A Question on WC

[wck dallas]

well, as some of you know I'm new to wing chun with just a couple months training .... so naturally I have lots of questions. Yes, I ask Qs in class, but different opinions may shed more light.

First I guess is...why the weird pigeon toed stance ? This is very odd. Honestly I feel like , ( in all my great wisdom .. lol ) that these techniques would work just as well in a more traditional fighting stance, or at least with the feet pointed straight rather than inward..........not to mention my knee is shot from a bad tkd kick in which my pivot foot did'nt pivot.

Also, Wing chun , Ving Tsun , Wing Tsun... different in technique or just pronunciations of the same thing ?

thats all for now ... thanks everyone.

 

[brocklee]

well, as some of you know I'm new to wing chun with just a couple months training .... so naturally I have lots of questions. Yes, I ask Qs in class, but different opinions may shed more light.

First I guess is...why the weird pigeon toed stance ? This is very odd. Honestly I feel like , ( in all my great wisdom .. lol ) that these techniques would work just as well in a more traditional fighting stance, or at least with the feet pointed straight rather than inward..........not to mention my knee is shot from a bad tkd kick in which my pivot foot did'nt pivot.

Also, Wing chun , Ving Tsun , Wing Tsun... different in technique or just pronunciations of the same thing ?

thats all for now ... thanks everyone.

These are questions for your sifu. Only he/she can give you the correct answer because WC can change from sifu to sifu. One sifu may tell you that the toes point in to give you proper alignment for a strong structure and another may tell you that it makes pivoting 45 degrees left or right easy. So the best thing is to ask the sifu you are studying under. Because if you hear from one of us that its to make pivoting easier and your sifu tells you something different, you're going to lose trust in your sifu and he/she's one of the people that you should trust the most.

Having a blown out knee doesn't really help with the type of stance we have. If anything, change your stance until your gimp knee doesn't hurt anymore. It's one of the great things about WC, you don't have to look like the guy right next to you. If a practitioner has an injury or defect to their body, they simply change their structure to be comfortable and more natural.

The different spellings of WC has been talked about lots and should be pretty easy to find using the search tool uptop.

 

[KamonGuy2]

Spot on. There are different reasons for different stances across all wing chun schools. In Kamon, we use stance to train legs and to prepare for more advanced footwork later on. Stancework is important for developing powerful hits and learning to use the upper and lower body in unison

In other wing chun schools, stance is used less or more. Some are very traditional and drill the stance in constantly
Other schools train a bit more 'modern' and do less stancework.

There are many other reasons for stance and it basically comes down to what your sifu says.
I have always relied on common sense in class, and if my sifu had told me that the stance was to build up flying ability, I would have left etc

I have always judged instructors by the answers they give, but don't hassle your instructor too much. This is where forums can be very useful
In my class, I have had beginners ask me lots of questions which delve too deep into the system at that stage. If I answered one question, another would come and sometimes a little bit of faith is needed on their part

 

[brocklee]

I have always relied on common sense in class, and if my sifu had told me that the stance was to build up flying ability, I would have left.

HAHAHAHA

 

[KamonGuy2]

You think its funny Brock, but I went to one class and they believed that you could make people not attack you by just using your mind

Let's just say I asked for a demonstration, and it didn't work....

 

[Changhfy]

Hey Wing Chun Dallas,

I definitely agree with what was stated previously.

But also the use of the pigeon toe stance or yi ji kuem ying ma.
Is also in the name itself (sometimes mistakenly translated as two character abducting goat stance) in reality is translated as two character abducting energy stance.

The yi ji kuem ying ma can be used to cultivate energy, it connects the three vertical points on the governing channel(vessel) called.

Hu yin- lower center
Ming Men- middle center
Bai hui- upper center

and when the tongue is connected to the palate of the mouth. It closes the circuit and the governing and conception channels are connected.
governing vessel (du mai)
conception vessel (ren mai)

This is the use of the Yi ji kuem ying ma stance coming from an internal perspective.

I'll try to add more from an external perspective later, but as what was said before getting others perspectives is helpful but it doesnt directly relate towards your own gong fu or the knowledge that your Sifu transmits to you or the other dai ji.


take care

 

[DungHo]

most people the internal aspect of it seem so vague. try not to think about it. it there but just do it. You have to trust your sifu teaching. you will be englighten later. good luck practicing guy.

 

[Si-Je]

I felt the same way when I first started. ack! awkward!
But as you get used to it the reasons behind the stance will become very apparent. Trust your Sifu, and asking questions from others is very good.
The more you can think and analyse WC the better you will come to understand it.
Just remember, keep it simple.

WC/WT is simplicity, don't over anyalize.
Notice how your legs feel while you are pidgeon toed, knees bent toward eachother. Where do your legs feel tight? This structure is kinda like the cocking of a gun (just an analogy) like a coiled spring.
As well as a great base, like a pilar. Your making a triangle with the lower half of your body (three dimentionally), this is the basis for your structure, balance, rooting, power, as well as making pivoting eaiser.

Plus, to execute WC hand and kicking technique from a more traditional fighter's stance would reduce the effectiveness, adaptability, and deflective structure of WC/WT techniques.

Keep training with an open mind, and keep asking questions. Take nothing on pure faith, but trust your Sifu to teach you even if it seems at times that the techiques are akward and odd at first.

As for your injured knee, keep experimenting with the stance until the knee is comfortable in stance. It's hard on the knees at first anyways because its so different. But this will pass.

 

[wck dallas]

Well, over the past few weeks it has become a "natural" stance...with no pain at all. although there is much, much too learn, I see how this stance flows easily in the stance turning etc.

I'm glad I hung in there. I have seen several students come and go since I've started because these things just did'nt make sense to them, comming from other MA backgrounds, like myself.

anyway, thanks for the advise.