A heads up for CMA!

[Mr Punch]

Me spouting on from another discussion:


I'm not just talking about ducking, though there is sometimes a need for that. I'm talking about tucking your chin in so you can still see your opponent, plus, in the game of chess [that is WC fight strategy - quoted from the other guy in the discussion], while I'm ducking or even keeping my head down, I'm still striking/lapping etc, I'm not using ducking as my only defence strategy.

I fail to see:

1) How NOT keeping your chin tucked and your head down is a good fight strategy;

2) How doing the above is going to break the magic of WC power generation... I can still adhere to the principle of CMA that says that you have the cord from heavens pulling your head up, it's just pulling it up from the back of your head and therefore straight from your spine which would seem to me to create opposing tensions in your neck that are going to strengthen it in the event of a rocking blow to the head;

3) How having your head up is gonna improve your speed or balance of movement 'with equal ease in any direction'. With my head tucked, I can move in any direction... I'm not talking about a Quasimodo stance!!!

4) How practising both ways is bad...! If my head gets grabbed in the tucked position, I'm not suddenly gonna be projected into the floor, or forced off balance... I can roll my head to one side ('sticky head' TM lol), and pop it back up on the other side of the attack (so duck out and pull back if necessary). If it's grabbed in the straight position I'm gonna have to do the same anyway.

Heads up? Heads down?
Why?

[Sim Koning]

My primary focus is Jow Gar, but I do train in Wing Chun from time to time. In Jow Gar and Choy Li Fut you stand pretty much the same way as a boxer, with your right hand guarding your chin and your left acting as a jab hand, your chin is also lowered. Now in Wing Chun, it’s almost the opposite, you stand squarely with the enemy, your hands are extended forward and open, and you head and chin is raised and you are leaning back a little. I think part of this is because in Wing Chun you are fighting literarily toe to toe and keeping your head and shoulders back gives you more room to operate. I can see myself fighting like this if I was stuck in a narrow hallway or in some other extremely closed space; otherwise I’m going to fight the other way. It simply doesn’t work at longer distances; because your head is wide open and it makes it hard to cover up, duck, slip etc…You learn really fast when you spar with a good fighter that you spend more time just covering up and moving your body than trying to block his punches. This means keeping your head down too.

[Sim Koning]

Here is an example of how different to kung fu styles can be, the link below is how they stand in Choy Li Fut

http://www.clfma.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=Sections&file=index&req=viewarticle&artid=57&page=1

[GunnedDownAtrocity]

some principles would be harder to apply without your spine in line. neither is wrong.

[Vash]

It's a situational thing. If I'm up in real close, my head isn't gonna be tucked down. If I'm at arms length or further, then my chin's tucked and I'm on the balls of my feet.

[Christopher M]

What's your xingyi teacher saying?

I don't know about WC, but the IMAs interpret proper "suspending the head" as including, not antagonistic to "tucking the chin."

[Sim Koning]

It's a situational thing. If I'm up in real close, my head isn't gonna be tucked down. If I'm at arms length or further, then my chin's tucked and I'm on the balls of my feet.

Same here, though more often than not I'm going to clinch if I'm that close.

[Mr Punch]

My internals teacher was saying my point 2 above, which agrees with you also.

BTW, the points above are not anything I've been taught, just what I've come to believe after observation and practice... and getting punched in the head!

Good points so far guys, cheers. As in above, I'm also saying it's situational, but I was wondering what anyone else had been taught.

[omarthefish]

Originally posted by Christopher M
What's your xingyi teacher saying?

I don't know about WC, but the IMAs interpret proper "suspending the head" as including, not antagonistic to "tucking the chin."

I play with tucking the head from time to time but I generally keep it up. If you lift it up and follow the other principles together they have the effect of keeping your face ****her away from your opponent. Your chin is still tucked in somewhat, your general agility is enhanced this way and you get a better 'view of the battlefield' that way. Not ALL boxers tuck their head in. It seems to me like the "brawlers" tuck more and the "technicians" stay more upright...on AVERAGE. I know there are exceptions.

And furthermore, jsut because your keeping your head inline with your spine doesn't mean you can't duck. My Baji teacher (who is a very high level Taiji guy as well) "rolls" his head under my forearms smashes all the time. There's a time and a place for everything. But as a HABIT, keep your head lifted and your chin in.