Don't Force the Bong Sau

When deploying your Wing Chun Bong Sau (Wing Arm Block) you cannot and should not "just throw it out there."

What I mean by that is the Wing Chun Bong Sau is the best and worst move in the Wing Chun system.

Speaking of the Bong Sau being the worst move, based upon the angle of the position, it leaves your entire rib section exposed.

Speaking of the Bong Sau being the best move, it redirects energy allowing the incoming energy of your enemy to be cast aside like a matador does with the rushing bull.

The issue most of us had in our early Wing Chun training is that we thought the Bong Sau looked so cool, so Kung Fu, that we just "threw it out there" to block an incoming attack.

The misunderstanding most Wing Chun student must learn is that we are "forced" into Bong Sau and must not arbitrarily cast this move. Bong Sau is a transitional move and for the most part, must never even be detected by our enemy.

Think of a straight punch coming right to your face. Why take the chance of shortening your response distance with a Bong Sau (think of the bend and angle of your arm) allowing the punch to come within inches of your face?

Instead, your initial response should always be a linear attack response and once contact is made (based upon incoming energy) you then apply your Bong Sau, thus allowing your natural responses to take over and buying yourself proper time and distance to recover from your enemy's punch.

Again the Wing Chun Bong Sau is one of the signature movements in the Wing Chun system and is fantastic to apply...just apply it correctly!

We will be filming a short instructional video on this topic from our Wing Chun Self Defense class in Chicago and posting it on our Izzo Training Systems Youtube channel!

Dominick Izzo
Lead Instructor
www.izzo-training.com

Wing Chun Self Defense for Chicago and the NW Suburban Area