Q: Whenever I try to get close to a Karate opponent, they always run away. How can I get close to my opponent to apply my sticking hands technique?
A: This situation works both ways. You can also keep away from kicks in the same way. To get close to a kicker is a matter of timing and distance training. If someone runs away, you also run towards the opponent, but always keep just outside of his critical distance. Once you are in this position, there are various methods to try and draw the opponent's fire. You try to make the kick happen. When the kick occurs you can penetrate in various ways.
Q: Whenever I practice with a stronger opponent, I always get grabbed and can't escape or apply any technique. What do I do?
A: There are various drills in Wing Chun which teach you to detect a grab early and apply an appropriate technique when it occurs. There is always limits to grabbing situations. Once certain choke holds or grabs are applied there are no escapes possible. A general principle that can be applied is to attack with a free limb when an opportunity arises. Thus, if one hand is grabbed, hit with the other, when both are grabbed, kick or use the head. Use any and all parts of the body to defend.
Q: I have seen various versions of the Tan sau performed at different angles. Which one is correct?
A: When Yip man first taught Wing Chun, the Tan sau was level. It served as the neutral position between the upper and lower gates. Later people, including Yip Man, started to elevate the Tan sau at first to a 20 degree angle and later even to a 45 degree angle. This was based on the logic that a low Tan sau leaves you vulnerable to a punch. Of course, no one is so dumb as to have a level Tan sau when a punch comes high. We must leave this topic to a more indepth discussion in a future article.
Q: What is meant by Yin and Yang in the Wing Chun system?
A: Yin and Yang are descriptive terms which are useful for describing energy state changes. For example when you use the principle of soft against hard, the incoming force can be described as Yang, while the intercepting soft force can be described as Yin. Thus, you use Yin to overcome Yang. When you look at the Wing Chun Bil sau or thrusting hand technique, it looks like the Bil sau clashed directly with the incoming punch. It looks like a Yang force followed by another Yang force follow-up movement. If you think of the Wing Chun clash carefully, a soft hand intercepts the incoming punch so that it sticks. This immediately changes to a hard force to act as a stopping force. Because of the sticking and because of the angle of the Bil sau, there is no bone breaking clash. After this, you go into a Yin mode so that you can maximize the energy transfer of your follow-up techniques. The follow-up technique is a quick, hard (Yang) attack. Thus, th Bil sau action can be described as a Yin/Yang/Yin/Yang approach.
Q: What is an effective method to stop the ruffle or chain punches of Wing Chun?
A: We have found that the crossed Bil sau applied with a shocking forward force towards the opponent's center to be effective for stopping these punches. A good immediate follow-up is a strong jerking Lap sau and punch technique.
Q: Whenever I do sticking hands, my shoulders get very sore.
Q: When I have a Bong stick against the inside of my opponent's Bong stick, what can I do?
A: You could try to poke low or to circle the stick back to the top. One problem with circling the stick to the top is that the tip of the opponent's stick can cross your face. You never want to do this. The solution is to back up and circle to the top when you are out of range. Another solution is to press forward, then circle pressing upwards so that the opponent's tip of the stick goes over your head.
Q: Why is the end of the 108 dummy form not symmetric with its kicks?
A: We may never know, but Master Wang Kiu feels this is a message that Wing Chun should not be thought of as a finished, closed system. With imagination, many more things can be discovered on the dummy, if you experiment.
Q: Is Wing Chun an external system of Kung Fu?
A: To those who look at Bruce Lee's movie fights, Wing Chun looks like an external system of martial art and it can be practiced as such. However external only martial art is not first rate Kung Fu. The first generation students of Yip Man spent a great deal of time practicing sticking hands in a very soft supple way and at the same time, they were able to generate tremendous non-telegraphed forces from this relaxed state. For example, Master Lok Yu was very soft, yet he was known for his very shocking Chum sau or sinking hand. He was also noted for his ability to break the kicking limbs of his opponents using his hands to hit. To an outside observer, it is difficult to detect how these kinds of forces are generated because there are no large visible external movements. In Wing Chun, the limbs are kept very relaxed (but not limp) at all times. This makes it easy to detect the opponent's movements, it makes it difficult for the opponent to detect your movements, and it enables you to go from a relaxed state to a tensed state very quickly. Force is generated in this way. Systems which depend on relaxation and feeling are know as internal arts. The essence of the systems is not externally visible but can be felt when in contact. Tai Chi and Hsing-I are other examples of internal systems. In reality, all complete systems have both internal and external parts. Although external arts are still very effective, the highest grade of art is a balanced blend of both.
