During our annual training camp, one of the elements touched on involved Jut-sau’s elbow. The concepts of Jut-sau and Jum-sau are so closely related that even though they look similar, they work a bit differently.

Jut-sau, or “Jerk-hand,” is a quick downward jerk of the arm that will move the incoming attack off the line. This removal is just enough to open a hole in the opponent’s defense that we can drive through. Sometimes the counter-attack involves the same hand that Jut-sau’d, while other times it might be the opposite side that attacks. In either case, Jut-sau is the same.

The key here is that rather than bending at the elbow – such as straightening the arm completely as seen in Gaun-sau – the entire arm sinks. In this “sinking,” the arm is “lead by” the elbow. You can also think of it as a heavy weight suddenly appearing on your elbow, while at the same time the arm cannot bend. So rather than bending, the entire arm has to quickly jerk downward.

Where Chi-sau is concerned, working this element can really make a positive difference in how you unload force. It is very easy to feel an attack and over-compensate for it, whereas slightly sinking the entire arm and using the elbow to lead it vs. the wrist will really make a huge positive difference.

The next time you are training Chi-sau and feel the response of Jut-sau, try leading with your elbow and not the wrist to see what happens.