Chum-Kiu

The Arm-Seeking Form

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

Introduction

The second form of Wing Chun is called Chum-Kiu. Meaning Arm-Seeking, this curriculum teaches us how to seek out the arms of the opponent and to “connect a bridge”. Once we connect to the opponent, we can immediately determine where the holes in his defense are.

Because we now know where he is, we can take advantage of it and enact our own attacks, e.g. taking the fight to him vs. waiting for him to come to us.

Using Chum-Kiu concepts, we pay particular attention to our turning and weight distribution. If we do not turn enough, we will be exposed to the attack, whereas turning too much will over-extend ourselves. We also learn the various ranges involved with fighting because you have to adjust your range according to what the opponent is doing.

For example, the Siu-Nim-Tau teaches basic attacks and defenses as they relate to the punch/ palm striking range. In Chum-Kiu, however, we have kicks, elbows, and even grappling and takedown range. Short of ground fighting, these are four complete ranges of fighting that are addressed in Chum-Kiu training.

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Section 1

Section 1 of Chum-Kiu introduces a variety of interesting concepts that deal with trapping, changing angles, using elbow attacks, and defending against multiple opponents.

One of the interesting elements of section 1 is that Chuen Bong-sau, or Turning Wing-arm, is the first of many Bong-sau actions we will perform throughout the Chum-Kiu. It is said that approximately 70% of the Chum-Kiu is comprised of various Bong-sau actions, and the first of these is seen in section 1.

Highlights of Section 1

 Chum-Kiu Section 1 (1 min 20 sec | 14.2 MB | MP4 format)

Hoi-ma
Opening the Stance

Open the stance as learned during Siu-Nim-Tau.

Gow-cha Gaun-sau
Crossed Double Splitting Block-arms

From the withdrawn position, explode the arms downward to a 45-degree angle to assume the Gow-cha Gaun-sau position. The arms should be fully locked out and there should be no bend in the elbows.

Kwun-sau
Rotating-arms/Twisting-arms

Swing the left hand inward and then rotate the arms upward along a straight path. Do not bring the arms inward towards your body; instead, envision a pole directly through the wrists so that they can only go up or down. In this case, we want the arms to go fully upward with no inward trajectory.

Gow-cha Tan-sau
Crossed Double Palm-Up arms

Kwun-sau continues until you reach the Gow-cha Tan-sau position. Notice that Gow-cha Gaun-sau saw the left wrist on top of the right, and Kwun-sau swung the left hand inward. In Gow-cha Tan-sau, you should still be left over right.

Hau-jarn
Withdrawing-arm/Backward-elbow

Forcefully explode the arms directly backwards via Hau-jarn. The shoulders remain relaxed, though. Do not stiffen the arms or shoulders. Simply explode them backwards as shown.

Yat-chi-chung-kuen
Character “Sun” Thrusting punch

Bring the left fist to the centerline, approximately one open-hand length from your chest. The arm is relaxed and the elbow is approximately one fist-width distance from the side of the body.

Yat-chi-chung-kuen
(continued)

Drive the first outward along the centerline to full extension. There should be no bend in the elbow at completion.

Tan-sau
Palm-Up arm

With the arm remaining fully locked out and the wrist on the centerline, turn the hand over, palm upward.

Huen-sau
Circling-hand/Wrist-circling

With the arm remaining locked out and the wrist on the centerline, pivot the wrist upward so that the fingers are pointed upward and the palm is facing you.

Huen-sau
(continued)

Continuing to keep the arm locked out, pivot the wrist so that the fingers are pointed to the inside.

Huen-sau
(continued)

Continue this circling until the fingers are pointed directly downward.

Huen-sau
(continued)

Snap the hand closed to form a fist, as if catching a ball on the upward trajectory.

Hau-jarn

Forcefully explode the elbow backwards via Hau-jarn.

Repeat steps 6a-9 for the other side.
When completed, continue to step 10a.

Chuen-kiu
Piercing-arm

Bring both hands to the centerline approximately one open-hand width from the chest.

Chuen-kiu
(continued)

While driving the fingers upward to a 45-degree angle, simultaneously push the upper back backwards. Do not lean at the waist; instead, push the shoulders back.

Chuen Pie-jarn
Turning Horizontal Hacking-elbow

Turn your head fully to the left and then torque the body to the left to assume a 90-degree Juk-sun-ma with simultaneous Hau-Pie-jarn.

Chuen Pie-jarn
(continued)

Repeat Pie-jarn to the right side. Remember to always turn your head fully in the direction you are turning “before” you turn.

Chuen Pie-jarn
(continued)

Return to the left Pie-jarn position with a forceful torque of the body.

Sheung Fook-sau
Double Bridge-On arm

Swing both arms forward and outward. The wrists should be on the same horizontal line as the centerline, and the elbows should be approximately one fist-width distance from the body.

Yan-cheung
Stamping-palm

Turn the left arm over to Tan-sau. Initiate a download Stamping-palm to Tan-sau’s forearm.

Yan-cheung
(continued)

Repeat Yan-cheung to the right arm.

Yan-cheung
(continued)

Repeat Yan-cheung to the left arm.

Lin-wan-cheung
Alternate Thrusting-palms/Chain-palming

From Yan-cheung, drive the right palm forward to full extension while the left arm assumes Wu-sau.

Lin-wan-cheung
(continued)

Explode the left arm forward to full extension while the right arm assumes Wu-sau.

Lin-wan-cheung
(continued)

Explode the right arm forward to full extension while the left arm withdraws via Hau-jarn.

Chuen Hau-Pie-jarn to Lan-sau
Turning Backward Horizontal Hacking-elbow to Bar-arm

Turn the head as far behind you as possible. With a powerful torque of the body, turn 180-degrees while the right arm hacks across via Hau-Pie-jarn. When complete, the right arm is in Lan-sau. 100% of the body’s weight is now on the left leg.

Gow-cha Tan-sau

Now with only one fist-width distance from the body, bring both arms to the front via Gow-cha Tan-sau, left wrist on top of the right wrist.

Juk-sun Bong-sau
Sideling Wing-arm

Turn the body to right Juk-sun-ma and right Bong-sau. Collectively this is Juk-sun Bong-sau with 100% of the body’s weight now on the right leg.

Chuen Hau-Pie-jarn to Lan-sau

Forcefully torque the body to the right to assume Lan-sau and left Juen-ma.

Gow-cha Tan-sau

Return to the arms to front, left over right. The wrists should be no more than one fist-width distance from the chest.

Juk-sun Bong-sau

Assume a right Juk-sun-ma while simultaneously transitioning to right Bong-sau and left Wu-sau. 100% of the body’s weight should now be on the right leg.

Chuen Hau-Pie-jarn to Lan-sau

Torque the body back to the right via Hau-Pie-jarn. When complete, the arm is in the Lan-sau position.

Gow-cha Tan-sau

Return both arms to the front, left over right.

Juk-sun Bong-sau

Assume a right Juk-sun-ma while simultaneously transitioning to right Bong-sau and left Wu-sau. 100% of the body’s weight should now be on the right leg.

Chuen Hau-Pie-jarn to Lan-sau

Torque the body back to the right via Hau-Pie-jarn. When complete, the arm is in the Lan-sau position.

Til-kiu-chung-kuen
Jump Thrusting-arm

Place the left hand on top of the right forearm.

Til-kiu-chung-kuen
(continued)

Drive a left punch upward while simultaneously withdrawing the right arm via Hau-jarn.

Chuen Fak-sau
Turning Whisking-arm

Simultaneously return to Yee-chi-kim-yeung-ma while driving to the left via Fak-sau. The completion of Fak-sau and Yee-chi-kim-yeung-ma are at the same time. One completing before the other is incorrect. Both should complete simultaneously in order to instill body power to assist Fak-sau.

Noi-moon Fook-sau
Indoor-area Bridge-On arm

Leading with the elbow, bring the left arm to the front with the wrist on the centerline.

Tut-sau to Biu-Tze-sau
Freeing-arm to Thrusting Fingers-strike

Place the right wrist on top of the left elbow, palm upward. Do not place just the back of the hand on the arm; instead, the wrist itself is on the arm.

While forcefully exploding the left arm backward via Hau-jarn, the right hand explodes forward and then upward along a 45-degree angle to full arm extension.

Tan-sau

With the arm remaining locked out, turn the hand over to form Tan-sau.

Huen-sau

With the arm remaining locked out, begin Huen-sau.

Huen-sau
(continued)

Continue Huen-sau by turning the fingers inward.

Huen-sau
(continued)

Continue Huen-sau until the fingers are pointed directly downward.

Huen-sau
(continued)

Snap the hand closed as if catching a ball bouncing on the upward trajectory.

Hau-jarn

Explode the arm backwards via Hau-jarn.

Repeat steps 10a.-31 for the other side.
When finished, you have completed Chum-Kiu section 1

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Drills & Applications

Kicking

In addition to a wide variety of new actions (as well as enhancing previously-learned concepts during our Siu-Nim-Tau training), the Chum-Kiu also introduces the three primary kicking methods: Ching-sun-gerk (Front Thrusting-kick), Wang-chang-gerk (Side Thrusting-kick) and Che-chang-gerk (Slant Thrusting-kick).

The interesting element of Wing Chun kicks is that instead of chambering the leg and pivoting the knee like many other arts do, we thrust the foot by pistoning the knee. The elbow thrusts the fist, and the knee thrusts the foot.

Ching-sun-gerk (HD video under production)

Ching-sun-gerk
Front Thrusting-kick

As the attacker approaches…

Ching-sun-gerk
(continued)

… he comes into kick range. The defender lifts the leg directly upward vs chambering, and…

Ching-sun-gerk
(continued)

… drives a solid kick into his groin. Targets can be the stomach, thigh, or knee, as well as the shin. We always want to keep our kicks low and fast so as to make them more difficult to defend. This is why some styles call Wing Chun the “Ghost Kicking” style, because the kicks are felt before seen.

Ching-sun-gerk, or Front Thrusting-kick, can be employed at various heights, but its primary height is usually the waist. When you can kick with full power and at a parallel height (when your leg is parallel to the floor), then all kicks lower than that will generally see a great deal more power being released.

Lower-level kicks are usually the norm in Wing Chun, mainly because it is more difficult for the opponent to see. And if it is harder to see, then it is harder to defend against. The problem, however, is that many practitioners do not train their full power at a parallel level, which in turn sees a great deal of power lost that they can achieve.

Therefore, always train this kick in the forms to be full power and parallel to the floor.

In addition to single opponents, Wing Chun also includes kicking methods for dealing with multiple opponents. We do not get to pick and choose how many will attack us, so Wang-chang-gerk allows us to respond to opponents approaching from the side.

 Wang-chang-gerk (21 sec | 4.08 MB | MP4 format)

Wang-chang-gerk
Front Thrusting-kick

In this drill, the practitioner is first defending against an opponent to the front when he sees another attacker coming in from the side.

Wang-chang-gerk
(continued)

Before the attacker gets into punching range, the defender raises Lan-sau to defend the incoming punch while simultaneously raising the leg for a kick.

Wang-chang-gerk
(combined)

Driving squarely into the opponent’s stomach, Lan-sau changes to Lap-sau so that a follow-up can be immediate without having to chase the attacker. Alternatively, the kick can go into the thigh or knee vs the stomach.

Wang-chang-gerk, or Side Thrusting-kick, is exactly as it sounds: a kick to the side, or 90-degrees from our present position. But like all Wing Chun kicks, there is no pivoting at the knee; instead, it is a true thrust of the knee to thrust the leg. We use the elbow to piston or “thrust” the fist, and we use the knee to piston or thrust the foot.

An interesting facet you will see in many other styles is that their version of a side kick is really nothing more than turning to the side and doing a front kick. They call it a side kick but it is actually a front kick. As we were trained, though, a side kick is a true kick to the side vs turning to the side and initiating a front kick.

One of the more common kicking methods you will see in Wing Chun is called Jeet-gerk, or Stop-kick/ Jamming-kick. This is a fast, powerful slamming action into the opponent’s shin, knee or thigh to halt his actions, as well as disrupt his footwork.

Jeet-gerk can take many shapes. From face-to-face and exploding with a low kick to the knee or shin in response to an approaching attacker, to the example below where an attacker approaches and we simply lash into the leg while simultaneously pulling them via Lap-sau.

Jeet-gerk (HD video under production)

Jeet-gerk
Jamming-kick/Stop-kick

As the attacker approaches, the defender is in fist range. The lead leg, however, is also in range for a Jamming-kick/Stop-kick to the attacker’s leg.

Jeet-gerk
(continued)

Pulling via Sheung Lap-sau, the defender quickly raises the lead leg.

Jeet-gerk
(continued)

Pulling the attacker into the kick, the force of response is effectively doubled. This is a direct application of one Wing Chun’s principle working concepts for responding to force.

The Chum-Kiu teaches a variety of elements that are applicable in today’s society. It is interesting when someone says that Wing Chun lacks a particular fighting element for today’s “flavor of the month” martial art, because there is nothing that Wing Chun does not have for realistic fighting.

Locking

Wing Chun includes a variety of locking, trapping and pinning actions, with most of them found in the later stages of Siu-Nim-Tau and throughout the Chum-Kiu.

Ground Fighting/Anti-Ground Fighting

Wing Chun’s ground fighting actions are actually the stand-up principles applied to a prone position. With jamming kicks, elbows and even Chi-sau, the ground fighting/anti-ground fighting concepts are reserved for the latter stages of Chum-Kiu training but continue through Biu-Tze.

In addition to kicks, brutal elbow attacks are also a mainstay of Chum-Kiu. Pie-jarn, or Horizontal Hacking-elbow, is one of the most frequently used of all Wing Chun elbow attacks.

 Pie-jarn (18 sec | 3.5 MB | MP4 format)

Pie-jarn
Horizontal Hacking-elbow

As the opponent comes in, the distance is decreased. Rather than fist range, the defender is actually in elbow range.

Pie-jarn
(continued)

With a fast, powerful attack, the force of the attacker is negated via Fook-sau to Lap-sau in order to borrow the force. The force of the attack is what is turning the defender.

Simultaneously, the other arm is coming up for an elbow strike.

Pie-jarn
(continued)

Pulling the opponent to off-balance him and make use of the momentum he is already generating, Pie-jarn lands squarely on the back of the neck. This is followed up with repeated elbows, as well as chain-punching.

While attacks like this may seem brutal, remember that Wing Chun is strictly for fighting vs rules-based sports. It is not flashy, showy, and there are no rules. You have been attacked, you are fighting for your life, and all targets are an option.

Fighting vs. Exercising

A variety of today’s exercise routines include boxing, kickboxing and other similar actions. These programs will usually tell you that in addition to improving your fitness, you are also creating a valuable self-defense skill set, something that you could use in real life for protection if you had to.

I am not going to say that you are not learning something about self-defense, because clearly you are. The body is replicating the actions of movements you would use for defending yourself, and these can be valuable elements if you find yourself in a self-defense situation.

I have also read/heard stories of some who were able to protect themselves only with the skills they learned from their kickboxing-oriented fitness programs. Whether true or not, I can see the relevance and have no reason to doubt it.

Keep in mind, however, that these are merely mechanical actions that you are practicing in the air. It is true that you are learning the mechanics, but at the same time, the focus of the training is primarily health and fitness. Creating a skill set that you can actually rely on for defense is a bit different, and without understanding that, it is a false sense of security to think that an exercise program is the same as learning self-defense.

Fighting and exercising are two different things. Yes, you are improving your fitness, and yes, you are learning the mechanics of basic self-defense actions. Remember, though, that real self-defense and exercising are not the same thing. There is more to reliable self-defense than merely going through the motions, and that is a primary concept we learn in the Chum-Kiu.

Please do not create a false sense of security by relying on your fitness program to teach you about real protection. I personally love fitness programs that include boxing and/or kickboxing because they generate more movement that relates better to overall conditioning. However, these fitness programs will not stop a 250-lb. enraged attacker bent on drilling you into the ground.

But Wing Chun will.

Many have asked how Wing Chun might respond to other martial arts, so below is an example of this. Note, however, that the key word here is might.

In a real fight, anything can and usually does happen. I have a love of all martial arts and this is not to degrade these other methods. On the contrary, it is merely a look at possible Wing Chun responses to the more commonly-used actions of a few different fighting methods.

Response Scenario 1: Wing Chun vs. Boxing (HD video and photos under production)

Response Scenario 2: Wing Chun vs. Grappling (HD video and photos under production)

Response Scenario 3: Wing Chun vs. Kickboxing (HD video and photos under production)

 Response Scenario 4: Wing Chun vs. Krav Maga (25 sec | 4.8 MB | MP4 format)

Response Scenario 5: Wing Chun vs. Unskilled (HD video and photos under production)

 Response Scenario 6: Wing Chun vs. Two Opponents (22 sec | 4.2 MB | MP4 format)

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Concepts & Theories

The Chum-Kiu revolves around seeking out the opponent, and once found, we sink or leak through his/her defenses in order to attack. The most relevant areas of this training includes concepts for angling and turning in order to make the most of the space we have, which in turn allows us to address multiple opponents.

The Chum-Kiu is also where Wing Chun’s three primary kicking methods – Ching-sun-gerk, Wang-chang-gerk and Che-chang-gerk – are introduced. With these three kicks, we now learn to respond to leg attacks with our own legs vs. using the arms. An interesting facet, however, is that even with the kicks, we also learn that in many cases, responding to the opponent’s kick is sometimes not even necessary.

A common yet effective tactic is that when the opponent kicks, we explode forward into them in order to decrease the range. Not only can this jam the kick, but it can also decrease the power that the kick can produce by shortening the length it has to travel. And with a decreased distance, it cannot produce the same amount of power.

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For More Information…

The “bridge” between the Siu-Nim-Tau and Biu-Tze is the Chum-Kiu. It is here that we take our basic concepts learned during our Siu-Nim-Tau training and really make them mobile, efficient, fluid, and responsive. Not only do we learn kicking and elbow attacks/ defenses, but we also learn how to engage multiple opponents.

If you have completed the Siu-Nim-Tau curriculum and you are looking for the next phase of training, then I recommend investigating Volume 2: Chum-Kiu of the AWCA’s eBook Training Series.

This in-depth video-illustrated workbook takes you through the complete Chum-Kiu curriculum, including the form, drills, applications, concepts and theories in a concise, progressive manner. You will also be tested at the end of each section to ensure that you understand the material and truly know it for when you need it.

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