019 - Punching Breaths

I just visited the international headquarters of Moy Yat Wing Chun, the World Ving Tsun Athletic Association in Orlando, Fl. Their school is modest, about the same size and similarly equipped as other Wing Chun schools I've visited, but their Sifu Scott Haynes and their master Darrell Jorden are undeniably competent Wing Chun Players.

Sifu Scott was very generous to me while I was visiting, and taught me a way to "train breath" in Wing Chun. It's as simple as this: punch as fast as you can for 2m30s. Then punch at a resting pace for 30s, then do it again. One three-minute pair is a "breath". At the time, Sifu Scott says he can do 16. I can barely finish two. It trains stamina, strength and speed, but more importantly, I think it trains relaxation and efficiency as you send your punch.

The school wouldn't accept cash payment for my visit, so I bought their introductory Sil Lim Dao video and gave Sifu Scott my Gymboss interval timer... a perfect accessory for training breaths.

018 - Fixing a Bent Scabbard

If one of your swords has a wooden scabbard and it's become bent, simply wrap the scabbard in a damp towel and put some weights on it. The moisture will soften the wood so that it can be straighted again. Then, then when the scabbard is straight, wrap it in a dry towel and put the weights back on. Change the wrapping of the towel once a day so the scabbard can dry slowly and evenly. The staightening might only take a few days, but the drying may take a few weeks to do it right.

017 - Control the Bridge With Your Bong Sau

During Lap Sau, when the partner grabs your hand and pulls, use forward energy to keep the bridge with their pulling hand as well as to fill the space between you and their coming attack with your bong sau.

016 - Put Their Hand in Your Pocket

When practicing the lap sau, imagine that you are attempting to put their hand in your pocket when you grab during the lap. If they don't control the bridge with their bong sau, they will be exposed to your attack.

015 - Unorthodox Lap Sau Changes

There are other ways to initiate changes from side to side besides the three grabs. Consider these two:

When you cross your partner's bong sau with your punch, convert the punch to a gon sau/punch or huen sau punch (like in the wooden man form). The punch forces them to counter with the opposite side bong sau.

When your partner crosses your bong sau, convert your bong sau into a tan sau and punch, forcing them to use the opposite hand to bong sau.

014 - Bong Sau with Your Core

When you conduct a bong sau block, you should feel your dan tien connect through the bridge and affect the dan tien of your partner. Your block and your partner's punch should connect evenly and totally through your core muscles and stance.