| One of the ongoing things we're trying at the dojo is | | | | quadriceps 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 |
| forms into the basis for a practical martial arts style, | | | | mouth." |
| 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 - | | | | more like the Northern Chinese styles I'm familiar with |
| I needed some time off to let my feet heal from | | | | - it's a whole body style, emphasizing economy of |
| doing stupid things with a wooden sparring dummy | | | | motion and blocks. It's got a lot of good footwork in |
| and inadequate footwear. My Dad had taken to Wing | | | | its basic forms, and it's used a lot in martial arts |
| Chun for joint ailments as he's gotten older, and had | | | | movies, 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 |
| which is fairly high, keeps the elbows close to the | | | | style, don't think it's a snap. Like all of the opening |
| body, and keeps the balance over the knees, is a | | | | martial arts forms, it'll leave you with a healthy sweat |
| good one for getting pupils into, particularly if they | | | | before you're done, and your knees and hips will |
| don't have a lot of martial arts training. The initial | | | | absolutely feel it. |
| lessons will focus on relaxation techniques, and fluid | | | | The upper body workout focuses on delivering |
| movements. Wing Chun is a style that emphasizes | | | | power through the sternum to the shoulder - you try |
| relaxed motions - extra muscle tension slows down | | | | to keep your arms relaxed before throwing a block |
| the speed of reactions, and builds up fatigue. While | | | | or a strike, because relaxed muscles respond faster, |
| we're going to focus on Wing Chun as, in some | | | | and get more speed. Trying to power through a |
| ways, an animated relaxation technique, this will be | | | | block or a punch is almost always slower. |
| giving you the baseline for learning other martial arts, | | | | Because the Wing Chun stance is higher than I'm |
| going to whatever styles you prefer." | | | | used to, it takes some adjustment for me, not to |
| "The basic stance will have your feet at slightly less | | | | sink too low. Fortunately, for most beginning |
| than shoulder width part, with your knees bent at | | | | students, a higher stance is more familiar to them |
| about a 20 degree angle, and your toes pointed in. | | | | from every day life. Very few people walk around in |
| From this stance, breath in through the nose, and out | | | | the Tiger Crouch when going to the super market, |
| through the mouth, and try to relax - you'll feel a | | | | while Wing Chun isn't too far off from a standard |
| sense of dynamic tension in your hamstrings and | | | | "walking posture". |