Category Archives: Chum-Kiu

Seeking vs Sinking

One of the easiest things to do after training Wing Chun for a while is to misunderstand the purpose of Chum-Kiu. Even with the excitement of learning kicks, elbow attacks, angling, and creating a great deal of power when turning, let’s face it: any intermediate training is sometimes a bit mundane.

So what is the Chum-Kiu? What is its purpose? What can you get out of this curriculum that you cannot find anywhere else? Let’s take a look and see.

Chum-Kiu, or Arm-Seeking form, is the second form in Wing Chun Kuen. There are two main categories of thought amongst the lineages in regards to arm seeking vs arm sinking.

With sinking, this line of thought dictates that when your arms meet the arms of the opponent, you sink or leak through the holes, just like rain leaking through a roof. In this way, no matter what the opponent does, you are sinking yourself through those holes in order to defeat him.

Seeking is a bit different. This line of thought dictates first a strategy vs an action. Rather than waiting for the opponent to come to us, a practitioner will drive into the opponent and make contact, seeking out his bridge arms. As contact is made, it is then that sinking or leaking takes place.

When the latter view is worked, the Chum-Kiu takes on a brand new meaning. It is readily seen that this intermediate curriculum is the true bridge between Siu-Nim-Tau and Biu-Tze, for Biu-Tze requires competence in both in order to be effective.

Section 1

Section 1 teaches all about turning, torquing, and slicing through an attack with a whole-body defense. Youth can see a lot of positive actions, but as we get older it becomes apparent that what we used to do and how we did it will definitely change.

Therefore, section 1 shows us that rather than relying on our physical strength, we can use the entire body to respond with. This whole-body concept then becomes a mainstay of our entire Wing Chun approach.

Section 2

Section 2 of the Chum-Kiu is a practitioner’s first formal engagement with kicks. I say formal because many schools – including the AWCA – also teach Jeet-gerk, or Jamming-kick/Stop-kick, at an earlier stage in order to give our students a leg defense.

Beginning with Wang-chang-gerk, or Side Thrusting-kick,  a practitioner learns how to thrust the foot vs snapping it like other martial arts. We approach kicking as we approach punching: rather than arcing or snapping out with an attack, we thrust it in order to get the entire body behind it. We thrust the punch/palm via the elbow, so we thrust the foot via the knee.

A practitioner also works the concept of “Every step is a kick, every kick is a step” at this stage. This means that as we step, our weight should be such that we can always immediately respond with a kick if needed vs moving weight to the other leg. It also means that after each kick, we do not fall forward; instead, we step directly downward so that our momentum is not carried forward and taking us off balance.

You will hear many lines of thought regarding weight distribution. You will also see some very convincing demonstrations as to why weight on the lead leg is paramount (as a rebuttal against those that train with 100% on the rear leg).

The interesting thing is that when you apply weight on the lead leg with someone who is fighting for real? You see a different outcome than what was demonstrated in class. And in real life, you need every edge you can get.

At the AWCA, we train 100% on the rear leg and 0% weight on the lead leg. At any given moment, the lead leg can jam, kick and step in any direction without the body moving. No weight needs to move because no weight is on the lead leg.

When someone drives forward, the leg will respond by either jamming the leg, kicking the opponent, wedging into his structure, or side-stepping to borrow the force. With weight on the leg, there is a brief encounter of force-vs-force regardless of the amount. And when that happens, the stronger of the two forces has the edge. We remove this altogether by having 0% on the lead leg and 100% on the rear.

Section 3

Section 3 sees us working the last two of Wing Chun’s three primary kicks: Ching-sun-gerk and Che-chong-gerk. Ching-sun-gerk, or Front Thrusting-kick, is generally the more commonly-used of the three kicks, while Che-chong-gerk, or Slant Thrusting-kick, is a combination of the side kick and front kick.

Conclusion

In addition to the myriad of movements, the concepts of Chum-Kiu also teaches the various ranges of fighting such as punching/palming, elbows/knees, kicking, and grappling/takedowns. Ground fighting, which is the fifth range, is a supplemental curriculum vs found in a form. These various ranges explore the tactical and strategic nature of fighting with a competent, well-trained attacker, so the Chum-Kiu cycle is generally a bit longer than most other curriculums of Wing Chun.

Its training, however, is of paramount importance in understanding and learning real fighting in today’s world. Without it, the Biu-Tze will never amount to anything. Without it, an attacker will easily knock you off balance. Without it, you will have limited footwork, limited power output, and limited angling when engaged with multiple opponents.

As a well-known master told us in a seminar once:

Whenever you are bored, that means you haven’t learned. Why? Because when you have learned it, you are always intrigued by what it means and what it does.

Still think the Chum-Kiu is mundane? Me, either.

Understanding Wing Chun’s Wing-arm

Bong-sau, or Wing-arm, is one of the most effective yet least understood concepts in Wing Chun. And depending on what lineage you are training in, it can also be night-and-day as to how another lineage trains it.

Bong-sau is employed at a medium or low level, but never at a high level. If Bong-sau travels upward, it must immediately change to a punch in order to keep from creating a hole in your defense.

The first level learned is during section 3 of Siu-Nim-Tau in which Bong-sau is at a medium level. The wrist is on the centerline and teaches the basic structure of accepting force and how to re-direct it to the outside. When turning is learned, Bong-sau can then feel the force of an attack that will possibly collapse the defense. At that point, Bong-sau and Chuen-ma (Turning-stance) are combined in order to create Juk-sun-Bong-sau, or Sideling Wing-arm.

The second level is a low level, first learned in section 3 of Chum-Kiu and then expanded on throughout the rest of the empty-hand forms. While many will view Har-lo Bong-sau (Lower-level Wing-arm) as a defense against low attacks, there are differing opinions here.

Some feel that defense against low attacks is a prime movement of Har-lo Bong-sau, while others (myself included) have learned this concept to address kick defense. The difference here is that it also requires an advancing step into the opponent’s structure so as to assist in nullifying the incoming force.

For example, if your opponent attacks with a spinning back kick, your choices are:

1. Get hit,
2. Block the kick with your full force,
3. Side step or back step to get out of the way, or
4. Drive forward into the attacker in order to nullify the incoming force.

I was taught many differing concepts of Bong-sau throughout my years of training, but the one concept that has always been effective was to drive forward into the attacker in order to nullify his/her incoming force. And with a combination of Har-lo Bong-sau and explosive advancing, it is much easier than some might think.

Continuing our example, a reliable defense against a spinning back kick would not, of course, include getting hit. After all, the purpose of learning effective martial arts is the exact opposite. You could block the kick with your own force, but real kicks generate bone-crushing power, so that one is not the most appropriate response, either.

Getting out of the way has merits when we are up against a skilled attacker in that it becomes more of a tactical nature. Two opponents of somewhat equal skill will have to utilize strategy and tactics in order to work their own methods. It does, however, require excellent footwork.

A more efficient path is to simply explode forward into the attacker, no matter what he/she is doing (but especially with kicks). People forget that a kick is powerful because it relies on releasing its force, so if you explode forward into the opponent, you shorten the distance that the kick can travel. Hence, it does not get to release all of its power because you are right on top of them.

So where does Bong-sau fit in with this?

During the kick, it is not uncommon to see it drop slightly, so if all you are doing is driving forward and not paying attention to the attack itself, it can take you by surprise. To counter this, Har-lo Bong-sau is initiated in order to disperse the force of the kick while you are moving forward. In essence, you are using the qualities of a passive Bong-sau to “brush aside” the kick while simultaneously exploding forward. This shortens the distance and takes you into your preferred range.

For the medium-level Bong-sau, I recommend Volume 1: Siu-Nim-Tau, whereas the lower-level Bong-sau will be learned in Volume 2: Chum-Kiu. It is important to study not only the arm positions but also how your body responds when in these positions. You want to work a solid coordination between Har-lo Bong-sau and your advancing steps so that everything is spot-on while you are closing the gap.

Working Bong-sau at various angles in order to experiment will go a long way to understanding where its weaknesses and failures lie, since not having this training can actually see Bong-sau being used for a purpose it was not designed for. And in most cases, taking the easy way will actually see you getting hit.

Understanding the Wing-arm

Bong-sau, or Wing-arm, is an action whereby an opponent’s arm making contact with the top of your arm will roll the arm over. Upon completion, it resembles a bird’s wing, hence the term Wing-arm.

The easiest way to ensure that Bong-sau is in the correct position is to first assume a Tan-sau, or Palm-Up arm, position with the wrist on the centerline. Using the other hand, grasp Tan-sau’s wrist lightly and then roll Tan-sau over until the palm is facing the front.

During this roll, keep the shoulder down vs hunched since hunching the shoulder changes the angle of the forearm to a more downward angle. If that happens, then Bong-sau loses a great deal of its effectiveness.

When complete, Bong-sau’s elbow will be level with or just below the shoulder, the shoulder will be down and relaxed, and the entire body remains in place vs raising. I mention that because some practitioners are seen to raise their body while working Bong-sau. Not sure why, really, but naturally we never want to raise our body since this moves your center of gravity from a position that is below the waist back up into the chest.

Bong-sau is a passive action that is only enacted as a result of the opponent’s attack gliding over the arm rather than us assuming Bong-sau on our own. In other words, we would never move the arm to the Bong-sau position; instead, the opponent’s attack is what is pushing or rolling the arm to Bong-sau.

Because it is passive, however, that is not to mean that it lacks any kind of power; on the contrary, forward pressure is always present, and we would not want to remain in Bong-sau longer than necessary. It dissipates and redirects an attack, and then immediately transitions to an attack or other defense (depending on the opponent’s actions).

Bong-sau’s pressure stems from a connection between the wrist, elbow, shoulder and body. It is not just the forearm that is involved; instead, the entire body plays a role for pressing slightly inward so that the arm knows what to do and when to do it.

Bong-sau is also not a karate-type block, either. Those that assume a Bong-sau position in this manner, particularly when they lift Bong-sau upward, almost always see it being defeated. Why? Because Bong-sau was not meant to be executed in that manner.

Karate blocks require a physical action far different than Bong-sau, so lifting it or driving it outward without the opponent first making contact with it (and being the reason of Bong-sau rolling over in the first place) will always see it defeated. It is too easy to come over the top when executed in this manner, which is why Bong-sau’s pressure requires not only the correct application for its use, but also the correct energy and pressure during its use.

By training Bong-sau to be used when appropriate and combined with how this pressure is applied, a renewed look at this Wing Chun “seed” technique will happen.