| "So, what's the new dance step you're doing, Yoshi?" | | | | does martial arts has heard about this stance, or that |
| Yeah, I hear that all the time. Even from people who | | | | stance. And unless you're working in front of a |
| should know better. You probably do as well, | | | | mirror, you'll do the sloppiest stance you can get |
| particularly if you do footwork for Wing Chun. Wing | | | | away with without your sparring partner kicking you |
| Chun, or "Chinese Dancing" is a soft style with a | | | | a new one. What I found interesting about Wing |
| strong philosophical bent to it. The name originally | | | | Chun is that the form drills (San Sik is what they're |
| came from the ideograms for "Ever Spring", and it's | | | | called) REALLY emphasize fluid motions. Let me tell |
| appropriate. I was getting tired of walking with | | | | you, doing it right - you're going to sweat. And the |
| bruises and pulled muscles, and needed to switch to a | | | | muscles in your quads and hams are going to |
| softer style while I was recovering. I like Kung Fu | | | | burn...but my word, is the end result worth it. Those |
| styles, so learning Wing Chun was like falling off a log. | | | | forms become second nature, like they're learned by |
| Only without as much falling, or as many punches to | | | | your knees and hips, and you just do them - once |
| the sternum. Though the joint locks did remind me I | | | | the pain has gone away. |
| was doing a real martial art. (One piece of advice - | | | | Of course, everyone will be talking about your new |
| anyone who says "Hey, let me show you a joint | | | | dance steps, but Wing Chun footwork pays for itself |
| lock!" is a sadist. Just say "no". Really.) In some ways, | | | | nicely - since going into it, I've been much more |
| Wing Chun is like the early forms exercises you do | | | | conscious of how my bent knees increase my reach |
| for Kung Fu, only carried to their logical extreme, | | | | with punches and elbow strikes, and it's been a lot |
| rather than used as the fundamentals of a hard style. | | | | harder to throw me to the mat in Jiu Jitsu. The parts |
| What drew me to Wing Chung, aside from the | | | | I've had to compensate for from the footwork I've |
| sprained wrist on my primary punching hand, was the | | | | learned have been in mobility. It's sometimes possible |
| fluid footwork that its practitioners had. Well, OK. It | | | | to "plant" too hard - which makes it tempting to |
| was the fluid footwork that I saw in Jet Li's movies, | | | | break stance to give pursuit, particularly when you're |
| while waiting for the cast to come off. Even so, just | | | | flowing from a down block and trying to transition |
| from watching the movies, I could see immediate | | | | into a kick - at that point, the Wing Chun footwork |
| uses for Wing Chun footwork in my repertoire of | | | | has to kind of "skip a beat" while you move back to |
| techniques once my wrist healed. Wing Chun | | | | a harder Kung Fu kick. |
| footwork focuses on balance - more so than with a | | | | Either way, I'm glad I took the time to learn this. It's |
| strong kicking style, which can leave you very | | | | given me a good base to work from, and a few |
| exposed trying for a circle kick. | | | | more tricks to throw into sparring matches. |
| In particular, the footwork demands that you settle | | | | Particularly fun is when someone makes fun of the |
| in a low stance, but not one that's so low that your | | | | dance steps and then comes up to me and says |
| mobility gets hampered. Now, I know, everyone who | | | | "How'd you do that, Yoshi? |