Bong-sau, or “Wing-arm,” is one of the most effective yet least understood concepts in Wing Chun. And depending on what lineage you are training in, it can also be night-and-day as to how another lineage trains it.
Bong-sau is employed at a medium or low level, but never at a high level (for example, the level that a karateka would employ for an upper block or other similar position). If Bong-sau travels upward, it immediately creates a hole in his/her defense that an opponent can quickly make use of.
The first level learned is during section 3 of Siu-Nim-Tau in which Bong-sau is at a medium level. The wrist is on the centerline and teaches the basic structure of accepting force and how to re-direct it to the outside. When turning is learned, Bong-sau can then feel the force of an attack that will possibly collapse the defense. At that point, Bong-sau and Chuen-ma (Turning-stance) are combined in order to create Juk-sun-Bong-sau, or “Sideling Wing-arm.”
The second level is a low level, first learned in section 3 of Chum-Kiu and then expanded on throughout the rest of the empty-hand forms. While many will view Har-lo-Bong-sau (Lower-level Wing-arm) as a defense against low attacks, there are differing opinions here.
Some feel that defense against low attacks is a prime movement of Har-lo-Bong-sau, while others (myself included) have learned this concept to address kick defense. The difference here is that it also requires an advancing step into the opponent’s structure so as to assist in nullifying the incoming force.
For example, if your opponent attacks with a spinning back kick, your choices are:
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Get hit
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Block the kick with your full force
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Side step or back step to get out of the way, or
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Drive forward into the attacker in order to nullify the incoming force
I was taught many differing concepts of Bong-sau throughout my years of training, but the one concept that has always been effective was to drive forward into the attacker in order to nullify his/her incoming force. And with a combination of Har-lo-Bong-sau and explosive advancing, it is much easier than some might think.
Continuing our example, a reliable defense against a spinning back kick would not, of course, include getting hit. After all, the purpose of learning effective martial arts is the exact opposite. You “could” block the kick with your own force, but real kicks generate bone-crushing power, so that one is not the most appropriate response, either.
“Getting out of the way” does have its merits when we are up against a skilled attacker in that it becomes more of a tactical nature. Two opponents of somewhat equal skill in their own right will have to utilize strategy and tactics in order to work their own methods. It does, however, require excellent footwork.
A more efficient path, however, is to simply explode forward into the attacker, no matter what he/she is doing (but especially with kicks). People forget that a kick is powerful because it relies on releasing its force, so if you explode forward “into” the opponent, you shorten the distance that the kick can travel. Because of that, it does not get to release all of its power because you are right on top of them.
So where does Bong-sau fit in with this?
During the kick, it is not uncommon to see it drop slightly, so if all you are doing is driving forward and not paying attention to the attack itself, it can take you by surprise. To counter this, Har-lo-Bong-sau is initiated in order to disperse the force of the kick “while” you are moving forward. In essence, you are using the qualities of a “passive” Bong-sau to “brush aside” the kick while simultaneously exploding forward, shortening the distance, and coming into your preferred range.
For the medium-range Bong-sau, I recommend Volume 1: Siu-Nim-Tau, whereas the lower-range Bong-sau will be learned in Volume 2: Chum-Kiu. It is important to study not only the arm positions but also how your body responds when in these positions. You want to work a solid coordination between Har-lo-Bong-sau and your advancing steps so that everything is spot-on while you are closing the gap.
Working Bong-sau at various angles in order to experiment will go a long way to understanding where its weaknesses and failures lie, since not having this training can actually see Bong-sau being used for a purpose it was not designed for. And in most cases, taking the easy way will actually see you getting hit.
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