the complete system - 4 Boxing and 2 Weapons Forms
Many other martial art systems use 10-50 forms, but Somerset Wing Chun is a compact learning syllabus compared to these martial arts and is therefore absorbed much quicker.
Every movement, alignment, and foundation of structural power starts with the forms.
They are the students 'Home Work' providing the blueprint to develop, structure and proper body mechanics.
Without the structure and forms the students is just floundering in the dark, practicing snippets of the martial art with no coherent plan or process to build personal skill.
1. Siu Lim Tao - Developing the Weapon
Siu Lim Tao: Builds the static foundation, sinking weight into the front half of the heels and isolating the internal structure from raw muscle tension, It places the body weapons in relation to the practitioner’s Centreline.
It promotes the practice of relaxation, focus and concentration whilst building a strong structure from the ground up through the joints to the contact point.
The first section of SLT can be done as a standing meditation with the longer and slower its done, the more you can work on relaxing the muscles. Increasing the length of the stand increases the leg strength.
2. Chum Kiu - Delivering the Weapon
Chum Kiu introduces turning, shifting, rotational power, grounded structural power in motion and aligning our weapons with respect to the opponent. It also introduces the preliminary kicks of the system.
Sometimes called Seeking the Bridge this is a misnomer. If you have your weapons placed in the right orientation to the opponent and they try to hit you the Bridge will be created automatically.
From this point the job is to Sink the Bridge by sinking your structure whilst applying pressure on to the opponents structure via your structure, through the elbow and the contact point.
You must NOT press/push down the contact point as an independent movement as you can easily be Lapped or Redirected.
3. Biu Tze - Emergency Recovery
Biu Tze or Gau Gup Sao (first Aid Hand/Arm) gives methods of recovery of the centreline and compromised structure when these are lost due to poor execution of SLT and CK or the skill of the opponent in taking your line.
It generally works 'off the line' as opposed to on it.
4. Muk Jang Jong - Wooden Dummy
Allows the student to test and pressure-proof the correct geometry and angles learned in the forms against an unyielding force that stand there all day to allow the practice and repetition to hone the skills.
The Dummy form consists of 8 Sections, only the first 2 are balanced Left and Right.
The other 6 would need to be drilled from a Left and Right start, in order to fully cover the form (14 sections).
The dummy is the never tiring training partner who stands there all day whilst you practice your techniques.
However, take note that the dummy doesn't move so you have to, you have to accommodate this in your understanding and training on the dummy.
In application execution with a live opponent you may not need to move as much and the techniques delivered high or low on the dummy can be inter-changed on an opponent.
WEAPONS FORMS - forms 5 & 6
Support Material
Syllabus Sheets covering all of the Empty Hand and Weapons Forms are in the CLUB-SHARE
PDF sheets of Support Drills are in the DRILLS FOLDER