Wing Chun's Hidden Treasure

Explosive Kicks
by Tony Massengill

By now most people are well aware of the extremely effective hand techniques of the Wing Chun kung fu system. Indeed, Wing Chun is known for its hands. Two of the trademarks of this southern Chinese system are the vertical centerline punch, and the training exercise known as Chi Sau, or sticking hands. In fact, Wing Chun is so well known for its hands that many martial artists from other systems learn Wing Chun in order to strengthen their fighting style, finding it a good way to fill the gap left by systems that emphasize kicking techniques. But like an iceberg, there is much more below the surface of this system than is visible at first glance. Those who are able to look deeply into Wing Chun may find the hidden treasure of the system, a highly effective method of using the legs as both a defensive and offensive tool.

Wing Chun's method of using the leg is very unique. Although there are many principles associated with the Wing Chun leg methods, for the purpose of this article we will focus on two of them, "legs low, hands high," and "the lifecycle." The first principle is in two parts.

Legs Low, Hands High, Part 1: Offense
The first part of this principle states, "The legs take care of the lower body, and the hands take care of the upper body." This principle can be applied in several ways, and has many advantages for the Wing Chun fighter. Because of the design of the human body, very few people have the natural flexibility that would allow them to utilize kicks to upper body targets, without extensive stretching of the leg muscles. On the other hand, the average person can be taught to effectively utilize kicks to the lower body of the opponent. This is not to say that high kicks can't be made to work. Anyone who has trained long enough to develop the timing, speed, skill, and flexibility can use these techniques. But the effectiveness of a kick is better judged by how fast beginning students can learn to protect themselves with it. For this reason, and the fact that Wing Chun was originally developed as a combat system, this style prefers to keep the kicks low.

Because of the anatomical structure of lower body target areas, skill and accuracy are more important than strength and flexibility. To develop this skill and accuracy the practitioner must deliver kicks to four different targets: the knee, shin, instep, and groin areas. After the student masters these levels of attack the instructor then has the student attack these areas dynamically, in different combinations. Such combinations may include the opponent moving, the student moving, or the opponent and student moving at the same time.

Legs Low, Hands High, Part 2: Defense
The first portion of this principle uses legs to defend against lower body attacks. Since the leg is much stronger than the arm and closer to the opponent's attacking leg, the legs are much more capable of handling the force of a kicking attack and can be used to jam the kicking line of the opponent even if his intended target was the upper body. This makes the opponent more vulnerable to counter attack, and less capable of launching an effective second attack. You can practice this method by having your training partner wear shin protection and attempt to kick at you while you train to stop his attack with your leg defense.

To balance this Wing Chun defense principle, the hands are used to defend against upper body attacks. This makes the practitioner capable of launching simultaneous counter attacks. Naturally, there will be times when you will have to defend a kick with the hands when caught off balance or in an awkward position. For those instances when you have to use the much weaker hand technique to defend against a strong kick, you can use the second principle called "Lifecycle."

The Lifecycle of an Attack
This lifecycle principle states, "Stop the attack as close to the point of origin as possible." Wing Chun uses this principle to defend with either legs or hands, but it is this principle, specifically, that allows the Wing Chun fighter to use the hands against the much stronger leg attacks of an opponent. There are several advantages in understanding this method. To begin with, this principle keeps the Wing Chun fighter from having to deal with the maximum power of a technique. Try to imagine that you are facing an opponent. Not just any opponent. Picture in your mind's eye the biggest, toughest, meanest most skillful opponent you can think of. He kicks. It will probably be a very powerful kick, which will be difficult to stop, and will do a great deal of damage if it lands. Now picture yourself facing that same opponent, only this time he is five years old. How difficult do you think it would be to stop his attack? At this age he will not be that big, tough, strong, or have developed the skill to kick effectively. In this scenario you will have caught him before he grows and matures.

It works the same way with defending against attacks. To help in understanding this, compare a roundhouse kick to the lifecycle of a human being. The physical birth of a roundhouse kick begins at the moment the opponent begins to shift his weight in order to get in the proper position to launch the attack. As the knee begins to rise, and point at the intended target, this can be compared to the kick's childhood. When the lower leg begins to rotate around the knee joint this can be compared to the kick reaching maturity, and when the kick strikes the intended target it has become fully-grown.

The earlier in the lifecycle you are able to face the attack, the less capable it will be to do you harm. If you disrupt the opponent as he is shifting his weight in order to kick, you will have aborted his attack. If you are able to make contact with the hip or upper leg just as he is chambering the leg to launch the kick, you will have stopped it at birth. If you make contact with the knee just as the lower leg is beginning its rotation around the knee joint, you will be able to take the power out of his kick in its childhood. But if you make contact with the kick between the knee and the foot, you will have to deal with the power of the kick in its maturity. Remember, the closer the kick gets to its intended focus point, the more power the kick will have.

There is another advantage to this method of stopping a kick in its infancy. Any kick the opponent throws, no matter what his intended target, will originate from the hip. If you focus your defensive efforts on the opponent's hip area, you will have no problem determining which target to defend - a good kicker can attack anywhere from the ankle to the top of your head. This can span a distance of six feet or better. According to Wing Chun master Ron Heimberger, "This problem is virtually eliminated when you apply the principle of stopping the attack at or near the point of origin."

This principle is not limited to dealing with kicks; it will also work against any attack. As long as you examine a technique, and understand the "lifecycle" of the attack (no matter what form that attack may take) you will be able to use this principle. While these are not the only principles dealing with Wing Chun's leg techniques, they will make it much easier to understand why Wing Chun is so effective.

Many longtime martial artists, drawn to Wing Chun due to the reputation of its hand techniques, are pleasantly surprised by Wing Chun's leg methods. In Wing Chun, hand techniques, like the visible portion of an iceberg, get all the attention. But it wasn't the tip of an iceberg that sank the Titanic.

About Tony Massengill:
Sifu Tony Massengill has been involved in the martial arts since 1966, and is the Chief instructor of Ip Man Family Wing Chun, in Newport News, Virginia. He is the Virginia representative of the Wing Chun Kung Fu Council in association with Grandmaster Ip Ching, and certified through the Hong Kong Athletic Association. Tony is a direct student of Master Ron Heimberger, who is a disciple of Grandmaster Ip Ching, the son of Grandmaster Ip Man. To learn more about Wing Chun visit us on line at: www.wckfc. com