Tweet
OK........
I train in Richmond under Roy Fretwell, i thought you knew this Red Rum? I think he is a brilliant instructor. Hes probably the oldest guy in the class but still out performs every sinlge person there during the warmups. But my ideas or criticisms arent directed at him, im just trying to air my thoughts on how to improve the classes in general. It seems to me very strange that all these things that i am suggesting actually happen in other classes - like Roy's class is some kind of exception where we arent learning the "proper stuff".
I have already said that we do use pad work, but that it is very limited. Its mainly just for exersize purposes (walking up and down the room doing sets of 1-3-5-continuous chain punches). Sometimes uppercuts or 2 punch combinations tops.
Red Rum, i think you have this image in your head of two people bouncing around at range like amateur boxers attempting to spar each other. This is not what i am talking about!
It seems to me totally illogical that the moves we learn in Wing Chun cant be practiced on pads?
Lets take a combination that i have learned in class as an example:
Someone throws a right hook at you. Block that hook (Tan Sau) on the inside with your left hand, punch to the face with your right hand at the same time as the block, then use your left hand to extend past the neck and grab, elbow with your right etc..
I might not of explained that too well but you get the idea - its a Wing Chun combination that we might use in a fight.
Now couldnt we practice a similar combination on pads? Say i am holding a pad in each hand, i throw a hook with my right and put my left hand (padded) to my face anticipating the punch. Then all i have to do is leave that hand up there (maby reinforce it with the other hand) to anticipate the elbow. By doing this the defender (who will become the attacker) gets to practice the Wing Chun moves with power.
After we have a bit of a repertoire built up of these pad combinations we can start randomising them a bit. Have some basic solutions for a right hook, left hook, upper cuts, straights etc and practice defending against them by actually striking pads.
I cant see why this is such a hard concept to understand.
Theres a million videos on youtube of boxers in the ring hitting pads in a similar way as we have discussed. The padder uses some kind of triggers (verbal or visual) and the attacker lays out combinations. Surely we can do this with Wing Chun, what makes it so different that this is impossible?
Ok, closing the gap... Practice closing this gap with someone holding pads and then lay in a few elbows ON THE PADS and then take the pad guy to the floor and hit another pad?
Maybe we wouldnt even do this in a standard Kamon class, maybe they could have special classes for padwork like this - i have a friend who does Fujian White Crane Kung Fu who have a seperate day for pad work and sparring. Im sure we have the resources to do that.
It all comes down to what i said: "I want to be able to practice my Wing Chun in a situation that is most like a real fight (i have to say it again - with power under pressure)". The more we do this the better prepared we will be when it actually comes down to it in real life. Surely?!
I train in Richmond under Roy Fretwell, i thought you knew this Red Rum? I think he is a brilliant instructor. Hes probably the oldest guy in the class but still out performs every sinlge person there during the warmups. But my ideas or criticisms arent directed at him, im just trying to air my thoughts on how to improve the classes in general. It seems to me very strange that all these things that i am suggesting actually happen in other classes - like Roy's class is some kind of exception where we arent learning the "proper stuff".
I have already said that we do use pad work, but that it is very limited. Its mainly just for exersize purposes (walking up and down the room doing sets of 1-3-5-continuous chain punches). Sometimes uppercuts or 2 punch combinations tops.
Red Rum, i think you have this image in your head of two people bouncing around at range like amateur boxers attempting to spar each other. This is not what i am talking about!
It seems to me totally illogical that the moves we learn in Wing Chun cant be practiced on pads?
Lets take a combination that i have learned in class as an example:
Someone throws a right hook at you. Block that hook (Tan Sau) on the inside with your left hand, punch to the face with your right hand at the same time as the block, then use your left hand to extend past the neck and grab, elbow with your right etc..
I might not of explained that too well but you get the idea - its a Wing Chun combination that we might use in a fight.
Now couldnt we practice a similar combination on pads? Say i am holding a pad in each hand, i throw a hook with my right and put my left hand (padded) to my face anticipating the punch. Then all i have to do is leave that hand up there (maby reinforce it with the other hand) to anticipate the elbow. By doing this the defender (who will become the attacker) gets to practice the Wing Chun moves with power.
After we have a bit of a repertoire built up of these pad combinations we can start randomising them a bit. Have some basic solutions for a right hook, left hook, upper cuts, straights etc and practice defending against them by actually striking pads.
I cant see why this is such a hard concept to understand.
Theres a million videos on youtube of boxers in the ring hitting pads in a similar way as we have discussed. The padder uses some kind of triggers (verbal or visual) and the attacker lays out combinations. Surely we can do this with Wing Chun, what makes it so different that this is impossible?
Ok, closing the gap... Practice closing this gap with someone holding pads and then lay in a few elbows ON THE PADS and then take the pad guy to the floor and hit another pad?
Maybe we wouldnt even do this in a standard Kamon class, maybe they could have special classes for padwork like this - i have a friend who does Fujian White Crane Kung Fu who have a seperate day for pad work and sparring. Im sure we have the resources to do that.
It all comes down to what i said: "I want to be able to practice my Wing Chun in a situation that is most like a real fight (i have to say it again - with power under pressure)". The more we do this the better prepared we will be when it actually comes down to it in real life. Surely?!
Comment