In my personal experience with wing chun i found myself trying to block everything with my hands.
My hands were too busy when sparing a karate fighter or a muay thai fighter, so i began blocking with my legs and kicking in a way simultaneously. I added a kick in every kata to where i can block and move in upon shifting.
My point is the low kicks/blocks used in wing chun are used to get inside and go to work. I have read many articles and have never heard it mentioned.
I suppose maybe it is understood or is it underutilized in the 21st century?
However there are many ways to get inside in wing chun and i know only very little just a man who loves what he does.
— Thomas
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Comment: Thomas, thanks for writing in. If I understand your comment correctly, I would agree with you that Wing Chun prefers to “get inside and go to work.”
I would add, our kicks are meant to damage while at the same time, as my sifu says, they are effective for “closing the gap.”
To put it simply, there are a number of fighting ranges: kicking and exchange range, for example. At my kwoon, we will not stay at kicking range, as many tae kwon do fighters would.
One strategy at kicking range would be to attack with a kick. At best, you break something. At the very least the opponent has to deal with your pressure.
Attacking with a kick (at kicking range), we also can close the gap and put ourselves in contact or exchange range. From here we’re able to go to work with more weapons (both hands, elbows, knees) and finish the fight.
Another thing I’d like to add is Wing Chun blocks are actually deflections and parries. Allowing us to use the opponent’s force against him.
When done right, an oncoming attack can be deflected or glanced off, allowing us to move right in with our counter-attack; hopefully before the opponent has finished/recovered from his initial attack.
This is easier said than done, of course. But it’s what makes Wing Chun so much fun!
