Wing chun

[battousai16]

nope. i just stood in it. you'd think being a korean stylist would have given me better balance, but no, i still suck. second day i worked on shifting my feet around while in the very awkward stance and punching (i still can't get the hang of punching to the same spot with every punch... or keeping my elbows in), and started siu lim tao, which i'm having trouble memorizing. i think i got the first half down relatively acceptable.

 

how important is dummy training? my instructor has one, but he dosen't carry it around for obvious reasons, and we learn out of a school gym. it seems as though, with the exception of conditioning, there's nothing you could do with that that you couldn't do with a partner, but... y'know, as i know next to nothing about wing chun and what not...

[Drunken Monkey]

so they didn't get you to push against someone who was on one leg?

 

i mean, did you actually see it work?

 

as for the punching.

 

are you talking about shifting fett from facing left to right (and back again whilst punching)

 

and um, are you just changing feet with the punch being at the same target or are you punching in the direction your feet are turned?

 

guess it don't matter.

 

here's soemthing to try.

 

when you shift your feet, don't think about moving your feet.

 

try to shift your knees (to carry your hip) and let the feet follow.

 

it doesn't make much sense but try it and you should feel what i mean.

 

anyways....

 

how important is the dummy?

 

the answer depends on who you ask...

 

i'd say that overall, it is very important.

 

because the arms are fixed, you end up working positions that are, relating to the jong, perfect.

 

i mean, the arms don't move so you get used to stepping to the point where you can get your best position.

 

if that makes any sense...

 

also, the dummy is where you can begin to really free yourself.

 

you can do whatever you want, however hard you want (or is that 'can'?) without fear of hurting anyone other than yourself.

 

the dummy is where i try things before i try on a person.

 

it also gives you the opportunity to practice entering at your full capacity, with technique against something that doesn't really give

 

(i.e you always receive pressure from it)

 

this in turn can show and help you develop your ranges.

 

you can learn how to integrate the kicks into your 'style'.

 

but best of all, it gives you an overall indication of where your strengths/weaknesses lie.

 

if your stance is bad, if you try to press into the jong, you will 'collapse'.

 

if your positions are bad, you will compromise your hand techniques and tie yourself up.

 

if you overcook hand movements, you will notice them more on the jong as it doesn't react.

 

if your base isn't good, you won't be able to kick properly against the jong, esp if you are moving your hands as well.

 

lots more things....

 

well, everything is done on the dummy.

 

but you have to work the dummy 'truely'.

 

if you try to hide faults.

 

if you do you are missing the point.

 

it doesn't matter if your dummy work isn't perfect.

 

do things as you would normally, adjusting for the fixed dummy, and you should see/feel when something isn't right.

 

y'know, the dummy is a dead object; it can't lie.

[battousai16]

here's soemthing to try.

 

when you shift your feet, don't think about moving your feet.

 

try to shift your knees (to carry your hip) and let the feet follow.

 

it doesn't make much sense but try it and you should feel what i mean.

 

that's what he told me. but the whole thing is just really awkward, it's still exceptionally uncomfortable. and i think i'm to tall for the stance. i think i'm really to tall for wing chun in general, but bah.

 

no, i didn't get to push on anyone standing on one leg. now i'm dissapointed

 

we were punching to the same spot. well, we were supposed to be. that was my big thing. unless he held his hand out as a target, my fists kept flying everywhere. i'm really bad at this.

 

ach, to bad they have a price tag of about $1,000... where's the smiley reaching into his empty pockets?

[Drunken Monkey]

$1000?

 

for?

 

and i'm surprised that they didn't give the opportunity to push someone's stance.

 

really surprised.

[battousai16]

wooden dummy. actually, i see one now for $700. but i can't imagine S&H prices being cheap. i guess i could build one... but i dunno how. or wait a bit, see if he gets a fixed place and then moves it there. or i could befriend a dummy owining elderly man with a heart condition, jump out from behind a dark corner and scare him, thus inheriting it... hmmmm....

 

oh, and really? should they have? i'll go in on tuesday and push him the over. see what happens.

[Drunken Monkey]

i've got some dummy plans laying around somewhere....

 

or ask at your local carpenters.

 

my local can and has built them using tongued sections around a hexagonal core.

 

the wood is slightly cheaper cos they're smaller pieces but it is possibly even more hardy cos it's less prone to splitting (unless you're really unlucky).

 

on another note.

 

a friend of mine has the 'resin' one from 'immortal'.

 

i think they have a website but not sure on the details.

 

he tells me it feels just like the wooden one but i think some of the dimensions are 'off'.

 

you can kinda make your own one but unless the body is properly dried, it will split.

 

it all depends on how easy it is to get that sized 'logs'/trunks.

 

and about the stance.

 

its something that takes ten seconds to show you and it will instantly banish all doubt about it working.....

 

and well, it's something that a lot of people don't believe could work.

 

hmm, then again, i only show people (during training) when the point of stances comes up.

 

been too long since i've been in a proper wing chun class.

[battousai16]

what would you suggest, eh?

 

next time in england, i'll be sure to track you down and push you

[wing chun kuen man]

battousai16,

 

These are early days, things will make more sense as time goes by. Don´t give up. Getting a solid stance and base requires a lot of training but without good bases your kung fu will not be good.

 

At these early stages dummy work will not make too much sense to you (and actually dummy work usually comes in later stages of training). In a relatively short time you will be able to "appreciate" the dummy more.

 

Also, you can condition your arms, hands and knuckles much better with a dummy than you would with a partner. The conditioning benefits of dummy work are "side effects" of your other work with the dummy that involve techniques, principles and bases.

 

Be patiente.

 

Does your sifu/instructor insist on you doing your techniques in a relaxed manner or does he point out that you are too tense when you are punching?

 

Wing Chun Kuen Man

[battousai16]

yeah, but if i'm gonna build one or save up for one, i'd best start now

 

Does your sifu/instructor insist on you doing your techniques in a relaxed manner or does he point out that you are too tense when you are punching?

 

well, uh.... no offense, but you're kind of asking the same question twice there, so i dunno what you're saying. but yeah, he stresses relaxation...?

[wing chun kuen man]

battousai16

 

It is one question.....maybe I could have worded it better....sorry.

 

He stresses relaxation..ok. But does he find your punching too tense?

 

I actually want to know if Hwa Rang Do punching is more "tense" than Wing Chun punching....I suspect that it is but I am not sure.

 

Wing Chun Kuen Man