Does Your Wing Chun Punch Stink?
When you first begin your training in Wing Chun, one of the first things you are instructed on is the correct method to throw a straight punch.
I can freely agree that at first glance, the punch does not appear to be that menacing. It’s possible that you’ll overhear some “hardcore” fighters making derogatory comments about the Wing Chun punch.
I believe that the disconnection occurs because the individual throwing the punch is either excessively tense or does not know how to connect the body correctly when they are throwing the punch. Both of these factors contribute to the disconnection.
Sifu Phu often likes to explain the effectiveness of a good Wing Chun punch by comparing it to stabbing someone with a needle or a knife. Ask anyone who has been on the receiving end of a proper straight punch, as they will confirm that it is rather excruciating.
In order to accurately evaluate your development, you must require a training partner. If you punch someone effectively, they will feel it for a long time afterward—possibly even hours.
Sifu Todd does a great job at explaining how the Wing Chun punch should feel as well as how it shouldn’t feel.
Related Wing Chun Punch Questions
Are Wing Chun punches effective?
This inquiry was posed at a forum that I visited online. It seems like a stupid question to me because when executed properly, every punch may be considered successful. Although we do make use of wing chun punch, we do not use it in the way that is customarily expected of it.
That is to say that our primary concentration is on driving the top two knuckles, followed by the bottom three knuckles. The reason for this is that we discovered that using our Ngo Dac Na Piston piston punch was more effective than using the method described above. In practice, we only drive the top two knuckles because the bottom three knuckles are more fragile.
Training Tip: When practicing punches it’s not about hitting harder it’s about it correctly
How powerful is a Wing Chun punch?
I have been on the receiving end of precisely linked Wing Chun blows more than once. Internal punches, rather than their external counterparts, are the primary focus of our Wing Chun training. If performed correctly, they can completely halt the progress of an adversary.
The idea that a hook punch is more powerful than a Wing Chun punch is one of the most common misconceptions I come across while I’m online. To respond to the person who claimed they have never been struck by a solid straight punch in the past, I will state the following.
Wing Chun Punches Suck!
Therefore, if there is one thing that has circulated on the internet, it is the notion that Wing Chun punches are utterly repulsive and should be avoided at all costs. This way of thinking, which is held by a large number of people, is, unfortunately, an incorrect way of thinking.
It’s attitudes like the one I discovered online, where the guy couldn’t stop ranting about how terrible Wing Chun is. And how many other types of martial arts have combat systems that are superior? Because of this, it might be challenging to locate qualified instructors of martial arts in general.
People tend to criticize things that are beyond their comprehension out of a sense of pride and vanity. Or, and this is much more probable, they are doing it because they are trying to earn money, and rather than attempting to impress a potential student with their expertise, they are attempting to convince them that what they are teaching is superior to what everyone else teaches.
Share this with at least 20 of your friends or else…
Thanks Sifu Larry.
You’re welcome!
It looks like Todd’s size using the proper technique has an advantage. Do they make those jongs in a material that won’t explode when I hit it?
Hey David, Todd’s size definitely is not an advantage nor a disadvantage. If this was his jong he would actually have it at a higher level. This is Sifu Larry’s jong which is set up for someone more around the 5’8″-5’9″. That does not mean me smaller at 5’7″ or Todd at much taller can’t use it, it would be like me playing someone taller and him playing someone smaller. In NDN size and strength become a non-issue though. Since neither Sifu Phu or Sifu Larry have made any of their jongs explode, I’d say you are more than safe with a standard jong, check out our recommendations here: https://entershaolin.com/recommended
I’m sure Phu understands the physics. If you have a pencil hitting a point, and a sledge hammer hitting a point, the force of the sledge hammer will cause more damage. I understand the punch and technique ( concentration on the contact point and the drive and acceleration)but like Phu says “when you have two people of the same skill level, the quicker one wins”. In the video demonstration with Todd hitting Phu, using the same proper technique, I believe it is fair to say that the weight of Todd’s arm would be an advantage (factor) in the force of the punch. Peace!
And I am sure Sifu Phu would tell you the physics would also depend on the velocity and whether there was a torque or any spiraling going on… For instance throwing a bullet at someone might hurt them… But have it come from the barrel of a gun and well it’s a different story. Same bullet, but by sending it to the target a different way it went from ouch to deadly.
We don’t use strength to do what we do in Ngo Dac Na, that’s not skill. If a small weak person can’t properly use a technique on a much bigger and stronger person, then we don’t teach it. ????
Our whole system is based on physics and energy principles and making size & strength a non-issue as I already stated.
So even in your scenario if they were at the same skill, Todd’s size would only be an advantage if he tried to muscle or force and Sifu Phu didn’t know how to take advantage of his forcing and muscling, but he does… So this is still a bad example.
If they are the same skilled they would be roughly the same speed, then it come does to who makes a mistake first, but this has nothing to do with if someone is stronger/bigger. In an external art sure your example works, but internally it does not as them trying to force, muscle or put their weight on it is just going to hurt them more, not the other way around.
I can tell you, you don’t want to be hit by any one small or big that does a proper internal punch whether it’s a baby, a kid, Sifu Larry, Sifu Phu, Todd, etc. A properly executed internal anything simply just hurts. It’s not the mass that makes it hurt more, it’s the accuracy and energy behind it that hurts more. When you properly do an internal punch it doesn’t even feel like you did anything… But your opponent or partner will testify otherwise.
Peace & Blessings!
I here ya Jamie and in no way do I want to be argumentative. I am sure a kid throwing that punch correctly could cause damage. And I know Phu teaches the science of NDN. I am pretty sure the mass of bone and weight of muscle in someone’s arm is a factor. I am sure an engineer has a formula that they use in testing mechanics, etc. that would prove my point. If you are striking paper, size and strength might not matter. That is probably why Bruce Lee throw his whole body into his, what was it, a half inch punch. Something like that. No worries!
Hi David, I would agree with you to an extent. The difference however is having high Sensitivity skill. Jamie is correct size doesn’t matter.
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One final thought: If you shot someone in the head they would be dead. If you smashed someone with a sledge hammer in the head the would also probably be dead. In either case the end result would be the same.
The reality is if you have 2 people of equal skill they would cancel each other out. The battle could go either way. I would say at that point it’s who ever makes a mistake first loses. This has nothing to do with size or strength.
Size and Strength only matter when you let it matter.
Cool thanks for the reminder Ive felt that before .. devastating hits.
You are most welcome!