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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:

1. 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.

2. 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.

3. 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).

4. 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.

Tan-sau, or “Palm-Up arm” (also called “Dispersing-arm” in some lineages), is one of those movements that creates a lot of controversy among the families.

Some will train Tan-sau with the hand in-line with the forearm while others train it with the back of the hand parallel to the floor. So let’s see some of the differences and why so many are adamant about their chosen positions.

Tan-sau is an action that allows for defense against straightline attacks. Because of the elbow position with the palm facing upward, the structure of the arm is such that it is not very strong against hooking punches. That is just the nature of physics when it comes to this particular position.

With the palm facing downward like in Fook-sau, the forearm rotates the opposite way, and this position allows for greater structure (natural strength), which in turn allows for competent defense against hooks or more angular attacks. But with the palm upward, this type of structure is removed; ergo, Tan-sau is best used for defense against straightline punches.

Next we have the hand angle itself. A simple test will show this “natural strength” I mentioned.

If you bring your Tan-sau hand forward, first put the hand in-line with the forearm so that there is a straight line from the elbow to the fingertips. Now have your training partner press on your forearm so that they are pushing the arm towards your chest.

In most cases, Tan-sau will have a tendency to collapse a bit unless you are extremely strong. That is just the physics of force-to-force in this position. The pressing force is generally more than than the defending force can sustain.

Now, flatten the hand so that the palm is facing upwards and have your training partner repeat the press on your forearm. In this position, you will find that your arm can actually withstand more of this force without collapsing. Why? Because the structure (natural strength) of the arm and shoulder has been increased, thereby allowing you to provide a stronger press to the opponent’s press.

Further still, and keeping the palm flat, angle the hand slightly outward now so that the fingers are pointed a bit to the outside. With your partner repeating this press, now what do you see? An even stronger defense in Tan-sau. 

In this position with the hand angled slightly to the outside, there is a bit of contraction in the forearm, which in turn provides more structure.

From all of this, we can see that while many practitioners might think that Tan-sau is an easy movement to defeat, it is actually quite competent when the correct position is assumed. If the palm is in-line with the forearm, Tan-sau can easily collapse with a very powerful attack. But with the palm flat and pointed upwards, Tan-sau becomes a formidable defense.

In your classes, play with the various hand positions to learn what Tan-sau is really all about, and then apply that same concept to other actions in order to experiment. Although the hand positions will vary depending on what you are training, it is essential to experiment with changing positions in order to learn how the body can provide a solid base of movement solely from where your “connection” is at in relation to the incoming attack.

And the more you experiment, the more you learn.

Many have asked “Of all the martial arts you’ve trained, why Wing Chun? What’s so special about it that made you stop your search?“

Good question. And for a while, I asked that myself. It is a weird feeling to actually “find” what we are looking for, and even when I did, I didn’t know it. Even when I realized first-hand how effective it is, there was still always that doubt of something being better.

Many of us have been involved in the martial arts for years, some even for generations. My own training started in 1976 with taekwondo and it is hard to believe sometimes that it has been over 30 years since that time.

Being in the military and having the opportunity of experiencing a variety of other fighting methods, you would also think that I would recognize Wing Chun’s effectiveness much sooner, too. I did, but at the same time, I was also conditioned to always look for the best, to never “settle.”

Well, after 20+ years, I can honestly say that with Wing Chun? There is no “settling.” I don’t have to look anymore because I found what I have always wanted in a fighting method: the tradition of a proud history, the “moderness” of being useful in today’s world, an art that is not afraid to change something so that it remains effective, and just an absolute blast to train!

Sure, some Wing Chun practitioners might be a bit “staunch” when it comes to what they do. They work their drills as they were taught and never break out of that. And sometimes what they do just really will not work in today’s world. But that goes without saying for all arts, too.

After all, look at the Shaolin methods. How many of them still cling to the notion that they will use their forms in real fighting, just “speeded up”? I even heard a well-known Shaolin master tell me point blank “We work our forms at full speed in real fights, and that is how we fight. If you look closely, you will see the form point-by-point, just in full speed. Regardless of what is happening, we work the form… and we win.”

The interesting thing is that later that evening (this was at a seminar) when we were demonstrating Wing Tsun (I was training in Master Leung Ting’s WingTsun at the time), we were asked to “have a go” for light sparring with one of their fighters to see how Wing Tsun would fair against them. Immediately after starting, the opponent started a fast version of the form he just demonstrated, and all I did was launch forward with steps and chain-punches. A few Pak-sau’s here and there, as well as a Gaun-sau, but the majority was nothing but advancing steps and chain-punches.

And the opponent dropped. Quickly. All he could do was cover up. Why? Because he was enacting techniques against something I was not even doing. He would throw an arm up for a side defense, even though I was coming in from the front. And as his form continued and he defended to the front, I had already side-stepped and was coming in from the side.

Needless to say, that particular school lost a lot of students that evening. They saw the reality of what someone “thinks” will work vs. what someone “shows” them.

I have also worked with many others from a variety of arts, including boxing, Thai boxing, jiu-jitsu, TKD, JKD, karate, Shaolin methods, aikido, and even other WC/ VT/ WT styles. I learned something from all of them, but I also learned that Wing Chun kept me on top. Is it because I was better? Was it because Wing Chun was better? That is something that I honestly cannot answer and it will be something that probably for the rest of my life I will think about.

But on those days, with those opponents, Wing Chun saw me through. It has kept me safe for the 20+ real fights I have had since opening the doors to the AWCA, too, so all I know is that if it did not work, I would have continued my search a long, long time ago.

And that has been Wing Chun’s legacy. This art is all about reality and effectiveness, but only if the practitioner approaches it from a real-world mentality. The drills in class? They are useless unless we get real about it. Light punches, “nothing” kicks, and training half-assed brings nothing but a false sense of security and half-hearted results.

But when approached with real use? When you work your concepts for what might really happen and in the way it is intended to be trained? You will find that Wing Chun is more than capable of protecting yourself.

Why Wing Chun? Because quite frankly I just do not need to look anywhere else. “Flavor of the month” arts come and go, and every ten years or so we see something new that everyone jumps on the bandwagon to learn. And then you hear the “experts” say that such-and-such art is the best, that if you are not doing this art, you are wrong.

If that is what you think, then good luck. Really. I hope you find what you are looking for. As for me? I found it. It is called Wing Chun Kuen.