Bong to Tan vs Pressing Down

[mook jong man]

Bong Sau is a great move for withstanding a lot of pressure from front on but its not too flash when the force is directed down . For that we need a more appropriate structure like the Tan Sau .

What happens when people first start hand sparring from the guard or in Chi Sau sparring is that one person attacks with a flurry of chain punches and the other person freaks out and throws up a Bong Sau in the hope of stopping the onslaught .

While this is ok , the person throwing the flurry senses he is not going to get through this barrier so he starts trying to rip the Bong Sau down with latching and punching .

The other person because he is inexperienced and tense will try and resist this latching and keep his Bong Sau up which will result in very sore shoulder muscles and an inability to spar for long periods because his muscles will be fatigued .

Bong Sau is good but you don't want to stay in it for too long otherwise it will be ripped down by a latch which in the case of a tense individual can result in the whole structure of the body being compromised because their whole body can be pulled down and forward , which is not a good situation to be in , ones back must be kept straight at all times.

The best way to react to downwards force on your Bong Sau is to rotate straight into Tan Sau , the downwards force will now be dispersed down your forearm.

Face your partner, you in Bong Sau and him in Fook Sau , both of you exert slight forward force.
Your partner will jerk his Fook Sau down suddenly , as soon as you feel this downwards pressure rotate into Tan Sau and raise it slightly up .

If you are doing it correctly his Fook Sau should slide down your forearm and you will have the inside running.

It is important to stay relaxed through the whole arm and particularly the shoulders , otherwise you wont be able to feel it coming and your reaction will be too slow.

After you can do it adequately standing still start doing it with a step on the same side as your Tan Sau , you will get more power this way , later on when your stance is developed it doesn't matter what side you step on.

So as soon as you feel downwards force rotate quickly to Tan Sau as I described and synchronize it with a step forward and pierce through then you will be inside his defences , you can then change it too a palm strike or whatever you prefer.

 

[geezer]

Bong Sau is a great move for withstanding a lot of pressure from front on but its not too flash when the force is directed down . For that we need a more appropriate structure like the Tan Sau .

What happens when people first start hand sparring from the guard or in Chi Sau sparring is that one person attacks with a flurry of chain punches and the other person freaks out and throws up a Bong Sau in the hope of stopping the onslaught... because he is inexperienced and tense will try and resist ...and keep his Bong Sau up which will result in very sore shoulder muscles and an inability to spar for long periods because his muscles will be fatigued.

Pardon me for condensing some of your comments, Mook. What you say is very true. Trying to lift up a bong sau against a heavy downward pull is ineffective, will topple your posture forward, and even in practice, can lead to shoulder injuries.

In the WT systems in particular, Bong Sau is taught as a yielding technique formed in response to oncoming pressure. We are taught to "never to lift up the bong-sau" against our opponent's force. Instead, your opponent's punch, "latch", or pull literally rolls and bends your arm into bong-sau. If your opponent bends your arm down into bong, you flex with his force, all the time applying a springy counter-pressure directed out along your centerline, but not up against your opponent's pull. Anyway, this is easy to say, but tough to do. As you pointed out, our instincts are usually to stiffen up and resist. And that leads to all kinds of problems.

Interestingly, tan sau is seen as a bong rolled over the other way. Both are like a bent or bowed spring seeking to straighten out along centerline. As your bent arm rolls "like a floating log rolling in water" it alternately becomes bong or tan sau. Ideally, in WT we try to let the direction and the force of the opponent's punch roll our arm into either tan or bong, rather than subjectively choosing for ourselves. Since I've returned to training, my instructor frequently scolds me for consciously making these decisions, rather than just responding to the pressure I receive. The latter method is so much faster and fluid... the response is instantaneous. But it's so tough to turn off your mind. It demands real faith in your techniques... and a helluva lot of practice.