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| Discover the Secrets of Wing Chun Footwork - It's NOT Chinese Dancing! |
By:
Yoshi Kundagawa |
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Wing Chun Fancy Footwork - Not Chinese Dancing!
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How's the new dance move youre doing, Yoshi?
Sure, I hear that often. Even from people who should know better. You probably do as well, especially if you practice footwork for Wing Chun. Wing Chun, or Chinese Dancing is a gentle style with a strong philosophical bent to it. Originally, the name came from the ideograms for Ever Spring, and its appropriate. I was fed up of walking with contusions and sore muscles, and needed to change to a softer style while I was recovering. I enjoy Kung Fu styles, so learning Wing Chun was second-nature. Only without as much falling, or as many punches to the sternum as most King Fu styles. But the joint locks reminded me that I was practicing a real martial art. (One piece of advice anyone who says Hey, let me show you a joint lock! is a maniac. Just say no. Trust me.) In a few ways, Wing Chun is like the early forms exercises you do for Kung Fu, then carried to their logical extreme, instead of being used as the fundamentals of a hard style.
What drew me to Wing Chun, aside from the sprained wrist on my primary punching hand, was the fluid foot movements that its practitioners have. Well, OK. It was the fluid footwork that I saw in Jet Lis films, while waiting for my wrist to finish healing. But still, just from watching the films, I could see definite uses for Wing Chun footwork in my repertoire of techniques once my wrist was better. Wing Chun footwork has a focus on balance more so than with a strong kicking style, which can leave you very exposed trying for a circle kick.
In particular, the footwork requires that you be in a low stance, but not so low that your mobility is hindered. Everybody who does martial arts has heard of this stance, or that stance. And unless youre working in front of a mirror, youll take the easiest stance you can get away with without your sparring partner kicking you repeatedly. What's cool about Wing Chun is that the form drills (San Sik is what theyre called) REALLY emphasize fluid motions. if you're doing it correctly you'll definitely break a sweat. The muscles in your quads and hamstrings will be burning but wow, is the end result worth it! These forms become second nature, as if theyre learned by your knees and hips, and you just do them after the pain has faded away.
Everybody will be talking about your new dance steps, but Wing Chun footwork will pay for itself nicely. Since applying it, Ive been much more conscious of how my bent knees increase my reach with elbow strikes and punches, and its been much harder to take me to the mat in Jiu Jitsu. The things Ive compensated for from the footwork, Ive learned have been in mobility. Its possible to plant too hard which makes it tempting to break your stance to give pursuit. Particularly when youre flowing from a down block and trying to transition into a kick - it's at that point, the Wing Chun footwork has to skip a beat while you switch back to a harder Kung Fu kick.
Anyway, Im glad I took the time to learn this. Its provided me a good base to work from, and a few more surprises to throw into sparring matches. Particularly fun is when someone makes fun of the dance steps and then exclaims "How the heck did you do that, Yoshi?".
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Yoshi Kundagawa is a freelance journalist. He covers the
mixed martial arts industry. For a free report on Wing Chun Palm Techniques DVD visit his blog http://www.martialarts3000.com/wingchunpalmtraining.htm |
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