Brilliant video. The best explanation I have seen regarding shifting and the idea behind this. Appreciate the philosophy at the end too. That part made something from Musashi's 'The Book of five Rings' click instantly for me too, so thank you. “The true science of martial arts means practicing them in such a way that they will be useful at any time, and to teach them in such a way that they will be useful in all things.”
I'm so thankful to Chan Sifu for explaining the concept of shifting and how it relates to the centre line. I'm new to the art and are going to be trying this shifting exercise out - graçias Hermanos!
Along with this concept, something I've had a difficult time with understanding and improving is the idea of rooting. Since this is something I see more prominently taught in Wing Chun, even though other arts covering it somewhat, it seems more focused here. The problem I have is I'm always more top heavy and way too light on my feet in preparation for movement and footwork, could you explain what rooting is and how to develop it properly? I can never seem to get my head wrapped around what my body is supposed to be doing. Thanks!
Wow! Took lessons for 2 years - 40 years ago. Learned Sil Lim Tao and application drills, shifting and dan chi sao. Touched hands a lot with instructor (I was only student). Never quite understood things until Sifu Adam Chan demonstrates and explains.
Thanks for your demonstration and detailed explanation on the concept over techniques application in Wing Chun especially for those of us new to kung Fu.. Have a good day Shifu Adam Chan.. 🥋🥊👍💪
Thank you for your point of view. Ving Tsun / Wing Chun would be so much better if there were not so much ego in the game and teachers would take the time to consider each others interpretation. What I see oftentimes is the option to go straight into it, which as you noted is not the best option. Did you consider the option where you step out of the way and at the same time step in at a 45 degrees angle? I do train what you are suggesting. However, it is not always applicable if there is too much force/power of the opponent and not enough sticky contact; invision a boxer throwing jabs at you and then stepping in with great force throwing a straight punch. Don't train only against other wing chun practitioners who look up to you, try something out of your comfort zone and keep an open spirit... namaste.
I like your totally Spot-On approach ...you're on to something , actually I see it as a breakthrough . I bite my tongue every time I see another video knocking Wing Chun , I kept telling myself it's not the way it was intended to be applied ; intuitively speaking !
Great video, did find shifting quite a challenge to do with proper structure. Might be a nice follow up to prevent people from just pulling with arm strenght instead of proper structure. Guess thats why movement is covered in the second form after understanding the basics. Keep the videos coming, love them and your down to earth approach!
Nice explaination sir... A lot of wingchun practitioners who missed shifting practice than replaced it with stepping. And also, when they do Chum Kiu form...their shifting use their toes for shifting. I dont know thy they do like that. Even though it has clearly violated the grounding concept.
Thx u SIfu Adam. I studied and learned a lot from your lesson a lot. I like your approach in questioning and checking the practical in training purposes always and your respond to your student questions. Hopefully insya Allah in year ahead able join your online course.
Adam Sifu, pivoting as shown here and in Chum Kiu is not possible in its ideal form in the real world footwear and rough surfaces being limitations. Can you suggest best ways to compensate with stepping for instance?
It certainly not too late, many of the fundamental and lower levels of martial art training rely on developing coordination, movement, and precision. It's not until a little later down the road that you truly must have partners to better understand application and to develop your knowledge further. So, starting now can get you going for when things calm down significantly that you can attend classes somewhere to get that direct interaction.
This is rooting. All Chinese martial arts have some way of developing it, especially the internal arts. The fulcrum thing also explained similarly in taiji. Essentially you become the fulcrum, you realize you can't really damage a door while you punch it if it's connected to a fulcrum, you just get redirected. Essentially if you place your fulcrum in the right place (rooting), you'll always be displacing your opponent. You become unstable ground that the opponent can't stand on while you wreck them with strikes (or just let them fall as they trip on your fulcrum)
Hm but that shifting is something I learned in chum kiu, plus footwork from boxing, It's important to know the foot should be more parallel with the floor when you move. That leads to get stuck and you will be off balance. This is wing chun second form footwork, Now. The concepts are important but consider not everyone can do it, like not everyone can do E^2=m^2c^4+ (pc) ^2. The application of the concepts and philosophy of martial arts is a very Chinese thing, not everyone get it. You and me had the chance to watch this in action, and it's pretty good. I always think about knowing when to disengage from the centerline and let force not be countered with force. And many others, when one has to work these days, STRESS!!! 🤯
I have a question máster Adam. I remember one of your videos called: "all thecniques, one goal", and there, you explained how to fight someone if we are into his center line, but you didnt get him out of your center line, you just were forward face to face until take his neck or face. You didnt expulse him of your center line like if you were a fulcrum, you just were forward face to face him, doing the diferents thecniques with an arm, and hitting with the other one. Even i watched alot of your videos about how to fight someone bigger, and you were always rushing from his center, attacking his neck, face, groin.. So, my question is ¿Should we always get him off our center line? ¿When is better to rush from inside, and when is better to rush from outside, getting him off the centerline.? That makes me so confuse, because you sometimes rush him face to face like a snow removal machine, HITTING HIS FULCRUM, and its really effective, cause you have a lot of vittals(diaphragm, throat, nose, mouth, groin), but sometimes you rush him getting him off the centerline, BEING YOU THE FULCRUM, taking his back, with stepwork help, like u explained today. I Hope you can help me :). I've Bren for 3 years doing Wing chun and your videos are the BEST concepts to help me learn. Regards.
Active shifting, but you don't cover the passive shifting where his size and power instead of collapsing your structure it simply makes you shift or pivot, like a revolving door as he turns you he losing his facing but you maintain your facing with minimal power... now you have his flank...
I can't believe that someone will actually ask if there's an application to shifting. That's the problem with a lot of these new people doing martial arts, they just want to throw out anything old. I know that in traditional martial arts once you condition your hands, master your stance stepping, and perfect your shifting you'll be more dangerous than most people. The best fighters do both traditional and modern martial arts to find a proper balance.
I never saw it explained this way... love this
I love this explanation and demonstration. It really does open up a multitude of possibilities
Shifting was the first thing I drummed into my nervous system it helped me use my arms in the foot work
Brilliant video. The best explanation I have seen regarding shifting and the idea behind this. Appreciate the philosophy at the end too. That part made something from Musashi's 'The Book of five Rings' click instantly for me too, so thank you. “The true science of martial arts means practicing them in such a way that they will be useful at any time, and to teach them in such a way that they will be useful in all things.”
Excellent kung fu advice by an excellent kung fu master.
I'm so thankful to Chan Sifu for explaining the concept of shifting and how it relates to the centre line. I'm new to the art and are going to be trying this shifting exercise out - graçias Hermanos!
Along with this concept, something I've had a difficult time with understanding and improving is the idea of rooting. Since this is something I see more prominently taught in Wing Chun, even though other arts covering it somewhat, it seems more focused here. The problem I have is I'm always more top heavy and way too light on my feet in preparation for movement and footwork, could you explain what rooting is and how to develop it properly? I can never seem to get my head wrapped around what my body is supposed to be doing. Thanks!
Love this guy's advice 🏆
Wow! Took lessons for 2 years - 40 years ago. Learned Sil Lim Tao and application drills, shifting and dan chi sao. Touched hands a lot with instructor (I was only student). Never quite understood things until Sifu Adam Chan demonstrates and explains.
Thanks for your demonstration and detailed explanation on the concept over techniques application in Wing Chun especially for those of us new to kung Fu.. Have a good day Shifu Adam Chan.. 🥋🥊👍💪
Sifu. I came for footwork, and got some really important philosophy that explains so much. Thank you.
Thank you for your point of view. Ving Tsun / Wing Chun would be so much better if there were not so much ego in the game and teachers would take the time to consider each others interpretation. What I see oftentimes is the option to go straight into it, which as you noted is not the best option. Did you consider the option where you step out of the way and at the same time step in at a 45 degrees angle?
I do train what you are suggesting. However, it is not always applicable if there is too much force/power of the opponent and not enough sticky contact; invision a boxer throwing jabs at you and then stepping in with great force throwing a straight punch. Don't train only against other wing chun practitioners who look up to you, try something out of your comfort zone and keep an open spirit... namaste.
Thank you very much Sifu. Student from Sydney, Australia.
Great teaching explanation 👍
I like your totally Spot-On approach ...you're on to something , actually I see it as a breakthrough .
I bite my tongue every time I see another video knocking Wing Chun , I kept telling myself it's not the way it was intended to be applied ;
intuitively speaking !
Very Good
Thanks again for a great video!
Great video, did find shifting quite a challenge to do with proper structure. Might be a nice follow up to prevent people from just pulling with arm strenght instead of proper structure. Guess thats why movement is covered in the second form after understanding the basics. Keep the videos coming, love them and your down to earth approach!
You've mentioned/covered this concept before (to some extent) but this video was SO clearly shown there's no room for misinterpretation. THX!
Thank you so much for sharing this great info.!!!
Footwork training good, i think about It for better for aplicación combat
Nice explaination sir... A lot of wingchun practitioners who missed shifting practice than replaced it with stepping. And also, when they do Chum Kiu form...their shifting use their toes for shifting. I dont know thy they do like that. Even though it has clearly violated the grounding concept.
Thx u SIfu Adam. I studied and learned a lot from your lesson a lot. I like your approach in questioning and checking the practical in training purposes always and your respond to your student questions. Hopefully insya Allah in year ahead able join your online course.
Excellent
The third way! , thank you Sifu! 🙏👍🏼💪
“spinning him off the centerline”… can be a slight turn off the centerline. very good way to put it
Thanks for explanation and the underlying concept, really clear, very helpful
Awesome
Another great lesson sifu, big thanks for sharing your wisdom. 🙏
Thanks,syfu 🙏🙏🙏 very interested and important lesson
Depends on the lineage. The concept is understood differently according to what lineage one trains with.
Adam Sifu, pivoting as shown here and in Chum Kiu is not possible in its ideal form in the real world footwear and rough surfaces being limitations. Can you suggest best ways to compensate with stepping for instance?
Great stuff! Question any great training methods to practise that ,on your own I mean.
I appreciate your detail expaintions I found you to late wish I would of seen your video during the beginning of the pandemic
It certainly not too late, many of the fundamental and lower levels of martial art training rely on developing coordination, movement, and precision. It's not until a little later down the road that you truly must have partners to better understand application and to develop your knowledge further. So, starting now can get you going for when things calm down significantly that you can attend classes somewhere to get that direct interaction.
This is rooting. All Chinese martial arts have some way of developing it, especially the internal arts.
The fulcrum thing also explained similarly in taiji. Essentially you become the fulcrum, you realize you can't really damage a door while you punch it if it's connected to a fulcrum, you just get redirected. Essentially if you place your fulcrum in the right place (rooting), you'll always be displacing your opponent. You become unstable ground that the opponent can't stand on while you wreck them with strikes (or just let them fall as they trip on your fulcrum)
From the first day of my wing chun class my instructor has made me shift every class. The application is endless for the technique
Great stuff!
Great true wing chun concepts 👍
Love it!
Hm but that shifting is something I learned in chum kiu, plus footwork from boxing,
It's important to know the foot should be more parallel with the floor when you move. That leads to get stuck and you will be off balance.
This is wing chun second form footwork,
Now. The concepts are important but consider not everyone can do it, like not everyone can do E^2=m^2c^4+ (pc) ^2.
The application of the concepts and philosophy of martial arts is a very Chinese thing, not everyone get it. You and me had the chance to watch this in action, and it's pretty good. I always think about knowing when to disengage from the centerline and let force not be countered with force. And many others, when one has to work these days, STRESS!!! 🤯
Wing chun concepts and principles
Don't throw away stuff....hmm...I am not sure but was that a subtle jab ?
You're teaching me things, that my former Sifu' s didn't teach. Thank you 😉✌🇬🇧
I have a question máster Adam.
I remember one of your videos called: "all thecniques, one goal", and there, you explained how to fight someone if we are into his center line, but you didnt get him out of your center line, you just were forward face to face until take his neck or face. You didnt expulse him of your center line like if you were a fulcrum, you just were forward face to face him, doing the diferents thecniques with an arm, and hitting with the other one. Even i watched alot of your videos about how to fight someone bigger, and you were always rushing from his center, attacking his neck, face, groin..
So, my question is ¿Should we always get him off our center line? ¿When is better to rush from inside, and when is better to rush from outside, getting him off the centerline.?
That makes me so confuse, because you sometimes rush him face to face like a snow removal machine, HITTING HIS FULCRUM, and its really effective, cause you have a lot of vittals(diaphragm, throat, nose, mouth, groin), but sometimes you rush him getting him off the centerline, BEING YOU THE FULCRUM, taking his back, with stepwork help, like u explained today.
I Hope you can help me :). I've Bren for 3 years doing Wing chun and your videos are the BEST concepts to help me learn.
Regards.
Active shifting, but you don't cover the passive shifting where his size and power instead of collapsing your structure it simply makes you shift or pivot, like a revolving door as he turns you he losing his facing but you maintain your facing with minimal power... now you have his flank...
Thanks, i was getting stuck
Good , control your enemies, you will always win the fight
Great explanation and lesson 👍
My thumbs up made 999 become 1k likes.
I can't believe that someone will actually ask if there's an application to shifting. That's the problem with a lot of these new people doing martial arts, they just want to throw out anything old. I know that in traditional martial arts once you condition your hands, master your stance stepping, and perfect your shifting you'll be more dangerous than most people. The best fighters do both traditional and modern martial arts to find a proper balance.
please show against someone with skills
Don't throw the baby out with the bathwater.