Lap-sau is known by two different terms. The first, “Grabbing-hand,” refers to the individual movement itself. When you grab the arm of the opponent, this is Lap-sau.
The second, “Deflecting-arm,” refers to a series of drills designed to take a practitioner through the basics of sparring while focusing on “offloading” their force. Hence, the “deflecting” part of this term.
While most schools will work Lap-sau in one way or another, some do not focus on it that much while others place a great deal of emphasis on it. Some feel that it “just happens” during their training and others will engage a purpose-driven curriculum built around it at a particular stage of training.
The AWCA prescribes to the latter in that the Lap-sau curriculum creates a variety of real-world scenarios, while simultaneously honing the Wing Chun skill set itself. For example, section 1 of Lap-sau teaches us how to respond fluidly with trapping and pinning, as well as how to come from underneath the opponent’s bridge arm in order to effectuate a powerful strike.
Further, it reinforces the concept that you should never (or rarely) have both of your arms in contact with just one of your opponent’s arms. If you do, then your opponent knows where both of your arms are, and if he/she is skilled in taking advantage of this, you have just given up your defense.
If we strive to take advantage of when both of our opponent’s arms are in contact with just one of ours, naturally we do not want to be in the same situation. Lap-sau teaches us how “not” to do this, but surprisingly, many schools actually “do” do this. And regularly.
So let’s examine how we train the Lap-sau drill here at the AWCA, and how it can improve your response time.
While many practitioners will be in a sideling position to their opponent and “arc” their punch in, we keep our centerline on the opponent and punch straight. Additionally, we never make contact with both arms of our training partner unless we are attacking or defending; instead, we replace the contact hand with the incoming attacking hand.
What does this do?
First, keeping our centerline on the opponent vs. being in a sideling position ensures that we have equal use of both arms at all times. Yes, being in a sideling position when necessary does have viable uses, but note that I said “when necessary” vs. “always.” Some prefer a sideling position because they think it makes you a smaller target, but in reality, you will not be much “smaller” when turned to the side vs. having your centerline on the opponent.
Juk-sun-ma, or “Sideling-stance,” has its place in Wing Chun, but we only assume it when/if the opponent drives in with so much force that our current position would be comprised if we stand our grand (i.e. force-vs-force). If we train to overcome force with our own physical, muscular power, then what happens when we get older? There will come a time when just simply getting older will remove (or severely limit) the muscular force we have in our youth, so training to capitalize on physical strength is temporary at best.
Instead, learning how to “borrow” the attacker’s force allows us to make use of it. And the Lap-sau drill’s concepts are directly related to that. It is here that we can put into practice these concepts and learn to make use of them is a controlled sparring environment.
Second, rather than keeping both arms on the opponent’s arms and utilizing an “arcing” type of attack, we punch as straight as possible.
We all know that the closest distance between two points is a straight line. That precept has been “drummed” into our brains since day 1. So if that is true (and it is), then why do so many arc their punches vs. punching straight and getting there faster?
I cannot answer that because I really do not know. What I do know, however, is that when working with those that “do” train Lap-sau in this manner, it was extremely easy to circumvent their attacks. When I turned them towards me, though, and they started punching straight? They were in position to defend without having to do anything extra.
From the basic Lap-sau drill, a variety of positive attributes are built, provided that the correct concepts from the foundation of Wing Chun are applied. Vary them, however, and it becomes the reverse: a myriad of bad habits result and your defense becomes replete with holes.
So, if one’s structure is in the proper place when working the Lap-sau drill, we can see immediate improvements:
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Staying on the centerline vs. to the side keeps your arms at equal length, which allows either to do what is needed vs. one “having” to defend and the other “having” to attack.
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Staying on the centerline allows you to respond to either side as needed, where being in a Sideling-stance means having to turn 90-degrees to the other side if your opponent happens to attack there.
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Having just one arm on the opponent’s arm vs. both means that you are not “giving away” your arm position to the opponent (if he knows where your arms are, he knows how to proceed).
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Driving straight in with your punches vs. “arcing” them means that they get there faster. They are harder to see, which also makes them harder to defend against.
“When” should the Lap-sau drill be introduced? Personally, I like introducing the drill after a student has first learned Chi-san-sau, or “Single-arm Sticking-hand.” Others, however, will introduce Lap-sau “before” any Chi-sau training.
Regardless of the “when’s,” keep in mind the reasons for the drill and what it is supposed to accomplish. Do not blindingly rush through it just to do something or just to get through it; instead, “listen” to what it is telling you about what you are doing and “how” you are doing it. Then you will be able to focus on where you can improve and how you can make your Wing Chun even more efficient.
In this way, we break out of the “stoic” and sometimes “dead” drills that can lead to a false sense of security, and replace it with “live,” ever-changing situations that keeps us fresh and always learning.
