chain-punching damagewise.

[Zephyor]

Chain punchign seems like the most popular offensive move of wing chun. but i was wondering just how hard does it feel? Could the damage be compered to something? if so, with what?
Let's consider the sternum area as a target.
A chain punch ( done well by a skilled person) would deal as much dmg as?
- a strong jab, a cross?
- a flying knee ?
- a front kick?
u name it

 

[Kickboxer101]

In any fight ring fight or street it's not about what does the most damage it's about what works a spinning back kick Is often called the most powerful kick but in a street fight it's not a good idea to use it. Why do you think any style would bother with a jab if it's all about damage jabs don't have huge power but that's one of the most important punches in any fighters arsenal

 

[wingchun100]

YouTube videos are the worst thing that ever happened to ANY martial art. There are a lot of so-called WC guys out there (or people who like to mix in what they THINK are WC principles to their own "systems") saying chain punching is our bread and butter, which it is NOT. In my opinion, chain punching is our equivalent of the spinning back kick: I wouldn't use it unless my opponent was already out of it. Then again, by that point in a self-defense situation, you are supposed to leave because the threat has been dissolved.

 

[wingchun100]

You will also see a lot of WC videos where people are going at each other with super duper rapid fire hands, but guess what? There isn't as much force behind their attacks as you might think because their mechanics suck. While WC does use motions that are hpothetically "faster," speed is not our main goal either.

A fast-handed martial artist does not a good WC practitioner make.

 

[PiedmontChun]

What defines "chain punching" though? Anytime more than 2 successive strikes are quickly directed thru the centerline? Or a flurry of punches attempting to be used like a battering ram thru an opponent's defenses?
I was taught chain punching as more of a concept than a technique. It teaches you to recycle / replace the prior punch, striking when the way is clear, and leaking in via constant pressure, but its all dependent upon the opponent and can morph as needed..... not a battering ram. A lot of chain punching out there seems to be bad mechanics and bad strategy; i.e. pulling back the punch too early before replacing with the next, blindly walking in with chain punches like its some foolproof technique, etc.

 

[yak sao]

The way it was explained to me is a better term is not so much chain punching but perpetual punching.
When you step in with your initial punch and strike it should be very powerful . And just like a link on a chain where each one is the same as the next, the following punch should be just as powerful as the initial punch and the third pujch should be just as powerful as the second punch.......

A flurry of fast punches with no stopping force behind them is the equivalent of a boxer using nothing but jabs. Yeah they might break your nose and bloody your lip but they're not going to really stop you.

Chain punching is a good tactic to teach beginners because it teaches the strategy of relentless attack while at the same time providing a tactic to do so.
But just like every other martial art in existence, beginners try to do things too fast too soon and end up with flawed, ineffective techniques.

 

[Danny T]

High speed chain punching is a drill utilized for several different reasons.
Indiscriminate high speed punching flurries is not one of the reason.
But it looks good to the unknowing and therefore used for demos, marketing, and television/movies.

Quick, properly timed, powerful, sequential or as yak sao stated "perpetual punching" is far more important.

 

[geezer]

People have covered the topic pretty well IMO. One thing I might add is that if the question is how powerful the WC vertical fist or "sun-fist punch" is, I believe it can be quite powerful when properly executed.

Chain punching is just a linked series of sun-fist punches. The problem is that often the desire to throw out "more punches faster" compromises the quality of each individual punch. So while on the one hand, chain punching puts a lot of punches out there, sometimes they tend to ...well, suck!

I personally prefer to use three-punch combinations. Throw out three, then reset and unload three more. Linking more than that doesn't work so well for me. Range, focus/targeting, and power all suffer.

 

[wingchun100]

The other bad thing about chain punching is that if the person blocks that first punch well, then they can pretty much block them ALL well. (It happened to me when I was a beginner and sparred against an experienced Kenpo guy.)

Also, when people go in committed to those chain punches, they don't consider other factors, like the opponent ducking or bobbing and weaving. Then you throw a flurry of punches where either most or all of them hit empty air...because they were so focused on hitting the spot where their opponent's head USED to be.

 

[Eric_H]

The sternum is not a great target for a chain punch. Why in the world would you measure damage by that?

Reading the OP, I just can't figure what you're getting at.

 

[wingchun100]

It is easier for someone to move their head and dodge your punch than it is if you are in close-range and you strike at their sternum.

 

[Kung Fu Wang]

IMO, the chain punches helps you to train

- pull your previous punch back, and
- send your next punch out.

In other words, when you pull your previous punch back, it will help your body to "rotate" and that will help you to send the next punch out. The "body rotation" is the key here.

For beginners, it's always good to spend 3 years in "1 step 3 punches". Your investment will be rewarded for the rest of your life.

Always be ready for a hook punch (or hay-maker) that may come to the side of your head when you throw "chain punches".

 

[yak sao]

When stepping in for the initial contact, the hands move forward at the same time.
The lead hand makes first contact, followed immediately by the rear hand, not so much because of speed but because they were sent out at the same time. This adds your body mass into 2 very rapid fire punches. Then, it's simply a matter of getting proficient at adding a 3rd punch and now the WC fighter has a very powerful 3 punch combo that has hit in the time where most fighters would have thrown one punch.

 

[Phobius]

Chain punching also can teach you 3 different punching techniques. Not gonna detail this for you, it is what one should figure out for him/her self.

So I believe chain punching is a concept. It teaches us something and if the opponent does not resist taking that first punch then maybe a chain-punching may even have fighting application. Lets be honest, that never happens. If nothing else an opponent will flinch or other ways move already on the first hit. This means that the second punch will have less impact than the first.

It works for drills and demo though, I prefer to get each punch clean if it is a drill however. Does that mean I can get 2 punches clean I will do it, but the moment my opponent stops reacting there is just no lesson in continuing those punches for show, they wont be correct anyway.

This is all my own opinion. We study to learn from experience and think for ourselves so sometimes we may be off but then we notice when it is shown to us.

 

[KPM]

I personally prefer to use three-punch combinations. Throw out three, then reset and unload three more. Linking more than that doesn't work so well for me. Range, focus/targeting, and power all suffer.

I agree 100%! This is a concept I picked up years ago from FMA training. If you are doing a specific technique or working a specific angle for more than a 3 count, then you need to change it! By the time you reach a 3 count typically your opponent as either been knocked away, has moved away, has blocked you, or has launched his own counter-attack. When doing punching drills in the air I teach my guys the continuous punching only to teach technique and get them to relax into it and use less muscle. When we do punching in the air more for application purposes we do either a 2 count starting from the lead hand or a 3 count starting from the rear hand. We would use the 3 count punching only if the way was completely clear. The idea of a 3 count to the face/head is that the first punch knocks his head back, and the second or third punch catches him as his head is recoiling...producing more of a "whiplash" effect. This should be seen as Wing Chun's version of a "power punch" or a "finishing move" and so ends up being more of the exception rather than the rule.

 

[wingchun100]

People have covered the topic pretty well IMO. One thing I might add is that if the question is how powerful the WC vertical fist or "sun-fist punch" is, I believe it can be quite powerful when properly executed.

Chain punching is just a linked series of sun-fist punches. The problem is that often the desire to throw out "more punches faster" compromises the quality of each individual punch. So while on the one hand, chain punching puts a lot of punches out there, sometimes they tend to ...well, suck!

I personally prefer to use three-punch combinations. Throw out three, then reset and unload three more. Linking more than that doesn't work so well for me. Range, focus/targeting, and power all suffer.

I agree. Quality over quantity.

 

[KangTsai]

In any fight ring fight or street it's not about what does the most damage it's about what works a spinning back kick Is often called the most powerful kick but in a street fight it's not a good idea to use it.

A spinning back kick comes out the same speed as a push kick for me, and it puts me in a position I can balance easier, so it really depends how good you are at throwing one.

 

[KangTsai]

Chain punching should realistically be used as a finishing move. Like sprinting for the finish line in a marathon. It's all common sense, though: if you have the opportunity to fire off multiple punches in an effective manner, do it. If not, don't.

 

[wingchun100]

Chain punching should realistically be used as a finishing move. Like sprinting for the finish line in a marathon. It's all common sense, though: if you have the opportunity to fire off multiple punches in an effective manner, do it. If not, don't.

Exactly, but there are a lot of people out there who think chain punching is WC's go-to opening move. These are the same people who think Chi Sao is about chasing the hands or "playing paddy cake."

 

[KangTsai]

Exactly, but there are a lot of people out there who think chain punching is WC's go-to opening move. These are the same people who think Chi Sao is about chasing the hands or "playing paddy cake."

I think a lot of people can blame Ip Man for that misconception