Balance and Body Structure in Wing-Chun Kung-Fu
Overall body balance is emphasized as this affects speed. A well balanced body can move more quickly. The trunk is always kept upright for this purpose. A Wing-Chun practitioner will not lean sideways in order to throw a high kick to an opponent’s head. Changing your body’s center of gravity so radically brings grave speed penalties, aside from opening your groin to attack and your foot to grabbing.
Bobbing and weaving is not used to dodge punches. Footwork is considered faster for dodging, and does not endanger stability or body structure. Wing-Chun practitioners believe that the person with the better body structure will win. Proper body structure is used to redirect horizontal force from a punch, vertically into the ground. This allows more powerful punches to be thrown. Proper positioning of arms will guard holes in your defense, allowing fewer avenues for your opponent to strike.
Wing-Chun students are taught to test each technique against specific attacks, so that they can assume the correct positions from actual feedback, rather than from blindly following their instructor. Proper stances are checked by having someone push against you to check your stability.
