In the first photo an attacker is ready to charge in with some kind of knife attack. The defender keeps the hands down to avoid getting them slashed.
When the attacker moves in, the defender uses quick agile footwork to avoid the attack while at the same time using an uplifting palm movement from the first set to control the elbow of the attacker.
Next, two quick counter-attacking movements are used to finish off the opponent.
 Neck chop and control |
 Punch and control |
Note: In practice the attacker and defender would be much further apart than is shown in the first photograph. When the attacker rushes in, step back at an angle with either foot.
Whether or not you can apply your Wing Chun close range skills depends on your sense of distancing and timing. The sets and sticking hands training program do not provide such skills. These skills come from various prearranged drills and general sparring practice against a variety of opponents.
The weapons training in the Wing Chun system are the first place where timing and distancing are taught in a formalized manner. The knife application set discussed in the last issue of "Wing Chun Viewpoint" and the spear vs spear application set, to be discussed in a future issue, are good ways to learn these concepts. As soon as the basic footwork from the second set of Wing Chun is learned, a beginner can already learn various timing and distancing drills.
We find that drills such as the one shown above are both practical and at the same time, teach concepts of mobility. The actions shown are based on a sequence of movements in section ten of the wooden dummy; the hand movements also occur in the first set.
No particular drill is any more important than any other particular drill. For example, the drills shown here can be used to construct your own drills for your own circumstances.
For safety, do not use a real knife and wear eye protection.