Monday, October 31, 2011

Wing Chun Equipment - What Do You Quite Need?

By Ganesh Hardy


A single of the beneficial features of martial arts and perhaps what has helped them spread so far and wide is mainly because all you incredibly need is often a training partner.

Using your own bodyweight for conditioning work along with a partner to understand and hone new techniques, spar and push you is all you incredibly need. An crucial point to remember after you happen to be new, super keen and in a position to buy each gizmo and gadget on the market!

The health marketplace is full of crazy stuff you do not really need.

So assuming you would like to invest your dollars into Wing Chun training equipment - where do you start? What is important now, during the future and what's simply a luxury you may live without.

Let's get started.

Traditional Wing Chun Equipment

Wooden Dummy

Probably probably the most famous of all conventional Wing Chun training equipment - the Wooden Dummy plays a key role from the system. The 'unarmed' Wing Chun program consists of Three empty hand types and the wooden dummy form.

Made up of 2 arms high, a middle arm and leg - the dummy is produced to replicate an opponent you are able to move around. Hitting the arms will supply an element of conditioning - on the other hand this shouldn't be seen as the main purpose.

Inspired by Bruce Lee - there were several attempts to modify and enhance the Wooden Dummy - to build it much more alive and your training additional realistic. The only actual transform that has happened (almost universally) may be the switch to a Wall Mounted Wooden Dummy.

Historically the Wooden Dummy would have been outside and allowed practitioners to move 360 degrees close to it as even though it was an opponent. After practitioners started training in Hong Kong the lack of space triggered the shift from free-standing dummies to wall mounted wooden dummies.

For much more experienced students (and those people on the space and money) a wooden dummy is really a very good investment provided you use it!

They're excellent for training your forms, free practise, footwork and training low level kicks on the entire body and legs of an opponent.

Look Dim Book Kwan (or Lengthy Pole)

The Wing Chun Extended Pole is 8.5 feet in length and unusual in that it tapers to a tiny tip. Grandmaster Yip Man's Pole Type is somewhat of a secret with video footage owed only by a handful of people (GM Yip Chun and GM Leung Ting).

The Lengthy Pole is held with the end quarter which makes the pole type a excellent conditioner to your arms and forearms. Having a deeper stance the legs are produced to work tough although spearing in the pole and chi kwan can be performed having a partner.

Like the Bart Cham Dao - the Lengthy Pole is often a really specific piece of training equipment far more suited to additional senior students who know the form. Training the form combines the technical aspects and extremely particular functional training for your body.

Butterfly Knives (or Butterfly Swords)

The Baat Cham Dao or Butterfly Knives are an unusual weapon applied in pairs. Sizes vary though they're generally the length on the users forearm, have a handle that protects the fingers including a tang which are used to spin the blades or catch and twist an opponent's sword.

In numerous Kung Fu systems - heavy weapons are employed for conditioning purposes and though this isn't the aim from the Baat Cham Dao - it is actually a secondary benefit as your grip and forearms are worked.

As Wing Chun equipment goes - the Butterfly Swords are of additional benefit to someone who knows the Sword Type and not a piece of equipment I'd recommend to new or even intermediate students.

Weapons move inside a very numerous way to punches and kicks so the Butterfly Knives type has much more mobile footwork fascinating for all levels of students - although you are able to train the footwork with out knowing the entire type (or needing a set of knives).

In numerous Wing Chun systems the Baat Cham Dao are the last piece on the Wing Chun jig-saw and complete the unarmed and armed system.

Wall Bag Training

Low price and incredibly easy - the wall bag is an simple to use conventional piece of Wing Chun equipment. Wall bags generally occur as single, double or three sectioned - the later being my favourite as you'll be able to jobs your strikes at different heights.

The biggest fault with most wall bag users is their lack of imagination as they bang out straight punch after straight punch. You may very easily arrive up with plenty of training exercises, jobs footwork, shifts and combinations of punches, palms and chops towards the bag.

Not to mention the infinite combinations you are able to practise.

Filling your wall bag is a small controversial - a thing from ball-bearings and sand through to old clothes. Following years of hitting a wall bag filled with sand (always trying to have it as compact as possible) I made the switch to some thing a tiny lighter and user friendly.

- Old clothing combined with mung beans, rice and lentils.

Slightly softer the bag nonetheless conditions your hand and also the give during the bag provides a beneficial believe on your knuckle (more being a person) as it sinks into the filling. Over time any filling with get lower (either turning into dust or leaking out the back) so ensure to preserve it topped up or you'll end up hitting the wall behind the bag.

Canvas bags are the original and will begin to tear the skin off your knuckles so be careful although smoother vinyl or leather-like options will let you train for longer. Personally I like the believe of hitting canvas bags.

Buying considerations ought to be where you happen to be heading to put your bag simply because sound will travel from your walls your bag hangs from and aim to acquire bags with three or four eyelets to hang it up and reduce the almost certainly hood of it tearing.

Simple and effective as a condition, for isometric training and isolating your punches - wall bags are a great tool and complement the far more mobile focus-pad perfectly. Modern Wing Chun Training Equipment

Focus Pads (Hook & Jab pads)

For anybody looking to sharpen their punches while tidying up their footwork - Focus pads are correct up there as quantity A single option with regards to buying equipment.

When it comes to buying pads you often get what you obtain when it comes to focus pads and just as critical is with a beneficial training partner who knows how to hold and feed.

Your training the following ought to always have an emphasis on accuracy - speed and power is also worked in isolation (faster lighter punches or slower heavier punches).

Drills are limited only by your imagination - you can couple your punches with steps, shifts and turns and find out to hit from any angle, standing or on the ground.

Focus pads are also excellent for endurance training exactly where you are able to use pyramids beginning from singles and working upwards... ahead of coming all the way down.

While your Wing Chun training must usually focus on explosive bursts and going all out from second to minutes (for self-defence purposes) you can also include and will benefit from rounds (e.g. A couple of minute round with A single minute break in between).

Bruce Lee was a keen advocate of focus pads - they're specific, fun and really versatile.

Heavy Bag Work

From 4ft bags to 6ft bags - if you happen to be right after training that pushes your conditioning though working on power then you can find it hard to find any tool better than a heavy bag.

If you have space (and already invested in focus pads) the heavy bag is a good tool for working punches, kicks, knees and elbows.

With a little imagination it is possible to treat the heavy bag like you would an individual - stepping into and moving around.

Alternatives for the heavy bag are lighter punch bags and maize bags. You need to be careful with some light bags because they move too a lot but a lighter bag can supply a much more realistic training tool because it moves and you'll want to chase and follow.

Maize bags are good - round or pear shaped - you possibly can easily combine all your attacks with hooking and lifting punches found in some wing chun lineages. Downside is they typically cost more than a very good heavy bag but you will benefit from their versatility.

Like focus pads - with regards to buying a punch bag you'll normally get what you pay for. Try to use several bags and get a feel for ones weight you would find most intriguing (heavy-heavy bags as well difficult on their hands if they are training bare-knuckle and limit your workouts).

Finally - watch out for cheaper vinyl bags, not as a result of high quality - the surface is also abrasive and eat layers of skin off your knuckles and elbows.

Floor-to-Ceiling Ball

If speed and accuracy are traits you would like to hone you'll be able to do tiny much better that buy a floor-to-ceiling ball. The round ball is attached from the floor to the ceiling by rubber bands producing it bounce left, right, forwards and back whenever you hit it.

A genuine test of hand-eye co-ordination that is definitely a 'luxury' that helps your training instead of a 'must have' like wall bags or focus pads.

There is often a skill and knack to hitting the ball since it moves anticipation of where it might move and it's good fun watching someone who's by no means used a single struggle as they throw punch following punch and miss.




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