AWCA Notebook

For those wondering about the AWCA’s Wing Chun Virtual Trainer (WCVT), have no fear. It is still being developed and will be ready for release in the near future. But what is the WCVT and what will it do for your training?

The WCVT is a full-featured training site that will include a respository of narrated full and slow-motion Wing Chun training videos produced by the AWCA. With each video being approximately 5 – 8 minutes in length, these short video blocks of instruction go right to the heart of specific movements and concepts vs. lengthy, drawn-out segments. In this way, you can select from a variety of videos that interest you and get immediate training and explanations.

For those that frequent YouTube, Google Video, etc., you might be thinking that it is just another video offering, but that is where the WCVT differs. Rather than having to search through myriad videos for real instructional content vs. nothing more than demonstrations, the WCVT videos are purely instructional in nature. It is a literal teaching tool geared to get you right into training a particular action.

I have found that videos of this nature produce a more positive result than simply showing someone what it looks like, so rather than demonstrating an action, you are taught step-by-step what the concept is, how that concept is applied, and how to train that action (movement) in the gym. Both solo and partner drills are applied, too, so every video will be applicable to the widest audience possible.

Additionally, every video will include a link to a corresponding printable training program so that you have both a visual reference and a printable program to use in the gym. Sometimes we see videos and want to work the drills, but when we get to class or the gym, we forget what it was we saw. Having a printable program to work with, that will take the guesswork out of it, plus provide a few keypoints along the way so that we work the proper actions appropriately.

The “look” of the current WCVT site will be changing drastically, too, so do not get comfortable with its current layout. I have spent quite a few months designing just the right template to run the site, and preliminary benchmark tests are very good for load time of all videos, as well as navigation to each section such as Siu-Nim-Tau, Chum-Kiu, etc.

I am still working out a few logistics here and there, as well as finishing up the first block of videos. Over 45 videos are already completed but I do not want to release it until there are a minimum of 65 available. With an initial offering of 10 videos, followed by 3 per month, this will allow a smooth release with continued videos throughout the coming months so that there are no interruptions.

Admittedly I am quite excited about this specific project and am confident that it will provide another valuable resource for your training. Stay tuned as I get closer to making it available.

Pak-sau, or Slap-hand, is one of the most effective, efficient, and basic counters to a straight punch, jab, or cross. But which is better: 45-degrees or 90-degrees?

When we think about the sheer power of most punches, we have to take into consideration the distance from our body that the most opportune chance of defense will occur on. With a 90-degree Pak-sau, this means we are allowing the punch to reach closer to our body. Because of the power and speed of the punch, a 90-degree Pak-sau will many times still see contact, even if only slightly.

However, with a 45-degree Pak-sau, contact is made further away from the body. This is both safer and more efficient since the trajectory of Pak-sau is going towards the attack vs. merely to the side.

I liken this action as being somewhat similar to Jing-cheung, or Erect-palm, in that rather than viewing the action merely as a redirective movement, we view it as an attack. Not that Pak-sau is an attack, mind you; rather, we envision Pak-sau first as Jing-cheung in order to produce the beginnings of the proper trajectory.

For example, an opponent launches a straightline punch, jab, or cross directly at my face. I counter by driving a palm forward via Jing-cheung. This produces “explosion” in the elbow in order to drive the palm into the opponent. However, I also want to defend the incoming punch, so Jing-cheung moves to the side slightly in order to slap the punch out of the way.

That is the “vision” of the trajectory that a 45-degree Pak-sau travels. Again, it is not so much that Pak-sau is really Jing-cheung; instead, it is merely a description of what is actually taking place for the trajectory.

I have found that working Pak-sau at 45-degrees vs. 90-degrees has been much more effective and responsive, and in many cases it produces so much power that it can drive the opponent’s entire body backwards. It is almost akin to a forceful push vs. a simple slap, and that can rebound into the opponent to the point that it literally explodes into them with so much force that it knocks them off balance.

Give it a try sometime in class and experiment with what it can do. Keep the “vision” of Jing-cheung changing suddenly to Pak-sau, too, in order to produce the proper trajectory. For those who have trained in section 3 of the Siu-Nim-Tau, you will also see a Pak-sau-to-Jing-cheung combination. This will give you a better idea of one of the concepts that this action is already applied to.