Master Tse’s Wing Chun Note #203

Tall and Long Arms

In Chī Sáu, if your opponent is taller than you and has long arms, what should you do? My Sīfú, Grandmaster Ip Chun, is only five foot two, he is a very small person. In the past someone asked my Sīfú the very same question in one of his seminar in UK in the pass. Sīfú said, “Distance is very important. A small person, like me, should never stand where my opponent can touch me and I cannot touch them. So sometimes I will use one hand to keep a distance. If he can touch me then I will make sure that I can also reach him. This means that he can hit me, but I can also hit him and in this case both hands will be in contact.”

This is very true and good advice, either he cannot hit me and I cannot hit him or he can hit me and I can hit him. This is the best distance. In my experience we should also keep our Tāan Sáu 攤手 and Bóng Sáu 膀手 higher when we are inside. The Tāan Sáu should point towards their face, higher than the throat, this is safer. Fuhk Sáu 伏手, which is an outside hand, should keep their hand lower so that it points towards you stomach or even your waist. In this situation a person who is taller and has longer arms will find this very uncomfortable.

 

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