mook jong man
Senior Master
Focus Pad Training
·
Equipment needed : Two focus pads. , willing partner
I will assume that people already know how to do a correct Wing Chun centerline punch so i will get right into the various ways of training the punch.
After you have learned the proper way to punch you should be doing it with footwork and in combinations.
· STEP and PUNCH : Get your partner to hold the pad just out of punching range, step in with the same leg as your punching arm, co -ordinate the timing of the impact with your foot hitting the ground to get maximum power , also practice stepping with opposite leg to arm , its just that in the early stages of training you get more power stepping in on the same side as the punch later on it doesn't matter. Train both arms as well by changing your guard around , dont punch from rear hand.
· PIVOT and PUNCH: When the target is not right in front of us but at the side say approx 11 o'clock or 1 o'clock we use a pivot and punch . Say you have a right hand guard on get your partner to position the pad over at the left of you or vice versa . Again timing is the key, co-ordinate the pivot with the punch driving all your body mass through the pad , pivot through the middle of your feet , stay sunk down in your stance, and hips locked in. Right hand punches to the left side , left hand punches to the right side.
· SIDE SLASH: When the target is too far around the side of us to use a pivot and punch we use a side slash, get your partner to hold the pad sort of in line with your ear , strike the pad with the edge of your hand , in reality the striking area could be from hand to elbow depending on range, keep your fingers together , i prefer to do it with a pivot to get maximum power but you don't have too, maintain the angle in your arm , it can open up a little but don't make the arm straight. Also bring your other hand across to guard the side of your head , keep it up near your ear like a pak sau as you do the side slash because a punch could be coming through at the same time.
· HOOK PUNCH: I won't dwell too much on the hook punch because a lot of people aren't taught it till later in most systems , get your partner to position the pad in front of you about head height , in a bit closer than for a normal punch, he must hold the surface of the pad face down because you are going to do an uppercut. The way i learned it was from the seung bong position, as you pivot the arm goes down a little bit then comes back up hitting the pad with your forearm vertical and facing you slightly diagonal.
· PALM STRIKE : Same deal as the punch really, hit the pad with your fingers vertical and palm slightly cupped shape for maximum power.
COMBINATIONS
· PUNCH / SIDE SLASH / PUNCH: Do a straight punch followed by a side slash with pivot , then another straight punch all with the same arm. . pad positions one at the front and one at the side
· PIVOT AND PUNCH ( LEFT, RIGHT , LEFT ) From right hand guard pivot to your left, punch with right hand , then pivot back to the right , punching with left hand, finish off by pivoting back to the left and punching with right hand. both pads are positioned slightly either side of your head , you don't want to have to pivot more than 45 degrees other wise your stance is compromised. Make sure to keep elbows in , people have a tendency to let their elbows fly out when doing pivot and punch.
· STRAIGHT PUNCH / HOOK PUNCH: Do a straight punch with lead hand then followed by a hook rear hand with pivot, can also be done other way around hook first then straight punch . You can hold one or two pads for this one, if you hold one you have to quickly reposition the pad face down ready for the hook punch.
· REFLEX: Partner holds both pads down and while moving around he brings up one or both pads at random , at various heights and angles , Wing Chun practitioner executes the appropriate strikes for what ever target is presented . The pad holder should be extremely mobile , making the Wing Chun practitioner chase and constantly re-adjust their positioning , urging the partner to hit as hard as he can , making him or her work hard at or near their anearobic threshhold.
These are only some of the many combinations you could do, and you should also train them on the kick shields as well for more resistance . For those of you who have started learning to elbow strike and would like to mix them with the combo's you should probably do them on thai pads or the kick shields for safety and plus it just doesn't feel good doing elbows on a focus mitt.
IMPORTANT POINTS
· relax , specifically your shoulders.
· your strikes should be like a dead weight , for greater penetration and speed , make sure alignment is correct and elbows kept in.
· sink your weight down
· stay locked in, particularly when pivoting
· pelvis rotated slightly forward
· back straight
· don't punch at the pad , punch through the pad , imagine your strike ending up several inches behind the pad.
· always start from the guard, complete the combo then straight back to guard , this goes for any technique you practice ,always back to the guard , no kodak moments please.
· work both sides equally .
· give feedback to the partner , watch for telegraphing , and tell them if a particular strike was weak or strong
· above all have fun , hitting stuff hard is fun!
·
Equipment needed : Two focus pads. , willing partner
I will assume that people already know how to do a correct Wing Chun centerline punch so i will get right into the various ways of training the punch.
After you have learned the proper way to punch you should be doing it with footwork and in combinations.
· STEP and PUNCH : Get your partner to hold the pad just out of punching range, step in with the same leg as your punching arm, co -ordinate the timing of the impact with your foot hitting the ground to get maximum power , also practice stepping with opposite leg to arm , its just that in the early stages of training you get more power stepping in on the same side as the punch later on it doesn't matter. Train both arms as well by changing your guard around , dont punch from rear hand.
· PIVOT and PUNCH: When the target is not right in front of us but at the side say approx 11 o'clock or 1 o'clock we use a pivot and punch . Say you have a right hand guard on get your partner to position the pad over at the left of you or vice versa . Again timing is the key, co-ordinate the pivot with the punch driving all your body mass through the pad , pivot through the middle of your feet , stay sunk down in your stance, and hips locked in. Right hand punches to the left side , left hand punches to the right side.
· SIDE SLASH: When the target is too far around the side of us to use a pivot and punch we use a side slash, get your partner to hold the pad sort of in line with your ear , strike the pad with the edge of your hand , in reality the striking area could be from hand to elbow depending on range, keep your fingers together , i prefer to do it with a pivot to get maximum power but you don't have too, maintain the angle in your arm , it can open up a little but don't make the arm straight. Also bring your other hand across to guard the side of your head , keep it up near your ear like a pak sau as you do the side slash because a punch could be coming through at the same time.
· HOOK PUNCH: I won't dwell too much on the hook punch because a lot of people aren't taught it till later in most systems , get your partner to position the pad in front of you about head height , in a bit closer than for a normal punch, he must hold the surface of the pad face down because you are going to do an uppercut. The way i learned it was from the seung bong position, as you pivot the arm goes down a little bit then comes back up hitting the pad with your forearm vertical and facing you slightly diagonal.
· PALM STRIKE : Same deal as the punch really, hit the pad with your fingers vertical and palm slightly cupped shape for maximum power.
COMBINATIONS
· PUNCH / SIDE SLASH / PUNCH: Do a straight punch followed by a side slash with pivot , then another straight punch all with the same arm. . pad positions one at the front and one at the side
· PIVOT AND PUNCH ( LEFT, RIGHT , LEFT ) From right hand guard pivot to your left, punch with right hand , then pivot back to the right , punching with left hand, finish off by pivoting back to the left and punching with right hand. both pads are positioned slightly either side of your head , you don't want to have to pivot more than 45 degrees other wise your stance is compromised. Make sure to keep elbows in , people have a tendency to let their elbows fly out when doing pivot and punch.
· STRAIGHT PUNCH / HOOK PUNCH: Do a straight punch with lead hand then followed by a hook rear hand with pivot, can also be done other way around hook first then straight punch . You can hold one or two pads for this one, if you hold one you have to quickly reposition the pad face down ready for the hook punch.
· REFLEX: Partner holds both pads down and while moving around he brings up one or both pads at random , at various heights and angles , Wing Chun practitioner executes the appropriate strikes for what ever target is presented . The pad holder should be extremely mobile , making the Wing Chun practitioner chase and constantly re-adjust their positioning , urging the partner to hit as hard as he can , making him or her work hard at or near their anearobic threshhold.
These are only some of the many combinations you could do, and you should also train them on the kick shields as well for more resistance . For those of you who have started learning to elbow strike and would like to mix them with the combo's you should probably do them on thai pads or the kick shields for safety and plus it just doesn't feel good doing elbows on a focus mitt.
IMPORTANT POINTS
· relax , specifically your shoulders.
· your strikes should be like a dead weight , for greater penetration and speed , make sure alignment is correct and elbows kept in.
· sink your weight down
· stay locked in, particularly when pivoting
· pelvis rotated slightly forward
· back straight
· don't punch at the pad , punch through the pad , imagine your strike ending up several inches behind the pad.
· always start from the guard, complete the combo then straight back to guard , this goes for any technique you practice ,always back to the guard , no kodak moments please.
· work both sides equally .
· give feedback to the partner , watch for telegraphing , and tell them if a particular strike was weak or strong
· above all have fun , hitting stuff hard is fun!
