What are 'Feeding Techniques'?

[marcoma]

A wing chun school local to me are doing a 'Feeding Techniques' seminar. See their site
http://www.kamonwingchun.co.uk/display_event.asp?ID=211

I'm not familiar with this term, what does it mean?


Marco

[omarthefish]

Could be irelevant in this context but I always refer to the attacks I give my partner to practice specific counter attacks against as 'feeding techniques'. As in, "O.K. I'll feed you a right cross and you counter". I call it feeding because it's not a real punch. It's kind of like throwing a nice easy pitch in baseball just so the batter can find his swing. The technique is intentionally clear and readable. Strong and fairly fast but not really full speed. I try to give just enough to make it a worthwhile drill but it still feels like feeding a child. :D I'm not even sure where I picked up the term.

[Grinding Hands]

Oops my error im wrong.

[black and blue]

Hello. I train with Kamon (in London and Sussex).


Feeding Techniques are one-step, two-step, three-step sparring etc. You, or your partner, is the designated attacker. The person attacking will throw, for example, a punch. This punch might be from the left or from the right; it might be a hook, a jab, a straight, a cross, an upper-cut, a windmill-type punch... whatever. You do not (unless you're a beginner) designate a type of attack.

When the punch is issued, you feed off of it, attacking the centerline and redirecting the attack (or multiple attacks if this is the case). No pads are worn.

For beginners you work on say, jabs with the left hand, or maybe you'll choose to play with hooks from the right hand. Feeding techniques are all about dealing with an attack when you haven't bridged. (i.e the first punch thrown)

Kevin Chan Sifu likens it to throwing a tennis ball. If I throw a tennis ball at your face, you will either catch it, or duck out of the way. We are all familiar with catching a ball. My fist is a similar size to a tennis ball, but when I throw it at your face... you tend to freeze... you panic. Feeding Techniques are all about familiarising yourself with a punch (or grab, or kick, or headbutt).

We also mix the distance/range we start at. I might throw my punch at you from 4 feet away, and step in as I try and hit. I might start the action from just 2 feet away and be right in your face.

The seminar will be a look at those Feeding Techniques; how we bridge, how we deal with the kind of attacks you'll find on the street. Whatever the attack issued, the main issue is to keep your reaction as simple, clean and efficient as possible.

The seminar should be great fun. Seeing Kevin Chan doing Feeding Techniques is a scary thing... very fast, very smooth, very powerful. I just pray he doesn't ask me to step forward and try and hit him!!! :D :D :D

Duncan

[reneritchie]

The way I use the term, it just means "giving" your partner something to work with. WCK tends not to commit, and so unless you're only drilling to ensure no defects in position (very important in its own right) if you want to build up your mental data base for different kinds of sensory input, your partner will have to "feed" you different kinds of forces for you to deal with (from a simple strong punch to various kinds of combination attacks). This begins rather brutish and obvious, and gets more refined as you get more sensitive/experiences. In a real situatuation, they'd probably never do those types of attacks (why give you an edge?) but in training, they're invaluable.

[foolinthedeck]

black and blue said:


When the punch is issued, you feed off of it, attacking the centerline and redirecting the attack (or multiple attacks if this is the case). No pads are worn.

err.. sorry.. didnt you say 'no pads are worn'

i'm confused, why would u wear pads at all???
do many people use pads to do wing chun?

[black and blue]

When I trained a little WT in Hungary, people wore chest pads, and some of the WT chaps here in England wear lightweight gloves.

At Kamon there are sometimes milling exercises, and I believe pads and head gear is worn for this (I've not seen this done in the classes I've attended). But there are some pics somewhere on our website.

We also use small handheld pads for punching drills - and sometimes just punch each other instead during these drills:D

On a side note, Kamon is producing a DVD from a seminar Kevin Chan recently gave on SNT. The seminar was a look at the form and how it can be used for referencing, examining general structure etc. Chan Sifu demonstrated some of our Feeding Techniques too. I believe this DVD will be available soon. Check it out and have a look at the Feeding Techniques (WITHOUT pads... ouch!)

Duncan