footwork

[kajx]

I've been doing wing chun for about a year and half now, but my footwork is still clumsy. My stance that our academy has taught us is the square on stance (same one in sil lim tau). I feel that I telegraph a little whilst stepping forward because i tend to sink a little (height level wise) and i don't feel that i can do it as fast as the typical one foot in front of another stance (i've been timing)

Any suggestions on what can i do to improve my wc stance?

 

[David43515]

Let me say up front that I don`t practice WC myself, but some of my training partners used to. I was always under the impression that the stance used in Sil Lim Tao was used as a training stance, and not for fighting.

I think Randy Williams showed 8 different types of WC footwork in one of his early tapes for Unique Publications. Try to ask aroun and see if any of the guys you train with has them.

Stances are meant to provide you with a stable, balanced position to trike or block from, but you don`t fight "from a stance". You pass through stances while you move. For instance I might begin in a horse stance, move my weight to the rea into a back stance to avoid an opponant`s kick, return my weight forward into a front stance to throw my weight into a counter-punch, and then recover back into a cat stance incase I need to move or continue fighting.....but I never want to halt in one stance.

 

[kajx]

i see what you are getting at. Then let me correct on what I'm trying to ask.
i find moving from my initial stance to be slower and less coordinated then the right leg a little more in the front than the left leg ( but still square on).

I'm having trouble with the notion of moving into the opponent efficiently. By that I mean it does not feel very fast than the latter footwork (right foot more in front) that I'm used to.

 

[mook jong man]

Oh young champ ye of little faith , I am from your lineage , and even your school .
Easier does not necessarily mean better , initially in the early stages of training you maybe able to move quicker the other way .
But after a lot of training you will find that our stance is very natural and highly mobile.

I have been training just a little bit longer than you and believe me I can move explosively in any direction without any telegraph in this stance .
Its like being a baby and learning to walk , you are still at the toddler stage.

But like anything worthwhile it does take a hell of a lot of work , and a lot of mental discipline. See if there's any old tapes at the school of Sifu Jim and watch how fast he could close in on some one , or even Instructor Graham Kuerchner it was truly a thing to behold.

There are a lot of reasons that Sigung Tsui Seung Tin teaches us to fight in this stance , one is that it is extremely mobile in any direction and stable from any direction.

Probably the greatest strength of this stance is that you have equal opportunity to use all four limbs , in that I mean all four limbs are the same distance from the attacker .
When I am squared up I can use either arm or either leg to attack or both arms and leg if I want to

Another thing is that with the triangle formed by our feet we can use our stance to constantly project force through our arms (when in contact ) into a spot on the opponents centre that will leave him always searching for his balance.

There is also something very advanced and quite esoteric that Sigung calls the vortex , without getting too paranormal , he means that he can take the opponents energy and siphon it down to somewhere just in front of his feet .
Its beyond my understanding , but if he says he can do it I believe him.

Mate you will find it a lot easier once you get up to learning Chum Kiu that is when your footwork and power will go into over drive.

But until then you just have to constantly practice moving in your stance.

Here are some exercises to do .

• Get in front of a big mirror , in your stance , guard up . Practice moving constantly in any direction , side to side , forward , back , diagonals.
• Stay locked in , sunk down , head , neck ,spine straight .
• Keep your thighs nice and relaxed and springy
• Watch your eyes in the mirror , make sure they are scribing a line across the mirror as you move , this will help to stop your body moving up and down.
• Make sure you square up your feet between each transition to another step.
• If you can activate Tei Gong while doing it that will certainly help.

Another one

• Stand in front of mirror , get in your stance , guard up.
• Start lifting your feet up and down while staying in place in your stance.
• Lift your feet in a constant fashion , left , right , left , right.
• Just lift them about half a foot , mentally think of your body going forward.
• Make sure head / eyes stay at same level
• Remember relaxed springy thighs.
• Tei Gong if you can do it.

Another one

• In the air practice co-ordinating your step and punch , just move one leg forward in synch with your punching arm on the same side
• Imagine string going from your elbow down to your knee.
• Work on getting that arm and leg moving forward as fast as possible
• Do about 50 reps or what ever on each side.

Ask one of the senior instructors there to teach you the old Shift and Advance technique , and practice it a lot , it is great for speedy footwork

Finally

• Practice Sil Lum Tao form religiously
• Practice pivoting , it helps you to find your center
• Practice Chi Sau while constantly moving backwards and forwards.
• You should also practice skipping rope , its not only great for stamina but also good for fast footwork.

 

[zepedawingchun]

I've been doing wing chun for about a year and half now, but my footwork is still clumsy. My stance that our academy has taught us is the square on stance (same one in sil lim tau). I feel that I telegraph a little whilst stepping forward because i tend to sink a little (height level wise) and i don't feel that i can do it as fast as the typical one foot in front of another stance (i've been timing)

Any suggestions on what can i do to improve my wc stance?

If you're still in S.N.T, you are not read to move as of yet. The first year is all about building your stance and structure. So, in a lot of WC schools, you spend very little time the first year moving (stepping). Then you are given Chum Kiu, which is all about movement or footwork, after you have a good stance and structure. So be patient, heed mook jong man's words. It's like building a house, you can't put the walls and the roof on until you've layed the foundation.

 

[Si-Je]

Okay, now look. This is the first stance in WC and the most awkward when beginning. Mook Jong gave you alot of great info. Try those things.
Here's what I did..

I put my hands behind my back, lose and relaxed just clasped the hands behind my butt while standing in Si Lim Tao stance as you say. (others call in Yim something or other, we called it just "basic stance.")
You can move more quickly and easily from this shoulder width stance to anything. Don't worry about trying to track an opponent in this stance.
Just do this drill and you can "track" any opponet easily.

1. put your hands behind your back and step forward in "basic". when you step with the first foot make sure your second foot immediately follows to the point you feel like a crab. Or take a resistance band (a short one that's made for working out your Pex) and put your feet in the handles. this will make sure that when you step with the first foot the second foot has to follow immediately. AND.. it will build up your small muscles in the hinges of your legs.

2. anyways... just make sure that when you step forward with the first leg that your back leg immedately follows. when you feel comfortable with that, then get "creative".
start stepping 95, 45 25 degrees to the right and left always ending up in basic stance. I used to tell the kids... just act like your walking on ice. step then slide the next step. you don't want to march or step high each movement. your going to "slide" your foot forward and "slide" your other foot immediately behind the first stepping leg.

3. Practice that until you stepping is not 1,2 so much anymore it becomes 1, slide. (quick slide.) You'll feel it, you'll step with one foot and then just kinda "float" further than you ment to step.

4. When you make your first step you other leg follows immediately. do this to the right, the left, backwards (just don't practice that much you really always want to go forward) at an angle. practice "sliding" 45 degrees, 25 degrees, use a chair to work around, a pole, your cat. lol!
ex... I often work stance work around my toddler, she's always moving. lol! good stance training there!

The more you do this, get creative and have fun with it. just start stepping and even walking in this manner whenever you have time (and noone's looking at you@ lol!) the more you do it the more "natural" it will feel. and the more you'll realize its the optimum position to fight. trust me.

I've been doing wing chun for about a year and half now, but my footwork is still clumsy. My stance that our academy has taught us is the square on stance (same one in sil lim tau). I feel that I telegraph a little whilst stepping forward because i tend to sink a little (height level wise) and i don't feel that i can do it as fast as the typical one foot in front of another stance (i've been timing)

anyways, when working on stance don't worry about your arms. you want to focus on stance and keep your shoulders back. So, clasp your hands behind your back and keep you knees bent when you step. (i forgot, that's important! don't let your head go up and down while walking!!!) you should "slide" like your on ice. your head staying stationary and up your knees bent even when stepping, and make sure that your feet don't stay far from eachother when stepping for long.

Ack! got it? I know it sounds complicated. but it's not. just pretend your walking on ice (sliding) when you move in stance. you'll find that you will cover more ground more "gracefully" and faster than you thought possible.

Oh, yeah. make sure your hips are up while your knees are always bent when you step. pretend that someone has a rope tied around your waiste and is pulling you forward. doesn't matter if you turn, when you turn your always still going forward.

Root and "slide".
Any suggestions on what can i do to improve my wc stance?