As in any martial art balance is an important aspect of the Wing Chun fighting system. The Chum Kiu Form (2nd form) of the Wing Chun system has a great emphasis on structure, balance and Speed. An alternative way of looking at this is combination is that a well balanced body can move quicker and response to pressure more effectively. When applying Wing Chun or practicing the 2nd form, the trunk of the body is always kept upright to improve speed.
The concept of balance and structure governs the movement of the Wing Chun fighter, indeed a Wing Chun fighter does not lean sideways in order to deliver a high kick to an attacker’s head. For the practice of Wing Chun, radically changing the body’s centre of gravity in such manner reduces Speed of movement, not to mention the risk of exposing the groin to attack in such instances.
In addition, common aspects of some of other effective fighting systems such as bobbing and weaving are not used to dodge punches in Wing Chun. The application of good footwork is considered faster and extremely effective for dodging punches, without endangering stability or body structure acquired in the first form. According to the theories of the Wing Chun Kung Fu system, the person with a better body structure will have better control of a fight at close range. Under these conditions, good body structure can be applied in order to redirect horizontal force from an attack, vertically into the ground. The Wing Chun 2nd form develops this ability, and with much practice the Wing Chun practitioner can throw more powerful punches and move with a strong core.
The Direction of Force as a result of body structure
A key advantage of the vertical Wing Chun punch is that force (recoil) of the punch is directed downwards through the punchers legs into the fighter’s stance. Essentially, the power comes from the ground, which allows a smaller fighter to strike more effectively. This grounding of power can be attributed to the elbow shape of the Wing Chun Centre Line Punch.
Whilst the elbow is held inwards towards the ground, it allows for a quick succession of punches, and hence the vertical punch is the basis for the Wing Chun chain punch. This unusually method of punching is referred to as the chain punch because of its characteristic over the top, alternate left and right punches thrown in quick succession. This often gives the appearance of a fast flurry that on average should be around 8 to 12 punches a second. The Chain Punch is simple, dangerous and very difficult to counter if applied properly over a short distance.
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