Grandmaster Tse’s Wing Chun Note 362

Twenty-Four Leg Techniques – Part 30

Hyūn Geuk 圈脚, like Hyūn Sáu 圈手 – Circle Hand, so Hyūn Geuk is Circle Leg. With any circling technique there is always an inward circle and an outward circle, like with Hyūn Máh 圈馬 – Circle Step, where we have Ngoih Hyūn Máh 外圈馬 – Outside Circle Step and Noih Hyūn Máh 内圈馬 – Inside Circle Step. However, for their application Hyūn Sáu and Hyūn Geuk are different. To use Hyūn Sáu you need to be in contact with your opponent’s hand, but with Hyūn Geuk you do not need to be in contact with your opponent’s leg, in fact, no contact is better. This is because when we are in contact, it can create an imbalance and so one of us can lose our balance. Without contact, we can control our balance better and so be stronger. Any leg technique relies on good balance and so we need to on one leg for the shortest time, otherwise the opponent will take the chance to attack us.

When the opponent attacks us with a low kick, we can use either Noih Hyūn Geuk 内圈脚 – Inside Circle Leg or Ngoih Hyūn Geuk 外圈脚 – Outside Circle Leg to circle their leg away. If the energy is right, we will make them lose their balance and their kicking leg will land in front of them to the inside or outside of our position where we can now quickly attack them.

If we are already in contact with their leg, for example, with Bóng Geuk 膀腳 – Wing Leg or Gāan Geuk 挌腳 – Blocking Leg, then with Bóng Geuk, we can use Noih Hyūn Geuk, and with Gāan Geuk we can use Ngoih Hyūn Geuk. Which one we use all depends on the situation