Forum | China Boxer

Ars vitae on punching someone much heavier

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 06:03:29 +0000

I tend to be relaxed until my fist make contact. Once my contact feels structurally aligned and I can feel my fist sinking into the object, this is the point in time that I can decide to explode past the target. By explode, I mean using my twitch muscles akin to sneezing, where you're whole body issues force in a short space in time. If I use pure aggression/power against someone more skilled than me ie, my sihings then I end up hitting the floor REALLY fast, normally because I give them something solid to hold/redirect onwards.

WiredEarp on punching someone much heavier

Mon, 30 Aug 2010 02:25:13 +0000

Thanks Ars Vitae, I'll have a look through Jin's videos and see if I can find where he talks about the 'shovel method'. While we are all talking about punching, what is everyones opinion on tensing the fist/arm just before impact? When I was training (it was a very 'soft' style of WC in terms of chi sao etc) I was told not to do this, but that the ability to issue power without doing this would just come naturally over time. Nowadays, im in 2 minds. It definitely FEELS like im putting in more power/hitting harder when I tense, however, sometimes when hitting without tension i've been quite surprised at the effect on my opponent.

Ars vitae on punching someone much heavier

Fri, 27 Aug 2010 07:10:52 +0000

Hello WiredEarp,

I like your description of using structure, which I believe is Jin's shovel method analogy. I normally tell people, think of your arms as the Wing Chun long pole being a spear and that everything needs to be aligned from the tip/fist pointing at the target to the base of your pole being firmly planted for ground reaction force, to your body/spear-shaft having the right dynamic tension, ie not to stiff, or your'll damage your joints and not to soft where you'll collapse your structure. The best way I find, is to slowly build up the intensity of hitting the pad/object/partner comfortably, then increasing the explosive energy you can express, through your alignment.

Regards,

Ars vitae.

WiredEarp on punching someone much heavier

Fri, 27 Aug 2010 06:20:13 +0000

I'm going to talk a load of what is probably bollocks now, as I haven't actually studied wing chun for about 10 years. However (and I feel this may be similar) I've had to develop my punch structure over the course of sparring in the last year. If my sparring partner and I are using chest pads (so we can hit harder than normal) as we do sometimes, I used to find it quite difficult to take his charges. Even now, if I dont have perfect form, I cannot reliable hold him back. However, when I DO hit him properly when he attempts to charge in, he either stops dead or flies backwards, as tho his own momentum has rebounded against him. The only way I can explain it is being a little bit like the African method of spearing a lion, by putting the butt of the spear on the ground, and angling the tip of the spear towards the lion, so when the lion leaps, he is not leaping against the strength of the man, but against the ground.He moves in and I hit and feel his power being diverted down my arm all the way to my rear foot, and it is almost like he is imbalanced upwards by the angle of the punch as well as its power combined with his own - sometimes breaking his balance, while still not requiring me to put in much power other than to hold my structure in alignment.

KaiHong on Training exercises to practice on my own?

Thu, 26 Aug 2010 22:30:38 +0000

Doing shadow boxing will help you get the movements(techniques) down, but it is best to find a partner who understands the concepts so that you can improve each other. By practicing with someone who also understands the concepts, you can help each other develop a deeper understanding and improve each other.

You could practice with someone who doesn't understand, but it will be harder to understand and apply the concepts.

Also, I just remembered, you can practice hitting the invisible mook jong and work on your footing and movements. Jin has a video where he does the wooden dummy form without a wooden dummy and using three sticks, which form a triangle, as a guide.

("As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another." – Proverbs 27:17, Bible)

taedoju on Training exercises to practice on my own?

Sat, 21 Aug 2010 12:44:03 +0000

hi there, it is my first post, i think that doing something similar to shadowboxing would be good idea, i.e doing form few times, taking some techniques and trying to do them while moving forward using your imagination. Correct me if im wrong but i think that this can be usefull and this help with tactic during fight. And it offers conditioning benefit if done at good pace...(today for example i did pak sao drill with my partner, first form, light sparring and finished with "shadow wtbox " with set of burpees between "rounds" )

take care!

Jin on Training exercises to practice on my own?

Fri, 20 Aug 2010 16:54:41 +0000

what i will try to do is at the end of every video "drill", i will take a few moments on how to practice it a few different ways for people who don't have a partner always available, but one of the best ways is to make or buy a wooden dummy.

Jin on question about concept: hand must come first

Fri, 20 Aug 2010 16:44:01 +0000

this concept is only true if you are practicing the "half beat FASTER" method of wing chun, this means that you are younger, stronger, faster than your opponent, therefore you don't want the "touch" jamming your athleticism, which means you have to practice hand speed and the "LACK of touch".

Jin on wooden dummy

Fri, 20 Aug 2010 16:41:40 +0000

everyone is pretty much on the money...the wooden dummy is there to help develop your "body structure", it allows you to practice the forms on something rigid, what it can't do is teach you "timing", this can only be done by touching hands with many different types of individuals.

Jin on How strong should a chain punch be?

Fri, 20 Aug 2010 16:36:57 +0000

it should be as strong as your "body structure". that's why it's so important to develop the "body structure" instead of developing the hand.

MikeZilla on How strong should a chain punch be?

Fri, 20 Aug 2010 04:51:29 +0000

Also remember that when you delivering your chain punch you will rarely be static like you are when attacking the heavy bag. The way is open so you'll advance and attack the centre line. While regular punching is probably the equal of a wing chun chain punch while stationary. Once you add the principle of constant forward pressure you have more attacks with more power which are also forcing your opponent backwards, drawing power from his attacks.

scott on wooden dummy

Thu, 19 Aug 2010 05:26:44 +0000

The wooden dummy is a tool which gives your the correct angles, lines of offense and defense. Much of the dummy to me is imagination...the dummy is not going to attack you. On the other hand the dummy will never mess up in the drills....the dummy will always be there and does not complain. As for "blocking", my understanding there is not a block in wing chun for the sake of being a block. Rather there is tan da, bil da, gan da and so on. All of these moves can be practice alone on the dummy and doing so will give you the correct line. The wooden dummy form is huge, the basic movements are relatively easy, but there is so much more. The details of the wooden dummy are the concepts which make the difference in your structure, form and lines.

Palm_Striker on How strong should a chain punch be?

Thu, 19 Aug 2010 01:05:53 +0000

Thanks for the input but just to clarify on things your quote, "both are capable of launching just as well and with equal speed and power." , by that you mean both a western boxing jab and a chinese wing-chun punch correct? I guess that means I have to work on my stance a lot more haha. Do you have any tips on improving the stance for a wing-chun punch? I understand the mechanics for a western punch pretty well, so I guess the main reason why my wing-chun punches lack much power in comparison, is my lack of understanding of the mechanics of the frame and stance of wing-chun.

shuyin131 on question about concept: hand must come first

Mon, 16 Aug 2010 08:31:40 +0000

I see and hear about this concept all the time in Jeet Kune Do, is this a concept that is shared and/or originated in Wing Chun?

Ars vitae on How strong should a chain punch be?

Mon, 16 Aug 2010 06:37:43 +0000

Hello Palm_Striker,

This is from my own experience, so your mileage may very. When I strike the bag, using western boxing, I'm using a horizontal fist, which has more surface area across the bag, so it's easier formyself to shove the bag back, especially with shoulder rotation into the bag giving me a longer reach. However now I need to pull the whole arm back to rechamber/guard the next round. How ever the power being generated is different from my Wing Chun chain punches.

With my Chinese Boxing/Wing Chun chain punching because the point of contact with a vertical fist has for me a smaller surface area, if I don't hit the bag more square on a number of things happen. First I'll cause the bag to spin and reduce the power of punches. Therefore I need to really need to ensure I've landed squarely on the bag and have blasted through the target. If I have landed it square on, with my hands at the ready position, both are capable of launching just as well and with equal speed and power. That's and because I'm attacking using my body behind the technique, with my hands from the guarding positioin.

I do find with the body attacking method, that if the bag moves, I tend to eat up space between the bag and myself, so I may need angle off to get a better position, ideally off on a 45 degree angle.

What I find that greatly influences the power in both my punches, if the influence of my foot work or stance to set my delivery platform for power through the legs, hips and spin. Without this all I'm doing is surface striking instead of penetrating the bag.

I hope this helps,

Ars vitae.