Chi-gerk
Wing Chun's "Sticking-legs" Training

Introduction | Section 1 | Drills and Applications | Concepts and Theories

Note: Training programs are derived from various resources contained in Volume 3: Chi-sau ("Part 4: Chi-gerk," which is a 4-book set), the AWCA Distance Learning Program, and the Wing Chun Virtual Trainer membership site. For more in-depth training information, please consult these programs.

Chi-gerk, or "Sticking-legs," is the lower-body equivalent of the upper body's Chi-sau training. While most lineages train Chi-sau in one form or another, however, not all will train in Chi-gerk.

Chi-gerk is first experienced by way of various strength and conditioning drills, somewhat similar in nature to Chi-dan-sau and the learning found when beginning arm training. A great deal of strength and conditioning is experienced prior to continuing. You would think that because the legs are so much stronger than the arms, Chi-gerk would be easier to learn than Chi-sau. In general, however, the reverse is true.

Because the legs are stronger, they are usually more prone to "holding in" their strength instead of being able to relax. And because we are so "pre-occupied" with upper body movements, many will usually not place the emphasis required in the lower body until the Chi-gerk curriculum is introduced. Those that do will always find that their Chi-gerk training, when combined with Chi-sau, is quite superior to a practitioner that has never trained it.

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At the AWCA, there are four (4) primary Chi-gerk "basic" phases. These basic phases must be competent before the softer Chi-gerk sections are learned. Rather than literal Chi-gerk (where contact is made and, through that contact, a response is initiated), these first four sections strengthen the legs and provide for more footwork options. Once they are competent, the true Chi-gerk curriculum is then introduced. Generally, however, this usually isn't until the Biu-Tze phase of training.

Chi-gerk: Section 1 Attack (1.38 MB | 33 sec. | WMV format)

Chi-gerk Section 1 Attack
	As the opponent begins to kick, the defender drives in with Jeet-gerk ("Jamming-kick/ Stop-kick") to the attacker's weight-bearing leg.
-1-
	The kick itself is still coming in, though, so Jeet-gerk immediately transitions to Bong-gerk ("Wing-leg").
-2-
	From Bong-gerk, we lash out with Wang-chang-gerk ("Side Thrusting-kick") and follow up with chain-punching, etc.
-3-

After a practitioner has completed the Chum-Kiu, he/she will be introduced to the four primary Chi-gerk pre-training drills. These drills are trained heavily until the legs are very strong, yet also very responsive to changes in the opponent's lower body. The drills are continued until a practitioner begins the Biu-Tze form, at which time the actual Chi-gerk curriculum itself is introduced.

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Prior to working with "softer" applications of Chi-gerk, which is really what Chi-gerk is all about, we first develop as much strength as possible so that the legs flow smoothly. A variety of drills helps to accomplish this, but two "basic" actions that we also employ are Bong-gerk and Jup-gerk.

Bong-gerk (2.19 MB | 55 sec. | WMV format)

Bong-gerk (Wing-leg)
	In the lead-leg stance....
-1-
	... lift the entire leg upward and to the inside. The leg is "leading" with the knee as the guide.
-2-
	The knee crosses the centerline with the shin being the contact point. The centerline does not change, though; your centerline should always be pointed forward, and your body should not raise.
-3-

Also trained with Bong-gerk is Jup-gerk. Whereas Bong-gerk taught us to re-direct an attack across the centerline (as with Bong-sau), Jup-gerk is similar to Tan-sau in that we are re-directing the attack to the outside.

Jup-gerk (1.96 MB | 50 sec. | WMV format)

Jup-gerk (Outward-leg)
	In the lead-leg stance...
-1-
	... lift the leg up and to the outside. The leg is "leading" with the knee as the guide.
-2-
	The knee moves to the outside of the body with the shin being the contact point. The centerline does not change, though; your centerline should always be pointed forward, and your body should not raise.
-3-

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Just as we use Chi-sau to determine a response to our opponent's upper body attack, we use Chi-gerk to determine a response to the opponent's lower body attack. This is a logical and efficient means of fighting for a variety of reasons, but the most important one is "logic."

If an opponent punches at our head, we would not defend with a kick. Likewise, if the opponent kicks at our legs, we would not bend over to defend with our arms. Instead, the limbs defend themselves, regardless of the attack. Naturally this does not apply to "tactics," since yes, if an opponent punches to our head, we "can" drive a kick in since the leg is longer than the arm and will usually reach the target before the opponent's punch reaches us. Therefore, this "disrupts" his original attack and takes us from a position of "defense" to one of "attack."

However, the initial premise here is about individuality and "what defends what." Where Chi-gerk is concerned is that because we prefer a tight, "close-in" method, we cannot even see the legs or what is happening. Therefore, teaching the legs to respond to what they feel is extremely important to this close-quarters type of method.

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Chi-gerk is a topic of great interest for many, and rarely do you see it explored outside of a school itself. However, if you want to learn more about what Chi-gerk is and what it can do for your Chi-sau and Lap-sau skill sets, you will find a great deal about it in Volume 3: Chi-sau of the AWCA's eBook Training Series (Chi-sau, Lap-sau and Chi-gerk are all included in Volume 3).

Including strength training and a variety of attacks and defenses to give you a solid foundation, this Chi-gerk training is sure to take your training to a brand new level.

This one-of-a-kind training platform was built with true distance learning in mind and has already helped thousands of practitioners all over the world actually learn Wing Chun.

Read more about Chi-gerk in "Volume 3: Chi-sau"

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