Many martial arts teach students how to use kicks and punches to deal with attacks at a long range. However, Wing Chun Kung Fu stylists extensively practice dealing with attackers who are right up in your face. Wing Chun Online states that this kung fu style originated in China's Ching dynasty more than 275 years ago. Its creators developed an arsenal of techniques that can immobilize and defeat attackers at a close range. Some of these techniques include the pak sao, lop sao, bong sao and bil sao.
Pak Sao
In many styles of martial arts, a block signifies the end of a particular attack. This is not the case in Wing Chun. If you throw a punch at an opponent and he blocks it, then Wing Chun gives you another option. Wing Chun stylists use a technique called pak sao, which means "slapping hand." To execute a pak sao, use your non-punching hand to slap your opponent's blocking arm down and out of the way. The pak sao opens up a clear path to your target so that you can punch with the same hand again.
Lop Sao
Wing Chun is a martial art in which practitioners need to understand the tension that they feel in their opponents' limbs. When performing a lop sao, you use an opponent's tension to your advantage. For example, if your opponent blocks your initial punch, you may try to remove the obstruction with a pak sao. However, your opponent's blocking arm may be too tense to slap down. You can then quickly perform a lop sao, which means "grabbing hand." Use your punching hand to grab the opponent's blocking arm and pull it forward. This should not be difficult because the opponent's tension is already being directed forward. After the lop sao removes the block, strike the opponent with your opposite hand.
Bong Sao
Bong Sao translates to "wing arm" in Wing Chun. A bong sao is a defensive move that is used to prevent your opponent from attacking you on your centerline. You can effectively use the bong sao when the tension in your opponent's arm tells you that he is going to attack your centerline. To perform the bong sao, raise your elbow above your hand and use the outer edge of your forearm to deflect the opponent's arm to the side. You can follow up with your own attack after performing a bong sao.
Bil Sao
Bil Sao is one of the strikes used in Wing Chun. Bil Sao refers to the thrusting of the fingers at an opponent. The target is typically the eyes. To perform this technique, you need to keep your hand flat and the fingers together. Thrust your fingers straight at your opponent. The bil sao can simultaneously attack an opponent and deflect an oncoming attack.
Member Comments