T-Stance

[churn-ging]

Does anyone on here use the t-stance?

I was reading William Cheung's Advanced Wing Chun book and was curious about how you would use the t-stance. I have tried standing in that stance and I feel very unstable in it.

So does anyone here know what its for?

[cha kuen]

The T stance is not used in wing chun. However it is used in other styles such as northern shaolin , praying mantis and such.

The T stance is for closing the distance. If I stand with my right foot forward and try to hit the opponent with a right punch, I may not reach him.

If I stand in the right foot forward position and move my left leg to where my right leg is (standing like a normal guy), i would get more reach with my right punch.

If i wanted more reach, I would slip my left foot behind my right foot and get into the T-stance which would give me more reach than having both legs together (as typed above).

Hope that helps.

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[teazer]

Are we talking about the stance you use with the long pole by anc chance?

[fa_jing]

I don't think it is a stance per se, rather a transitional movement. I see it as a variation upon the Exchange step, only usually it involves a change in the direction you are moving, rather than in a straight line.

[Jim Roselando]

Hello,


I am not sure about the T step in Cheung's WC but Leung Jan's Koo Lo WC has the Ding Gee Ma which is the shifted YJKYM (aka Pin Sun Ma). That is what we can the T Shape Horse. I believe Yuen Kay San's WC also makes use of this structure.



Regards,

[bglenn]

T stands for temporary.It is a transitional stance were one moves from one line to another.

[couch]

I agree with bglenn...

We use it as a transition stance. If someone comes in with a right hooking punch, you could t-step with your right behind your left and bil sao.

Your left foot is ready to kick or step with a new centre line and follow-up.

I learned Kenpo Karate for a long time, and after learning t-steps and exchange steps among other wing chun foot-work...

I look at the other style with sadness! Footwork is where it's at!

[anerlich]

I always thought T meant the position of the feet, but bglenn and couch's interpretations are just as valid.

In 13 years of TWC I've never hear the term T-stance used in class. Only "T-Step", implying the partial and transitional nature of the movement.

The T-step is used for lateral movement, sidestepping, turning, and circling. or as a setup for certain kicks, possibly after such an evasive movement.

The exchange step in TWC is similar to the T-step but purely allows one to change the side facing forward. Arguably a T-step is an exchange step with a preliminary side step.

The pole uses a different stance, more like a cat stance. This stance allows the pole to be held in a counterbalanced fashion without exposing the forward leg to low attacks with a weapon.

[Phil Redmond]

Please look at this link.
http://www.wingchunkwoon.com/form.asp

[churn-ging]

So it's a transitional movement. O.K., it makes more sense now. So when using it, do you usually use it to gain a little more distance from your opponent?
i.e. if you're in a front stance, would move your front leg back into a t-step position before you attack?

[cha kuen]

Oh yeah! You can use it as a transitional movement. There's 2 ways to do it. If I'm in my right front stance and I move my left leg in front of my right leg, then it would be for transitional purposes.

If I move my left leg in back of my right leg, then its' for reach as well. It can be for transitional movement too for many throws. I n northern shaolin they will have movements where the guy ends in a deep left front stance at a 45 angle. Left hand tucked back and right palm strike= big take down.

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[reneritchie]

Hey Jim,

If we're talking Ding Jee Ma, then Anerlich is correct. Ding Jee means "Shape of Ding Character" and Ding is rougly shaped like 'T'. This commonly refers to the feet being pointed at right angles to each other (ie. - | ). We have this in Sum Nung WCK, in the Luk Dim Boon Gwun set. It's a fairly common Nam Kuen horse.

I think what you're referring to we call Pien (San) Ma (Side (Body) Horse, if turned into and Jin Ma (Arrow Horse) if stepped into (others variously call this Chor (Turning) Ma, Juk (Slanting) Ma, Bik (Pressing) Ma, Biu (Darting) Ma), etc.). Unlike Ding Jee Ma, however, Pien San Ma and Jin Ma retain the characteristics of Yee Jee Kim Yeung Ma (Trapezoidal Clamping Yang Horse), including the convergent alignment of the feet.

RR

[Vyvial]

it looks like transition between right back horse to left back horse. Or maybe walking kicks...? I've seen the pics of Cheung in the stance but that's about it.

[Sandman2[Wing Chun]]

So, does the Ding Jee Ma that you have in YKS look anything like the "t step" that Phil Redmond is showing in the link above? I'm curious because one of the moving stances we have (which is from the dummy) is T shaped, but not like the one shown in the link above. Instead, the front foot is the top of the "T", with the inside edge of the foot turned forward and the weight brought onto the front foot, while the rear foot makes up the vertical section of the T shape and is sort of pushing off the ball of the foot. We call this one "lau ma". So...does Ding Jee Ma more like Phil's or this one?

[reneritchie]

Sandman2,

A little like Phil's, though more like classic Hung Ga (deeper, and with the front foot resting lightly on the toes).

BTW Phil, your site keeps getting more and more impressive.

RR

[Sandman2[Wing Chun]]

Ok, for some reason everytime someone wrote "pole form" I read "dummy form". Ok, I know the Ding Jee Ma you are talking about. Sigh....we even call it Ding Ma...I am just not awake yet this morning. Yeah, I would also describe it as setting deeply on the rear leg, with the ball of the front foot lightly (non weight bearing) touching the ground.