yip chun - punching hard

[ไRui_Jingδ]

I was able to get a hold of a video titled "Original Wing Chun - Grandmaster Yip Chun" The beginning shows Yip Man demonstrating the first 2 forms and then Yip Chun showing all 3 forms. Then Yip Chun demonstrates some chi sao with his student Samual Kwok and another student. Towards the end the commentator states:

"A good master will only demonstrate with a touch where the weak point has appeared. If he punches hard, he is not a good master."

How do you feel about this comment?

[Knifefighter]

I was able to get a hold of a video titled "Original Wing Chun - Grandmaster Yip Chun" The beginning shows Yip Man demonstrating the first 2 forms and then Yip Chun showing all 3 forms. Then Yip Chun demonstrates some chi sao with his son Samual Kwok and another student. Towards the end the commentator states:

"A good master will only demonstrate with a touch where the weak point has appeared. If he punches hard, he is not a good master."

How do you feel about this comment?

Kind of like the saying in BJJ that you don't need to use strength. Only works if you completely outclass your opponent.

[Phil Redmond]

. . . . Then Yip Chun demonstrates some chi sao with his son Samual Kwok and another student. . . .

According to this: http://www.kwokwingchun.com/index.php?pageid=22
Samuel Kwok is the son of a Church Minister

[ไRui_Jingδ]

According to this: http://www.kwokwingchun.com/index.php?pageid=22
Samuel Kwok is the son of a Church Minister

Student* I don't know why I thought he was his son.

Thanks for the correction.

[Ultimatewingchun]

""A good master will only demonstrate with a touch where the weak point has appeared. If he punches hard, he is not a good master."

How do you feel about this comment?


***IT'S one thing to say that a good instructor should not be hurting/injuring his students - but quite another to say that he should never punch hard. Put on the gloves and protective gear and punch hard - and then you find out for sure where the weak points are and whether they can be exploited or not.

[anerlich]

How do you feel about this comment?

It sounds like it was made by someone who can't punch very hard

[tjwingchun]

It sounds like it was made by someone who can't punch very hard

I am the other participant in the ¨Original Wing Chun¨video, and I also believe in Yip Chun´s statement, I don´t believe in heavy contact sparring, as an instructor you should have the skill to manipulate a student into a position to what I call ¨Offload¨that is to use full power.

You can never practice full power when sparring, even with gloves on and head guards, as the possible brain damage is something I am not preparred to risk in a student.

I have developed my punching power as well as elbow over the years and have confidence that given the chance they will have an effect, but I still will not use my ability over a student to exercise or gauge my striking capability.

Also over the years of teaching I have had students use their strikes effectively in real situations, yet I also remind them that there are individuals out there who if you hit them with a basball bat would laugh at you and rip your head off.

Fights are by nature ¨One off¨events, and getting back to the point of the thread, what Yip Chun was probably referring to was the responsibility of the teacher to educate not subjugate.

I have made what would be considered heavy contacts with students over the years but these were in chi sau which was as close to reality as sparring can ever be without crossing the line into actual combat. Yet I have never hit student hard when it served no more purpose than demonstrating thatI could do so if I wished.

Wing Chun is a fighting system and that should always be kept in mind, so contact should be expected, but hitting for the sake of it must be questioned especially when practicing with a less experienced person.