Your Latest Improvements?

wingchun100

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Okay, I was originally going to tell you folks about a breakthrough I had in my training...but then I realized that would pretty much be like posting a diary online. Who would care but me?

So instead, I want to open this up to all of you to reply. Tell me about your wing chun training. Has anything happened lately that either helped you break through a plateau, or has at least started you in that direction?

I went to a private lesson with my Sifu a few weeks ago. It was only a half hour long, but in that 30 minutes he gave me a VERY valuable key to the next level. He watched me do the wooden dummy form. Before that, he had seen me do my chum kiu via video on YouTube. When he saw me in person, he said, "You've got the hands down, but you're not connecting it to the rest of your body." He showed me how, when you pivot, you "sit into" your stance. Then he had me do the form again, going slowly (but still with proper release of energy, of course).

Ever since then, I have been doing chum kiu slowly, almost meditatively. (Is that a word? LOL) There are times when I am standing around, not doing much of anything, and I will practice turning into the stance.

Some people have said to me, "That is ALL he gave you to work on?" But I don't think those people understand how IMPORTANT that one thing is. Not only that, but these are people who have that "QUANTITY over quality" mentality. They believe they should be taught the entire system in a month, but those of us who are devoted to wing chun or any martial art know that memorizing the forms isn't enough.

They don't understand the value of this lesson. What he showed me is related directly to wing chun's focus on proper body mechanics which, when you have them down, will enable you to hit harder than other people, even those who are stronger than you. (After all, I have probably 30 pounds and a couple inches of height on Sifu, but he can knock me for a loop.)

Not only that, but I am sure we all know this quote: "Fear not the man who practices 1000 kicks once, but does 1 kick 1000 times." (That is a paraphrase. I can't remember the direct words.) Sifu has given me one thing to focus on. As long as I am doing it right and not developing any bad habits, I think this will take my wing chun to the next level.

Has anyone else had a breakthrough like this?

I look forward to your responses!
 

yak sao

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What your friends don't realize is that "one thing" he gave you is going to permeate all through the WC material you now have and into all future material you learn.
Bringing your whole body into play is crucial to not only good WC but effective WC.

When people first start training, naturally their focus is on what the hands are doing. After some time spent training, their focus begins to move up the arm to the elbow, then the shoulder, then the scapula, spine, etc.
Same with the lower body...we start out focusing on the feet, then move to the knees, then the hips and then the waist. Then one day it all finally clicks and you find that your whole body is involved in tan sau, bong sau. punching; not just the arm.


But then there's also the paradox of being able to disassociate your arm from the rest of your body, or having one side do one thing while the other side is doing something completely different.....
 
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wingchun100

wingchun100

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I meant to mention that too: improving my stance doesn't just improve my dummy form...it improves my wing chun as a whole.
 

PiedmontChun

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A big "aha" moment this year was my SiFu correcting my Bong Sau, showing me the correct rotational motion and forward pressure. Approaching that correctly has permeated into other movements, with deliberate intention on forward pressure or wedging into an attack.
 

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