“Shovel” Concept

In my years of wing chun experience, this “shovel” concept IMO is one of the most important. Hawkins Cheung puts alot of emphasis on this concept, especially if you are a “small frame” individual. this becomes very important when you have to “hold” an opponents pressure.

hopefully you understand now why the “deadlift” and “squat” are some of my favorite exercises, because it reinforces this “shovel” concept and strengthens your ability to give or receive pressure.

it’s been almost a year now since i started this tutorial on youtube, and understanding the “foundation” and “structure” have always been my focus. i know alot of you want to get to the more intermediate and advanced material, but what’s the point if you don’t have a solid understanding of “structure”? and later you’ll realize that what i always call “basics” is really the “advanced” study anyways. quality has always been my focus, not quantity. understanding of movement, not technique, how to “listen” instead of “talk” with your body.

the lack of the “shovel” concept is IMO the number one reason why many wing chunners who spar outside of wing chun get “man handled” or taken to the ground, or can’t generate “knockout” power behind the fist, because without this concept, you cannot really gain the benefit of the “body structure” that we work so hard to develop.

so make sure you practice this concept ALL THE TIME in your training, starting with…you guessed it…siu nim tau.

have a safe and fun Holloween!

42 Responses to ““Shovel” Concept”

  1. meh says:

    I’ll keep saying thank’s and reminding you how much some of us appreciate all of what you’re doing.. :)

    Btw, is that an edit at 11:05?

    Keep it up Jin you little sexy long haired chiniz boxa! LoL!

    [Reply]

    Jin Reply:

    lol..thanks, i didn’t edit this video at all and we shot this in one take after i taught kickboxing class today.

    [Reply]

  2. yieldingbamboo says:

    lol I guess you like wing chun a lot better than jun fan then! great stuff as always.

    [Reply]

    Jin Reply:

    i enjoy them both, Jun Fan is great when you are young and fast, but as i get older, i find myself having to rely more on the wing chun “body structure” to get the job done.

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  3. ejay says:

    like what “meh” said we really appreciate what you’ve done for us thank you, thank you, thank you and god bless:)

    [Reply]

    Jin Reply:

    thanks, Ejay!

    [Reply]

  4. Hraangrandir says:

    Good basic stuff as always Jin…!

    The details make the master…!

    Take care…!

    Markus

    [Reply]

    Jin Reply:

    glad you enjoyed it, Markus, peace!

    [Reply]

  5. Saj says:

    Hi Jin,

    I really do like your style, reminding us of the foundation always, so true. In chi sao strucutre is critical for me otherwise i always end up ating an elbows!

    Thanks you
    Saj

    [Reply]

    Jin Reply:

    thanks for the kind words, Saj!

    [Reply]

  6. Franck says:

    Very usefull, thank you sifu !

    [Reply]

    Jin Reply:

    no problemo, take care and peace!

    [Reply]

  7. sonnak says:

    Awesome, thank alot!

    [Reply]

    Jin Reply:

    no problemo, peace!

    [Reply]

  8. Aletifer says:

    Hi Jin,

    This video in particular gave me a lot to think about. We’re taught the 100%/0% leg weight method but your explanation makes sense to me, no worries.

    I did have a question about shifting, though. I’ve been told differing things lately, and I’m trying to understand the pros and cons. When shifting from your heel, it seems like you’re able to change the angle of your body without shifting your placement very much in relation to your opponent. But shifting from the balls of your feet seems more “defensive” since it can give you distance from whom you’re fighting, in addition to changing your angle.

    Does this make sense? People seem to have different but very adamant opinions about where to shift from, but to me so far it seems like it’s a situational kind of thing?

    Anyways thanks again man. :)

    [Reply]

  9. facundo says:

    Thanks for you work, and I like that you go slow in the teachings. Quality is better than quantity.
    Facundo

    [Reply]

    Jin Reply:

    i agree!

    [Reply]

  10. Scott says:

    Amazing lesson as always.

    Thanks so much.

    Scott

    [Reply]

    Jin Reply:

    yur welcome!

    [Reply]

  11. Baker says:

    Thanks guys! excellent instruction. Wicked shirt Jon.

    [Reply]

    Jin Reply:

    glad you enjoyed it, peace!

    [Reply]

    Jon Reply:

    Thanx on the compliment on me shirt Baker! Eddie Rules! I was just playing a little Maiden on my Bass just yesterday, “Sea of Madness “

    [Reply]

  12. ryan says:

    Another master piece.well done, really enjoy watching it.

    [Reply]

    Jin Reply:

    thanks, Ryan!

    [Reply]

  13. Dallas says:

    Another piece of the Wing Chun puzzle uncovered. You should rename the site Jin’s Jewels. Each of your videos are Priceless, Rare, and a beauty to behold.

    [Reply]

    Jin Reply:

    thanks, Dallas, slowly but surely.

    [Reply]

  14. Franck says:

    Hi Jin,
    I tried to shovel yesterday. It’s not an easy concept !
    Are you doing a deadlift movement each time you punch?
    It’s difficult to shovel for each punch because my arms move faster than my hips. Do I have to punch slower? Or maybe it’s not possible to support my elbow each time I punch? When I show you punching I observe you’re doing short movements with you legs and hips. Is it the way to shovel eatch time you’re striking?

    [Reply]

    Jin Reply:

    one of the main reasons for the “shovel method” is to get “under” your opponents center, so once you’ve “uprooted” his structure, then just maintain your position and launch your attacks.

    [Reply]

  15. ted says:

    all this looks so famailiar to me.. like i’ve heard it somewhere before. hmmm

    thanks again for getting me into “shape” :)

    [Reply]

    Jin Reply:

    lol…practice, Ted! =P

    [Reply]

  16. Baker says:

    Frank I have a feeling.. please correct me if I’m wrong Jin. its more like a constant shovel “always on” rather than shovel each punch. You break structure that way between strikes, and begin to bounce from your hips. The movement from the arms comes from the elbows, the power from the leverage of the hips and body.

    [Reply]

    Jin Reply:

    you are correct. there’s more to it, and we’ll get more into punching structure soon.

    [Reply]

    Baker Reply:

    Awsome! cant wait !

    [Reply]

  17. Franck says:

    I can’t wait too ! thank you all for you answers ! I think it’s a very usefull discussion because we’re talking about one of the most important concept in wing chun !

    [Reply]

  18. kaoru-h says:

    hey saw you get flame blasted on bullshido about this, lol they are generally really close minded. I also read your thread about the artist in martial artist. I totally agree with you, it’s just as much of a art form as it is a combative system. If you are not skilled at the art then you can not be a skilled martial artist

    [Reply]

    Jin Reply:

    thanks for the kind words, peace!

    [Reply]

  19. john len says:

    hi jin,
    nice vid.. what lineage are you from? your wing chun is a little bit similar to ours.. keep it up.. :) )

    weng chun

    [Reply]

    Jin Reply:

    hey John, it would go, Yip Man – Hawkins Cheung – Me

    [Reply]

  20. SimpleDude says:

    to be honest i don’t think much about the structure if i have a target to punch.

    thank you for reminding me that^^

    it’s as u said that wing chun is like solving a problem or a puzzle. the instructor gives u the piece and u try to figure out how it works.

    Always enjoying watching ur videos. it does help and gives me the ideas how i can improve myself.

    thank you again :)

    [Reply]

    Jin Reply:

    thanks for the kind words, keep it up!

    [Reply]

  21. Paul R. says:

    What can I say except thank you so much for these tutorials. The video on
    the basic Wing Chun Punch is one of the most informative I have ever come across, infact many Wing Chun tutors I have met have never explained it as clarely as on that video. I`m in the process of downloading the rest of your excellent vids. Brilliant, wish there were more good teachers like yourself. Well done Sifu, and once again, thanks a lot. Paul from UK.

    [Reply]

    Jin Reply:

    glad you’re enjoying the tutorial, keep practicing and keep us posted on your progress, peace!

    [Reply]

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