| One of the ongoing things we're trying at the dojo is | | | | when you're done." |
| broadening our student base. Lots of students get a | | | | "For motions, we'll start with the circular blocks from |
| little upset at punches flying at them, and the like, so | | | | the left side going to the right. Again, redirection and |
| we're evaluating some of the softer styles for an | | | | smooth flow is the key to this. Watch what I |
| introductory class. I'm looking at turning Wing Chun | | | | do...breathe in through the nose, out through the mouth." |
| forms into the basis for a practical martial arts style, | | | | |
| and helping with the instructions with it. | | | | Now, my experiences with Wing Chun are that it's |
| First, I learned Wing Chun as a "recuperative" style - I | | | | more like the Northern Chinese styles I'm familiar with - |
| needed some time off to let my feet heal from doing | | | | it's a whole body style, emphasizing economy of |
| stupid things with a wooden sparring dummy and | | | | motion and blocks. It's got a lot of good footwork in |
| inadequate footwear. My Dad had taken to Wing | | | | its basic forms, and it's used a lot in martial arts movies, |
| Chun for joint ailments as he's gotten older, and had | | | | most notably those starring Jet Li. |
| showed me some of the basics, and I asked | | | | One of the oddities of the Wing Chun forms is that it |
| permission of his teacher, Greg Pool, if I could record | | | | really de-emphasizes kicks and throws and power |
| his opening lecture for his introductory class. This is | | | | moves. This is ultimately because it's meant to be a |
| what I got. | | | | defensive style first. Breaking the lines of the basic |
| "Wing Chun is a balanced style, and I'm planning on | | | | form for more power gives your opponent defensive |
| doing the following forms with it: The open stance, | | | | opportunities. However, just because it's a softer style, |
| which is fairly high, keeps the elbows close to the | | | | don't think it's a snap. Like all of the opening martial |
| body, and keeps the balance over the knees, is a | | | | arts forms, it'll leave you with a healthy sweat before |
| good one for getting pupils into, particularly if they don't | | | | you're done, and your knees and hips will absolutely |
| have a lot of martial arts training. The initial lessons | | | | feel it. |
| will focus on relaxation techniques, and fluid | | | | The upper body workout focuses on delivering power |
| movements. Wing Chun is a style that emphasizes | | | | through the sternum to the shoulder - you try to keep |
| relaxed motions - extra muscle tension slows down | | | | your arms relaxed before throwing a block or a strike, |
| the speed of reactions, and builds up fatigue. While | | | | because relaxed muscles respond faster, and get |
| we're going to focus on Wing Chun as, in some ways, | | | | more speed. Trying to power through a block or a |
| an animated relaxation technique, this will be giving you | | | | punch is almost always slower. |
| the baseline for learning other martial arts, going to | | | | Because the Wing Chun stance is higher than I'm used |
| whatever styles you prefer." | | | | to, it takes some adjustment for me, not to sink too |
| "The basic stance will have your feet at slightly less | | | | low. Fortunately, for most beginning students, a higher |
| than shoulder width part, with your knees bent at about | | | | stance is more familiar to them from every day life. |
| a 20 degree angle, and your toes pointed in. From | | | | Very few people walk around in the Tiger Crouch |
| this stance, breath in through the nose, and out through | | | | when going to the super market, while Wing Chun isn't |
| the mouth, and try to relax - you'll feel a sense of | | | | too far off from a standard "walking posture". |
| dynamic tension in your hamstrings and quadriceps | | | | |