Footwork

[Tiger_SS]

My sifu is a long time student of GM William Cheung, he ran GM's Australian training for many years. In GM's teachings we have always been taught to pick our feet up and put them back down when changing stance. Some forms of WC I have noticed students are taught to slide their feet. From what I have noticed it seems to be the Hong Kong lineage that slide their feet.
The thing that concerns me about sliding feet on the ground is that the terrain in which you may be in it may be difficult to slide your feet over things like rocks or sticks. Fights will not always happen on a neat floor of your training centre.
Can anyone advise me of the pros , cons and oppinions of both methods?

[yuanfen]

I don't do TWC- best for the TWC folks to explain William Cheung's
reasoning on this issue.

From one of several possible WC perspectives---there are many stances and motions in WC--- after getting ygkym down well...moving to chor ma (chum kiu turning), biu ma-forward, huen ma (biu gee- circles).

One must distinguish between development-training the fundamentals and applying them. The fundamentals in WC teach you a lot about centering, sinking and not bouncing too early- so you understand your structure and relationship to the ground.
A flat surface allows one to focus on principles of structure and motion.

Once learned suficiently- you feel/sense/see the surface and adjust accordingly- going over or around obstructions- lifting your feet on a San Diego beach, jumping on a boulder, climbing up and down stairs.

The learned lessons of rooting and balancing and moving- minimizes the chance of slipping and falling when someone charges into you(generic you).

[Ultimatewingchun]

Tiger-ss:

You wrote...

."From what I have noticed it seems to be the Hong Kong lineage that slide their feet.

The thing that concerns me about sliding feet on the ground is that the terrain in which you may be in it may be difficult to slide your feet over things like rocks or sticks.

Fights will not always happen on a neat floor of your training centre.

Can anyone advise me of the pros , cons and oppinions of both methods?

I'm with William Cheung for almost 21 years now...and with Moy Yat for 8 years before that. So I've done both methods...

Picking up the feet before moving is absolutely essential, IMO, for the very reason you already gave: the terrain cannot be counted on to be perfectly smooth.

And by the way...I know Dana Wong since August, 1983...when he still lived in Boston.

[Tiger_SS]

And by the way...I know Dana Wong since August, 1983...when he still lived in Boston.

Sifu mentioned the boston training centre just last friday. Its winter here at the moment. He was telling us the place where he trained was so cold that sometimes everyone would just go to the noodle shop around the corner.

I will send sifu this link.

[macaulay]

I agree with Victor (UltimateWC) about picking up the feet, as I train under the Cheung lineage. Apart from dogma though, it makes sense to me to pick up my feet. In combat if I aim to pick them up, the worst they will do is slide along. I am sure the sliding method works well for those who use it.

I think the essential point is just not to have dead legs, IMHO.

[Vyvial]

i believe that Joy said it but i will say also that there is a very big difference between training and application.

[OdderMensch]

I'll admit to slideing my rear foot, when preforming the toe ma step. Why? Becuase i have been taught to move my body wieght as a single unit useing the adduction between my knees to drag myself forward. Keeping the rear foot on the ground prevent my wieght from comiung onto that front foot. If anyone can explain to me how you can lift that foot off the ground and not place your wieght forward, I'd be grateful.

As for rocks, stick and other ground issues, I've never had a problem, and i've practiced my steppiong on everthing my feet have stepped on. Grass, dirt, forested areas, Ice, everythnig but boulder to boulder.

I think it is important to note that toe ma (or dragging step) is not meant to cover more tha 6-12 inchs of ground. You should not toe ma around, but into the opponent, while hitting, in contact if possible.

Ultimately, you footwork is there to suport your strikes. While there is a place for shifting the wieght to the forward foot, mostly i see one foot planted, and one foot moveing.

[Yaksha]

why not boulder to boulder?

[duende]

Personally I don't think sliding your feet is very realistic. It's like trying to fight while doing the moonwalk.

JUST KIDDING!!!!

Hey if you are convinced it works for you fine.

In HFY we also instruct our students to lift there feet. We also tell them to land softly so that they don't over-commit to a landing, and can keep proper balance while one foot is up in the air.

But then again we also tell our students to keep a 50/50 weight dispursion.

[Yaksha]

Training barefoot on sharp rocks or coarse pavement will teach you to lift your feet.

[duende]

Yaksha,

Obviously you are not aware of iron sole conditioning...

Ha!

[Yaksha]

Originally posted by duende
Yaksha,

Obviously you are not aware of iron sole conditioning...

Ha!

[duende]

Can't you take a joke?? Albeit a rather silly one...

[KingMonkey]

i believe that Joy said it but i will say also that there is a very big difference between training and application.

This was one of the rationales my old instructor used to use and part of the reason I sought out a better instructor.
When the **** hits the fan you'll move the way you move in training. That, after all, is one of the main goals of MA training, to reinforce through repetition preferred body mechanics so that you do it without thinking.

[yuanfen]

King Monkey sez:-
This was one of the rationales my old instructor used to use and part of the reason I sought out a better instructor.
When the **** hits the fan you'll move the way you move in training.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ok- you are entitled to your opinion but you missed the point
and I dont think that you understand the rationale.

When you are in very close quarters and you want to take a quick micro step- lifting your feet can be dangerous to your health.

Wing chun training begins with close quarters- whereas many systems begin further away and then try to figure out how to "close the gap". There is lots of wing chun footwork where(gasp) the foot is lifted.

Jumping to conclusions based on partial sampling of wing chun
is a frequent problem specially among critics of the art.

In boxing rope skipping is training prelude to footwork but no sensible boxer takes a skipping rope into the ring or a speed bag.
You fight as you train can be an oversimplified cliche in the communication of some critiques.

I am glad that you found an instructor you are/were satisfied with.