A punch is a punch is a punch is punch....

KPM

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It seems like too often we see Wing Chun people only doing a straight punch. So I thought I would give a quick summary of all the different punches in my Pin Sun Wing Chun.

1. Straight Punch. Of course! The punch Wing Chun is known by! :)

2. Chain Punches. The straight punch done in combinations. Usually a 3 count. Sometimes a 5 count. Seldom ever a "flurry" of punches past that.

3. Cutting/Excluding Punches. These are straight punches that "cut" across the line to "exclude" the opponent's strike from the line. They deflect the opponent's strike while they are in route to land their own strike. The trajectory of the punch can travel from inside to out and use a "Tan-like" action to deflect, or from outside to in using a "Jum-like" action to deflect.

4. Hanging Punch (Gwai Choi). This is a back-knuckle strike that travels downward on the vertical plane. Usually follows a Bong Sau and is aimed at the bridge of the nose.

5. Bouncing Punch. This is the Wing Chun equivalent of the uppercut, but uses a very different body dynamic than western boxing. Found in most people's Chum Kiu form. It travels upward on the vertical plane and is usually aimed at the opponent's chin, though it can also target the torso. Usually done simultaneously with a Hok Bong of the other arm.

6. Darting Punch (Bui Choi). This is a back-knuckle strike that travels on the horizontal plane. Can target either the head or the ribs. This takes specific body mechanic to make it work well that is also associated with a footwork pattern that most people don't learn until their Bart Jam Dao training.

7. Inward Punch. This is a fore-knuckle strike that travels on the horizontal plane. You strike with the knuckles just like you would knock on a door. Almost always aimed at the head. In my experience, this is probably the least used punch because it is not trained explicitly in any of the sets. Some people have this in their Biu Gee form.

8. Phoenix Eye Punch. The straight punch with the "phoenix eye" fist formation having the knuckle of the index finger protruding. Some people also have this in their Biu Gee form.

9. Pin Sun Choi. This is a straight punch, but done with a much more pronounced pivot and more extension. This is considered a "power" punch or "finishing" punch and is usually aimed at the torso.

10. Dropping or Sinking Punch. This is a punch that drops downward to strike with the back of the knuckles or the bottom of the hand like a hammerfist. The front of the fist is not aimed downward. The arm actually drops or sinks as a whole with the punch. Sometimes it is also done with a Gwai Ma stance. It is typically aimed at an incoming kick. Pin Sun Wing Chun prefers to not block kicks. You either evade them, strike them to cause damage, or both when possible.

11. Rising Punch. This is a punch that travels from a low position directly upward without bending the elbow and aiming the front of the fist upward. It would typically follow something like a Gum Sau or the Sinking Punch noted above.

12. Rib Punch. This is a straight punch that travels in at an angle from close distance to strike the ribs. This is the equivalent of the low palm edge strike that most people use, just with a fist at the end of the forearm rather than an open hand and palm edge.

That's it off the top of my head! What variety of punches do you use in your Wing Chun??
 

Phobius

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Do not forget jab, cross and hook. Never leave home without them.

Those who want to argue purity then ponder this, how to train against it if you don't learn to use it properly.

For me I use them as well, they are good for long range. (Maybe not hook but need it in order to train against it)
 

PiedmontChun

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Some of these are hard to visualize, but thank you for the time put into detailed description.


In Chum Kiu for our WT, we do what we call a "lifting punch" which appears similar to an upper cut, with a forceful pivot at the hips which adds power. It is following the sidekick > 3 consecutive Bong Sau w/step movements, and probably resembles the 'Bouncing Punch' you describe.

What is the "Hok Bong" exactly though that you also mentioned?

We also do what we call a "jumping punch". It is generally executed from a Bong Sau when the other person's force is retracting, the elbow comes back to center and the punch appears to "jump" up and forward, but other than being a quick transition from Bong to punch, the mechanics are the same as a straight punch - pistoned by the elbow and locked out if needed to reach target. I mentioned it only because none on your list seemed to describe anything like that, and I find it very useful.
 
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KPM

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In Chum Kiu for our WT, we do what we call a "lifting punch" which appears similar to an upper cut, with a forceful pivot at the hips which adds power. It is following the sidekick > 3 consecutive Bong Sau w/step movements, and probably resembles the 'Bouncing Punch' you describe.

--Yep! That's the one! Pretty much the same thing.


What is the "Hok Bong" exactly though that you also mentioned?

--Hok Bong is the "crane's wing." It is a Bong Sau that lifts straight up so that the forearm ends up parallel to the ground. Like doing a Fak Sau, but the elbow does not straighten. It comes under the opponent's strike and deflects upwards. So when you are pivoting, the Hok Bong creates the opening and the punch comes in just a split second behind. Both have this rising/lifting dynamic.


We also do what we call a "jumping punch". It is generally executed from a Bong Sau when the other person's force is retracting, the elbow comes back to center and the punch appears to "jump" up and forward, but other than being a quick transition from Bong to punch, the mechanics are the same as a straight punch - pistoned by the elbow and locked out if needed to reach target. I mentioned it only because none on your list seemed to describe anything like that, and I find it very useful.

---I think I see what you are saying. Probably most would do this from the Bong Sau depending on the opportunity? But nice to break it out and see it specifically!
 

PiedmontChun

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We also do what we call a "jumping punch". It is generally executed from a Bong Sau when the other person's force is retracting, the elbow comes back to center and the punch appears to "jump" up and forward, but other than being a quick transition from Bong to punch, the mechanics are the same as a straight punch - pistoned by the elbow and locked out if needed to reach target. I mentioned it only because none on your list seemed to describe anything like that, and I find it very useful.

---I think I see what you are saying. Probably most would do this from the Bong Sau depending on the opportunity? But nice to break it out and see it specifically!

It's definitely executed off Bong quite frequently. It follows the principle of 'follow what is retreating'.
 

geezer

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In my WC (coming from WT) I can see equivalent punches to most of what you described, although we tend to group them together. So a broad term like "front punch" ('yat' gee chung kuen): would pretty much include straight, excluding, cutting, jumping (til kiu chung kuen), underneath the bridge/rising (kiu dai chung kuen). The descriptive terms were just added to indicate a particular type of front punch.

Also, we used the "lifting punch" from our Chum kiu as noted by Piedmont, and also an inward hooking punch from Biu Tze that can use either the fore-knuckles or a "ginger fist", --just like the "inward punch" that you described.

One that we did not use back when I did "WT" in the 80s was the "hanging punch" or downward backfist that you describe. At least we never talked about it. Yet I see it clearly in our Biu Tze form right after the inward "hook" punch. As t this point, our arm pauses in essentially a lan-sau position and then rotates 90 degrees into a vertical position accompanied by a dropping elbow. The same position and energy can be seen as a downward backfist as you described. I see forms as being about energy and structure. So any one movement should be diverse in application.
 
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KPM

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^^^^^^ I agree! This is where a lot of the Kum Na comes in. There are movements people never realized could have a Kum Na application. Like that upward punch!

I should also mention, that along Steve's line of thinking, most of the defensive "hand" shapes can be used as punches as well. Imagine a Bong Sau going forward that stops half way in its motion with a fist on the end.....Wing Chun equivalent of a hook punch! Or a Tan Sau on a lower than normal line "corkscrewing" forward with a fist on the end....Wing Chun equivalent of a "body hook"! Or a Gum Sau angled into the body with a fist on the end....
 
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