The Embracing Step

[fa_jing]

Hi all, do you practice the Embracing Step? This is like turning back and forth in the side horse, except that you advance in the forward direction with each turn. And your feet are not perpendicular to the forward direction, but rather staggered. The stance is somewhere between the forward stance, and the side stance. Hands still on the centerline facing in the forward direction.

We like to practice all of our double blocks marching up and down the room in this manner, sometimes with a partner throwing punches from the same stance.

I like this step, although it can be difficult to apply in free-sparring, when I do pull it off, it can confuse the opponent. Also, it is a major deviation from boxing/kickboxing type footwork.

I once went to an Augustine Fong seminar, and he favored this step, using it almost exclusively.

I am especially interested to hear the approaches of non-Yip Man styles to this one.

Cheers!

-FJ

[yuanfen]

Broken telephone on the sound of the name?
The BRACING step?
It is a great step.
I am glad that you learned it a Fong seminar.
Practice practice practice.
Of course you can apply it in "sparring" or actual self defense....
if you learn it well.

[Wei Sui]

if it's the same steping I'm thinking about....yep...we execute punches to gan saus to other movements across the floor for practice. one thing I use it for...is if the opponent is moving forward directly into me....I use the step to get outside attack/defend.

[stuartm]

Soory - never heard of 'embracing step' - do you huen ma?

[yuanfen]

huen ma/ Of course!. But that is different from the bracing step.

[fa_jing]

Yuan Fen: I don't have an explaination for the difference in the names. We do call it the "Embracing Step," and if you think about it, the step may be thought of as both bracing and embracing. Embracing because your contract your inner thighs as you move forward, you jam the opponent, and you keep his forward leg between your two legs.

I didn't learn this at the A. Fong seminar, my Sifu taught us this step from almost the very beginning. I did get extra insight regarding the step from the seminar, however. Also, one of my Sifu's former teachers is under the Ho Kam Ming lineage, maybe that's why we practice the step.

-FJ

[stuartm]

Hi all,

Just an opinion - but 'classically' these are the only steps i hav ever trained:

YGKYM - Basic Stance
Yiu Ma - Turning Stance (Chun Kil)
Biu Ma - Arrow Stance (Chum Kil)
Huen Mar - Circular footwork (Bil Jee)
'Walking Square' Drill
Saam Bok Ma - Traingular footwork (Baat Cham Do)

Regards, Stuart

[yuanfen]

I dont quibble over names much- prefer understanding the motions
accurately and hopefully well. So no criticism is implied.So if you call it embracing -it's ok with me. I dont know who your sifu is and who was with Master Ho-in your reference. But I picked up on your reference to the thighs. The true bracing step does not involve the thighs touching
unless you are better fed than even me. There is another step
where the thighs appear to touch a bit. In any case- in the Augustine Fong line there are lots of different stepping without bouncing and all are founded on the forms and jong work and the knives. On his site- he has an elaborate list of terms for the various footwork.

[fa_jing]

YuanFen - I said contract the inner thighs, not CONTACT the inner thighs.

Man you guys speak differently in Arizona! :D


StuartM: you are missing a step. :D The one we are describing, I don't believe it exists in any of the training sets.

I'm not familiar with the "walking the square" footwork, is this the same as wooden man footwork?

We do practice triangular stepping, etc.

-FJ

[yuanfen]

YuanFen - I said contract the inner thighs, not CONTACT the inner thighs.

Man you guys speak differently in Arizona!
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MEA CULPA! I still read without glasses but actually I am going in for my first routine test today.
Dunno- I dont contract my thighs either- atleast not that I know of.
The Arizona heat shrinks things may be thats the contracting that I do <G>. Speaking to the gila monsters, diamondbacks, coyotes,
wildcats,desert hawks and jumping chollas does result in a different speak in these parts
pardner. Fer shure.