Importance of Body Structure
Julius is a good friend of mine and what makes him great for this video is that he is not a Wing Chun guy, on the contrary, he is a “brawler” and a grappler, aggressive and very very athletic. I asked him to join us for the video because so many wing chun videos out there are just the opposite, where the instructor is the “big guy” and the person he demonstrates on is usually shorter/weaker than themselves. So it’s easy of course to “out muscle” and “out speed” them for the video.
I wanted to do just the opposite, i wanted someone who doesn’t care what his “movements” look like and has an attitude of “i’m going to knock your head off, any way i can”, because these are the kinds of fighters that you are going to get into an altercation with.
See if you notice all the “concepts” that i’ve been talking to you about and pick them out as the video goes along. most important part of teaching and training is “do NOT contradict yourself” and adhere to the “concepts” that make wing chun such a very special and wonderful martial art.
102 Responses to “Importance of Body Structure”
Use the Form Below to Leave a Reply
THANK YOU SO MUCH! I always wanted to see this type of example against a much stronger and taller person. My only question is, what should my immediate response be if I’m caught off guard? (like on the street)? My friends like to try and scare me every now and then by shoving me (elbows almost horizontal, leaning forward, there CLENCHING my hands so that we’re level to each other). I don’t want to just punch them in the face lol, but it’s hard to stop them when I’m already leaning back.
Amazing video Jin, keep it up : D
[Reply]
Jin Reply:
October 10th, 2009 at 5:24 pm
when you “lose your structure” you have to rely on the “third form”, don’t worry, we’ll get into that subject later on down the road.
[Reply]
stephan Reply:
October 14th, 2009 at 5:34 am
thank you so much for this explanation. Having win chung in france (where I live) is pretty impossible so i do my best to keep training (i first started with hawkins cheung when i was living in LA) and all I can do is the sil lim tao forms… so your video helps a lot to move forward in the win chung discipline. A big thanks to you and please keep continuing it really helps !!
[Reply]
Jin Reply:
October 14th, 2009 at 11:50 am
thanks Stephan, keep practicing and get back to LA! =D
Best video so far. It’s great getting a chance to see all the concepts in action, especially against someone who doesn’t know “what to do.” It’s easy to “spar” against someone who trains the art, because they’ve learned the proper reaction, but someone who hasn’t offers the unexpected.
The pieces are beginning to fall into place.
[Reply]
Jin Reply:
October 10th, 2009 at 5:24 pm
yay!
[Reply]
awesome video.. Spanish Sifu Victor Gutierrez has a video with a lesson on that listening position with both hands, Thanks again for posting videos.
[Reply]
Jin Reply:
October 10th, 2009 at 5:25 pm
no problemo, take care and peace!
[Reply]
Wow, that was so freakishly inspirational, that I could never lose faith in chinese boxing. EVER.
It goes to show that traditional martial arts can “work” if you rely on principles rather than the concept of “traditional technique”.
Bravo sifu Jin! You are a phenomenal martial artist.
[Reply]
Jin Reply:
October 10th, 2009 at 5:26 pm
thanks for the words of encouragement, keep growing!
[Reply]
Great. Thanks guys.
[Reply]
Jin Reply:
October 10th, 2009 at 5:26 pm
thanks!
[Reply]
That is really really useful clip. so practical
I hope some day there is someone goes in MMA using that to whoop ass.
BTW, “I pity the fool!” is hilarious.
Thank you, Jin!
[Reply]
Jin Reply:
October 10th, 2009 at 5:27 pm
eventually, we’ll get some good “Chinese Boxers” in there.
[Reply]
If that guy uses 2 hand at a time to hit you how do i get into a listening position?
[Reply]
Jin Reply:
October 10th, 2009 at 5:30 pm
cover your center and get your “forward triangle” and “body structure” to the center of his two hands. now you have “position” and can handle the pressure.
[Reply]
say hi for me to julius.
[Reply]
Jin Reply:
October 10th, 2009 at 5:30 pm
i will
[Reply]
was that like chi sao?
[Reply]
Jin Reply:
October 10th, 2009 at 5:31 pm
yes, it is chi sau, even though Julius doesn’t know the drill, i force him into that position.
[Reply]
ejay Reply:
October 13th, 2009 at 3:15 am
thanks sifu jin, i’m understanding more and more about chi sau thanks to you sifu jin!:)
[Reply]
Jin Reply:
October 13th, 2009 at 12:13 pm
that’s great! keep it up!
THIS right here is why to me, Wing Chun is so amazing. Size shouldn’t matter.
(Since Wing Chun was supposedly invented by a woman it’s easy to see why it has these principles.)
With sparring, I’ve had problems bridging the gap but now I see why; I didn’t follow their arm back to their body! I’d let them reset and not follow it back. Whoops, how stupid.
Thanks again, Jin.
[Reply]
Jin Reply:
October 10th, 2009 at 5:32 pm
keep practicing, just make sure that you follow his hands in using the “best line”. keep it up!
[Reply]
That was so good, I needa cigarette and moist towelette now.
Jin continue to be amazing, yet humble enough to understand we’re not all at your level of understanding and need things broken down to fully internalize the concepts.
[Reply]
Jin Reply:
October 10th, 2009 at 5:33 pm
hahaha….funny comment, thanks for the kind words, peace!
[Reply]
Great job in illustrating Wing Chun principles. Maybe someday you and Hawkin Cheung will make a DVD. I would love that and I’m sure that many here would vote “YES”. Thanks for sharing.
[Reply]
Jin Reply:
October 10th, 2009 at 5:34 pm
impossible, Hawkins will not even let me film him just for my own private use. He’s so “old school”. it’s a shame, really.
[Reply]
Peposo7 Reply:
October 12th, 2009 at 2:43 am
No wonder you only see him in a couple of Videos on the youtube…
[Reply]
That was awesome man. Your videos are wicked, keep up the good work
[Reply]
Jin Reply:
October 10th, 2009 at 10:17 pm
thanks, Scott!
[Reply]
That was a very impressive demonstration. Good video.
[Reply]
thanks, bro!
[Reply]
Just excellent!!!!!
[Reply]
Jin Reply:
October 11th, 2009 at 1:30 am
thanks for your support!
[Reply]
Great vid really covers dealing with a bigger opponent….what are your thoughts of applying wing chun whilst using boxing gloves?
Im currently studying under sifu joe sayah who is an excellent teacher just wanted to see your thoughts of applying WC whilst wearing boxing gloves in a ring situation.
[Reply]
Jin Reply:
October 11th, 2009 at 10:37 am
Joe is such a great guy, i met him when he was still teaching here in Los Angeles. tell him i said, “hi” and i miss that foo!
boxing gloves make it impossible to “listen”, so if you do wear boxing gloves and spar, just practice your “offense”. MMA gloves, are much better for us, since they are palmless and slim fitting.
[Reply]
tanpak Reply:
October 13th, 2009 at 10:43 pm
totally agree….we are good with mma gloves just waiting to see a vid within a boxing environment or kickboxing environment.
Thanks
Keep up the good work
[Reply]
Woah, FREAKING amazing Jin! Putting all those principles in action, that’s what I’m talking about!
But come on, relying totally on your athleticimg isn’t exactly “great”!
Thanks again man, you know we’re many out there really appreciating all that.
[Reply]
Jin Reply:
October 11th, 2009 at 10:39 am
relying on his athleticism is “great for me”! but not for him..=D
[Reply]
Real good Video again, Jin…!
Absolutely working against single angle attacks.
But what happened if Julius used some more hooks and uppercuts and attacked for real with combinations…?
Since a couple of years I’m searching for a funktionable WC-Strategy against these “infighting” boxers and their conbinating attacks from out of the centerline…
Looking forward to your chi gerk ideas…!
[Reply]
Jin Reply:
October 11th, 2009 at 10:43 am
just remember that to stop a “wheel” from turning, you jam a “big stick” into the center of it’s spokes. that’s what i keep doing to Julius in the video, the “big stick” is my “body structure”. this way, i keep jamming him and he has trouble “turning his wheel” or his shoulders.
we’ll get more into this in the future, we gotta go one step at a time.
[Reply]
lee Reply:
October 11th, 2009 at 11:09 pm
i understand following the jab back , but if you go against a good boxer and he follows his jab with a cross or straight punch wouldn’t you be walking into punch?
you do a great job of teaching the wc concept keep up the good work im learning alot from you.
thank you
[Reply]
angelsonx Reply:
October 12th, 2009 at 2:36 pm
It seems to me that by following the jab back, you’re getting into a range that is relatively safe. The boxer wouldn’t have as much room to build up speed, so wouldn’t have as powerful of a punch. Plus, if you’re listening well enough, it seems like turning his shoulders would just open up his center, allowing you to go in. Could be wrong, though.
Jin Reply:
October 12th, 2009 at 3:32 pm
you are 100% right, also i am following his punch back in a slight angle, giving me a centerline advantage, i know you can’t see it in the video, but for Julius to hit me with a cross, he would have to adjust his feet to “face” me or else he doesn’t feel comfortable throwing that punch.
good example and explaination. very clear .
any good suggestion or example on how to build up the body structure?
or suggest and show how to shift his power away and hit back.
please keep your good work . I feel the way u explain is very good.
[Reply]
Jin Reply:
October 11th, 2009 at 10:47 am
thanks for the kind words, i’ll be sharing “exercises and conditioning drills” that i do to help build a solid structure. the biggest problem for me is that i have very little time to shoot videos, i do all of this stuff on my own time after work, hopefully in the future i can free up more time and be able to focus more on the website.
[Reply]
You’re right…!
It’s the “moment” that makes the interception, I know…but sometimes it’s hard to do…I’ve made some real experiences with muy thai fighers…so I started training muy thai, kali and western boxing…wc did not give the right answers to me these days..
Thanks a lot…and keep going on with your precious work…!
Peacefull greetings from Germany
Markus
[Reply]
Jin Reply:
October 11th, 2009 at 9:43 pm
hey Markus, thanks for the kind words, peace!
[Reply]
jin,
i liked it. for the person that asked what if you mates blindside youetc.
throw your arms out at the person’s spine. from you centre to theres.
1. never attack there hands only there centre.
2. stand tall.
3. relax
[Reply]
Jin Reply:
October 11th, 2009 at 9:44 pm
i agree, but sometimes, easier said than done..-_o…practice practice practice
[Reply]
what you meant by getting your body structure” to the center of his two hands.
[Reply]
Jin Reply:
October 11th, 2009 at 9:46 pm
use the “search” tab above and input “forward triangle” and watch the video which will help answer your question.
[Reply]
lee Reply:
October 11th, 2009 at 11:09 pm
i understand following the jab back , but if you go against a good boxer and he follows his jab with a cross or straight punch wouldn’t you be walking into punch?
you do a great job of teaching the wc concept keep up the good work im learning alot from you.
thank you
UN:F [1.6.9_936]
Rating: 0 (from 0 votes)
[Reply]
Jin Reply:
October 11th, 2009 at 11:57 pm
good question, i’m not walking straight in, i’m creating a “line of attack”, you can’t see it, but Julius would have to adjust his body to “face me” to throw the second attack. we’ll get into “creating a line of attack” in the near future.
[Reply]
Although there are many concepts shown on this video(some you havent explain yet), the most it kept in me was the one you absorb his pressure to the ground. Or that video seen when a WCpractitioner/master “stands” and another tries to push him out of his structure. Longing for that day where as Brian says, “I will pity the foo!”
[Reply]
Jin Reply:
October 12th, 2009 at 12:21 pm
hahaha…nice comment, made my day. =D
[Reply]
Hey but i am still in a dilema of whats the forward intent.can you elaborate more as in how do you feel when you had forward intent.
[Reply]
Jin Reply:
October 12th, 2009 at 12:22 pm
“forward intent” is a tricky subject, we’ll get into it more soon. but just remember that it is NOT a physical action, you can’t see “forward intent”, it’s only done with the mind through the two fingers.
[Reply]
Hi Jin
Just catching up after some time out.
Like this type of video. My Sifu tends to mix things up by bringing in a Muay Thai boxer to show how thier kicks can mess with Wing Chun.. He always says stance and distance are the 2 keys, so could clearly see so those here as well.
More of these please.
Hope you are well
Saj (London)
[Reply]
Jin Reply:
October 13th, 2009 at 12:15 pm
welcome back, Saj!
[Reply]
Two fingers?What you mean?
[Reply]
Jin Reply:
October 13th, 2009 at 12:16 pm
go back and watch the “fuk sau basics” video
[Reply]
I meant why the two fingers is the forward intend
[Reply]
Jin Reply:
October 13th, 2009 at 11:55 pm
when you sleep, which way do your fingers point? towards you, right? when you point your two fingers away from you, it forces you to “wake up”.
[Reply]
Alex Reply:
March 4th, 2010 at 4:44 pm
for real?? oO
[Reply]
Isit that forward intent is like a tool to listen to ur oppoment?
[Reply]
In what ways did my finger point at me when i sleep.i dun get it.thank you
[Reply]
Evil Reply:
October 14th, 2009 at 12:13 am
When they’re relaxed, they curl in towards you. you need to make an effort to point them in any other direction, and that is “forward intent” – focusing your mind and channelling your attention forward.
it’s a focus thing more than a physical thing
[Reply]
Oh ok thanks.how do you train your forward intent?As in is there a way to test or practise this intent?
[Reply]
Jin Reply:
October 14th, 2009 at 3:51 pm
to answer your question, it’s practiced whenever you do “sensitivity drills” of any kind.
but no more “what next?” questions, bro. i know you’re very eager to learn, but you gotta stop asking “what next?” because we can go on forever and it gets tedious to keep answering. but with that said, if you do have a valid question pertaining to what’s at hand, then by all means ask away.
don’t forget, that the “big picture” will all come together, for some faster, for some slower, but it’s irrelevant because the “view at the top” is the same for everyone.
[Reply]
Ohh okok sorry jin.
[Reply]
Jin Reply:
October 14th, 2009 at 9:22 pm
bah, don’t be, you know you’re the brother i never wanted..=D kidding!! you know i <3 ya
[Reply]
Lol.
[Reply]
Hey!
great video!
I really do like the work youre doing, it helps me to understand basics ALOT! One thing tho, Brian (I’m guessing hes behind the camera?) should do a better camera job. E.g. when you at the beginning are saying how it’s done wrong (V-shaped body) he zoomed in too much afterwards so you can not see how it’s done right.
And yes “I pitty the fool” IS funny, but still he should keep it down =)
Everything else ist just great work!
Keep it up!
[Reply]
Jin Reply:
October 16th, 2009 at 3:16 am
we’re martial artists, not film majors! =D they’re doing their best.
[Reply]
Alex Reply:
March 4th, 2010 at 5:07 pm
actually I like the playfullness and the fun demonstrated in your videos. Our training also never gets boring and we always have something to laugh about together, I think that´s a great thing.
What bothers me a bit is a mistake many photographers and camera man make:
When shooting people they tend to leave too much unneeded space above the people´s heads. And I really would want to see more of your awesome footwork jin
Anyways i think it´s a great video and a great choice to demonstarte the concepts against such a intimidating guy
But can you really follow a jab? My friend does kickboxing and retreats his hand at highspeed . I hardly can follow with my eyes.
I think if I would try this I would have to keep my othe hand up as “cover” because I think I would run into his second punch.
[Reply]
Jin Reply:
March 6th, 2010 at 5:50 pm
hey Alex, yes you can follow a jab in, there are many “tricks” as Hawkins Cheung would say, and we’ll get into them.
Genseric Reply:
August 18th, 2010 at 2:29 am
Brian can put the camera on a tripod for starters and simply rotate it (right-left, up-down, zoom in-out)) to follow all movement instead of moving himself around. This will restrict your play ground, but it will give you clear shots. And most important, take a few minutes before shouting to understand from what direction the light is coming, you don’t want it coming from the opposite direction that the camera is, meaning you don’t want to be facing the source of light.
(bow)
[Reply]
Nice lesson, it was very helpful.
P.S I Pity Tha Foo
[Reply]
Jin Reply:
October 16th, 2009 at 3:16 am
lol
[Reply]
Hey jin whr u from?are u from china?lol u are a chinaboxer!!!!!
[Reply]
Jin Reply:
October 16th, 2009 at 3:18 am
i’m Chinese/Korean, i’m an Asian mutt! =O
[Reply]
Jin yr old videos are beginning to make sense to me already.i could not understand them in the pass but however these few days i am caught up with some computer issue that force me to use my itouch to watch videos only from youtube.thank you jin.!!
[Reply]
Jin Reply:
October 16th, 2009 at 3:19 am
nice! that’s why i say my videos are a “reference” that you should always keep going back to, and as you do that, you’ll start to put the “pieces” together of the “big puzzle”. keep at it!
[Reply]
Great vid we just went over this in class a few week back. i espcialy like the fact that you used someone bigger than you to demonstrate it and were abe to flow and control. Very well done jin may you continue to be blessed.
[Reply]
Jin Reply:
October 16th, 2009 at 11:32 am
thanks, Shyron!
[Reply]
Your videos are long and very very detailed.sometimes remember 1 detail makes you forgot the other.I am trying to keep go back to ur video as early as your first vid on the pak sao.thank you agian thats all i can say.
[Reply]
Jin Reply:
October 16th, 2009 at 11:34 am
awesome, and this is something that i think everyone should continue to do and that’s keep going back to past videos, because you start to see things differently each time you do. keep it up!
[Reply]
Hi..nice vid…but the problem is…it loads very slowly….i dont know wether its my laptop or something…but anyway…just nice video:)
[Reply]
Jin Reply:
October 17th, 2009 at 3:16 pm
yea, vimeo quality is much better than youtube, but since i’m using the “free” account, there are some drawbacks. but i gotta do what i gotta do. hopefully down the road i can afford to pay the monthly fee to use the vimeo premium account.
[Reply]
Vinecnt yee aka Igashinobis Reply:
October 18th, 2009 at 11:00 pm
OK…take your time…we can wait:)….nice to c…followers from youtube starting to tun to your page…good luck…and u r a great teacher…and what makes you different from other instructors is that…you reply to every question!!!lol…keep Working and good luck!!!!
[Reply]
Ok now going to grandmother house to catch your power of the squat.
[Reply]
Jin Reply:
October 17th, 2009 at 3:16 pm
keep at it, Zolt!
[Reply]
Hey i got a question reguarding the inside and outside triangle.which 1 is a better choice,the inside forward or the out side forward triangle?
[Reply]
Jin Reply:
October 19th, 2009 at 1:07 am
i’m assuming you are talking about “inside triangle and outside triangle footwork?” there is no better or worse, your feet and stance “follow” your elbows and does whatever it has to do to maintain your “structure”.
[Reply]
Oh ok thanks
[Reply]
Hey I was wondering what do you do when a big person grabs one of your wrists while sparring? I usually just kick or knee of dissolve out of it but it makes it so I can’t trap effectively.
[Reply]
Been reading your blog for a while now so I thought I would finally drop a comment. Lately I have become addicted to blogs I think. I will start reading a little and before I know it half the day is gone. I enjoy exploring all you’ve got on your site, just amazed how infinite the topics can be out there.
[Reply]
That was great instruction sifu
Thank you!
(bow)
[Reply]
Hello Sifu Jin, I live in Argentina (South America), I practiced Sipalki-do for 9 years. And I wonna start to practice Wing Chung. I searched diferents way to learn by internet and I found your videos. My cuestion is: Are you teaching?? where?? wich city?? because I’m really interesting to go to any place of the world to learn wing Chun. I give u my e-mail to be in touch isvara.summer@gmail.com. I’ll be anxious waiting for your answer. Thanks!!
[Reply]
Unlike most of your subscribers, I think this video is very dissapointing.
If you would have put on headgear with that guy and done some sparring against him, and come off far better, THEN explained how you’d dominated him, it would have been impressive.
Instead, you made him let you get to chi sau range, then barely controlled him at this range. It is hard to tell, but when you are at chi sau range it looks like he could have got through with a lot of hits if he was not being so nice and compliant.
Also, you didn’t show that you could get to chi sau range safely if he was fighting freely. Instead you made him stand there like a lemon and let you close in on him.
Bad form.
[Reply]