wing chun strikes

[white_sash]

WOW , had my first wing chun class today
all i can say is WOW
the instruction is quality, the demostrations he did amazed me(he did some sort of close range sparing with this other guy, and he was doing these techniques so fast i was like oh my god!!)
and the price is excellent. 3 hours for a fiver
definately going back.

one thing i dont under stand is why the punches are with the thumbs facing inwards
i have always been taught in lau gar kung fu to punch using my thumb facing downwards
which one is more effective?

[PantherFist]

You will find most Chinese styles use the thumb facing inwards method. The striking area is of course the bottom three knuckles. The reason for this I beleve is that there is less danger of the wrist bending and getting damaged on hard impact. Neither one method can be classed as being the most effective, its just some martial arts(Japanese/Korean especially) prefer the Lau Gar method you have been taught(The striking area is smaller and more concentrated) and some styles (Chinese) prefer the other method.

[Van_the_cookie_man]

I haven't taken wing chun but have been to some excellent sample classes.
The instructor said that they punch with thumbs facing inward because its faster then the thumbs facing down. Usually when you make a horizontal punch (thumb facing down) you would have to turn your fist before it strikes the target. The instructor said that vertical punches were faster because you didn't have to make that turn.

[Sporran]

white sash,
Who is the instructor in Derby? I know a couple of guys from that area......

[white_sash]

ok thanks for the explanations chaz and newb4life

bigrich: this is off my beginner information sheet.
"the derby instructor is Andy Walker, with deputy instructor Trevor Tarbit"
"the chief instructor(Andy's and Trevors instructor) is Gavin Blackburn"
"Randy Williams of the USA close range combat academy who we are affliated and of whose style we practise, is Randy Williams(also Gavin's instructor)

have you heard of these guys?

[CKava]

When you say "thumb pointing down" are your referring to the fact that the fist is vertical instead of horizontal? I realise this might seem like Im being a bit pedantic but Im only curious because in my Wing Chun punches my thumb or at least the top bit of it DOES point towards the ground! (but I am doing the same Wing Chun punch I have seen in every club I've ever been to, so I assume its the same thing your referring to- still never hurts to check!)

Oh and glad to hear you enjoyed your first lesson so much- just wait till you get Chi Sauing (its soo much fun)!

[white_sash]

yes that is right
i meant the fist punching vertically
yes i cant wiat for the chi sau practise :)

[Sporran]

I don't know those guys, but Randy Williams is quite well known.
Some purists have issues with his methods, but everything I have seen of his seemed well presented.

Bottom line is how much you enjoyed it - it's a great art, and I'm sure you'll do fine.

Chi sau is great fun. It really gets you in touch with your shoulders, in the beginning :)

[shoushuer]

thats bull, you should try to hit with your middle finger nuckle, its the biggest/strongest, surrounded by two big nuckles and is in a straight line with your arm, and hitting with thumbs down is slower, cause you have to turn it over,hahahaha, thats bs, it turns over throughout the punch, you dont stop the punch and or wait for it to turn over.

[Aravi]

Shoushuer - the speed has alot to do with the muscles in use.

Punching with fist turning, I can feel my arm muscles being tightened. Using a vertical fist, my arm muscles are much looser - allowing the fist to accelerate alot faster.

You're being pretty closed minded. If one technique was clearly superior in all ways to the other, why would the former still exist?

[shoushuer]

sorry, i studied a style that teaches people to turn there hips when they punch.

[Aravi]

Oh, we do that too, just not for all punches.

A string of chain-punches at high speed don't need the pivot to be effective. In fact, the pivot would just slow us down.

The chain punch isn't meant to be used as one punch.

[Anonymouse]

If youve ever been hit by a Wing Chun punch, youd know that the pivot isnt neccessary :)

The other day I sent my father (5'11" 230 lbs) stumbling across the room nearly knocking him down with a single punch to the sternum while he was advancing with a hook punch. I was showing off my drunken boxing stance (similar enough to the right riding horse in Wing Chun) and gave him a verticle fist with no snap (I didnt want to hurt him :P ), a very hollywood punch. I didnt even withdraw my fist after I saw him leave the ground ;)

[white_sash]

cool, so he flew :D

[CKava]

Originally posted by shoushuer
thats bull, you should try to hit with your middle finger nuckle, its the biggest/strongest, surrounded by two big nuckles and is in a straight line with your armShoushuer you should read around outside your style a bit more; some styles hit with the first 2 or 3 knuckles (like Karate and boxing), apparently some hit with the middle (like what you do) and others hit with the bottom 2 (like Wing Chun). Now the fact that most styles say their way of punching is the best presents a bit of a paradox doesn't it? So why not just give up arguing which one is best and just practice the one that YOU find most effective (or alternatively if your so inclined just the one someone has told you is most effective).

Some people have also mentioned the lack of need to pivot on the hips when throwing chain punches, while I agree with this I would like to add that although the pivot isn't essential it is really from the hips where a lot of the power comes from Wing Chun punches. A Wing Chun punch thrown with just the force from the shoulder and arms feels very different from one where the power comes right from the legs and hips up (Ive been hit with both many times). And a pivot if its applicable can unleash a lot of power, look at the movements in the Chum Kiu form...

[Andy Murray]

Originally posted by CKava
Shoushuer you should read around outside your style a bit more; some styles hit with the first 2 or 3 knuckles (like Karate and boxing), apparently some hit with the middle (like what you do) and others hit with the bottom 2 (like Wing Chun). Now the fact that most styles say their way of punching is the best presents a bit of a paradox doesn't it? So why not just give up arguing which one is best and just practice the one that YOU find most effective (or alternatively if your so inclined just the one someone has told you is most effective).



Some jobs need a hammer.

Others need a spanner. ;)

[white_sash]

wow, went to my second WC lesson

all i can say is my wrists are really feeling it.
god help me next lesson which is 3 hours
but i cant wait :D