purpose of drills

[EnterTheWhip]

In recent threads, there seems to be a question of the importance of drills in Wing Chun. So I ask, what do you think is the significance of drills to Wing Chun?

[S.Teebas]

To develop specific attributes, eg freedom of movement.

[t_niehoff]

"ETW" wrote:

In recent threads, there seems to be a question of the importance of drills in Wing Chun. So I ask, what do you think is the significance of drills to Wing Chun? ETW

IMHO drills are for what the name implies -- exercises to develop and hone specific aspects of our method in a controlled, cooperative environment. What we develop and hone in a drill, however -- and this is a very important factor IMO, doesn't depend on the drill itself but our focus in doing the drill. So the same drill can develop different things depending on our focus, and what is our focus often depends on our skill level (beginners usually focus on coordination - just doing the drill - and once they have that change their focus for example). In short, drills are vehicles to take us to where we want to go but are not the destination itself. The only caveat is that when we use the vehicle we had better be certain that we are using it to take us in the right direction. ;) TN

Terence

[man in blue]

Just in a few words: build muscle memory

[EnterTheWhip]

Originally posted by t_niehoff
So the same drill can develop different things depending on our focus, Like what?

The main response from this thread is "muscle memory" and a bunch of jibberish, or as yuanfen likes to put it "jabberwalky". We spend SO much time doing drills in Wing Chun. There has got to be more.

[Wingman]

Originally posted by EnterTheWhip
[snip]...We spend SO much time doing drills in Wing Chun. There has got to be more.

We spend more time doing chi sao than drills. FYI :)

I think drills helps us (especially beginners) understand the application of the basic WC techniques. In SLT, we are taught these same basic techniques. But it is very different if you do the same techniques in SLT than with a partner. In SLT, you (especially beginners) won't know if you are not doing the techniques correctly unless your teacher points it out to you. In the drills, you will know that you did not perform the techniques correctly because it does not "feel" right. You will know that you are using force against force because your forearms begins to develop bruises. You will also know that you have commited a mistake because you got hit.

The drills gives the beginner a rough idea what to expect in training WC.

[t_niehoff]

ETW writes:

Originally posted by t_niehoff
So the same drill can develop different things depending on our focus,
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Like what?

The main response from this thread is "muscle memory" and a bunch of jibberish, or as yuanfen likes to put it "jabberwalky". We spend SO much time doing drills in Wing Chun. There has got to be more. ETW

As I said, it depends on what your *focus* is when you do the drill. You can use them to develop coordination, body-structure, mechanics, sensitivity, timing, power, hone tools, etc. or none of the above. Drills - or more accurately, perhaps, the emphasis of a drill - IMHO can and will change with our focus, i.e., the intent behind the drill. Moreover, certain drills give us both insight into the nature of and a means to train our method in action (chi sao, for example, permits us to explore the faat (method) of chi (sticking)). Drills, however, are not actual fighting and are not "combat ready" IMO (as they are cooperative by nature and fighting is noncooperative by nature). TN

Terence

[[Censored]]

I tried to build a doghouse once. Understanding how a hammer and nails work, I went outside and waited for the doghouse to appear. It never did! :confused: