Originally posted to a previous weblog: Thursday, May 25, 2006
An interesting conversation I have been having with Dave Smith in Australia (http://www.fighting-fathers.com/) concerns Wing Chun’s use of the bottom three knuckles vs. the top two as most others do.
Before we go on, though, I recommend checking out Dave’s site and his excellent newsletter. He has a great insight to a variety of topics, and also promotes some really great tools for those that want to get into Internet business marketing (his Ezine-Express is what you see when you read AWCA Notes, too, so as you already know, it is a first-rate program).
Now then. On to punching.
For a WC/VT/WT practitioner, using the bottom three knuckles is a matter of physics. Based on how the body is built, the bottom three are in alignment with the forearm, which reinforces the fist and protects the wrist from being “tweaked” during the power we deliver.
Striking in this manner allows for the entire arm to act as a shock absorber, and as long as the body is trained on a wall bag and learns to overcome rebound, this type of punching can deliver some of the most powerful “dropping” blows imaginable.
So why do others not see that? I see two reasons for this possibility:
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They were never taught it or they witnessed a performance by someone who did not really understand it, and/or
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It does not conform to the manner in which their punching concepts are delivered.
Understanding Yat-chi-chung-kuen
Unlike some might believe or have been told, there is no big mystery to this punch. It is nothing more than a simple matter of learning the body’s anatomy, the biomechanics of movement, and how to deliver an “explosion” of force in very tight or confined spaces. And while it is very simple to execute, using it effectively requires a great deal of steady and consistent training.
To begin this punch, first place your arms directly to your side with the palms facing your hips. Close one fist then bring it directly forward, placing it to the front of your sternum. This is the centerline and is the originating point of attack and defense in Wing Chun.
To execute the punch, the first drives forward along the straightlest line possible, and the striking surface is the bottom three knuckles. Rather than using the chest to deliver power, Yat-chi-chung-kuen’s power is delivered via the tricep and back muscles.
The stance is also extremely important since a weak stance will cause rebound once contact is made. Then entire lower body must keep good adduction in the knees, a “tucked in” hip structure and a good line between the neck and the back in order to unite the entire body.
With a relaxed and then explosive forward punch, the fist will drive forward into the target. The target is not the surface of the opponent, mind you; instead, the real target is the area “behind” the surface.
For example, when you are punching ona wall bag, your target is not the bag itself; rather, the real target is the wall behind the wall bag.
For example, when I strike, I am not aiming for my opponent’s face. I am aiming to go “through” their face and hit the back of their head. It just so happens that their nose is in the way. 
Keeping that in mind will let you project the correct force to use and the proper line of attack.
Training in this manner teaches more explosion and power, and being on the receiving end of this punching method is why we literally “drop” the opponent where he is standing.
So how is this trained? By striking immoveable objects such as the wall bag or wooden dummy, we encounter objects that will not swing and dissipate the force we produce. Because of this, our body encounters a non-moving force, which in turn creates rebound. Overcoming this rebound is key to learning how to project your full force into a target vs. that target pushing you backwards.
A wall bag is, well, just what it sounds like: a punching bag that is mounted on a wall. Being flat but filled with sand, dried peas, beans, rice, etc., it provides a striking surface without any “give” as to its physical position (in plain English, it does not move when you hit it).
Because it is stationary and non-moving, it forces you to overcome the rebound being generated. All of your power is exploding into this bag, but your power immediately is halted because of it. You are learning to explode into an opponent, releasing your full force, and then your body is learning how to overcome the rebound of the bag not going anywhere.
If you do not learn to overcome this rebound, you either break your hand or your wrist, as well as getting thrown backwards when contact is made.
As your punches get more conditioned, so does your body. Your punching gets faster and more powerful, and your body is getting stronger, as well as more pliable. This is the “relaxed explosion of force” being developed that creates the true power of the punch, and using the bottom three knuckles greatly assists all of this.
If you use the first two knuckles during a punch, the hand must twist in one direction or another, whether to the side or up/down. And because of this slight twist, it forces an unnatural contraction of musculature, which in turn slows the punch down. It is not that this type of punching is not effective, mind you, for it most certainly is. However, it is not the most advantageous of positions to place the wrist in, which is why so many injuries are seen in later years of training.
Punching Concepts
As mentioned, “how” our punches are delivered vs. how others deliver their punches is also of note. For example, a Wing Chun practitioner’s punches are generally straightline, meaning that they are delivered on the straightest line possible in order to decrease the time it takes to reach the target.
This straightline delivery can also combine with the incoming power of the opponent’s attack, which effectively doubles our attacking power with half the effort. With other methods, there is a bit of chambering that happens, and this chambering is used to create an explosion and momentum type of action. The body is put behind the punch for even more power, so make no mistake about it: these punches, even though they are not as efficient as ours, can still knock your socks off. However, they cannot deliver a punch with the bottom three knuckles in the manner they punch with; instead, the top two must be used.
So the punches are in direct alignment with how each method delivers them. Because of our concepts and how we approach the engagement, using the bottom three serves us very well. And because of how others approach their own fights, they use the top two. Pretty basic stuff, but the “basics” of how each art approaches their fist-fighting concepts are quite different.
posted by AWCA @ 5/25/2006 08:06:00 AM
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