For the last two weeks or so, sifu has been up to something and I didn’r know what it was until the last class. In the last few classes he got us all to pair up and chi sau and watched us. Then he would stop us, tell us that we couldn’t move our feet and asked us to start chi sauing again.

Very difficult. No place to run or hide. Yet at that point, he didn’t tell us what it was all about. I think he was hoping that we would figure it out for ourselves. At the last class he told us explicitly what we should be doing.

Turning! Turn to the left, turn to the right. It’s a good way of deflecting your opponents energy and something I rarely do. The kind of turning I’m talking about is that repeated numerous times in Chum Kiu (think about the transitions into the first bong saus). Turning and footwork (ok, maybe they both fall into the realm of footwork) need work. This was a really good exercise and I hope we practise it to death.

At the moment, I feel that my WIng Chun is still very 2 dimensional. I’ll face my partner straight on and we’ll exchange. I do actually move around a little, but I still pretty much face my partner. I hardly every turn.

What’s So Good About Turning?

Turning is useful for several reasons. When you turn, your head for example is no longer in the same place. Meaning, if somebody was aiming a punch at your head, they’ve missed. Also, turning can deflect your opponent’s energy. In turning, one of your shoulders moves nearer your partner effectively bringing your target closer to you.

I know that when you turn, the centre line moves too, but I’m not sure about the precise impact. I’ll need to ponder on that one and maybe ask sifu.

At the end of the class, as we were leaving, sifu said emphasized the importance of turning in Wing Chun by saying that it changes everything.