Yat Chi Chung Choi. Sun punch. Jik Chung. Straight blast. Roll punch. Machine gun punch. Ji Ng Choi. Arrow punch. Standing fist. Chain punch. Jin choi. And a bunch of others.

All the above describe one of Wing Chun Kuen’s “signature” or trademark techniques. And one that most of us rely on to get us out of trouble.

Let’s start with the basic qualities of the punch in no particular order…

• THE SHORTEST DISTANCE BETWEEN TWO POINTS IS A STRAIGHT LINE.
• ATTACK ON THE CENTERLINE
• JIN CHOI*(battle punches)
• YAT CHI CHUNG CHOI*(sun character thrust punch)
• DAR SAO, JIK SIU SAO*(THE HAND THAT HITS ALSO BLOCKS-)
• KUEN YAU SUM FOT*(THE PUNCH COMES FROM THE HEART
• JIK CHUNG*(STRAIGHT THRUST)
• KUEN MO LAI YEUNG(THE FIST DOES NOT STAND ON CEREMONY, THE FIST HAS NO MANNERS
• LIN WAN KUEN*(CONTINUOUS AND RETURNING FIST)
• REPLACE THE HAND

*These are some of the famous Kuen Kuit, or fist sayings of Wing Chun. There is a reason why some of them, ie. Jik Chung or Jin Choi, have been used to describe the Wing Chun punch as we shall see.

Points 1 and 2 are classic Wing Chun concepts for the whole system. And everybody talks about them BUT few put the flavor of the concepts into the quality of the punch. The “flavor” of the concepts of points 1 and 2 is this. . . YOU MUST FILL UP THE SPACE, IN THE SHORTEST PERIOD OF TIME, WITH AS MANY PUNCHES AS POSSIBLE. How you do it, from an application, “flavor”, and quality point of view is indicated by the rest of the Kuen Kuit.

Points 1 and 2 talk about distance, space and time. The shortest distance(in a fight situation), will give you the pathway. The shortest distance also tells how long it will take. Attack along the centerline, up the middle, gives you both the best, shortest pathway and the shortest potential time of execution .

Strategically, if you occupy the center-the most direct and shortest route-the opponent must take a longer route. But the opponent may not know he must take the indirect route to your face. They fight back to try and take the centerline. Did you or can you keep the center filled ? (What makes you think that your one centerline punch keeps/captures the center, stopped the attack or attacker? Crescione’s first law of combat-if you can’t drop a guy in one punch with either hand, then you have no business saying-SHOULDA, COULDA, WOULDA or YEAH, BUT I GOT YOU FIRST ! )The most basic Wing Chun answer/solution to this question is Lin Wan Kuen-the continuous and returning fist.

By having your punches constantly in the center, constantly attacking the opponent, constantly hitting the opponent, constantly filling the space-you don’t give the opponent the chance to capture or regain the center physically or mentally. By hitting and landing, the opponent’s consciousness goes to the injured area, once this happens you effect a slowing of the mind. While they are trying to figure out how they got hit, how to defend against it and engage their neurology to do something about it, they get hit again ! They are always behind.

All the Kuen Kuit can be taken and explored at many levels of discussion, philosophy and interpretation-superficially and at face value, or deeply and abstractly. Take for example, Kuen Yao Sum Fat-the punch comes from the heart. If you take it literally it can describe the pathway of the punch, if you read into it you can get the quality of the punch. At a deeper level, whatever is in your heart will come out in your hand(fist).

Once you can fill the space with as many punches in the shortest period of time, you then must put something “into” the punches. Jin Choi, Yat Chi Chung Choi, Jik Chung, Kuen Mo Lai Yeung all give information as to how to punch, or what to put into it. There is a ruthlessness, fury, speed, explosiviness. There is also a quality of fire as well as “heat seeking”, and just as the rays of the sun, always find a hole to let a light ray in through the darkness or apparent obstruction.

Now that you have an idea about the fist’s quality or flavor, let’s look at the structure. . . . The Wing Chun punch is a vertical or standing fist, the four fingers resemble the shape of the chinese character for sun, basically a box on top of a box. The traditional reverse punch or forefist actually resembles the character for the number 4. (Trivia-”Yat Chi” Chung Choi-the Yat Chi is a slang definition for Sin Kay Yat-Sunday in Cantonese). The punch travels in a straight line from the center of the chest to it’s intended target. From a neurological and muscular perspective, it is strongest from nose height to heart height. The bottom 3 knuckles of the fist are the striking points, the fingers and knuckles are not. (Of course everything depends on how you where taught and what you feel works for you. Everything I am stating is based on anatomy, physiology, neurology and biomechanics).

The wrist must be packed and locked so that there is a flat surface from the back of the hand to the forearm. When viewed from thumbside up, if the back of the hand is flat with the forearm then the knuckles form a straight line with the radius(a bone in the forearm). You now have direct bone support with no undue stress going into the small bones of the wrist. Since the knuckles protrude from the fist, you will be hitting harder due to structure and focus of force. If you hit with a flat fist, the force will be diffused over the surface of the fist. In training with a partner however, as in chi sao, it is more advantageous for your partner that you hit him with a flat fist. When viewed from the side the bottom three knuckles are directly supported by the radius and the ulna(the bones in the forearm). The index finger knuckle is anatomically recessed back from the other knuckles and does not come into play when landing a correct vertical fist. Most karate and kung fu styles that use a reverse punch advocate contacting with the index and middle finger knuckle while having a tilt in the wrist to line up those two knuckles with the radius and ulna. From an anatomy and biomechanics point of view, the wrist bones are in a vulnerable position for injury, as well as being more difficult to generate the proper power and execution.

Some Wing Chun practitioners tend to lead with the pinky knuckle and wind up fracturing either the knuckle or the bone behind the knuckle-a boxer’s fracture. If you lead with the pinky knuckle, change your focus to lead with the knuckle above the pinky knuckle-this will ensure that the punch, the knuckles and bones in the wrist are in better anatomical position and decrease the potential for injury.

If you use a tilt up in your punch, wait until after contact to tilt up into the body. Most of the energy should come from the elbow, then wrist if you use a tilt up.

When your structure is correct, you will be defending the center without even trying. Your fists will be the weapon and also act as a shield. Your forearms will be in the way of your center acting like a secondary shield. You will essentially be trying to hide your center behind your fists. The elbows should be behind the fists, pointing downward, pushing the forearm forward. The shoulder lifts the humerus(upper arm) to make the elbow go forward. With the elbows down this defends the lower ribs and prepares the punches for the most direct path AND proper biomechanical advantage. The back hand or wu sao position is another trademark of Wing Chun. In the punch position the hand “floats” somewhere around the elbow and then releases with a spring loaded explode quality once the lead fist has hit it’s target. The back hand should have an “itch” to go forward, when in a punching position.

There are basically 2 ways to execute the back hand in a punching execution. Hitting. . .

First, remember that you are trying to hit the same spot repeatedly. So if your right fist is on the target, how are you going to hit the same spot with your other fist ? Method 1- Upon impact, the right hand relaxes at the elbow drawing the fist down and out of the way of the back hand. Method 2- Upon impact, the fist will drop straight down, then back into a wu sao position while the back hand comes forward. The mistake will occur when the back hand goes over the extended punching hand, without the punching hand clearing the target. This misses the target and leaves the attack weak and open for easy counter. When you hit there should be no twisting of the shoulders in the beginning. The more shoulder twist that goes into it, the longer it takes to bring the hand back so the other can come forward. When the shoulder does eventually come into play, it is driven by the hips and horse working together in one piece. This is a truer definition of “rooting”. The mechanics should come more from the elbow to train the joint, muscles and neurology of going forward without extra muscle usage. There are basically two different ways of training the punch-against something solid, and in the air. Next, standing still or moving. Next, moving in place, i. e. with a shift-or moving in a direction.

When standing still and punching in the air, you emphasis needs to be more at the shoulder then elbow. Popping the elbows when you punch in the air increases your chances of getting arthritis in that joint, hairline fractures in the elbow and/or upper arm around the elbow area and also hypermoble joint capsules which result in chronic swelling, inflamation and pain. And of course, how those injuries will affect the accupuncture points in that area.

Da Sa Bao is a Kuen Kuit which means “hit the bag”. It is really here that you develop the correct release of energy, structural alignment, penetration skill, impact training and joint strengthening.

Since hitting the bag “WING CHUN STYLE” can be a long discussion, just some thoughts for now.

• In the beginning of hitting the bag, after the hit, relax the hand and arm completely. What most don’t know is that you are really trying to train the bones in the wrist, elbows and shoulders. Stressing the bone when in proper alignment increases bone density, just as in any weightbearing exercise.
• Work on landing solidly from floor to the bag-there are many levels of this type of training.
• Work on both single and chain punches, as well as multiple hits from the same hand-both at the same and different heights
• Vary the source of punch power-hit with the horse, hit with the shoulder, hit with the elbow etc.
• Try to move the bag with your hit
• Try to stop the bag from swinging with your hit.
• Try to do all the above moving as well as being stationary.

Once you have the biomechanics, structure, power and timing down, now add the kuen kuit “flavor”. Can you hit the bag with “Jik Chung”. Is your hitting the bag(attacking the opponent) “Kuen Mo Lai Yeung”. Attack the bag with “Jin Choi”. Are you attacking the bag with your heart “Kuen Yau Sum Fot”?

In Use…

Wing Chun’s fist or punch is based on only one thing. Attack. On the offensive move. On the defensive answer. On the counter move. To close the gap. Punch with the hand. Punch with the elbow. Punch with the shoulder. Punch with the hips. Punch with the horse. Punch with the heart. Punch with the mind.

When do you use the punch ? Before the opponent’s attack, during the opponent’s attack, on the “apparent “completion. As a question or as an answer to an attack. When you are reading or intercepting the thoughts of your opponent. To stop them from thinking. When you want to try to destroy your opponent’s balance. While they are breathing. There is a kuen kuit that goes “Dar Sao, Jik Siu Sao”-THE HAND THAT HITS ALSO BLOCKS. From a punching usage point of view, this meaning can be multi level. The hit itself is the block;the bridge/forearm/structure blocks as the fist hits;the fist is flexible in it’s path to change into a defensive mode if necessary;the fist sets itself up to defend(or attack).

Truly, Wing Chun doesn’t differentiate between blocking and attacking. Nor does it seperate mechanics. The same mechanics that you punch with, you pak with, lop with, kwan with etc. The most important theories are given to you in the beginning. That’s why when you internalize the kuen kuit, that’s why when your neurology has been trained in “Replace the hand”, when you finally “get” one hand goes out, the other waits to go out-do you start to not only understand the punch in Wing Chun, but make it come alive, like a complete system unto itself. And these were just the basics ?!?!