Tag: full body self defense

4 Ways to Intercept

Posted on by Tim Kittelstad

Intercepting is always better than blocking. We are going to look at what the definition of intercepting is before we give some practical ways of accomplishing that. Webster’s dictionary defines intercepting as “to stop, seize, or interrupt in progress or course or before arrival”. The best way to view intercepting is that last part of the definition, “interrupt”. Not only is the attack itself being interrupted, but the timing of your opponent should be as well. And that is the key, the timing. When timed properly your opponents attack will be nullified and you will be primed to launch a second attack (in theory before his second) or you would have already hit him. Now that we have addressed what intercepting as a concept let me provide you with 4 Ways to Intercept your opponents attacks using Wing Chun.

4 Ways to Intercept

Intercepting Fist

Intercepting Fist

The first technique we will go over is the Intercepting Fist. Made famous by Bruce Lee, this technique is typically taught fairly early on in student’s training. The idea is to counter the opponents punch with a punch of your own. By keeping your elbow down and pressing from center mass you are elbow to offset your opponents strike. This can quickly be follow up a flurry of punches we refer to as Chain Punches. Keeping the strikes down the center you are able to maintain control of your centerline.

When you substitute a Paak Sao with an intercept you will find it can be much easier to deal with a second and third punch. Part of this is due to the fact that you are returning the opponents punch with a punch. They will be slightly less confident with their next punch as opposed to when you simple deflect their initial punch with a Paak. Second to that, the Intercept automatically covers your opposite side incase of a second attack. Whereas the Paak leaves you more open. 

Turning Punch

Wing Chun, Wing Chun Turning Punch, intercepting Fist, wing chun knockout punch, power punch
Turning Punch

The Turning Punch basically the other side of the same coin referring to the Intercepting punch. The Intercepting fist is typically used to refer to the lead hand being used with the lead foot to interrupt the opponent. This is illustrated in the first photo above.

Turning punch is simply using the the same structure but opposite hand to accomplish the same goal. Since the punch is coming from the back foot, the turning punch will have more power and torque then the straight Intercepting. However, much like the Paak punch, if not used properly, can leave you open on the inside for an attack.

Tan Sao

Tan Sao

The Tan Sao is a very effective and sound way to intercept a strike. You have not only nullified the attack but you have also almost guaranteed a strike of your own. Tan and the actual punch are the exact same shape. The only exception is what the hand is doing at the end. You can see here in the photo the Tan Sao is an hand open towards the ceiling. By opening the hand the focus of the technique is diverted to the elbow. The Punch itself can be delivered to the head, or for a taller opponent you can strike the ribs.

Since the Tan extending through the strike towards your opponent, it makes stopping a second strike fairly straight forward. You can transition to a Paak Punch if the Strike is down the center. Or, you can continue pressing forward with a Bui Sao against a hook punch.

Paak Punch

 

Paak Punch, Kick

Our last technique for this article on intercepting attacks is the Paak Punch. Clearing the attackers hit with Paak good, but combining it with straight punch is better. Since the Paak is coming off of the back foot there is a lot of power and structure with this counter. The Paak is also quite diverse.

When used, you can use the Paak to press forward and crush the attackers structure. You can guide his hand downward if he is taller. You can also use it to setup a baiting for the second punch.

Bonus: The Paak Punch is also a great attack to throw in a kick along with it. By doing this you maximize Wing Chun’s ability to use multiple weapons at once. You can see here in the photo, Sifu Justin used the Paak, Punch, and Kick. He uses the kick just before the punch clears the arm to finish the attack.

 

Final thoughts

When it comes to Intercepting timing is everything. You can have GREAT structure, technique, and power. But, if you do not practicing your techniques in LIVE sparring scenarios you will get hit no matter how good you think you are. There is no substitute for hard work, and good punches to the face. Train hard and never give up.

A Letter To Myself-Marcus Morales

Posted on by Tim Kittelstad

In this Article: “A Letter To Myself-Marcus Morales”, Marcus tells us his story of how he started his Wing Chun Training. We hope you enjoy this little story!

A Letter To Myself-Marcus Morales

Do you know the feeling you get when you are about to do something and you do not know what the outcome is going to be? It happens all the time. For example, imagine it is the middle of summer, you are at the local pool cooling off along with a bunch of other people, and suddenly you decide you want to dive off the platform and continue to develop your patented cannonball dive. There you go, walking past everyone and you climb to the first level.

But, You realize that there are steps that will take you to the second tier and you follow them up another level.Then you see there is yet another set up steps and they take you to the very top platform. Somehow, you have managed to get up there, where no one else dares to go. There you are, standing at the highest level at the public pool with your lucky red bathing trunks. The ones with yellow rubber duckies on them. You look down and see that you are on the edge, staring at the crystalline blue water, deciding whether or not to jump.

The Jump

That is exactly how I felt when I was standing outside the door of Sifu Justin Och’s Martial Arts school. I was standing there, watching everyone doing all kinds of crazy things. Trying to decide whether to step inside or just keep walking. I must confess that I only knew a little about Wing Chun. I consider myself to be a bit of a tough guy; grew up in some tough neighbor hoods. I also served my country for six years and finished my obligation with an honorable discharge. During that time I even came back from a major injury in the Army. Suffice it to say, I thought I was tough enough. But something kept urging me to step inside, so I did.

In the Water

Wing Chun, Self Defense, Sifu Och Wing ChunOnce inside, I was intimidated by all the people there, knocking each other around. I stood there, at that ceramic tile square at the entrance to the school. And the, Sifu came along and welcomed me in. He was not what I expected. Truth is…I didn’t know what to expect. But he walked up to me, with a thousand-watt smile on his face, and made me feel right at home. I didn’t know this until later, but he had just finished wrestling on the floor with some of his students.

One more thing I did not expect. I was still a little defensive, mostly because I didn’t know much about how things worked. All Sifu did was invite me to join in on the class he was conducting and then he would get back to me to see whether I wanted to be a part of it, so I accepted the invitation. I have not left the school since.

Learning How to Swim

From the very First minute you become a part of the school’s family and its culture. I was automatically being grabbed and tossed. I even received a stiff punch to the face, and just like that I was absolutely drawn to the scene. Somehow, despite all the punches and tosses, the sore bones and sprains, I have become more and more involved in the art. Sifu is there, with a smile on his face, teaching you everything you need to know about the art. And this is not a man who is boastful or driven by a sense of superiority. No… this man truly loves to tach, he wholeheartedly love the art, and he absolutely enjoys his students.

Sifu Och

One other thing that Sifu Och strives for at his school is the development of a community within the school. He is constantly coming up with events for the school, activities designed to strengthen the camaraderie within the student, to help foster positive relationships between the students, ones that they can potentially carry along wit them throughout their lives. I have come to believe that his desire to develop and nurture these positive relationships is at the core of the most successful martial arts school. Creating bonds not only between student and teacher, but between students, strengthens the school itself.

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Sifu’s Students

The students at the school are without a doubt the greatest assets Sifu has at his disposal. From the Green Sashes all the way to his instructor level students. They understand Sifu’s philosophy when it comes to helping everyone who start training. They

 

 

Sal Ficaro: Ageless Training

Posted on by Tim Kittelstad

Sal Ficaro came to Sifu Och Wing Chun about one year ago. He tried one of our classes and got very frustrated with himself and decided to leave. Sifu Och was able to talk to him and arrange for private lessons instead to help him through those first steps of learning. When I took on Sal and his private lessons I knew this would be a difficult task. Sal was not used to Wing Chun and it’s movements. However, I knew that it could be done because Sal had the right mindset. In this article, Sal Ficaro: Ageless Training, Sal will tell a little bit about himself and his training here.

Sal Ficaro: Ageless Training

“Hello, my name Salvatore Ficarro I am 58 years old. I’ve been training at Sifu Och Wing Chun it’s been a learning process. Timothy Kittelstad is one of the trainers at this studio and he is absolutely wonderful. Even though the journey has been tough I absolutely love it.

If anybody is in the 40s or 50s age and would like to learn some self-defense they should not hesitate. They should come down to Sifu Och and start their own journey! Your age shouldn’t hold you back. I’m 58 but that is just a number. I don’t allow that to be an excuse to not learn something new. Life can be very hard. And many times you want to just give up. But the wonderful things in life take some time to learn.

When you are working hard to learn something you may fall a little short. And when that happens, as long as you get back up and come back stronger that day was a success. There are days I feel I’m only at maybe 60% where I should be. But if I leave at 61% that means I am improving. Then next time maybe I’m at 70% or 80%. As long as you work hard and improve, no matter how small the improvement, you will always be able to grow. The staff at Sifu Och Wing Chun are the best trainers I’ve ever seen. They are their to help you. All they want is for you to be your best. And I want you to succeed. I feel if you give it a try your will fall in love with it.”

Age doesn’t Stop Hard work

Sal shows that now matter your age you can accomplish anything with hard. Day after day Sal comes into class and puts in a hard days training. Starting from private lessons he has been able to work himself into the group classes. The most impressive thing about Sal is his determination. He doesn’t care about belts, or awards, or flashy techniques. He simply wants to know that he can take care of himself. Each day he comes in and builds himself from the last class.

Age is just a number. Everybody has hurdles they have to learn to overcome. Everyone has their own life story. Once you learn to accept your story and do the best you can with what you have you can start to really learn new things.

Instead of complaining about his age, or “not being able to move like he used to”, Sal trains his body to move the best it can right now. Because that’s what matters, the now. Not the past, not the future, but right now. What are you doing right now to make a difference in your life? If nothing than you should find the reason why. And then find a strong reason why you need to change that. Sal is a great example of someone who tackles life no matter what happens.

 

My Journey Toward Wing Chun

Posted on by Tim Kittelstad

My Journey Toward Wing Chun

My martial arts training started late in 2006 at Dan Parrish’s Taekwondo school.  The sole purpose of me training there was for it to be an outlet for my anger issues. When my training first started, my attitude toward others, school, and life in general was horrible. At the same time that I was practicing Martial Arts, I was also regularly seeing a “Guidance counselor“ . With the help of my “guidance counselor“, my instructors at my Martial Arts school, and my parents… I was able to reduce the amount of anger I’ve always had and calm down as much as possible.

Introduction to Ip Man

As years went on I became a black belt at the same martial arts school but under a different instructor who’s name is Master Gary Hernandez. Around that time is when I watched the first Ip man movie. That’s when I wanted to start to learn any new style of Kung Fu, but Wing Chun in particular. Something terrible occurred I was working towards my 2nd degree black belt. A near fatal incident happened to my mother and now ex-stepfather.  Once that happened, my training drastically went downhill. I wasn’t wanting to throw a single punch or block a single strike.

Re-Focusing

After a while, when I knew my mother would be OK I began to start training again. But this time I was traveling with a friend every Thursday and Saturday to Zephyrhills to continue my training. I was also training and teaching as one of the head instructors at my Lakeland taekwondo school. As 2014 was coming to A conclusion, my taekwondo school and Lakeland shut down because of financial issues which allowed me to become A full fledged student under Gary Hernandez. Once I became a student under Gary Hernandez I started training in the super foot system and earned my 2nd degree black belt.  Soon after I received my next rank, I moved further away to the city of Winter Haven which kept me from training because of transportation issues.

Lakeland Wing Chun

Fast forward towards 2016, I stumbled across the Wing Chun school in Lakeland. At the time I was very hesitant about walking in and asking questions because of the simple fact that I did not know how I would be able to make it to classes without there being A problem. I am glad to say that I do not regret walking into the front door. I met both the manager, Timothy Kittelstad, and the owner, Sifu Justin Och. They immediately made me feel welcome.

sifu justin och, ip chun, hong kong, florida, son of ip man, masterOne of the many reasons why I love to train at this particular school is because of the authenticity of the Wing Chun that is being taught. There’s no place else like it, and there’s no other place that you can learn wing Chun from one person that’s been certified under multiple lineages. So far what I’ve gained and hope to continue gaining is the realness of Wing Chun and how the principles of Wing Chun affect more than just a persons martial art aspect,  but also different aspects of every day life and activities. I’ve also learned and have gained many different techniques that is and will be always important to any true martial artist.

Wing Chun’s Greatness

Lastly, one thing I’ve gained since I’ve signed up at Sifu Och’s Wing Chun is the love and care that he provides and all of his students. Anyone who signs up will be able to experience the greatness and directness and effectiveness of Wing Chun. They will also be able to see how family oriented the school and the atmosphere is. They will also how hard and dedicated all the students are to their training.

My Journey Into Wing Chun: By Rich Dorsey

Posted on by Tim Kittelstad

“My Journey Into Wing Chun: By Rich Dorsey,” is my story hope you enjoy!

I’ve wanted to train in the Wing Chun system specifically ever since I knew of it when I first got started in martial arts as early as my 18th year. My first teacher, a master of Isshin Ryu, was fascinated by it. Upon many of my homework assignments I received then I also was given information, literature and videos about Wing Chun.

My Journey Into Wing Chun: By Rich Dorsey

Those few Karate teachings were basic. I had only begun to scratch the surface of how to use my hands and feet. They are minuscule to the depth I’ve seen at this early stage of Sifu Och’s system. Even still I feel many significant differences in the fighting styles. Not only are both of my ‘weapons’ straight-on utilizing more than half my body, but my hands (when I’m practicing my techniques properly) are continuously forward ready to be fired in short range fire attack. This being said I can honestly say I’ve never had any real training. Even though over the years I’ve tried many different styles of martial arts even boxing.

My Inspiration

I’ve met many masters and many students but never anyone who has ever truly inspired me. I began to believe my dream of learning Wing Chun and meeting those kinds of individuals was out of reach. Not only did I find what I was looking for, I met one of the best fighters I’ve ever known. A teacher not only surpassing my expectations in knowledge but one who inspires me still. A system that not only challenges me but one that works. I’ve seen it work and have felt it work. To this day I don’t know if I’m more inspired by him or fellow students. Not only can I see what it’s done for myself but I see what it’s done for them. The changes in us all over the past two years.

My Past

And before I go on about the many benefits of Sifu Och’s Wing Chun system it’s important to me to remember who I was before I came. I’ve been athletic my entire life. I began calisthenics at the age of five, and weight training as early as eleven. As an adult, I became a personal trainer by trade. My confidence was exuded for all to see. Yet there was always something missing. All my goals in my physical attributes had for the most part been met. I wanted more than just to look like I could kick butt and take names. I wanted to feel it and believe it.

Refining Myself

So I began refining myself, my cardio respiratory and training on my own to prepare myself for martial arts. Had I known then what I know now I would have just started immediately. When I felt like I was ready that’s when I found him. ‘When the student is ready the master will appear.’ I can honestly say I had no idea what true cardio was. And all the confidence -that I soon realized was only on the surface- was stripped away as soon as I realized how much I didn’t know. How much younger men (and some women) only half my size and strength could easily defeat me. Most only in the beginning phase of the system. The confidence that I have now runs deep. 

My Future

The cardio I currently have I could have never imagined. I’m tougher than I ever could’ve imagined. These are only a few of the benefits I’ve gained and being only a short distance along the long road I’ve begun to travel I can only imagine how much more there is in store for me here. The excitement only grows the more I learn, understand, and experience…

Sifu Och! WING CHUN!!

The Kickers Guide A-H (Part I)

Posted on by Sarah Lister

Kicking is hands down one of my favorite things to do. It’s just so versatile. Once you learn how to use your legs, a whole new world of possibilities opens up. And it is a beautiful world. But this world is full of complexities and a ridiculous amount of different kicks. Not to mention the fact that almost every martial art will perform each kick slightly differently. These two facts combine to make learning kicks more difficult than it needs to be, but we are here to help clear some of that confusion. The Kickers Guide A-H (Part I) is a nearly comprehensive list of kicks known to the martial arts world:

The Kickers Guide A-H (Part I)

Axe Kick

An axe kick is usually preformed either to someone already on the ground or to the collarbone/sternum of a standing opponent. Use a straight leg to come in a downward motion striking with the heel. The two biggest variances are in the load of the kick: some people perform axe kicks by swinging a straight leg up into the air and back down again, while others bring their knee to their chest, kick up, and then drive down. The first is easier to perform and more common. The second offers a more controlled technique and is better for attacking a standing opponent.

Back Kick

Also known as a donkey kick, this kick attacks an opponent that is directly behind you. This kick is more commonly used in fights where there are multiple opponents, as for a general rule you would not want to turn your back on an opponent.

Butterfly Kick

This kick is often more for demonstration than practical self defense. It comes from either standing, or a running step in. The body twists as both legs come off the ground, one after the other, with the entire body more or less parallel to the ground. Striking occurs with the heel coming down on the opponent. A very beautiful kick.

Fish Kick

A flick like kick done with pointed toes, typically aimed at the groin. The kick comes up in a snapping motion, with the strike occurring somewhat like the flick of a fish’s tail. This kick also targets the head during fighting combinations that end with the opponent being pulled down to knee height.

Front Kick (Push/Snap)

A front kick refers to either an upward snapping motion (striking under the chin), or a forward thrusting motion (pushing with the ball of the foot). Either way, the kick comes in a direct line in front of the body, usually with the hips squared. This kick is often used to push opponents away, or as an entry move to a follow up technique.

Half-Moon/Crescent (Reverse Half-Moon/Crescent)

This kick starts with the knee brought up and into the chest. The foot is then thrust out and around, from the outside of the body in. The reverse kick comes from the inside out. This kick is primarily used as an entry move to get past an opponent’s guard, but can also strike to the side of the face or body.

Half Crescent/Tong Kick

A forward thrusting kick done with the foot and knee tilted at a 45° angle to the outside of the centerline. Directed toward the knees, hip, or ribs. The Tong kick is similar to the Half Crescent Kick, except the foot and knee are tilted at a 45° angle to the inside of the centerline. This can be aimed at the diaphragm or chin.

 

These kicks and more make up the bottom half of our martial art strikes, keep an eye out for our next article on the second half of these kicks!

Punches Across the Arts

Posted on by Sarah Lister

The punch is a staple in every conceivable martial art. Even those that focus on ground work, like Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, at least address how to defend against a punch. In short, martial artists like to punch. But when a Karate guy says punch, and a Wing Chun guy says punch, they don’t always mean the same thing. Punches across the arts vary widely and each art has its own reasoning for choosing to punch slightly differently.

Karate & Tae Kwon Do

When it comes to Karate and Tae Kwon Do, the punch is exactly the same. As a martial artist holding an instructor level in Karate, I figured that I would not have to research the Karate punch and moved straight into Tae Kwon Do. The very first video I found on Tae Kwon Do punching sounded like I could have made it myself and called it “The Karate Punch.” This punch primarily hits with the first two knuckles closest to the thumb. If you make a fist, you should be able to draw a line from those two knuckles straight up your arm, matching the bones in the forearm. In traditional drills practitioners will chamber at the waist or hip and strike out as the other arm draws back with equal force. However, in sparring or other applications, the punch will usually come from somewhere near the face. Practitioners use this punch because it allows for the structure of the arm to back up the power of the punch.

 

WIng CHun

In Wing Chun Kung Fu, the punch looks a little different. Instead of a fist with fingers down parallel to the floor, the Wing Chun punch ranges between a 45 degree angle to perpendicular to the ground (depending on the school); with the pointer finger at the crest of the angle and the pinky at the bottom. These punches come through the centerline of a practitioner’s body, attacking with a square chest. The punch strikes from a state of relaxation to tension. It is less forceful than the Karate or TKD punch, but can deliver the same power. Practitioners use this punch for a couple of reasons. This punch is “invisible” because it is often more difficult to see coming. By simply taking the shortest and most direct route to its destination. It also requires the opponent to be closer, being more effective for close quarter contact.

whipping punch broken down

contact-sifu-och-wing-chun-florida-schools
Sifu Och’s Wing Chun Florida School

Variations

These two different variations of the punch represent either end of the spectrum. Karate and TKD on one side with Wing Chun Kung Fu on the other. Most other martial arts will fall somewhere in the middle of these punches. Tai Chi punching incorporates the relaxation to tense aspect associated with Wing Chun to the horizontal aspect of Karate/TKD. Whereas in Aikido, they do not focus as much on the techniques of the punch, rather using it as supplementary to other techniques. Muay Thai, Boxing, and Mixed Martial Arts, all utilize a punch called the jab. That is very similar to the Karate/TKD punch, but originates from a guard up by the temples and is more often used as an opening technique.

Similarities

Though each martial art may punch a little differently, there are a few concepts that are generally constant. One being to engage the core. Punches may be executed by the arm, but they come from the whole body. Likewise most martial arts will encourage putting hip torque behind punches to make them more effective and powerful. As well as a strong base through structure and rooting. Even though these fine points may be difficult to visibly discern, they are what makes any punch a good punch.

http://www.taekwondoanimals.com/taekwondo-jab

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https://fightrr.com/muay-thai/technique/punches

Wing Chun Entry Techniques

Posted on by Tim Kittelstad

The ability to close the distance with an opponent is essential to any Wing Chun practitioner. You must be able to quickly respond to an opponents attack and shut them down to avoid follow up attacks. Different ranges call for different responses. That being said we will cover a few Wing Chun Entry Techniques here in this article. Before reading this article we suggesting checking out our previous article Wing Chun Vs Jab, Cross, Hook Takedown Combo. We explain the difference between committed and non-committed strikes which is essential to your training.

Hand Entries

Paak Slip

In our previous article Wing Chun Vs Jab, Cross, Hook Takedown Combo we touch on the idea of using the Paak to simply slip off the first punch. Connected is a video of Master Sifu demonstrating this technique. He explains how to utilize the Paak to deflect the initial blow and then glide off into a strike. A very effective and quick technique.

Paak Punch

The Paak Punch is a very effective combo to use. Instead of trading blow for blow with an opponent, the Paak Punch allows you to strike and defend at the same time. When countering a cross or straight punch this is a definite must. You are able to either crush a punch and counter above it with a punch of your own. Or, you can slip the punch and strike the ribs. Either way you are able to immediately counter straight punches and close the distance.

Paak into Bui or Tan

If an opponent does not throw a committed strike it can be very difficult to throw a counter. In this case it would be prudent to defect the first punch with a Paak and then counter the second punch. Two great choices would be either a Tan Punch or Bui Sao Punch.

A Tan Punch would be a great choice against any sort of straight punch. Since the Paak would have simply deflected the first punch you can use this as a set up for the second punch counter.

If he throws a haymaker or wide hook the Bui Sao Punch would be the best choice. The curved shape of the Bui Sao would match the trajectory of the hook allowing for maximum protection.

Kick Entries

Shadow Kick

If facing an opponent that moves a lot, pushing off the front foot, a Shadow Kick may be a option to consider. Our article Kung Fu Kicks goes into more detail about this kick. The idea is to crush into your opponents leg with a stomping motion. Typically aimed to blow out the knee the lead hand will typically drop as a result opening up an nice window for an attack.

Crescent Kick

Finally, the Crescent Kick. One of the most effective ways to use this kick is to the ribs when they extend their punch. This has the same shape as the Shadow Kick but instead of going down it strikes forward. You must thrust your entire body behind the kick. When this is done the head usually comes down as a result of the body caving into the kick. This allows for an easy strike to the head.

The Key to Closing the Gab

All of these techniques are futile if you do not close the distance with the right timing. You can only develop timing with hours of practice. Doing techniques in lines are a great way to build the structure for them and speed. However, if you do not consistently keep up your training your timing will be off an no amount of skill will help you if you do not time it correctly.

Women in Martial Arts

Posted on by Sarah Lister

As a female martial artist of over a decade, I’ve noticed that women are generally treated differently than their male counterparts. This shouldn’t be a surprising statement and isn’t always a bad thing. Our bodies are structurally different, and those differences should be considered in certain situations. But not all, and certainly not most where martial arts is concerned. In this article, Women in Martial Arts, we will go over some of these considerations.

When Gender Matters in Martial Arts

Usually I tend to err towards equality in all situations, especially when it comes to training. But there are a few notable differences that should be addressed when a woman is training in the martial arts.

First off, the way that certain moves are performed may need to be adjusted – depending on the woman. For instance, many schools perform drills that require the non-punching hand to pull back with as much force as the punching hand. This sometimes results in the woman hitting her own breasts as hard as the object she is punching. Which may cause some women to have major problems performing the pull back of a punch due to breast size. On another related topic, breasts are unfortunately a very wide target area while sparring. Though most people at least try and avoid that area, there are always the unintended (or otherwise) slip-ups. Thankfully this can be easily rectified through the use of chest gear.

Another prudent difference is in the necessity of rape defense. Though male rape victims do exist, women are ten times more likely to be raped. This makes learning rape defense a good idea for anybody, but a necessity for women. This includes both wall defense and ground. Learning to escape from being pinned to the wall, or mounted from the ground. As well as education on warning signs and situational awareness.

When it Shouldn’t

While we have established that there are in fact scenarios where women should be treated differently, the vast majority of the time that is not the case. Too frequently are women partnered with men who “go easy on them,” thinking that they are doing the woman a favor. But what so many people don’t realize, is that every time a man “goes easy” or throws light punches, a woman doesn’t get to train. If women are only given the opportunity to train against easy punches, they will never be able to defend themselves.

contact us, sifu och contact, contact sifu och

And there is also the consequence of having an inflated and unfounded sense of security. I once believed that I was an excellent grappler, because I was always able to defend myself against the guys I fought. I didn’t find out until later when some guy swept the floor with me, that they had been babying me the whole time. When I went back and talked to those same guys, and they were incredulous saying, “of course we went easy on you.” Which is all well and good until the day that I actually need to defend myself.

My Perspective

Being a woman in the martial arts, however, also has its advantages. Women tend to be more flexible, making them less prone to injury due to overextension or pulled muscles. In addition, their wider set hips allow for more mobility as far as performing kicks is concerned.

Martial arts throughout the years has evolved and changed to meet the needs of each generation. Although martial arts may be primarily a male dominant activity, women still make up a large percentage of its participants. In fact, Wing Chun was actually created by a woman. While she may have faced different struggles in the 17th century, we are all just looking to be able to defend ourselves.

http://www.livestrong.com/article/335439-range-of-motion-in-men-vs-women/

Sparring Protective Gear

Posted on by Sarah Lister

Sparring is an essential part of most martial arts. But when it comes to gear, each school decides how much and of what type to wear. While some schools require the use of sparring gear in all combat situations, others are a lot more lenient. They might only require it for designated matches and competitions and in some cases, not at all. Some people argue that sparring gear doesn’t actually keep us safer, but can even increase our chances of getting hurt. Others don’t want to wear it because it can be bulky and cumbersome. So where do we draw the line?

Why wear gear?

If competition is your goal, then the answer is because they require it. The North American Sport Karate Association (NASKA) rules require head gear, hand and footpads, mouthpiece, and groin cups for all adult competitors. For competitors under seventeen, they also require chest and face guards. If you are training to be a professional competitor, or are at least serious about competing, your training should always include the gear that you will wear on competition day. If you practice with less gear, or none at all, competition day will feel awkward and slow. In fact, many competitors practice with weighted gear so that when they go back to wearing regular gear they feel lighter and are able to hit faster.

If your goal is to simply stay safe while training, you may need to take a different approach. Depending on what martial art you practice, different gear may be more beneficial than others. For instance, some martial arts frequently incorporate the use of elbows and knees. In these arts you may want to consider adding elbow and knee pads, especially if they are actually making contact. Other arts that heavily rely on kicks to the body may need a chest guard. Or if your art includes more eye and facial strikes, a face guard might be in order.

Could wearing head gear actually hurt?

There is an argument going around that head gear increases your risk of brain trauma over not wearing gear at all. This argument comes from personal opinion though it does rely on facts. Perpetuators of this idea claim that the added inch or two of padding make your head a bigger target, and more likely to get hit. It may also lure fighters into believing that they won’t get hurt, making them less defensive of their head. They also claim that head gear impedes your peripheral vision, further increasing your odds of getting hit. While they have not yet tested this phenomenon, they have tested how effective head gear is at reducing the impact to your brain. Wearing head gear can reduce the trauma to your brain by about 50% (McIntosh & Patton, 2015). While 50% is eons better than zero, it is still a relatively low number. Thankfully this statistic is pushing manufacturers to invest research into creating a more effective head gear. Something that we will hopefully see in the near future.

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So what gear will you wear? Personally, as someone who sustained a concussion while not wearing head gear, the choice is easy. I would wear anything with the potential to reduce brain trauma, no matter how annoying or obtrusive it may be. Protecting your brain is not something that should be taken lightly. But for others without the same experience, maybe going without seems like the better option. Whatever choice you make, make sure to make it from the point of sound research and not momentary comfort.

McIntosh AS, Patton DA (2015, September 1) Boxing headguard performance in punch machine tests. In Br J Sports Med 2015;49:1108-1112.

Cardio, Lifting, and Martial Arts

Posted on by Sarah Lister

It should come as no surprise that cardio and weightlifting can both greatly improve your abilities as a martial artist. People have been using cardio and weightlifting to supplement their martial arts for as long as martial arts itself. The health benefits they provide are beneficial to every aspect of life, but what do they do specifically for the martial artist?

Cardiovascular Exercise

Treadmill vs Sparring

Doing any martial art will include a good amount of cardiovascular exercise. In fact, one study showed that performing martial art kata’s and engaging in sparring increased heart rate to a higher level than that of running on a treadmill (Iide et al., 2008). This is mostly due to the fact that kata’s and sparring engage the upper body in more dynamic movements than running does. That’s not to say that running on a treadmill doesn’t add its own benefits to martial arts, because it does. The cardio performed while practicing martial arts is usually in short bursts, ranging from less than a minute to about three minutes on average. And while this (quasi-interval training) has its own benefits, the endurance gained from long distance running takes martial artists to the next level. It allows them to excel during prolonged testing periods and back-to-back sparring matches.

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Recovery

Martial arts instructors are particularly known for pushing student’s bodies to the limit in class. They want not only for you to build muscle, but also to have the ability to keep pushing even when your body wants to quit. Cardiovascular exercise after a workout can help remove some of the toxins built up in your bloodstream during that workout. Effectively reducing the muscle soreness sure to come in the days to follow (Clark, 2015). And for no other reason, if you do need to use your training in a real street scenario you have no idea hard long you will need to engage your enemy. 

Weightlifting

Adding Power

There have been countless studies done on the benefits of weightlifting, however, very few in regards to martial arts. One such study found that weightlifting has the ability to “increase punching and kicking speed, or power” (Iide et al., 2008). This same study suggests adding in twisting crunches to increase torque power behind the hip rotations so common in martial arts. Has an instructor ever told you to put more hip behind your strike? In addition, incorporating cleans and snatches could help in generating more explosive leg power for kicks and structure.

Strength Down to the Bone

But weightlifting goes beyond additional speed and power, affecting our bodies down to bone. Other studies show that lifting can improve bone density. “Not only can weigh training increase bone density, it can improve muscle mass, balance and connective tissue strength” (Seltzer, 2013). With all of these factors combined, the risk of injury in martial arts is greatly reduced. Think about all the times that you have been hit or thrown to the ground. Improved balance and connective tissue strength could make the difference between a fall and a serious injury.

Adding cardio and weightlifting will provide numerous benefits not only to your martial arts training, but also to your overall health. And if you are looking to combine cardio, weightlifting, and martial arts, consider making our kickboxing classes a part of your training regimen. Sifu Och personally explains some of our training in his article “Muscle Conditioning With Kung Fu”.

Clark, S. (2015, December 30). 5 great benefits of cardiovascular exercise!. In Bodybuilding. Retrieved June 13, 2017, from https://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/sclark85.htm

Iide, K., Imamura, H., Yoshimura, Y., Yamashita, A., Miyahara, K., Miyamoto, N., & Moriwaki, C. (2008). Phsiological responses of simulated karate sparring matches in young men and boys. Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research (Lippincott Williams & Wilkins), 22(3), 839-844.

Seltzer, C. (2013, December 11). Can weight lifting improve bone density?. In Builtlean. Retrieved June 13, 2017, from https://www.builtlean.com/2013/12/11/weight-lifting-bone-density/#fn-20788-3

Afterschool Martial Arts: Showing You Care

Posted on by Tim Kittelstad

“People don’t care what you know until they know that you care”. That statement has never been more true then when it comes to dealing with kids. Children these days have a serious struggle with staying focused. Lack of focused is compounded in a class setting. As an instructor we must take every advantage to maintain our student’s focus. One of the biggest ways to help them maintain their focus is helping them understand how much you really care about them. In this article, Afterschool Martial Arts: Showing You Care, I will go over some tips on how to accomplish that.

Afterschool Martial Arts: Showing You Care

Mat Chats

Mat chats are a great way to intentionally impart wisdom to the next generation. At the Sifu Och Wing Chun and Just Dance Afterschool and Summer Camp Classes we take 5-10 minutes every class to sit and talk to our students. Each month we go over new concepts to help them grow as people. This can range from peer pressure to manners. These mat chats are not lectures. They are a time to engage with your students and listen to their responses. Getting them to open up to you shows them that they can trust you. When you listen to their responses you are leading by example. By showing them how to listen respectfully they can see what it means be respectful.

Little Lions preschool martial arts

Listening When Disciplining

Many times I have seen, and experienced, instructors in martial arts and sports doing blind discipline. A child acts up and immediately they are jumped on and made to do some form of work out for a disciplinary action. Before moving forward let me confirm that discipline is key, without it classes are chaos and nothing is accomplished. However, maintaining discipline is a two sided coin. True discipline is achieved when the student is maintaining discipline out of respect, not fear. I accomplish this in my classes by taking the student’s aside that are acting up and talking to them.

When I have engaged a student I seek to explain to them my point of view. Helping them understand why I am pulling them out of class or off to the side. What I am trying to accomplish is to show the child that I have perceived a wrong has been committed. And then due to that perception something must be done about it. I then allow the child to explain himself. Allow him to share why he was acting up or not staying focused. Most of the time there is no good reason and proceed to explain why I must discipline the child. However, there are times where the child was not deserving of punishment.

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To Punish Or Not To Punish

Many times when speaking to the children I have found that outside factors played a big role in their distraction or outburst. If they are having a hard time focusing on their training sometimes it leads back to family or school problems. In that scenario I have the chance to teach them another lesson. This can be anything from perseverance in a hard time to forgiving a friend for doing something wrong to them. In any case a punishment would have only hurt their growth.

Most of the time, unfortunately, the child is acting up because they simply have not learned discipline yet. In that is the case you must be consistent, firm, but caring in your punishment. If it is a repeat offender in the same day I will again take them aside and speak to them. If after I have spoken to them, and punished them multiple times then in might be time to speak to the parents about what you can do as a time to help with his discipline.

Conclusion

Children can be wonderful to teach. Their mind can absorb very quickly and they have a very high energy most of the time. That being said, your kids classes are what you make them. If you make them a time that the children feel safe and cared for, they are more likely to listen and enjoy your classes.

Wing Chun vs Jab, Cross, Hook Takedown Combo

Posted on by Tim Kittelstad

Wing Chun vs Jab, Cross, Hook, Takedown

Wing Chun vs Jab, Cross, Hook, Takedown was a question a beginner posted for anyone to answer on a Facebook group. He asked for the key to using Wing Chun vs Jab, Cross, Hook, Takedown Combo. Sifu Justin Och and Senior Instructor Garret Brumfield posted a video titled “Wing Chun vs Jab, Cross, Hook, Takedown Combo”.

In this article we will address some of the finer points. Stopping this combo is no easy task but Wing Chun does have an answer.

Wing Chun vs Jab, Cross, Hook, Takedown Combo

The Jab

If you are to deal with an attack you must understand it. To understand strikes you must make a distinction between committed and non-committed strikes. A committed strike could be defined as a strike that has the entire weight of the body fueling the power for the strike. Alternatively, a non-committed strike will be much faster but won’t have the power. A jab is a non committed strike. That being the case, the counter must be equally fast. As you can see in the video Sifu Och uses his paak sao but immediately follows up with a straight punch. This allows for quick adjustments where needed.

The Jab, Cross

If your opponent crosses immediately after his jab you may not have time to follow up off the initial strike. Sifu chose is one of the most direct options to counter although there are many variations. The hand that was used to paak the initial strike simply follows its trajectory to the face. In conjunction, the back hand paaks the next strike. This results in and immediate strike to your opponents face.

The Jab, Cross, Hook

Let’s say that your counter does not damage your opponent enough. As a result, he follows up again with a hook. The hook that Sifu Och Demonstrates is a very tight “rabbit” hook. Theses types of hooks are very hard to deal with. A Bui Sao, Bui Jee, Man Sao will be very hard to execute in this scenario. You must be able to fully extend these techniques for them to become effective. When the opponent throws this hook, it will be very tight to the body with a lot of torque. Torque equals power, and if you are unable to fully extend your technique it will crumble. In this scenario Sifu chooses to utilize upward elbow to cover the opponents strike. He is now able to strike with is other hand and move on with his attack.

The Jab, Cross, Hook, Takedown

wing chun vs jab cross hook

Finally, we moved on to dealing last part of the combo. None of your counters have successfully stopped your opponent but because you are in so tight he feels the need to shoot in and take you down. There are two scenarios to be address when an opponent shoots in on you. If he gets under your elbow or not.

If he does not get under your able a you can simple remove the foot he is attacking and stop his forward motion with a Gum or Jum Sao to the neck\head. This is addressed in our article Fighting Footwork where we go into a little more depth. However, if he does get behind one of your elbows you must sprawl back or you will be taken down. Once you have sprawled you can then establish a line of defense again with your Jum or Gum Sao. This line allows you to regain your structure and move on with your attack.

End the fight

At each stage of the attack your goal as a Wing Chun practitioner should be to the end the fight. When you respond to an attack you should be immediately seeking to follow it up to finish your opponent. You would only utilized these counter techniques if you are unable to flow into and 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, etc. follow up. So in theory, your opponent will never get to his takedown, or his cross for that matter. However, that is why we as martial artists should always be prepared. If the worst happens, you will be ready.

The Fatal Flaw in Testing

Posted on by Tim Kittelstad

Getting tested in martial arts can be nerve racking but also invigorating. Your abilities are all laid out to bare for all to see. No more excuses just reaction. This is quite exciting. Along with that is the satisfaction when all your hard work does actually pay off. Attaining the next level feels great and if you earned it you should feel proud. However, “The Fatal Flaw in Testing” is what I would call the Sprint Mentality.

Sprinting for your test: The Fatal Flaw in Testing

Finals week, the week before the last set of tests for college students. Energy drinks, microwaved food, and zombies with backpacks become rampant on college campuses. Students will “cram” in those last extra hours of studying to strive for that grade at the end of the semester. This is the same as I call it, the “Sprint” in martial arts. Martial art students will train for months but many times you will see a tendency to really step up the training right before a test. Even though this does encourage that extra training at the end of a section there is a fundamental flaw to this process.

Student’s who are training hard consistently will have no need to sprint at the end because they will already be prepared for the test. But for this to be realized your goal must be analyzed. If your goal is to simply achieve belt ranks, then cramming is a perfectly legitimate way to achieve that. However, if your goal is to be prepared at all times for combat, then you should train as if you had testing every day.

One Breath

Grandmaster Ken Chun, from Wing Chun Dynamics in California, visited our school and gave a great tip on mindset. He explained that in an encounter you have one breath to channel all of your training to defend yourself. In that one breath you must focus your mind and your body to one task.

He also explained that this should be trained every single day. In other words, you shouldn’t wait for the week before testing to snap into that “one breath” mode. Every single punch, every single kick, every single takedown should be done with the same mentality. If you don’t accomplish this attack it could be the end, not of your opponent, but of you! So as you train, take in that one breath mentality every single time you move.

Your actual goal

Attacks on the street may have indicators. However, indicators do not come a week ahead of time. They may only be caught a moment or two before something happens. That being the case, if you do not keep yourself optimally prepared you could be overtaken. If preparing for testing is your ultimate goal, you are in danger of getting caught. Testing should not be used as your goal. Your goal should be your training regiment. Each day you should seek to improve and upgrade that training. The result of this shift is that your perspective changes on your testing. Instead of looking at that as an end game, it is used to evaluate whether or not your training is effective to keep you prepare.

The importance of keeping your training up is even emphasized in martial arts business circles. Even with these successful million dollar schools the owners understand that their training is top priority. John Kovar, found of Kovar systems lists Training first, then Teaching, then Business. You don’t know when you are going to be attacked so every training day is vital to you surviving an attack.

So ask yourself, what are you training for? Have you fallen prey to the The Fatal Flaw in Testing? Are you training for a belt? Social standing? Sense of accomplishment? Or are you preparing yourself for real, terrifying, messy combat?

 

 

Afraid to Get Hit?

Posted on by Tim Kittelstad

We see it all the time. Someone will come into a class with the goal of learning realistic self-defense. However, they have no intention of getting hurt in the process. And then the first class happens. They realize that goal is a little bit more difficult to achieve than they had imagined. So what is at the root of this fear? And how do we combat it both mentally and physically? In reality, true martial art injuries are less common than that of football and hockey players. But the martial arts is still viewed as the more dangerous activity – Still Afraid to Get Hit? Let’s unpack that.

Afraid to Get Hit? Mental Preparation

Fear of getting hit is a common enough mindset. It most certainly makes sense: why would I intentionally do something that would hurt me? We all have built up layers of protection in our minds that keep us from doing things that will hurt us. The body has countless mechanisms in place to protect itself and is reluctant to consciously allow harm. But when it comes to martial arts, we have to weigh the risks against the benefits. Do I want to (a) be able to defend myself when I really need to or (b) avoid the possibility of immediate injury in my martial arts class? Choosing option A is the first step toward changing this mindset and moving toward being an effective fighter. The second step is a bit more complicated: accepting that you are, beyond a shadow of a doubt, going to get hit. A lot.

Hopefully your school implements safe sparring practices like gloves, a mouthpiece, and head gear – and doesn’t glorify students beating each other into a pulp. But if they do implement safe sparring practices, be rest assured that there is little to no risk of serious injury. Minor cuts and bruises yes, muscle strains and sprains maybe, but serious injury – unlikely.

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Afraid to Get Hit? Physical Preparation 

After you have accepted that you will be getting hit, the best way to prepare for that is a lot of practice. Practice in the air, against a punching bag, and with a partner who is willing to take it slow until you get the technique. Learn the defensive techniques and practice them until they are a part of your muscle memory and engrained in your subconscious. Practice until you no longer have to think about which technique to use, because you already know.

Time

No one is going to be a great fighter their first day, like everything it takes practice; but if it isn’t the right kind of practice, it could only make it worse. Say you are practicing with someone who always throws their attacks in the same sequence. Or they aim toward the side of your head instead of straight at it. Or obviously telegraphs their moves. The amount of progress you make working with this person is going to be considerably less than working with a good partner.

Fear

Ultimately, it is possible that your fear of getting hit is actually a fear of failure. A fear, not of getting hurt, but of losing and being considered lesser than your opponent. When I first started sparring, I was a purely defensive fighter. This was solely for the reason that I was afraid to try and attack. I was afraid to attack because I knew at first I would fail. In my mind trying and failing was worse than not trying at all. For other people, they fear the pre-punch anticipation. Meaning, not knowing when or how they are going to get hit. But if you ask any instructor, they would rather see someone who puts in the effort and fails over someone who never gets hit any day.

Fighting Stances Across Martial Arts

Posted on by Sarah Lister

Structure is literally the foundation of any martial art, making it exponentially important to just about everything we do. It dictates the amount of power we can expend in our punches, what areas of the body become more vulnerable and open, and how easily we can throw in kicks. Most martial arts will include a variety of different stances yet will usually rely on one in particular as their fighting stance. Every possible fighting stance has its own advantages and disadvantages and complements the individual art. Though there are countless variations, the most prominent fighting stances fall into the categories of side and front stances.

Side Stance

In this stance, the practitioner turns their body sideways so that they are essentially perpendicular to their opponent. Both feet are on one line with the majority of the weight shifted toward the back leg. Some of the martial arts that favor use of this stance are Karate, Tae Kwon Do, and Judo. Martial artists who use this stance do so for a few reasons. Primarily, they claim that there is less of a target area for the opponent to exploit when the body is sideways instead of full on. Another advantage is that this is an easier stance to kick from. Since most of the weight is already on the back leg, there is minimal prep work needed in order to pull off a kick.

Most of the time, you can do so without visibly shifting your weight, making it easier to conceal the kick until it has already made contact with the opponent. Some possible disadvantages to this stance exist as well. When a fighter employs this stance it will be easy to attack from the front hand and foot, but much more difficult to attack with the back limbs. Though it is certainly possible to attack with the back hand and foot, it will be highly telegraphed to the opponent due to the amount of distance the attack has to travel and the shift in body weight.

Front Stance

The front stance is a favorite of those in Wing Chun, Muay Thai, and Krav Maga. In this stance, the practitioner squares their hips and shoulders to face the opponent. Both feet point toward the opponent, one foot back, weight low and evenly distributed. This stance allows for greater structure than the side stance with a higher capability for impact. The ability to root is gained making you less likely to be pushed off balance. This stance also allows for all weapons to be closer to and facing the opponent. With the shoulders square, both arms have the opportunity to be equidistant to the opponent. This makes it easier to pull off combos and simultaneous hand techniques.

Avid side stance practitioners may claim that a front stance makes you more susceptible to body blows. This is due to having the whole torso facing the opponent; however, both arms and legs are free to help guard. Another possible disadvantage to the front stance is the groin being a more open target. In Wing Chun, they combat this issue by turning the front foot in slightly making it so that the leg can block the groin.

Conclusion

Though forcing all martial art fighting stances into these two categories may be a vast oversimplification. It actually shows how much we all have in common. In fact there are some martial arts that do not fit in these categories at all. As an example, BJJ and Aikido prefer a stance somewhere in the middle, neither a front nor side stance. But after you get past all of the different techniques and ways of doing things, at the root of it all is a solid stance and that is something we can all agree on.

Kung Fu Belt Ranking

Posted on by Tim Kittelstad

Kung Fu in its origins does not have any sort of belt system. The Chinese would wear sashes whether they trained martial arts or not. Sashes were used to help with carrying day to day odds and ends. So then why do you see modern day (typically American) Kung Fu Belt Ranking used by schools? The main reason is here in American we feel the desire to achieve or attain very strongly.

Kung Fu Belt Ranking: Goals

Karate and Tae Kwon Do as businesses have flourished in America. This is partially due to their dynamic movements but also due to their ranking. Attaining a Black Belt brings with it not only a social recognition but also sense of accomplishment. Setting short term goals and hitting them on the way to a larger goal is the key to achieving long term success in anything. Since these systems already had these concepts in place their transition to America was very fruitful.

Kung Fu (Wing Chun in particular) while popular hasn’t been able to reach the same level of success. Since Wing Chun is a conceptual art it is very hard make the teaching uniform. Without a standard it is difficult to reward someone for their achievement. This concept is difficult for Americans, generally speaking, to let go of and stick to for a long period.

The need to feel achievement is not only reason, after all american’s are used to instant gratification. Technology is a big part of that. If a student trains for years on end and feels no achievement or sense of accomplishment their spirit can get dampened. As a result of our culture conditioning us many masters decided to implement something to combat that.

Sifu och wing chun: Belts and curriculum

5th level Master, Sifu Och has been able to create a curriculum and belt system that works very well. The belts provide short term goals that are attainable within 3 months for the lower ranks. As a student progresses the term in between ranks increases and the amount of material grows.

Sashes

Sifu has broken up he stages to a Black Sash into 4 main sections. Subsequently, he then broke those sections into smaller sub sections. Shirt Colors divide the main sections: White (beginner), Blue (intermediate), Red (advanced), Black (Sifu). The Sections within those shirt colors are divided again by sashes:

White Shirt

  • No Belt
  • White
  • White Black
  • Yellow
  • Yellow White
  • Yellow Black
  • Orange
  • Orange White
  • Orange Black

The above list about a year to year and a half of training depending on how hard someone pushes.

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Curriculum

Sifu Och uses a rotating curriculum. We group students together by their main sections and have them all work on the same material. For example: if you have a white shirt, whether you are a white black belt, or a yellow white belt, you will all work on 1 of the 5 sections going towards blue shirt. As a result we accomplish a couple of different goals.

First, brand new students are able to work with more experienced students. It is not wise to pair up two brand new students with each other. The old adage, “blind leading the blind” applies perfectly. Neither of them know the techniques but more importantly they do not know how to help the other person train the technique. Having that person a few steps ahead of you when you start out as a partner can make the difference in someone staying or not.

Second, it keeps things fresh. We are able to continue to challenge students who are unable to actually make it to testing. Instead going over the same material again and again, they are able to go over new things and continue growing until they are able move to the next level. As a result of this, students also get a good review of the material once it cycles back around. This ensures that the material is well known before graduating to the next big section.

American Kung Fu

Even though traditional Kung Fu does not use any sort of ranking system, there can be great benefits to having them. Goals and purpose bring a powerful dynamic to ones training.

 

 

Strategies for Situational Awareness

Posted on by Sarah Lister

Training in the martial arts is a great way to improve your personal safety and increase knowledge in self defense. But if you aren’t aware of your surroundings, no degree of training is going to help you. Having situational awareness is a choice; one you have to make early on if you want your training to have any real world practicality. So how do we make this choice?

Understanding the problem

The two major obstacles preventing people from having good situational awareness are naivety and laziness. In general, people want to believe in the good of others and often believe that rape or theft is something that happens to other people, but not me. Having this mindset lulls people into a false sense of security which will often last until something does happen, or the person makes a personal decision to make sure that it never does. The laziness factor is hugely prevalent and goes hand in hand with naivety.

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If I believe that nothing bad will happen, then why should I take steps to ensure that it won’t? It is difficult and emotionally draining to be constantly aware of your surroundings, but entirely necessary if you want to be an effective martial artist. The key is to get to the point where practicing situational awareness is habit, eliminating the need to go that extra mile.

Practical Ways to Increase Situational Awareness

Now that we understand the problem, it’s time to fight it:

  • NEVER text and walk. This is especially important when transitioning between locations, such as your place of work and your car. Wait until you are in a locked car to address anything on your phone. There have been numerous incidents of muggers targeting people on their phones, simply because they aren’t paying attention. Phone calls are also not advised, however, if you must – make sure to keep your eyes up, still monitoring your surroundings.
  • Have your keys ready before you get to the car. You don’t want to be rummaging around in your bag at your car, looking for keys – especially at night. The car is a common place of attack and requires extra caution. Do the same from the car to the front door.
  • Always check the area around your car before you get in. Is anyone close enough to get in your car between the time that you unlock it and the time that you are inside? Also make sure that no one has put anything on your car that may impair your driving, necessitating a stop down the road.
  • Check the back seat. Take a look through the windows in the back and make sure that there is no one already in your car waiting for you. Behind the wheel of the car is not the time you want to find out that there is someone in the back dictating your next stop.
  • When entering a building, look for exits. Locate the nearest exit and the quickest route. Whenever possible, position yourself facing the majority of the room and the exit, never with your back to it.

Conclusion

Developing situational awareness is a skill that takes both time and dedication. These suggestions are a good starting point to increasing your situational awareness, and the list will only grow once you start practicing them. Some Practices may seem over the top and near paranoia, but personal safety is not something to be taken lightly. When it comes to personal safety and the safety of those around us, we cannot expect someone else to protect us. Take matters into your own hands, be prepared, and decide to be that one person that is actually paying attention.

Kung Fu Kicks

Posted on by Tim Kittelstad

There are many kicks used in a fight. Some more useful than others. In this article, Kung Fu Kicks, we will show some of the kicks used at Sifu Och Wing Chun. We will review the Inside and Outside Shadow Kicks, Tong Kick, Half Crescent, and Side Kick.

Wing Chun Kicks

Before going into the the specific kicks let us touch on Wing Chun as a system to set the groundwork. In short, Wing Chun’s goal is to end the fight as quickly as possible. Every strike intent on crushing the opponent. Understanding that goal the kicks that we choose to utilize fall into the place.

Inside Shadow Kick

One of the most useful kicks to use is the Inside Shadow Kick. Kicking the opponent in the knee is one of the quickest ways to end the fight. With this Shadow Kick, considerable force can be driven through a target at a downward angle. The setup (implied in the name) is that the kick is done in the shadow of your hands. As a result, an opponent will find it difficult to avoid or stop this type of kick. The reason is because it is usually done in unison with the hands. Not only can it be used to attack it can be used in defense as well. It can be used to stop low kicks to the leg.

Outside Shadow Kick

Equally important, not all enemies or targets will be directly in front of you. The Outside Shadow Kick allows you to hit targets off center. They can also be used to block kicks depending on the angle. Furthermore, one advantage of this kick in particular is it can be used to drive out the support leg of an opponents kick. Jum Saos together with a low shadow kick can block roundhouses and blast the supporting leg.

Tong Kick

The Tong kick is similar to a front kick. Uniquely, however, it thrusts in upward diagonal angle. Can be used for multiple targets, but it’s primary hit is the Xiphoid. Combined with a Double Jum Sao, this is a great choice to counter a roundhouse. In addition, it can be used used to strike the ribs or inside of the thigh.

Half Crescent Kick

The Half Crescent Kick similarly takes the same shape as the Inside Shadow Kick. The difference is it drives forward as opposed to down. This kick is usually delivered to the ribs when a punch is thrown. Countering a Jab or Cross style punch with a Crescent Kick is a great option. It is unexpected which it was lends to it’s usefulness.

Side Kick

Overall, the Side Kick is one of Wing Chun’s longest ranged weapons. One of it’s main uses is delivering a powerful strike to the side when turning to face the opponent may not be available. Whether it’s a question of speed or restriction doesn’t matter. The side kick allows an immediate response to someone coming from the side. It can be done two different ways:

Static, fired directly from your stance:

or with a skip. The skip allows for a the distance and power to be increased by swinging the back foot foot. The base is re-established closer to the target and momentum is gained which increases the power.

(To view a video of the skipping side kick click the following link: Skipping Side Kick Video. )

 

The key to your Kicks

One thing all of these kicks have in common is what part of the foot is going to be used to strike the body. If you read our article “Fighting Footwork” you will see how the body needs to be aligned through the heel for structure. With the correct structure your power drives from your legs through your heels for maximum damage. This is similar to a person doing a heavy squat. Moreover, to support the weight the heel must be used. Piggybacking off of that concept is another, focused energy. If you take the energy you would use to slap someone and applied it to a needle, you will easily penetrate the skin. Just the same with your kick, if you drive all your power through your heel your damage is focused through that one point as opposed to spread through whole foot.

In conclusion, focus your power and train your structure and you will be able to develop kicks that will drop any opponent you face.

Fighting Footwork

Posted on by Tim Kittelstad

You can have the fastest hands in the world, but if you aren’t at the right place at the right time that won’t matter. Foot work is literally the foundation to any style. You may be able to block or evade an attack here and there with good hands or head movement. However, if you do not base your counter with fighting footwork, it will be difficult to execute.

positioning your Fighting footwork

Superior angles will make your life much easier. It is much simpler to deal with an opponent when you have minimized their ability to use multiple “weapons” at once. In the same way, striking your opponents key points will also be easier when you are positioned correctly. Wing Chun seeks to dominate the outside angle allowing maximum trapping and striking to occur.

Weight distribution

There is a big debate among Wing Chun practitioners. Not only about weight distribution through the feet but also between the legs. First let’s address weight through the feet.

Heels

When a weight lifter squats his weight must drive from the middle portion of his foot to his heels. With proper skeletal alignment his structure is locked in place and only the strongest muscles are recruited to move the weight. If alignment is broken serious injury can occur. When finished correctly the weight will be completely on the heels as seen here.

Just as the weight lifting supports his weight with structure, the Wing Chun Fighter supports his power through his alignment. Following the same rules through physiques the weight is on the heel when engaged. This allows strikes at full power to be stopped and maximum strength can be delivered through blows.

Toes

Even though the heels are the source of power and structure, speed is seriously inhibited when the weight is focused there. Weight should only be distributed to the toes when looking to utilize speed. Speed is used to gain the correct position. This is typically done before contact is even made. Once connected to your opponent weight should immediately be transferred to the heels to again for power. Closing the distance with an opponent is essential to the Wing Chun Fighter. If he is unable to get to the trapping range it will be difficult to execute proper techniques.

Stance Distribution

The final aspect of weight distribution to cover is the amount of weight on each foot.  At Sifu Och Wing Chun we typically keep our weight 50-50. The reason behind this is to keep our ability to defend against takedowns. If the weight is distributed to far to one leg you can become susceptible to those types of attacks. Sweeps and single leg takedowns are difficult to stop without even distribution of weight.

To give a specific example, we will look at a single leg takedown defense. First, hand positions: jum to the neck, gan to the arm. (Essentially a Gan Da). This will then become a tan and a fook. The Jum to the neck stops the person from getting to your core. The gan to the arm is used to block them from getting your leg. As a result you gain an underhook. (illustrated below).

In unison the foot that is being attacked must be retracted. The foot must be swept back to avoid getting caught. This all occurs within a split second. If the weight split 70-30, or 60-40, it will be very hard to adjust and defend this type of attack.

In Conclusion

There are many different opinions and reasons about weight distribution. At Sifu Och Wing Chun we keep it mostly 50-50 to maintain the ability to adjust in any direction as quickly as possible. We are then able to shift and adapt to any attack that is thrown our way.

Basic Wing Chun Defense

Posted on by Tim Kittelstad

The first few months of a martial artist are crucial to their success. Instructors must work to instill confidence from day one. The student must learn to trust not only their instructors but also the techniques they are learning. If a student knows what he is learning is practical and useful from the start he will stick around for the fine tuning of those techniques. At Sifu Och Wing Chun we want to help students learn a basic Wing Chun Defense right from the beginning. To help cover some of the most basic attacks we teach 3 defenses right away: Bui Sao, Tan Sao, and Gan Sao.

Bui Sao

Haymakers (wide hooks) are some of the most common attacks you will see on the street. Without training the body’s natural tendency to draw power will be to twist. This results in a chain and ball effect on the arm with the punch being the ball of course. While these can still do damage they can be easily defended with proper training. That is why one of the first techniques we teach to new students is the Bui Sao. The deflecting hand is shaped as if you were blocking light from the sun. Palm facing away from the body pressing from the elbow. The palm will be about forehead height and the elbow in line with the trachea. This provides a wall of cover with the forearm.

Tan Sao

One of the more famous moves in Wing Chun is the Tan Sao. When teaching it to children we call it the “pizza hand”. This is due to the palm facing upward with the arm extended outward. The Tan Sao is used primarily against straight punches. It deflects punches off the centerline either to the inside or the outside opening up your opponent for a variety of follow ups. You can view a video of the Tan Saos on our Instagram by clicking here>Tan Saos.

Gan sao

Used against nasty body shots or uppercuts is the Gan Sao. Translated it means “low plowing hand”, this technique is very effective for defending the lower half of the body. To shape your Gan Sao simply reach your hand out in front of you as if you were shaking hands with someone. Your hand should end up in front of your belly button and your elbow about a fists distance off of your rib cage. This allows your ribs to be covered and consequently, your hand is now fairly close to your opponents body. You are now prepared for an easily follow up such as a palm to the ribs or an uppercut to the face.

Basic Wing Chun Defense Striking

All three of these defenses have something in common; they are paired with a straight punch. As opposed to many other styles most defenses in Wing Chun are combined with some sort of attack. In this case it is the straight punch. There are other variations off of these basics but for beginners we use the punch to begin with. The straight punch is delivered with the fist held vertically at a 45 degree angle. The reason for this is mainly structure. There is also a nice perk associated with it; it fits nicely under the chin to strike the side of the neck. As a result you can easily deliver a crippling blow to an opponent by simply changing the angle of your fist.

Conclusion

To Summarize, the Bui Sao, Tan Sao, and Gan Sao are three effective and important attacks you must know for your self defense. They allow you attack and defend simultaneously. These are so useful that they were borrowed by many Krav Schools to be incorporated into their system as well. Train these hard and you will have a good starting point.

Kwoon Self Defense and the Real World

Posted on by Sarah Lister
Ask any martial artist if what they do is realistic self defense, and the most common answer will be something along the lines of “Yes, of course. Why would I do it if it weren’t?” But the honest truth is that a lot of martial artists are not equipped to defend themselves in a real world scenario. So where is the disconnect between Kwoon Self Defense and the Real World ? Why are so many people practicing ineffectual martial arts? And what does a truly effective martial art look like?

The Disconnect in Kwoon Self Defense and the Real World

When people try and understand why the martial arts have drifted away from effective training methods there are a few factors to consider. Primarily the difficulty of taking an individual and training them to be able to defend themselves in any scenario is no easy feat. There is no conceivable way for an individual to practice every possible scenario. So what do we do? We have to train our instincts and expand our knowledge base, to prepare ourselves for any given scenario though we may not have practiced for it. Another problem lies in an instructors innate desire to gain and keep students. Sometimes this desire may lead schools to adapt an easier, less effective curriculum in order to keep students entertained and engaged. When this happens it can be easy to fall into a lull of safety and easy money, perpetuating a sense of accomplishment.
The biggest danger comes when the student, having done exceptionally well in class, is now faced with a real world scenario that they are not prepared to deal with. The student enters into this scenario with a false sense of confidence and may end up making things worse. We find another difficulty in lack of experienced instructors. Though the instructor may have plenty of martial arts experience, they are completely inept when it comes to real world fighting experience. And how is someone with no experience expected to give a complete curriculum to their students? This is the main question when comparing Kwoon Self Defense and the Real World.

Ineffective vs. Effective Martial Arts

Let me be clear, no martial art is in and of itself ineffective, the effectiveness lies within how we train that martial art. Drills in the martial arts can be effective tools at making certain techniques ingrained in the student’s mind and muscle memory; however, many drills isolate a certain skill with the intention of honing that skill while we ignore other skills.
Major problems occur when teachers fail to integrate those isolated skill together. Take for example point sparring. Many martial arts accept point sparring as a means of being able to practice all of one’s martial skills. But what if the fight goes to the ground? Or the opponent doesn’t back off after you score a point? Point sparring can be an effective training tool, but it is important to accept that it does not simulate a real fight.
lakeland fl advanced martial arts classes sparring
In an effective school of martial arts, there must be a comprehensive curriculum. One that teaches not only good techniques, but also when, where, and how to use them. It is important for a student to be able to deescalate a fight before it starts, and only consider fighting as a last resort. An effective martial art will teach all aspects of self defense: technique, execution, timing, and distancing. They must also teach determination. Students must drill regardless of whether or not they get bored. In modern martial arts there seems to be a dangerous trend of catering to what the student wants. But if we were really doing what was best for the student, wouldn’t it be catering to what they need instead of what they want?

Why wait until your child is a victim?

Posted on by Sarah Lister

Children will always be susceptible to acts of bullying, but why wait until that happens? Don’t wait until your child’s already a victim of bullies, harassment, depression or a habit of disrespect. Enrolling your child in the martial arts under individuals like Sifu Och Wing Chun has the potential to solve the problem before it begins. Creating a proactive solution to the problem that so many face. Putting your child in martial arts has the ability to increase respect and self-esteem, and improve peer relationships. Why wait until your child is a victim?

Respect and Self-esteem

Sifu Och Wing Chun kung fu and other martial arts for kids can help increase respectful talk, and respectful behavior. This can go a long way in life and with teachers in the school system, making learning and education a more enjoyable experience for all involved. But fostering a sense of respect is no easy task and takes time, effort, and lots of parental involvement. If the child is only disciplined and in a structured environment once a week, it may take years to see change; however, if the parents are continuing the effort put forth in class, results may occur in as little as a few weeks.

Lakeland little lions kids preschool martial arts kickboxing karate kung fu ages 3 - 5 years old

Respect and self-esteem are two values that often influence one another. When the child is respectful to others, he or she is more likely to respect his or her self – encouraging good self-esteem. Having good self-esteem is imperative to warding off bullies. Bullying leads to a lack of self-esteem, but a lack of self-esteem may also lead to bullying. When the child’s self-esteem is low, they begin to believe what the bullies are saying about them and start to identify with that image. Children with higher self-esteem are more likely to disregard bullies, easily believing their words to be untruthful. In the martial arts, children are taught their worth and encouraged to build themselves up. Martial arts give children goals to set and achieve and, with the right school, instructors that mentor each child to reach their full potential.

Peer Relationships

Sometimes your child may be their own bully solution. By increasing their self worth they reduce depression and anxiety. Sifu Och Wing Chun can also help with their social skills which can help them to make new friends. When children are suffering with depression and anxiety, they are at a greater risk to become a victim of bullying. Physical activity of any kind has a positive effect on depression and anxiety, when that activity meets with the structure and discipline of martial arts the effect is twofold.

But on top of benefiting the child physically and mentally, the peer relationships that they make in class encourages good social development. Often times in school, certain children have a tendency to get left out. Either by the group as a whole or ostracized from different cliques. In a martial arts class, children work with everyone in the class as well as in groups and individually. When doing partner work the partners will switch up every round. This gives each child the opportunity to meet and make new friends as well as work with different body types. Simultaneously promoting social and martial arts skill.

Choose Now-Why wait until your child is a victim?

People of all ages are susceptible to bullying, but why wait until after the fact to do something? Most adults have learned to cope and deal with bullies, but it is usually after years of being bullied themselves. Enrolling your child in a martial art does not mean that they won’t get bullied. It does, however, ensure that they are better equipped to deal with it when it happens.

Little Lions preschool martial arts

Western vs. Eastern Martial Arts

Posted on by Sarah Lister

When asked about the origins of martial arts, most people will gravitate toward thoughts of Asia and the east. And though the majority of martial arts do originate in the east, the west has certainly produced credible martial arts as well as adopting eastern martial art practices. A few western martial arts include: boxing, fencing, wrestling, and jousting (as well as eastern martial arts that have adapted to the west). While some eastern martial arts include: kung fu, aikido, escrima, and karate. The differences between training in west versus training in the east are primarily in the mindset of the practitioners and the rituals of the dojo, rather than actual differences in technique (though those are sure to exist as well).

Western Martial Arts

In the west the time it takes to learn a martial art is shorter and more optimized. Allowing for practitioners to achieve the rank of black belt in as little as three years (with some programs promising less). This optimization is in line with the (often) western mindset of consumerism. The craving for immediate results can cause much disappointment to those who are use to short term satisfaction. They often compare themselves to students who have been practicing for years and wonder why they are unable to produce the same results. This frequently leads to students quitting early on, due to either disappointment, frustration, or boredom.

Because of this phenomenon, western martial arts felt the need to streamline their programs. This helped to keep students both physically and mentally engaged in their classes. On top of wanting a shorter martial arts program, westerners are also highly concerned with the practical. Western martial arts generally have no room for ritual. And less practical practices that may be present in their eastern counterparts.

Know your fighting fitness

Eastern Martial Arts

In the east there seems to be a greater respect for the amount of time it takes to truly learn a martial art. Eastern martial arts will (generally) take longer to achieve the rank of black belt. Many requiring ten years and some even longer. That is assuming that the individual is regularly practicing multiple times a week, pushing themselves toward their goal. Eastern martial arts also emphasize the concept of loyalty and perseverance. Loyalty to the martial art and to one’s dojo and master are key components in the practice.

Many eastern martial arts developed from a need to be able to revolt or defend themselves in times of war. For example, slave would do Karate forms to defy to their drivers. After a long day of work, they did these forms in a line on the rail-roads they were being forced to build. The slaves sought to display strength, power, and endurance despite the work that they were being forced to do.

© NHNZ. Ta Gou Shaolin Kung fu School, Deng Feng, Henan (Not Shaolin Monks). Inside China Shaolin Temple

Adaptation

Both western and eastern martial arts have great merit and training techniques. Easily improving discipline, fitness, and overall health; but there are some major differences. These differences can affect the entire training regimen and lead to the overall perception of the art itself. If someone is looking for an eastern martial art in the west, has the art adapted to cater to the western mindset or does it hold true to the east? In the same way, looking for one of the western martial arts in the east that holds true to western values may be difficult as well. Does an art exist that is purely eastern or western? Free from ideals from the opposing side? When choosing a martial art the decision is not necessarily eastern or western. Instead one should look at has the art developed over time.

Wing Chun’s Weakness: Long Range Fighting

Posted on by Tim Kittelstad

The idea that Wing Chun has no long range “game” has circled the internet for a while. It is true that Wing Chun focuses its techniques on “in” fighting but that does not mean it is not effective further away. Wing Chun, although it has longer range techniques, simply prefers to close the distance as soon as possible. This may give the impression that there are no long range techniques to those unfamiliar with the art.

Wing Chun’s Goal

To understand this topic one must remember what the goal of Wing Chun is: to end a fight as quickly as possible. Many people consider Wong Shun Leung to be the greatest fighter to come out of Ip Man’s training. This can be attributed to his history of Beimo fights. As the story goes he won between 60-80 street fights all in under 3 seconds. With Wing Chun creation at a time of war this makes sense. One needs to end the fight as quickly as possible. That in mind, lets explore the idea of long range fighting versus short range fighting.

Long Range Fighting Versus Short Range

There are 3-4 main ranges in martial arts depending on who you are talking to. Striking (Kicking and punching), trapping, and grappling. Each range has it’s advantages and disadvantages. Striking is the range with boxers and Tae Kwon Do Fighters. Grappling is the home to Judo and Bjj Practitioners. Trapping is found between the two and is where Wing Chun mostly operates. For this discussion we will focus on the Striking range versus the trapping range. Examples of “Striking” range attacks would be a boxers jab and cross or a Tae Kwon Do fighters roundhouse and spinning back kick. Examples of a “trapping” range attack would be a Paak Punch or Huen Sao strike in Wing Chun.

The main advantage of the Striker is distance. If a striker can successfully fend on an opponent they can never enter into the other ranges nullifying their abilities. Quick foot work combined with deceptive fakes can quite difficult to deal with. Wing Chun seeks to close the distance as quickly as possible. However, if the Wing Chun practitioner cannot do that, it may be difficult to end the fight.

 Wing Chun’s Answer to the Long Range game

So then how does a Wing Chun fighter deal with an opponent that will not commit and fully engage at the same range? There are specific techniques that need to be used with certain attacks but before that even happens there must be the strategy. The strategy is baiting. The techniques come from Wing Chun’s ability to use 2-3 “weapons” at the same time.

Strategy

Let’s look a the strategy first. If the opponent tries to stay “out of range” the Wing Chun fighter must draw in the opponent until they through a committed strike. When they throw that strike the counter must be fast and ferocious. Jabs and front kicks are to of the main weapons seen when trying to keep an opponent away. Trying to counter these can be difficult due to their speed. These are best deflected with an equally quick defense. Man sao’s, Paak Sao’s, and Jum saos are usually the most effective.

Wing Chun 33801

Technique

With the strategy in place the Wing Chun fighter can counter. Again, the emphasis must be place on using multiple weapons at once. When the opponent throws their “knockout” strike they must be overwhelmed immediately. If not they will retreat and continue to attempt to break down the Wing Chun Fighter. Against crosses Paak Punches and Intercepting Fist strikes do well.But to prep the counter a shadow kick to the lead thigh slows down the movement of the opposition. If an opponent throws a kick one of the most effective tactics is to kick out the support leg. These can be done simultaneously with a block when used against roundhouses. When a front kick is through it should either be passed off with a jum or it can be caught. Once caught the support can then be accessed for a kick or sweep.

Paak Punch

Wing Chun’s Weakness is the student

The idea that Wing Chun has no long range game is not necessarily correct. Rather, Wing Chun seeks to disrupt the core of the fighter which can only be done when close to the opponent. Therefore, the Wing Chun fighter simply closes the distance as quickly as possible. When a ranged attack it should be countered and then followed with and flurry of overwhelming attacks that do not allow for a recovery. Wing Chun as a system as many tools at it’s disposal, whether they are used correctly is up to who uses them.

Krav Maga Versus Wing Chun

Posted on by Tim Kittelstad

Krav Maga is renowned for is brutality and viciousness. The Israeli military adopted it because it can be taught in a short amount of time. Wing Chun, made famous by Bruce Lee and the recent “Ip Man” movies, is known for its speed and ability to devastate an attacker. In recent years there has been a rise in both across the US. How are the two connected and why the sudden growth in popularity? We will delve into that in this article.

40’s-90’s

In a post WWII world interaction and fascination with Japan was at it’s height. Many Japanese now lived in the US. Interaction with the American culture grew and grew. With the interaction came Karate which spread across the US like wild fire. However, as with any trend, there are people that would take advantage of that only for monetary gain. Karate, as a legitimate art, began to become watered down. Even though there existed many good schools (and many still do), the general public started to notice the negative trend. By and large Karate in the US morphed from a powerful, dangerous art, to a weaker cousin that was only suited for tournaments and scoring points. This shift paved the way for something new to take hold.

(Writer’s note: This section of the Article is not a stab at Karate. It is simply pointing out the unfortunate decline of authenticity as a whole in the US.)

 Modern Krav Maga Versus Wing Chun

With Bruce Lee’s explosion onto the scene, Kung Fu (specifically Wing Chun) started to get some of the limelight. Around the same time Krav Maga started to make it’s way to the US. With Wing Chun focusing on the most direct route to it’s target and Krav using a blend of styles to achieve maximum brutality, the stage was set for the two to emerge. However, before we continue with their growth in the U.S. lets look at some differences and similarities between the two.

Learn These Three Moves

Similarities

Both Krav and Wing Chun were designed at a time of war. Wing Chun during the 17th century China at civil war and Krav during the 1930 right after WW1 and prior to WWII. Wing Chun was designed originally to be a system that could be learned in a fraction of the time of the available Kung Fu systems. In the same way, Krav fused boxing, judo, juijistu , and aikido to create something that Jewish civilians could immediately defend themselves with. In recent times Krav has added Maui Thai and actually some Wing Chun (through Jeet Kune Do) into its system. They both seek to dispatch their opponent as quickly as possible. Additionally, both systems “fight dirty”, using any means necessary to prevail.

Differences

Now even with Wing Chun’s addition to Krav Maga there will obviously still be differences. First to be addressed would be training time. Modern Wing Chun takes anywhere from 8-10 years to finish the system.* Whereas the entire Krav system can be learned (on a military style training regiment) in four months to a year. Both of these depended on the dedication of the student of course. Second, Wing Chun was designed as a complete system with which all parts fuse together and flow seamlessly. Comparatively, Krav fused many styles so there will naturally be some disconnect systems.

The third difference would be training style. One perk of a Krav School is that they tend to really focus on the brutality of combat. Understanding, right from the beginning, how chaotic combat can be. The right mindset is instilled right from the start and can be seen all throughout their training. Wing Chun on the other hand does utilize more finesse. In training the “soft” side the harshness of combat can sometimes be lost in some schools.

In Closing, both systems are effective in street combat. With Karate, and a few other arts, becoming very commercialized, the public wanted something new. Something that gets right to the point and gets the job done. That is the reason for the two arts quick rise to fame. Now with all arts both Krav and Wing Chun have also fallen prey to commercialization. So before choosing a school do your homework on the instructors! Once you choose, train hard and stay committed!

*(Writers note: Wing Chun in the 17th century was designed to be learned in 3 years. This was accomplished by monks training 8 hours a day consistently.)

 

Martial Arts Philosophy-Chinese Versus Japanese Part 2

Posted on by Ben Devris

Japanese Martial arts

In our previous article, Martial Arts Philosophy-Chinese Versus Japanese Part 2, we covered the Chinese side. In this article we will go over Japanese martial arts. Japanese martial arts bases its principles heavily on certain beliefs—religious or not—depending on the style. Shintoism (an ethnic Japanese religion) is a strong fundamental in the art of Aikido. Even some of the religious beliefs from China managed to merge its way into the countries martial arts; Zen (Chan) Buddhism became a respected principle in the art of Bushido (way of the warrior) and Budo (martial way). For most Japanese martial arts the same purpose applies to those of Chinas: focusing development of “The Trinity” (body, mind and spirit).

Shotokan Karate

Shotokan Karate, developed by Gichin Funakoshi, bases its precepts closely on Zen Buddhism and Bushido. From these two philosophies Funakoshi laid out the twenty principles of Shotokan philosophy. Later the five Dojo Kun was developed by the Japan Karate Association. Under no circumstance should one of the principles be valued more than another. By taking those into account, and through years of practice, a karate practitioner (karateka) will be able to develop a calm and opened mind and achieve confidence, humility, wisdom etc. In addition to that they will hone the body to become harmonious with the mind which will give a “subconscious” control over the body’s movement. The body performs the techniques while the mind remains serene. This will then have a direct proportional effect on the spirit as well and will create a wholeness of one’s self.

Aikido

Some of Zen’s religious principles are also structured in the art of Aikido though the bulk of it comes from the countries traditional religion of Shintoism and its strong belief in spiritual essence. Aikido, founded by Morihei Ueshiba, centers its techniques on the flow of ki (also known as chi or qi in Chinese culture) that translates to “life force” or “energy flow”. Ki is universal—everything possesses it—and it can be a means to transfer external energy internally. Internal ki is channeled throughout the body by the mind that in turn channels the power. Only when mind and body are harmonious can this be achieved and used to redirect and neutralize the energy of opposing force.

The art of Aikido also believes in the value of self-discovery and self-development and discourages any form of hierarchy. It’s not an art used to distinguish which is superior over the other; it is only used for means of protection. This also applies to winning and losing which is why the art disapproves contests and competitions.

Modern Martial Arts

In conclusion to both articles we want touch on modern arts. Both Chinese and Japanese arts share a common bond of self development at their core. Through training practitioners sought enlightenment. In modern training the focus is not so much on self development as it used to be. Many arts now serve to prepare students solely for competition. Instead of helping student’s become better people they only focus on techniques and tactics to win medals.

Although schools still do exist that instill strong principles, it is not part of the modern martial art culture. Not even mentioning what can be called “black belt factories”. Schools that seek to do nothing but move student’s through for financial gain. These types of schools will wave flashy promises of black belt awards if x amount of money is paid. Or some will simply skim the surface of an art so that students can breeze through the material. As a result many “black belt” students come as a result.

Whatever you train, Chinese, Japanese, or any Modern art you find, seek to grow as a person.

Martial Arts Philosophy-Chinese Versus Japanese Part 1

Posted on by Ben Devris

When broken up, martial is referred to as “those inclined to war or fighting”.  Art is referred to as “the expression or creative skill and imagination”. Thus, martial arts is to be translated as “the expression of creative fighting skills”. Some (possibly the majority) of the practices still firmly embrace this concept.  However there are other practices that use martial arts as a catalyst and add it with the practices philosophy in order to create a new self. In this part of our two part series titled “Martial Arts Philosophy-Chinese Versus Japanese Part 1”, we will cover the Chinese side of the two lines of thinking.

Martial = inclined to war or fighting

Art = expression or creative skill

Martial Arts = Expressive or Creative Skill in Fighting

Chinese Martial Arts

Despite it having a combat effectiveness, Kung Fu (also pronounced Gung Fu) is founded on the philosophy of attaining intelligence and wisdow. Two qualities that take years to develop and attain. Additionally, the first character, Kung, when translated, means “training intensely” or “skillful work”. Translation of the second character, fu, refers to “time spent”. Together, Kung Fu may be translated as “time spent training hard” or “spending time on skillful work”. By this translation it is somewhat difficult to pin kung fu (time spent working hard) solely to martial arts (creative skill of fighting). Rather Kung Fu is referring to a skill or skills in a variety of subjects, and not just martial arts affiliated.

Kung (Gung) = Skillful work

Fu = Time Spent

Kung Fu (Gung Fu) = Time Spent on Skillful Work

Kung Fu

For instance, in today’s time when one speaks of Kung Fu, those involved immediately perceive it as martial arts—more specifically Chinese martial arts. However, this view contradicts the literal translation of kung fu as it predicates to a single subject. Kung fu is a meaning of achievement in a subject; be it in medicine, industry, mathematics, culinary or martial arts. It represents the training process that one had to go through—the strengthening of mind and body, the learning and the knowledge gained from it.

Take for example one that acquires self-achievement in the knowledge of medicine through a long period of time; in comparison, there may be slight difference from one that acquired self-achievement in a martial art. Considering that both went through intense years and massive amounts of effort to reach their goal, it is difficult to deny that both carry kung fu skills. In this case you would say that the person has kung fu in medicine and the other person’s kung fu is in martial arts.

Kung fu to Wushu

The misuse of the word kung fu traces back to the misinterpretation of the word in Asian movie dubbings and subtitles. Since then Westerners often use it in its false pretense and is even defined the same way in the Oxford English Dictionary. Asia, even China, adopted the English definition of kung fu in the late twentieth century. The accurate term used that describes Chinese martial arts is Wu Shu. Wu, when translated, means “war”, and shu translates to “art”. Fully translated, wu shu means “the art of war” (which is also the title of Sun Tzu’s well known book).

Wu = War Shu = Art

Wu Shu = the Art of War

Chinese Martial art roots

Much of the philosophy that Chinese martial arts follows is deeply rooted in eastern religious doctrines. The three that has the greatest impact in the evolution of Chinese martial arts are Daoism, Buddhism, and Confucianism. What Chinese martial arts took from Daoism is the important teaching of the harmony between Yin and Yang. It is universal that for something to exist it will have an opposing force. Buddhism teaches the importance of all life and the need of one avoiding suffering through self-cultivation. Its use of practicing self-defense and learning make it an essential aspect in Chinese martial arts.

Body Trinity

It also focuses on three aspects that make the human: the spirit, mind and body (some may refer to it as the “trinity”). The body contains all that we are—all that we are made up of—the legs, arms, torso, etc. although it may be a healthy body it is an instrument that can be improved upon. The mind is what drives us to live the lives we live and is fed with knowledge and information. Feeding it positive information will have a parallel effect on the body and will greater ones existence.

There is specific amount of time that it takes to achieve “kung fu” in Chinese arts. For some it may take a single decade, others it may take many! It all depends on your effort and dedication!

 

Martial Arts School Safety

Posted on by Betsy Olay

The title of this article may seem like an odd question, but it is something everyone should ask themselves. This is only for their own benefit and health. Safety in this respect refers to the physical environment, cleanliness, and set up of the martial arts school. There are certain warning signs and things you should take note of. Not only should you observe when you looking for a school but even after you enroll.

So what should you be looking for when you enter a martial arts school to ensure that it is going to be a healthy place to train:

Look at the physical arrangement of the studio

Is the training area around anything that you could bump into, trip over, fall on, be pushed into, etc. (Chairs, weights, brooms, tables, training equipment, other students bags/gear?) A responsible martial arts school will have specified places for these items. They will also be sure that those items are kept there to ensure the safety of the students.

Are there mirrors in the studio? If so, are they far enough away to not cause injury? Most studios are going to have windows to let in light and to allow the public to be attracted to what is going on inside. However, all training should occur well away from any windows to avoid potential accidents.

Look at the training floor

Wherever you will be doing your martial arts training, you need to be sure that the floor is going to be safe. Concrete floors, or floors covered with only a thin matting are a red alert that your safety may not be a high priority at the studio. If you were taken down, swept off your feet, or knocked down doing a technique, would you feel safe landing on the training floor? (Sifu Och Wing Chun has professional martial arts mats covering our training area so our

Also, does the floor look clean? If there are mats on the training floor, it is essential that the mats are cleaned with a hospital grade disinfectant on a regular basis. Martial arts mats can be breeding grounds for staphylococcus and other communicable skin diseases. (At Sifu Och Wing Chun we sweep and disinfect our floor, mats, and bathrooms a minimum of 2 times a week for the health and safety of our students.)

Use your nose and your eyes. Does the martial arts studio look or smell moldy or foul? Can you see dirt on the floor, can you smell garbage that needs to be taken out, are the bathrooms in a clean state? If you are in doubt about the cleanliness of the studio that you are looking to train in, ASK! Your safety should be as important to the owner of the martial arts school as it is to you! If you feel uncomfortable about anything when you visit a training studio, trust your gut and find a place that makes the safety of its students a top priority!

Learning Ground Game Tactics in Wing Chun

Safe sparring

As a side note, sparring also needs to be addressed.  The area where sparring is done should be void of  windows, concrete, or thin mats which could injure individuals. If they are are taken down, get swept, thrown, or fall these areas could cause serious damage. Halt training if the place you are at has hazards to you before they become a injury. Along with location you should also check equipment every time. The death of a martial artist is inactivity. That inactivity should never be because of an injury due to faulty equipment.

Just as your training requires discipline, so should your safety.

Making Use of Soft Targets in Wing Chun

Posted on by Betsy Olay

When I think of the many devastating Wing Chun Kung Fu techniques that I have learned so far, I realized that while these techniques can be applied to hard targets of the body, delivering them to soft targets increases their effectiveness. Let me explain the difference between a hard target and a soft target. Basically, a soft target defines any part of the body vulnerable to attack due to its lack of natural protection. It either lacks protection by the body, or has a high amount of nerve bundles/pain receptors in the target area.

Defining a Soft Target

An area falls under vulnerable soft targets when it isn’t covered by thick skin, tough muscle or hard bone. Examples are:

The Eyes

The only protection that the eyes have are the eyelids. The thin skin of the eyelids leaves the eyes open to attack even when the eyelids are shut.

Some useful Wing Chun attacking techniques to the eyes include:

The Throat

The throat includes the sides where the carotid arteries are located. It also includes the jugular notch—the indentation under the Adam’s apple. If the carotid arteries are attacked, the victim could be rendered unconscious from the momentary loss of blood-flow to the brain. The jugular notch is effective as it doesn’t require much force or pressure to cause someone pain. Hitting it also results in difficulty of breathing.

Some useful Wing Chun attacking techniques to the throat include:

  • Faak Sau Chop (uses outside of hand)
  • Knife-hand Strike (uses the boney part of the inside of the hand)
  • Turning backfist
  • Phoenix Eye punch (a protruding knuckle punch)

Soft Targets Above and Below

The Lips and Mouth

The areas around the lips and mouth are naturally made of soft tissue/ They have no real protection except the skin that covers them. A forceful blow to the lips and mouth will drive the lips into the teeth causing painful injury to the soft flesh of the mouth. It will also be likely that the teeth will be affected as well.

Some useful Wing Chun attacking techniques to the lips and mouth include:

  • Wang Jeung (Upward forward palm heel strike)
  • Chain punches
  • Turning backfist

The Groin

Though this area is a more vulnerable soft target area for men, women also have nerve bundles in the groin area. Attacking these soft targets causes real pain. The groin is also a great soft target area for attacking a male, especially in self-defense situations. This is simply because of the fact that only skin protects the male organs. You can inflict a great amount of pain to the groin without needing a source of great strength or power.

Some useful Wing Chun attacking techniques to the groin area include:

  • Fish Kick (a quick upward front kick with the top of the foot)
  • Elbow strikes
  • Knee strikes
  • Uppercut punches
  • Tok Sau Strike (Upward cupping hand)

Concluding Thoughts

A Wing Chun style punch delivered straight to the cheek will cause a great deal of damage. Imagine, however, how incapacitating that same technique would be if you delivered the punch to one of the soft target areas? Of course, in sparring, many if not all of these techniques would be illegal. They remain unsportsmanlike at the very least, and we don’t ever recommend their use. However, if one is using one of the above techniques in self-defense from an attacker, then all rules are off. You can, and should, do everything necessary to protect yourself.

You can start your training today at Sifu Och Wing Chun. Learn self-defense techniques applied to practical, real-world situations. Sifu Justin Och will show you effective ways to protect yourself and those you love.

Sifu Och Wing Chun Kung Fu Studio
World Ving Tsun Association Regional Director for the Southeastern USA
863.800.0171
116 East Pine Street, Lakeland, Florida 33801
http://facebook.com/sifuochwingchun

Having Situational Awareness of Your Surroundings

Posted on by Betsy Olay

We’ve all heard the saying, “The best defense is a good offense.” Well, a good offense begins with having good situational awareness of your surroundings and being aware. Being aware of the people, the vehicles, the number and location of exits of the building you are in, etc can all mean the difference between becoming a target and avoiding an attack. We must train ourselves to always be aware. It’s not just for at night. Situational awareness isn’t only when you’re in strange areas. It’s also not just for when walking to your car. Situational awareness is needed at all times.

How often are you aware of your surroundings? In general, most people think they have a pretty good idea of what surrounds them while out and about. If you’re honest with yourself, you may be surprised at what you may have overlooked. Think about the about the last time you left a shopping center. Now ask yourself these questions:

How many people were sitting in their cars as you were leaving the shopping center? If so, what were they doing?

Did you walk by any trucks? Did any of them have open truck beds? If so, were you walking close enough to that truck that someone could have jumped out of it and grabbed you?

Living With Better Situational Awareness

Granted, most people sitting inside their cars or who happen to drive a truck are not out to attack anyone. Still, it’s better to be aware of the potential for a problem to arise than to assume there never will be one. Both of these first two awareness situations can also be practiced with your children. Make it a game. Ask your kids to count how many people they noticed who were sitting in their cars. How many pick-up trucks did they count on the way to their own car?

Were your hands full as you walked to your car? Would you be able to use them to defend yourself? When possible, use a shopping cart to transport your bags to your car. Not only does this give distance between yourself and a would-be attacker, but the shopping cart can be pushed into an attacker if the need arises.

Did you have your keys ready and in your hand before you left the shopping center? Always have your keys in your hand before you leave the relative safety of the shopping center, building, etc.

Were you on your phone (texting, talking, playing a game, etc.) as you walked to your car?

Stay Alert When Walking

Keep your head up and avail yourself the use of all of your senses. Don’t use your phone as you walk to your car.
Whether your hands are weighed down with shopping bags, you have to reach into your pocket or purse for your keys, or you’re on the phone, you’re distracted—even if only for a few seconds. An assailant can use those seconds to spring an attack when your awareness is compromised.

Situational awareness extends well beyond just leaving a location and getting to your car safely. You need to learn to extend your realm of awareness into all areas. Other situations and ideas for using situational awareness will be discussed in a further article.

Practicing situational awareness is a great starting point to decrease your chances of becoming the victim of an attack. However, if you are attacked you will need to have the skills to defend yourself. That’s where Wing Chun kung fu classes come into play. Sifu Och Wing Chun can help you learn to protect yourself and those you love.

Sifu Och Wing Chun Kung Fu Studio
World Ving Tsun Association Regional Director for the Southeastern USA
863.800.0171
116 East Pine Street, Lakeland, Florida 33801
http://facebook.com/sifuochwingchun

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