Using your Hips

[Yoshiyahu]

In my Lineage my Sifu taught us to use our Hips to generate Jing(Ging/Geng).


I was woundering if other WC guys also use the hips to generate power. Most Martial Arts Use the hips in some form or fashion. I was woundering if there are any drills or exercises you do to enhance or increase the power you can generate from the hips?

Also do you guys practice generating power from the hips...or does the power in your punches come from merely your shoulders and arms?

What are your thoughts on hip power?

 

[seasoned]

The goal of connecting to the earth force by rooting is to bring the energy from the feet all the way up to the hands. The power is rooted in the foot, developed in the legs, directed by the hips, through the spine, and the scapulae transfer it out to the hands. As taught in Okinawan GoJu by means of Sanchin kata. Okinawan GoJu has it’s roots in White Crane Kung Fu. I am not a WC guy, but the parallels are there. :asian:

 

[KamonGuy2]

Hips are extremely important in generating power, but it is often known as developing the core...

People often think that hip power comes from the rotation of the hips, but it can also be from the vertical hip movement as well (think of bending backwards and forwards) which is covered loosely at the end of bil gee

There are times when you need power to come from just the punch (think of bearhugs etc), but mostly you still need to utilize the whole body to get power

If you don't it just comes down to who is the bigger person (ie if a person came up and tried to hit me with power from their shoulders, they will bounce off)

 

[Bill Mattocks]

My style (Isshinryu) as it is being taught to me puts emphasis on the hips, as rotated around the 'tanden' or center of power. I seem to have a lot more power in my punches when I am not trying to 'muscle' them but rather rotating my punch through the body as if I were a record on a record player, with the spindle right down through the center of my body. Bend the legs, imagine your center of gravity in your tanden, the body turns, the hip whips, the arm flies out on its own, BAM; then recoil. All in the hips. At least, that's how I understand it - I'm a beginner.

I bought a book on Wing Chun, I was surprised at how much some of the punches and blocks look like Isshinryu to me. Good luck with your training!

 

[Yoshiyahu]

Yes most of the hand techniques from Karate and Tae Kwon Do are also in Wing Chun. They are of course applied differently in some situtations. But some of the hand techniques are exactly the same in other situtations.


An the steps forward and C-step I have seen TKD and Karate guys do similiar steps. It all interelates.

My style (Isshinryu) as it is being taught to me puts emphasis on the hips, as rotated around the 'tanden' or center of power. I seem to have a lot more power in my punches when I am not trying to 'muscle' them but rather rotating my punch through the body as if I were a record on a record player, with the spindle right down through the center of my body. Bend the legs, imagine your center of gravity in your tanden, the body turns, the hip whips, the arm flies out on its own, BAM; then recoil. All in the hips. At least, that's how I understand it - I'm a beginner.

I bought a book on Wing Chun, I was surprised at how much some of the punches and blocks look like Isshinryu to me. Good luck with your training!

 

[Eru Ilúvatar]

Yes, hips are a very importan part of WC power generation. They generata power in diffrent ways.

About the drills you could do to increase that power/skill I would say forms period.

But to be more specific; the elbow hacking move from Chum Kiu is a good way to train what you're looking for.

Offcourse you should be doing the forms and exercises with correct alignment (that probably only an experience instructor can realy teach you) for them to benefit you in this particular way.

 

[KamonGuy2]

Yes most of the hand techniques from Karate and Tae Kwon Do are also in Wing Chun. They are of course applied differently in some situtations. But some of the hand techniques are exactly the same in other situtations.


An the steps forward and C-step I have seen TKD and Karate guys do similiar steps. It all interelates.

Very true. When I train karate, its funny how little things look similar. Like the stamp kick in karate is pretty much the same in wing chun (although with different energy). But like I've said before, there are only certain ways of moving your body, so you are bound to cross moves into other arts etc.

But don't tell Sigee - she might think I'm trying to say wing chun was derived from karate and kick my as* lol

 

[Eru Ilúvatar]

Very true. When I train karate, its funny how little things look similar. Like the stamp kick in karate is pretty much the same in wing chun (although with different energy). But like I've said before, there are only certain ways of moving your body, so you are bound to cross moves into other arts etc.

Yes, and it's how we apply this moves and with what kind of energy that makes it WC in my opinion. I've heard of people who feel, that if it's in the forms and they use it's WC. I have to dissagree. If you use a Fook Sao in a beetch slapping manner that won't be WC in my opinion. But I have heard WC people say something very close to that.

But yes, as many people have figured out there are only so many moves one can do with the body. It's just a question of how to use those moves. My WC instructor, for example, saw most of WC in his Chen and Yang Tai Chi forms. He even showed me WC stances from in his forms. Even a Bong Sao I think.

 

[Yoshiyahu]

Actually Wing Chun and Karate were derived from White crane Kung fu thats why they are similiar. But I make sure Si-Je kicks your **** anyway...lol...

Very true. When I train karate, its funny how little things look similar. Like the stamp kick in karate is pretty much the same in wing chun (although with different energy). But like I've said before, there are only certain ways of moving your body, so you are bound to cross moves into other arts etc.

But don't tell Sigee - she might think I'm trying to say wing chun was derived from karate and kick my as* lol

 

[Si-Je]

We drill side slash, pivot and punch. This utilizes the power in pivoting with the hips and shoulders moving together to double hip power in punching and side slashing.
I use hips when wedging in with advanced stance into opponent too.

 

[Yoshiyahu]

Does anyone else of Wing Chun background have anything to share about using the hips generate power in your punches.