ReGroove Fitness

by Wellness Coach Dan Ma

Wing Chun

Private Wing Chun Bong Lap Training 2/27

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Yesterday Veronica and I had our first session (1 of 4) with Sifu Ray and Alyda. Ray has introduced his previous wing chun curriculum with the new curriculum (The Fullers). He wants us to focus on Bong Lap, because it will give us better flow and neuromuscular response time.

The Bong Lap is a two person drill which two postures alternate back and form between the two:

  1. Bong & wu sau
  2. Vertical fist (Da) & fook / lap sau

This is a simple dualistic pattern can become more interesting with “switches” in where one partner switches the pattern control by using a lap sau or a low vertical punch. There are three switches:

  1. When your vertical punch is about to be rotated back into a bong sau, you take the initiative to pull back into a “lap da”.
  2. If you are in the “bong wu”, you can use your bong sau and turn it into a “lap da”.
  3. If you are in the “bong wu”, you can use your wu sau and turn it into a lowline “da”. The partner (bong wu) use their “wu” as a “jum sau” (sinking hand), then delivering a “da” while letting the bong sau fall into a “lap da”.

A Way of Being

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I saw an interesting interview on John Kaufman about wing chun and his method of generating power through relaxation. He said something that stuck with me.

“…it’s not about what to do, it’s about how to be.”

John Kaufman

The internal methods that I am learning in Lightening Hand Academy is counter to a lot of the violence and competitiveness that I am seeing in the world today. It has been a very good experience for me to have something in my life that helps provide an antidote to feelings of competition and the violence that it brings.

I have been having conversations with a friend, who likes boxing, about traditional kung fu and MMA. If you don’t know, there are a lot of MMA opinions that wing chun doesn’t work in the ring and that there are a lot of fake martial arts coming from kung fu. There are also a lot of “experts” who hype combative sports as a means of self defense. Then there is the debate of wrestling on the streets for self defense. My conversations with him about stuff like that have been lively, but I do understand where he is coming from. It is hard to understand the internal arts if you don’t experience it, because you can’t see it, and to watch internal training is like watching someone knit a sweater.

Since I don’t see myself competing in a cage, I could go my whole life without ever using kung fu to defend myself. I really like the idea that wing chun is a way of being. Perhaps relaxation leads to the first line of defense: staying clear of trouble.

Notes From Last Class

I lucked out and had Wesley (Sigung’s son) teach me a lot of things:

  • gave me technical insights on the siu lim tao
    • opening the elbow to uproot your partner
    • different hand positions
  • went over the whole chum kiu form
    • taught me how to correctly turn
    • opening the elbow to uproot your partner
  • dan chi sau
    • fook sau adherence to your partner’s arm by opening the wrist joint on the side closest to the pinky
    • opening the elbow to uproot your partner
    • the jut sau:
      • heavy elbow locks the shoulder down and slightly opens
      • the wrist open up as you point up
  • moving and concealing your center

Chum Kiu Turning

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Last night Alyda, was at class and I asked her about how to turn and other stuff regarding the Chum Kiu form. I had asked her if we are rotating on the K1/bubbling spring points on our foots that the turning is moved in kind of a scissoring effect as you try to pull your feet together while shifting your weight on to your other leg and she confirmed yes. Today I found a video that helps explain the aspect of shifting your weight makes it easier for the “foot-swivel”.

I also worked for the first time with Raymond who I don’t normally see in class much. He showed me how to attack/defend head and body hooks. He also helped refine my taan sao in the Dan Chi Sao exercise.

There was a lot of new students last night. I practiced pak da drills with several of them.