A Shift in the Right Direction

The object of footwork is twofold. First, it’s to nullify the enemy’s attack. Second, to establish position to launch your own. The second objective is dependent upon the first and should never supplant or compromise it.

Sifu Jaz, using the shift, has expertly angled offline so she can both avoid and deliver a blow.

The mechanical guide for footwork is governed by the simplicity principle. Because combat is wrought with so much peril, so many unknowns - especially but not limited to terrain and environment - all movement should be as small as possible. Sudden, unavoidable combat is incompatible with highly stylized and/or complex actions. The intensity of the attack puts the defender in what Boyd called a “time crisis.” We have to act immediately. The simplicity principle that governs Wing Chun across the board teaches us that doing anything for the sake of it may prove to be a deadly mistake.

To that end, a shift is considered footwork because it moves the body for the above mentioned purposes - to nullify an attack and launch a counterattack. A shift can be considered a very, very short step. A step, therefore, in the Wing Chun close-quarter self-defense systematic, is a long shift. Keeping this in mind will aid us in avoiding the twin errors of not moving at all or overdoing it.

The mind is prone to swing to extremes. It’s the fallacy of either-or thinking. Many Wing Chun families commit this error by wrongly assuming that good footwork is “bouncing all over the place like Ali.” They rightly conclude that exaggerated bouncing like that is incompatible with self-defense close-range reality, so they reject it. The problem is, though, that they use that type of footwork as a reason to undervalue and/or reject the logic of close-range footwork altogether. The Ali style footwork becomes a sort of straw-man. This is why so many Wing Chun fighters insist on staying on the tracks and fighting the oncoming train. They think it’s either-or. Either they stay on the tracks and use their hands to defeat the enemy or they bounce around like Ali.

The reality is that good footwork can and will beat every attack. Why? Because time and space govern the material universe. There are incredibly strong, tough, and fast people on this planet that can do amazing physical things. But no one, no matter their superlative attributes, no matter their intensity, can hit what he can’t reach. Everyone needs space. This is the reason why Wing Chun is a self-defense systematic! And a close-range system too because self-defense has to occur at close-range or else it’s not self-defense. If an angry man is in my yard yelling at me I don’t have to go fight him. I can call the police while staying safe behind my locked doors.

Sifu Glenn uses the Juen Ma to create the angle he needs to keep himself safe while simultaneously putting himself in position to attack.

The first thing we see in Siu Lim Tao is the Yi Ji Kim Yueng Ma. Then we cross our hands high and low. Then we punch.

The critical lessons of this are easy to miss.

The “character two gripping stance” provides for us the foundation from which to move. It’s a “stance” that’s collapsable in that it isn’t intended to withstand force, but to yield to it. The Yi Ji Kim Yueng Ma is, in a great way of looking at it, a counter-ambush position. It sets the Wing Chun self-defender up to execute the famous “envelopment” attack so famous throughout military history. The envelopment is, simply put, a tactic that takes advantage of the enemy’s over-pursuit. The colonial militia used it to great effect in the famous battle of Cowpens against the hated British Calvary man, Banastre Tarleton.

The YJKYM provides the structural foundation of all Wing Chun footwork and shifting by creating a series of angular advantages from which to both attack and defend. In particular, the heels are pointed out, not in. This allows the Wing Chun defender to expertly angle offline. Using angles is critical in close-range combat. Space is limited and every inch counts. Ask any boxer how hard it is to teach angles and they’ll tell you that it’s the difference between experts and novices. To that end, Siu Lim Tao provides the “seed” for it first thing!

Second, one’s hands cross along the vertical centerline. This is a very misunderstood movement. Structurally it defines the optimal height, depth, and reach of the hands for close-range self-defense. For example, if my right hand needs to travel further to the left than when crossed, I should use a shift or step since going past the line in the form is less than optimal. Of course, you can do that if you want…it’s not a sin. What Wing Chun’s forms do is provide the structural foundations of best practices. Use them as you need them, but use them wisely.

The crossing of the hands also teaches us the tactical principle of “chui ying-bi ying.” This means we’re to seek the best position in regard to the enemy. It does literally mean “facing-not facing” but many Wing Chun defenders have too limited an understanding of what this means. It implies shifting and stepping because the enemy’s attack must be dealt with via footwork. If the middle is open during an attack, we should certainly take it so long as we can do so without defensive compromise. If not, to avoid a clash, a brawl, an unnecessary exchange, we should shift or step offline to both dissolve the attack and, if we can, launch our own.

It is not logical to simply charge forward under the assumption that “forward pressure” and facing are Wing Chun principles. They are Wing Chun principles, indeed, but this interpretation omits relevant detail. Specifically, the “bi ying” principle, which means that we don’t want the enemy to be able to either face us directly or, if he can, reach us. We achieve this goal through the use of scientific shifting and/or stepping. It is not, repeat not, good Wing Chun to stay on the tracks and brawl because someone told you that forward pressure is Wing Chun. On the contrary, Wing Chun literally starts with footwork and positioning before it gets to any striking or hand techniques.

Third in the Siu Lim Tao form is the punch. It’s a “jeet kuen.” It’s the idea of intercepting an attack with one of your own. The shortest distance between two points is, of course, that straight line, so the intercepting straight punch is quite nifty. Bruce Lee based his entire system around exactly this principle. The Wing Chun defender is doing exactly what Lee did in his Jeet Kune Do except that he’s basically ambidextrous and in a squared position.

After a student has gained skill executing the basic punch, they’re taught to throw it while shifting. This is adds great power to the punch and, provided the guarding hand is ready (wu sao) to assist in defense, it’s really the foundation of Wing Chun’s close-range systematic. The shift should be on the front of the heels. Again…another massive either/or fallacy rears its head. The shift should not take place on either extreme. To put one’s weight too far forward or back is obviously dangerous but people have heard that we “shift from the heels” and they’ve erroneously assumed that means that we’re almost leaning backward.

No!

That’s preposterous. It violates your common sense, doesn’t it? I’d say that this simple issue is one reason why so many people jettison Wing Chun. To think that we have to do something so obviously stupid as that causes many a reasonable person to go looking elsewhere for their self-defense system.

The reality of the shift or, juen ma, is that the whole foot should be in contact with the floor. Lightly! The footing situation is fluid, remember? You could be on the beach, in an office, on carpet. Who knows. The idea is to develop a natural feel for the surface and learn to shift rapidly, smoothly, and with consummate control. Different surfaces will naturally make varied demands. On some you have to pick up the toes more. On others, less. Again, the key is to use the shift to defend and attack - simultaneously if possible.

Much time and care should be spent on the basic “juen ma” and punch because it is the hallmark of Wing Chun’s footwork systematic. To simply shift but not attack is foolhardy. We aim to hit and move. In the Chum Kiu form the shift is introduced in earnest. Many teachers don’t have their students learn the juen ma until then for this reason. But the Chum Kiu form provides the full range of movement for the shift whereas the shift-punch drill is exceedingly compact and should be introduced as soon as the student has good technique with the YJKYM and the punch. Not before, of course, but right after so as to make the defender’s training productive.