Weight On Back Leg?

[IRONMONK]

i know that in wing tsun they put all the weight on the back leg and none on the front-this idea makes sense to me but i have no idea how it is done!!!!
When i put weight on the back leg i find it impossible to move forward without shifting some weight -so how do u do it?
where does the power come from to move the back leg-i feel that the back leg is like "a heavy ball with a chain attached to a prisoner so they cant move"
also this method seems not to cover much distance?

rEgards

[Sec]

Keeping the weight on the back leg is the easy part, but you still have downward pressure on the front leg, all your weight is on the back leg but you press your front leg into the floor without putting weight on it, this is hard to explain but you'll know when you get it.
One step moves both legs, no shift in weigh, as the front leg lands it pulls the back one towards it as if they were connect by rope or something.

[Sihing73]

Hello,

This is a hard concept to grasp in this medium and hard to grasp in person. :D Basically the short answer to your question is that the knees must have an "adduction" and it is this force which pulls the rear leg forward. In other words, the knees pull towards one another and when you step with the unweighted leg the knees pull towards one another bringing ther ea leg forward. As I said this is difficult enough to get in person in this medium it is almost impossible. However, it has been many years since I did WT so perhaps someone now training can explain it better than I.

Peace,

Dave

[whippinghand]

What's the opposite of sinking?

[kungfu cowboy]

Flopping? :p

[Gluteus Maximus]

Originally posted by whippinghand
What's the opposite of sinking?

Swimming.

[S.Teebas]

spitting??

[vt108]

Do you all really claim that we should put all the weight on the back leg? Sorry but this is not Ving Tsun!
In Ving Tsun we should have 70-80% of the weight on the back leg. Not more (unless you kick). When you move forward you use your waist which propels you farward. This way you can loosen you legs and your back leg goes together with your waist automatically. Your waist decides when to start and to stop the movement. You should even more slide on the ground than "step". And you can''t do it without the waist.

[black and blue]

It might not be Ving Tsun, but it seems it is Wing Tsun.

Not the same thing - very different amounts of money involved...
allegedly.

Just don't ask about Traditional Wing Chun footwork. Issue becomes very cloudy (head in the clouds?)

In the eyes of some, we're all Wing Chun brothers, but some of those brothers are bast*rds :)

Amazingly, the question of weight distribution is 'actually' a political question.:rolleyes:

[whippinghand]

I used to do that as a beginner.

[rubthebuddha]

basics of the WT stance:

your weight is all on your back leg. that is not to say your front leg is just floppy on the ground in front of you -- it still keeps its proper angles and structure, and it uses its own weight as substance. basically, just don't lean on it. now to advance, lift that front leg off the ground, place it on the ground in front of where it was (without transferring body weight) and adduct.

it's quite simple (i teach it four nights each week to my kwoon's newest students), but i think sihing73 will agree with me that there's a lot more to it than could ever be explained here.

if you're curious, just sign up at a local WT school and learn the basics. give them a couple months to teach you how WT views things, and then decide what you want to do. worst case scenario? you're out a few buttons and you now know more about footwork.

[fmann]

And regarding the amount of distance covered: For longer distances, there are different steps (passing step, crossing step, etc.).

The basic WT step as described is mostly used like the Jack Dempsey falling step in boxing -- putting your body weight behind your blows.

[cobra]

If there is a lot of ground to cover and you are not within range, then you step differently to close the gap(passing step). The stance with the weight on the rear leg is a very protective stance, however, there is no use for it if your opponent is 10 feet away. It takes months and months of practice to get it down good and years later it still seems to be improving. Good luck!

[vt108]

"I used to do that as a beginner"

And now? What are you doing now? Do you fly or something? If so I want to learn from you :)
Of course if you have to make a bigger step (when you chase you opponent for example) you can't be so close to the ground.

"The stance with the weight on the rear leg is a very protective stance, however, there is no use for it if your opponent is 10 feet away."
I agree. This is why you need a very good waist which, like I said before, propels you forward.
Having 100% on the rear leg is dangerous for different reasons. The one is a kick to your rear leg. It is easier for the opponent to break your leg on which you have all the weight. Also when you want to move backwards (not in a straight line of course) you are trapped by you own weight distribution.
Just my opinion.

[OdderMensch]

move.......backwards?

[vt108]

Yes, I know. You always go forwards. It is my basic VT skills which makes me go backwards.
Like I wrote in my previous message "not in a straight line". Did you see it? There are situations when you need to go backwards but at an correct angle which is about 45 degree (when you stay in SNT and you have correctly toes in your foot tells you where to go).

[Ish]

Of course if you have to make a bigger step (when you chase you opponent for example) you can't be so close to the ground.

I try not to chase an opponent, if hes out of reach then he cant hurt me.

If i did try to chase him/her i would do lost of shorter steps so not to upset my balance and positioning.

[vt108]

"try not to chase an opponent, if hes out of reach then he cant hurt me. "
Sometimes when you try to attack a man and he goes backwards (he is "running away") you should chase him to keep him unbalanced and make impossible for him to preper for the next move. Of course when he is to far away from you you should wait for him.

"If i did try to chase him/her i would do lost of shorter steps so not to upset my balance and positioning."
Sorry, but with a good man you won't do nothing with a series of short steps. If he goes backwards and you do short steps you are one movement behind him all the time. He goes backwards, you do your small step, he goes another step backwards, you again do a short step and so on. Your waist should be good enough to keep your balance.

[Ish]

He goes backwards, you do your small step, he goes another step backwards, you again do a short step and so on.

I didn't say that i somehow thought taking an equal amount of short steps as long ones is going to get the same results, I tried to make it clear that i would take more steps that were quicker and shorter than if i took a long step.
Mabe i just need more practice with the longer stepping as i find i have to transfer my weight more to my front leg the further i step.

[vt108]

Like I said.If you have a very good waist it will be no problem with a bigger step. Your rear leg will go with your waist together if you use your waist correctly.

[IRONMONK]

So what does this passing step look like ?can someone please describe it?

[sanchezero]

I think that common kungfu screwup is occuring again - confusing training methods with tactics for fighting.

All of the stepping and horse training is to build balance and power. It helps to forge strong joints and muscles and a self-correcting structure out of your natural, but relatively weak gait.

When fighting you'll take big steps, maybe even leaps. You'll be moving under enormous pressure over uneven terrain. If you've trained properly, you'll have xlent balance, a stong base to deliver enormous :D amounts of power from and legs that can't easily be knocked out from under you because they are either relaxed and fluid or well rooted.

Argue all you want about 100/0, 90/10, 70/30 for training purposes. :p But when the sh!t hits the fan stay on your feet and whip some a$$.

Am I preaching? :o

[wingchunalex]

i learned to put 60% of my weight on the back leg and 40% on the front. it just takes time to learn to not have to rock back and forth on your step froward.