AWCA Notebook

The primary punching method of Wing Chun is straightline punching. The first punch learned, known as Yat-chi-chung-kuen or “Character ‘Sun’ Thrusting punch,” is taught along the centerline. This is to learn not only the attributes of efficiency via straightline punches, but also the essentials of what the centerline are all about.

After just a short time, however, you will see a puzzled look on the face of a new practitioner. He/she has been taught to punch on the centerline, but they are also taught the Wing Chun addage of attacking the face so that the rest of the body cannot attack “you.” The problem is, how can you punch along the centerline “and” attack the opponent’s face?

The best way to describe this is that the training follows a set pattern of progression. First, we learn the body’s structure and how it produces force. Within this realm are a host of elements such as how to stand, how to breathe, how to relax, and how all of these areas come into play for producing force.

We learn about the arm mechanics such as a horizontal fist vs. a vertical fist, using the back and shoulder muscles to produce punching power vs. the chest, and how the entire arm acts like a “shock absorber” to withstand the brunt of contact.

Along the way, we also learn about the centerline. The centerline is a point directly in the middle of your sternum that, if you pictured an imaginary line extending directly forward along a straight line, allows the arms to remain at an equal length.

If you turn to the side, one arm will be closer to your opponent than the other, which effectively removes the equal use of both arms. Keeping your centerline on the opponent, you now have equal use of both arms, which allows you to respond more efficiently, regardless of what side the opponent is attacking on/from.

Once the concept of centerline and straightline are competent, confusion sometimes results when put into practice for sparring sessions, because the student is always punching at their partner’s chest vs. his/her face. And as everyone knows, the fastest way to end an attack is to attack the face so that the rest of the body cannot respond.

However, if all you do is train for centerline/straightline, “how” can you attack the face? The face is at a higher level than our centerline, so where does that fit in?

It is all about “tactics.”

When one is competent at straightline punching, he/she understands that this straight line can be enacted at any angle necessary. When combined with the centerline principle, he/she also has equal use of both arms. Therefore, their coordinated use is “why” the Wing Chun punching method is so efficient and effective.

Rather than twisting or arcing punches like many other arts, a Wing Chun punch “explodes” or “pistons” along the straightest line possible, which means that it has less distance to travel. Because of this, it is harder to defend against.

When combined with the simple tactic of “what” targets to attack, e.g. the attacker’s face, then even though the Siu-Nim-Tau form teaches punching solely along the centerline, common sense would tell us that we can also punch at other targets.

When you think of areas of Wing Chun that might not make sense at first, take a step back and examine the “concept” vs. merely the “movement.” Wing Chun is concept-based, which is why even a handful of concepts can overcome hundreds of pre-learned “mechanical-only” actions. With so many ways of delivering attacks and defenses, you always want to take the shortest, most efficient route to the target.

And that route is usually Yat-chi-chung-kuen to the attacker’s face.