Another Packed San Sou Kickboxing Class

Another packed San Sou (Kickboxing) class, tonight there were all shapes and sizes, like I say 'the more the merrier' Sifu put us through our paces and after we were warmed up and a bit of knee boxing we practised the two throws we were introduced to last week. I haven't been practising them but I felt alot more efficient doing them,I upped the pace a bit and they were coming off nice.

We then went on to a combo that involved a couple of elbows, those who read last weeks blog would of noticed that I mentioned we are discouraged from the use of elbows in Wing Chun, I feel i should explain myself here elbows are discouraged in the beginner and intermediate class because of lack of experience means more chance of misjudging it, but in the advance stage of training elbows are very much a factor of Wing Chun, in fact an elbow strike is the Wing Chun equivalent of a hook, so i apologise for not explaining myself in more detail before. Anyway the combo starts with a jab, as soon as the jab connects you thrust the elbow forward and strike to side of the head (bang! Two strikes in one go!) Then the other elbow comes over the top and preferably strikes the bridge of the nose, but lets face it if it connects anywhere its going to do serious damage.

One important thing to remember when throwing that second elbow is to pivot on the ball of your back foot and achieve the right posture, like i said its the same body mechanics as throwing a hook.

I need to practise this at home its a good close contact strike and the potential impact, I have no doubt in my mind would stop a fighter in their tracks.

We ended the class with some sparring.

http://www.londonwingchun.co.uk/

Standing Clinch

We started this week with the usual warm up, some knee boxing, running and sprawling on the oncoming whizz ball (big bouncy work out ball was just too much of a mouthful) and pummelling. Pummelling basically sees two opponents in a standing clinch. Both going for simultaneous under hook, one after the other at reasonable speed.

After that we practised a hip throw. To execute you need to get to the side of your opponent with one arm round his lower back and the other monitoring his arm. From this position you step in front of him so your hips are aligned with his, then you just lean forward with a straight back and turn away slightly. This will elevate your opponents feet off the ground into the throw and ultimately on to his back. Although a good basic throw from the clinch you have to be aware of the headlock when you go in for this throw. If your opponent goes for this move when you are at his side, you can slip out the back and commence your attack from his rear.

After this we did some light sparring, I tried to work on my footwork and defence.

To round off the lesson Sifu set out two benches and we stood on them however we chose and basically had to push the opponent off, winner stays on. This is good balance practise for the tournament seeing as it’s held on a three foot raised platform and you can push your opponent off.

I really enjoyed this exercise even though I didn’t do as well as I expected. I thought about my mistakes afterwards and am keen to have another go (I think ill take my socks off next time).

http://www.londonwingchun.co.uk

Sprawl & Brawal

At training tonight after the usual warm up we practised sprawling. This involved a student rolling the big bouncy work out ball (yes! That’s the official name), you run towards it and sprawl on it. This is harder than it seems (good fun though) if you miss your timing it can have quite comical results.

We went on to a routine where you slip two haymakers by ducking low, (from the knees) returning a body blow (or two) if you so desire, then upon rising, ram a straight knee to the solar plexus.

Sifu explained the need to thrust the hips forward for optimum impact and height, whilst maintaining a flat footing (this helps with stability and structure) and keeping your guard up, unless you choose to clinch the neck which is equally effective.

I enjoy using knees and elbows and before learning Wing Chun I used to use them a lot at close quarters, but I have got out of the habit, it is often discouraged in class understandably because of the high risk of injury. Although, they are permitted in the tournament so I think I need to get back into the habit.

I feel comfortable throwing knees from the outside gate, but I feel I need to work on my posture with this high straight knee it looks very effective and I can imagine it really taking the wind out of an opponent.

We ended the class with some light continuous sparring; I felt sharp and got off some nice combos.

I’m beginning to realise how important it is to be mentally balanced when fighting or sparring. If I am in the zone and in the moment with a good mental attitude, the improvement is unquestionable. This needs to be utilised.

http://www.londonwingchun.co.uk/

Finally... we get to test our Skills

We started off this weeks lesson with another combo drill, It starts blocking a low hook by dropping the elbow, whilst synchronising a counter cross at your opponents face. Synchronisation is imperative for the element of surprise. You can then raise your elbow and release an uppercut, followed by a haymaker.

I felt comfortable with this combo and liked the way it chopped and changed the different angles to get around your opponents guard.

We then went on to pummelling the heavy bag with roundhouse kicks, this was good practise and helps build lower body and core strength (in other words an absolute killer).

We then moved on to light sparring with a twist, only one of us was allowed to use our hands. This was excellent for training upper body movement, reflex actions and footwork.

As I noted in a previous blog, I found it really helps if you tune into the bobbing, weaving and general rhythm of San Shou fighting (as far as the boxing element is concerned anyway).

As the lesson ended Sifu Mark rounded us up and informed us of a San Shou (San Da) Kickboxing tournament coming up. My initial reaction was excitement as he explained lots of different clubs are entering and that it will be held in a Shoalin temple on a three foot raised platform. I haven’t got much experience but relish the fact of being involved in this.

It’s hard to really test Wing Chun fighting unless your in a real situation and feel under threat, just for the pure fact that a lot of the strikes are very dangerous. San Shou on the other hand, although in its own right a lethal style of fighting, it can be fought in competition and this to me has to be the ultimate test and I’m well up for it (i'd be a fool not to be a bit nervous though).

http://www.londonwingchun.co.uk/