Wing Chun and Firearms
Mike Parriski, November 10th, 2007
An area that has not seen much discussion on the Wing Chun Mailing List, or is rarely considered, is the integration of Wing Chun training principles with firearms training. As a part-time Class II firearms dealer, I am involved in various aspects of firearms training and have well over a 100 hours of combat firearm courses. Notably, due to the ingrained stance behavior common to martial arts, I have struggled with some of the basic firearm stance paradigms, especially since they tend to contradict much of what is taught in martial arts (bent knees, weight on the back leg, etc.). Since I also teach Wing Chun, I thought I would explore a modification of the common modern Weaver stance that is usually taught in most handgun courses. Before continuing, I should note that my descriptions and discussion assume a right-handed individual.
The Modern Weaver Stance. For those unfamiliar with the Weaver stance, it involves initially placing the feet approximately shoulder-width apart with the left shoulder favoring the target. The feet are in line with the shoulders, which are oriented at about a 45-degree angle from the target. The right arm extends toward the target, and the elbow is locked while the right hand wraps around the grip of the handgun. Next, the left arm tucks against the body with the triceps resting on the upper torso, and the left hand covers the right to provide stability. When firing, the right arm pushes forward slightly while the left pulls back providing isometric tension, and the upper body tilts slightly toward the target with the knees in a locked position. Weight transference tends to shift the majority of the body’s weight to the lead leg (about 60%). The idea in this stance is to present as much weight as possible behind the recoil of the firearm. Needless to say, this is almost diametrically opposite to what is generally taught in Wing Chun.
After returning from the Friendship Seminar in May and seeing the variations of rooting, I thought I would explore the possibility of applying a rooted stance while shooting. If this worked, it would allow me to adapt my firearm’s training to a methodology that would coincide with my Wing Chun practice.
I enlisted the assistance of my business partner as a comparison since he knew of Wing Chun, but had no serious formal training. Our first weapon to test was a .44 Magnum Desert Eagle, a heavy (6-lbs.) weapon with considerable recoil. In this test, I assumed a rooted fighting stance (left leg leading), tilted my hips forward and kept my knees bent with a weight distribution of 50/50. I faced the target, which was about 25-30 feet away in a traditional manner with my centerline projecting perpendicular to the target. I next placed my arms in a modified Weaver position so the handgun would be in my centerline plane, tucking my left elbow toward the center and still extending the right, but rotating the right elbow toward center as much as possible. I then proceeded to fire and was surprised at the results.
Each round found its mark within a hand-span of each other (this is considered acceptable in defensive shooting). What surprised me the most was I could feel the recoil travel through my body and exit the heel of my rearward leg. Also, barrel rise and muzzle torque was minimal, even when firing rapidly. To add difficulty to the test, I gripped the weapon in my left hand (my weak hand), extended it, and folded my right against my body. Even from a weak-side, one-handed position, I was able to easily hit the target.
To take the test further, I attempted the same exercise with a Glock pistol. Since Glocks are recoil operated a strong-armed grip and stance are essential for any reliability. In both the one and two-handed positions, the results were the same. I was able to easily hit the target with single and rapid fire.
Although Wing Chun practitioners may find this exciting, the average person might have a negative perception since they would assume the foreknowledge of a martial art. Not so. I took my business partner and placed him in a rooted stance, adjusting his body position in a traditional rooted manner. Since he had years of experience in firearms combat training, one would think his muscle memory would not allow for an instantaneous adaptation. Unbelievably, he performed with the same level of expertise as I did. In fact, he was shocked at being able to feel the recoil exit his body.
Since Wing Chun is dynamic, I have always felt it shouldn’t be performed in a vacuum. When combining Wing Chun with other combat arts, it opens new doors to how it can be applied in the real world. Hopefully, those who practice shooting will try modifying their shooting stance to incorporate Wing Chun principles.
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