Page 43 - Martial Science Magazine Feb/2015 #7
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Second application from the 1st section of the form: Sifu Nearing receives the attack,
deflects the 2nd punch with a tan sao while stepping in, unbalancing the opponent and
opening the way for a finishing attack.
right side of his body is being neutralized to make way for your entry and the left side is being immobili-
zed because he is off balance and jammed.
In the second section of the wooden dummy form we open with a pak sao sequence. There are various
ways to interpret this sequence depending on one’s lineage in addition to how much one thinks outside
of the box. Here we see two dominant ways of applying the pak sao. One interpretation would be to say
that when we pak at the wrist we should bring the attack down and away. A second would be to pak at
the elbow and jam it back into the centerline. Both in application simultaneously unbalance the oppo-
nent, render him unable to strike and prepare the way for an attack in the moment in which they are
executed.
The interpretation of the opening pak sao sequence can be debated. Rather than taking sides, let’s simply
explore some possibilities and see where they lead. Seemingly there are three pak saos to the inside gate.
However, according to some of Ip Man’s first generation students, Ip Man said that one should avoid the
pak sao to the inside gate. The negatives are obvious. To be on the inside gate means that you are between
the opponent’s arms. If you were to pak an incoming right punch with your own right pak sao, you would
be very vulnerable to being hit by your opponent’s left hand. It’s right in front of your face and probably
on the way.
Thinking a bit outside of the box, what if we view these as pak saos to the outside gate? After all, the
wooden dummy is an inanimate object and a training tool not a live opponent. It can be used as our
imaginations see fit as long as long as we are grounded in solid Wing Chun principles and fundamentals.
Applying a pak sao to the elbow of an opponent from the outside gate and pressing toward his center
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