relaxed, soft movements prepares the student for this skill. The student learns, over the course of months or years to gradually increase the explosive speed of his or her punch, first in extensive “air-punching,” perhaps 500-1,000 per day and later in wall bag training. The acceleration of the punch multiplied by the total mass of the arm equals the force generated. This force, applied to the bridge of the nose, the throat,http://www.blogmyprogress.com/blog.p...21&note=559958,NBA Jerseys, the eye, and even the breast-bone is enough to do serious enough damage.

Damage limited

One thing that limits the damage of a strike is the retreating or withdrawal of an attacker as the punch is thrown. The power landing on the target is diminished if the attacker is now moving backward. For this reason, WingTsun training always includes forward movement as the trained impulse. It is important to keep an even distance relative to one’s retreating enemy and press the counter-attack. If the defender does this,new era hats,http://blogs.alternativefuse.com/blo...y698&note=8213, the relative distance between attacker and defender is kept the same and punches will continue to have their desired effect. To stop now means that you will allow an attacker to re-group and come back to attack you once again. This training becomes more exacting in the chi sau training commencing with student grade 5.


About The Author
Keith Sonnenberg is a Sifu of Leung Ting WingTsun kung-fu. He has been a teacher of WingTsun and student of Grandmaster Leung Ting's WingTsun kung-fu for 30 years. Information about his teaching cna be found at:

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