Fuk Sau Basics
First of all, please let me know if there are any problems technically with the video quality. Okay, back to the Fuk!
Fuk Sau is often referred to as the “controlling hand”. And if you understand the shape, you can see why they would call it that. Fuk Sau was really challenging to keep on a basic level because it has so many uses, it can “expand” or “retreat” depending on the circumstances, so i tried my best to keep it simple. Don’t worry, because we will be going over all the shapes many many more times and getting more and more detail along the way.
To understand the Fuk, you also have to understand the “gates”. The “first gate” is the wrist, that’s why we do so many wrist turns in the form, to develop a strong “first gate”. The “second gate” is the elbow, which is why we’re always trying to maintain the elbow to your centerline. The “third gate” is your shoulder.
Hawkins also refers to these like a house. He calls the wrist, the “front door”; the elbow is the “hallway”; and the body is the “master bedroom”.
Basic mistake is when wing chun practitioner has a strong “front door” but their elbow is NOT at their centerline. So all the opponent has to do is get past the “front door” and he has instant access to your “master bedroom”. This is a big “no no”. that’s why good instructors are always trying to get you to keep your elbow in to center. And that’s one of the important reasons for Fuk Sau. to make sure that you always have a “hallway” to fall back to in case he gets past your “front door”. Kinda get it? Hope that wasn’t too confusing…like i said, we’ll be going over the basic shapes over and over and over again and the “big picture” will slowly begin to take shape, so don’t worry, we’ll all get there!
Make sure to practice the footwork drill with the Fuk Sau shown in the video with a partner or a wooden dummy or in front of a mirror. And most important, focus on the detail when you do the form. Remember to keep the elbow (second gate) in and if you don’t, then Fuk You! =DÂ – Jin
53 Responses to “Fuk Sau Basics”
Use the Form Below to Leave a Reply
Hey, verry god lesson , thanku
Can u do a video on speed? how to train to have speed in hands.
It would be verry interesting to learn that.
Xie xie
[Reply]
Jin Reply:
September 23rd, 2009 at 2:32 pm
this is a question i get quite often, about speed drills. let me think on this and see what i can come up with. but for now, ONLY go as fast as you can maintain perfect structure. peace!
[Reply]
Chung Kwok Chow of NYC, reversed the movements in Sil Lim Tao. The fuk comes back while the wu goes out. His fak sau doesn’t go wider than the shoulders either. What do you think about this?
[Reply]
Jin Reply:
September 23rd, 2009 at 5:33 pm
never heard of such a thing. i have no idea why he would do that, and without that reason, i can’t give my thoughts.
[Reply]
Great! I was kinda fuzzy on the uses of fuk sao before, but now I know. So, from what I gather, it is best used as a failsafe technique?
[Reply]
Jin Reply:
September 23rd, 2009 at 9:42 pm
yeah, that’s it, Josh. it can be used as a “listening” position (ready to attack or counter) or a “failsafe” position (holding his pressure) when your opponent gets past your “first gate or front door” (wrist).
[Reply]
the example with the wet towel gave me a good idea of how the “fuk” should feel combined with “not being lazy” & “filling the gap” and how the elbow works to tell the body to move… i don’t do wing chun but I’ve been practicing in other styles of kung fu like hung gar, but i would like learn more.thanks and keep up the great work your doing!
[Reply]
Jin Reply:
September 23rd, 2009 at 10:45 pm
great to hear that it’s helped you get a better understanding of the movement, keep practicing, take care and peace!
[Reply]
Jin as usual…………THAT WAS f@#$%! AWESOME! How do you manage to teach intricate concepts such as these, via video, that others can’t do face-to-face? We gotta nominate yo @$$ for some kinda achievement award…………
I’m still patiently awaiting your explanation of a WC sidekick. Your front kick analogy was right on target [shovel] Just working on the exact point of contact of the foot. Currently using a soccer-like position of the foot. Sidekick is a total mystery to me though……
[Reply]
Jin Reply:
September 24th, 2009 at 12:45 pm
glad you enjoyed it, more kicking videos are on the list, thanks for all your support, peace! – Jin
[Reply]
Sifu,
One question about Fuk-Sau when used to counter a hook punch. Should the elbow then be positioned to the outside of my body to deflect the hook. Is this another use/look of Fuk-Sau.
This video explains so much to me about Fuk-Sau. Like Dallas mentions above, your video’s are amazing.
Thanks again for all that you do.
Scott
[Reply]
Jin Reply:
September 24th, 2009 at 12:46 pm
this goes back to the “clock” concept video that i did. take a look at it again and see if you can answer your own question. let us know what you come up with.
[Reply]
Hi jin, thx again.
The video is oddly stretched out, you guys look like 2 fat hobbits!
[Reply]
Jin Reply:
September 24th, 2009 at 12:48 pm
hahah…i tried a different setting on the camera, which was supposed to be better for downloading to internet. i noticed that too when i saw it, funny!
[Reply]
Great stuff, Jin. The idea of pushing the tension in the “3rd stick” back to the elbow really helped me understand the “heavy elbow” principle. Practicing with that concept has helped me really relax my shoulders, and my punches are getting very powerful.
[Reply]
Jin Reply:
September 24th, 2009 at 4:05 pm
hey, you got it! yes, “retreating” to your “second gate” leads to the “heavy elbow” concept. slowly but surely, the pieces of the puzzle will start to come together, keep at it!
[Reply]
I’ve always been fascinated by fuk sau since i first saw/learned it in sil lim tau because at first it is a very awkward feeeling to use your forearm drawn forward by your elbow in order to stop an attack (more natural feeling to use hands), but this video shed some light on that. Of course the more you use fuk sau in the form and in dan chi sau the more comfortable it gets however the idea of using it after your hand been bypassed to protect your bedroom as well as a sensitivity scale really adds a depth of understanding.
Thank you Jin, as always.
[Reply]
Jin Reply:
September 24th, 2009 at 9:46 pm
no problemo, glad it’s helped you out, peace!
[Reply]
another great video sifu jin. you helped us again understood the importance/way of fuk sao just like the video you did about the importance of chi sao, thank you very much.
[Reply]
Jin Reply:
September 25th, 2009 at 11:30 am
glad you enjoyed it, peace!
[Reply]
This is by far the best explanation of Fuk Sao I’ve ever heard. Thanks a ton Jin.
[Reply]
Jin Reply:
September 25th, 2009 at 11:32 am
thanks! i was really surprised to find that there are 100000 videos on youtube on wing chun and only 1 video on the subject of the fuk sau.
[Reply]
Thanks for this Jin, fuk sau is still fairly new to me and I have struggled to grasp the concept in the past, though is probably due to me not having been taught much about the fuk sau yet. Still your insight is useful and I will make a request with my Sifu to hopefully do some drills in class and I will keep thinking and practicing the concepts you have shown.
Thanks again.
[Reply]
Jin Reply:
September 25th, 2009 at 2:57 pm
fuk, tan, bong are the three most important basic shapes, so definitely make sure you are learning them and building the strong foundation. keep it up!
[Reply]
i’m sure you know this jin, but for others, sometimes to go fast you must go very slow
[Reply]
Jin Reply:
September 25th, 2009 at 4:54 pm
true true…
[Reply]
Hi Jin, good explanation…the fuk sao in combination with the forward intent very much reminds me on a snake that is rolling round the opponents arm and facing his center…ready to counter the attack…I like that idea…!
thanks and peace…!
[Reply]
Jin Reply:
September 26th, 2009 at 2:38 pm
yea, an anaconda is a great example…
[Reply]
You are so relaxed at that speed (end of video), it’s a very good example regarding relaxation. And I think I understand some things better now (not related only to Fuk Sau , but on relaxation as well) . Cool video , as usual.
[Reply]
Jin Reply:
September 26th, 2009 at 2:39 pm
relaxation is the key to speed, great to hear that you’re starting to see the “bigger picture”, peace!
[Reply]
Isit that fuk sao in this video is use for closing the gap between yr opponent and you?Thx a bunch
[Reply]
Jin Reply:
September 27th, 2009 at 10:43 pm
it can be used to “seek the bridge” when distance fighting.
[Reply]
What you meant by seeking the bridge?
[Reply]
Jin Reply:
September 28th, 2009 at 4:14 pm
getting the “contact” with your arms with your opponents arms.
[Reply]
But by how can i do that?
[Reply]
WHat do you meant by listening to the arm?
[Reply]
Jin Reply:
September 29th, 2009 at 9:19 am
first you or your opponent has to “close the gap” between the two of you, once you get the initial contact, that’s when you can apply the fuk sau and listen to your partners intent by using high level sensitivity from the touch.
[Reply]
How do we develop such a high level of sensitivity?
[Reply]
keep practicing the “sensitivity drills” such as chi sau and dan chi sau
[Reply]
Hey Jin, just a quick update, I managed to get my sifu to let me practice Dan chi sau for around 20 mins in class the other day. I have kept practicing my Bong sau, Tan sau and fuk sau. Though I feel there is a long way for me to go yet. Is there any kind of recommendations for practicing these moves on your own?
I try often in my spare time, but since I am new I don’t know any kind of route to follow and I have to travel to be able to practice with any of my class mates.
[Reply]
Jin Reply:
September 30th, 2009 at 4:42 pm
glad to see that you’ve started dan chi sau practice. if you don’t have a partner to train with, there’s nothing better than a full length mirror to help you as you practice your siu nim tau form. also be creative and find a way to make a mook jong so that you can practice movements.
[Reply]
Ross Reply:
September 30th, 2009 at 5:16 pm
Luckily I have a full length mirror handy and ample space to practice what I know of the siu nim tau so that is not a problem, as for the mook jong I will continue on my quest to either build one or get the money to buy one along the way. Thanks for help, I am starting to sound like a broken record but I mean it non the less.
[Reply]
Jin Reply:
September 30th, 2009 at 6:09 pm
great to see that you are passionate about training, keep it up!
But i do not have a partner what do i have to do?
[Reply]
you have a few choices, build yourself a wooden dummy, it doesn’t have to be fancy, so you can practice. You can also practice the form in front of a full length mirror. See if you can come up with a creative way to practice. Hawkins Cheung built a crazy contraption with big springs and a shopping cart! =D
[Reply]
haha whats a contraption?
[Reply]
Did u meant practising the chi sao on a full length mirror?
[Reply]
Jin Reply:
October 1st, 2009 at 11:14 am
not chi sau, but the siu nim tau form, which has the chi sau movements in it.
[Reply]
o okok
[Reply]
What does Fuk sau actually mean? Sau is “hand”, correct?
thank you for the great work. I just begun wing chu, and love it, thanks to you too, who help give such a simple understanding of moovements that to simply look at seem so silly and easy!!
PS: in an order in the videos? like first level, second level?
CIAO from Italy!
[Reply]
Jin Reply:
November 1st, 2009 at 11:24 am
Fuk Sau means “controlling hand”, and if you think about it, that’s pretty much what it does.
[Reply]
Jin,
If your opponent gets past your “front door” and “hallway” and into your “master bedroom” haven’t they corrupted your forward triangle? And if so, do you still have an effective triangle structure? In other words, let’s say that you’ve made a mistake and they have clinched with you, how can you effectively maintain your structure? And if you cannot guarantee the integrity of your structure, how do you get it back?
[Reply]
Jin Reply:
November 10th, 2009 at 8:35 am
good question, that’s what the last form is for, “how to recover your structure when you completely lose it”, we’ll get to that in the future, but for now, work on never losing it in the first place! by practicing the first form.
[Reply]