Fundamentals of Wing Chun fighting : the distance

Distance notion in martial arts is very important.

It is mandatory to keep a correct distance that will allow evaluating the situation, protect yourself and counter-attack.

This distance notion varies from a martial art to another: distance in wrestling is different from distance in boxing or Aikido.

Wing Chun is well known to be a percussion martial art.

Wrists and feet hits are an important part of the system that are practiced in Siu Lim Tau and Cham Kiu.

In this first learning phase, we focus on an outstretched arm distance that represents your safety zone.

Someone wanting to attack you will sooner or later enter this zone, as a consequence our hits and deviations learned during the two first forms will be used to preclude him to enter this safety zone.

This fighting distance is called « Yuen Kuen ».

When going further into the style with Biu Jee form, we discover these hits change to become knees and elbows hits.

Here distance shortened for the good reason that we were not able to maintain the opponent out of our safety zone and we must adapt: we enter the panic zone.

This distance does not allow being as sensitive as in the safety zone and assessment time of the situation is very short.

In order to go as fast as possible out of this discomfort zone, we use more violent blows that aims to have the opponent moving backwards.

This fighting distance is called « Kan Jarn ».

Our aim at this distance is to have the opponent moving backwards, but it may happen that rather than going backwards, the opponent holds on or sticks to us so as not to take our blows. We are then in a hand to hand fighting range.

New moving and body rotation systems allows throwing the opponent.

This fighting distance is called « Tchi San Seu ».

Distance varies from a martial art to another.

A judoka will try grabbing you for a hand to hand fight.

On the other side, a boxer will keep an arm distance.

You have to find the correct attitude to unsettle your opponent.

enjoy your practice for thinking…