Gum sao

[Anarcho]

I've been working on using gum sao as a technique against a (high) front kick, and I can make it work a lot of the time, but now and then I screw it up somehow and end up wacking the higher parts (fingers, upper half of palm, etc.) of my hand on my opponent's leg at an awkward angle. When I do this it can jar my wrist or hurt my fingers. The annoying part is, I don't know quite what I'm doing wrong...Can anyone help me out with some ideas to make this technique work more reliably?

Soup is good food.

[studentsifu]

Are you using the Gum Sao in conjunction with a side-step or a t-step?
You must use the Gum Sao with some evading footwork or you will hurt your hand.

-Tathagata

[This message was edited by Sihing73 on 06-27-01 at 02:09 PM.]

[dumog93]

This is coming from someone without a heavy traditional wing chun background,but i would say taking an outside angle would help.I try to use 45 degree angles when i can to make the gum sau more effective.In fact,that's about the only way i can get the block to work in a chi sau sparring and such.

-Devildog

[kungfu cowboy]

Yeah, I like the Madonna pose.

[mikey]

what country is the flag from?

[Anarcho]

Sorry, I should have mentioned...I was using the gum sao in conjunction with a T-step.

Soup is good food.

[tnwingtsun]

kungfu cowboy pegged the bu++hole cowboy's
Flag.


Strike a pose
:D

[BeiKongHui]

Do you think you might get your wrist broken using a Gum Sao against a full power kick? Wouldn't it be better to use your foot work and move in and jam the kick? Or side step the kick and move in and attack the base leg? Or Wu Gurk or Paak Gurk the kick out of the way and then move in? I use a Gum Sao against knees while in the clinch but I've always been a bit leary of blocking kicks with a hand. Let us know what you find works best for you.

"Gong Sao Mo Gong Ching Sao"
- When you talk with the hands,
best not to speak of polite hands.

[whippinghand]

Not to be done.

[Anarcho]

Yeah, that's the worry I have, BKH. Oh well. I guess I'll try it while concentrating more on my footwork and see if I can get it to work. If not, I'll find something else to do.

Soup is good food.

[mun hung]

Gum sau is excellent for front snap kicks...if done correctly.

[Troy]

spelling may be diffrent , but are you talking bout the sinking elbow block?

-The more you sweat in peace, the less you bleed in war-

[mun hung]

Gum sau and jum sau are totally different.

[Anarcho]

Mun Hung, what's your take on getting this technique to work? My problem is that I'll occasionally have too much force-on-force happening. Got any suggestions to make sure that doesn't happen?

Soup is good food.

[mun hung]

First off when using gum sau (pressing hand) against (for example) a front snap kick, hand positioning is very important. When using a right gum sau your fingers should be pointed more to your left. If they are pointed straight towards the kick you risk damaging your hand and/or wrist and fingers. The point of contact for the gum sau is not with the fingers or the palm, but with the heel of the hand. This is where you have the most support.

The driving force of the gum sau is thru the elbow pushing downwards and not the forearm swinging downwards. The hand starts from and stays on the centerline as it is driven downwards in a straight line.

I learned to do this particular gum sau with evasive footwork - usually back 45 degrees, but it is still very effective even in a stationary position - if done correctly.

Sorry for being long winded.

I'm sure everyone has their own way of doing it. This works very well for me against a front snap kick. Even very fast ones.