Master Tse’s Wing Chun Notes #87

Weight on the Heels

When we are practising Siu Lim Tao小念頭, once we have opened our stance, we do not move our body until the end of the form. Our weight should be on our heels, as our heels relate to our centre of gravity and connect our whole body through our skeleton. Our heels connect through our legs to our waist, the spine, the shoulders, the arms and the neck to the top of our head. Connecting the body together is very important for developing energy and strength and it is also very healthy to stand this way.

So during Siu Lim Tao, apart from our hands and arms, we do not move any part of our body and this keeps the weight on the heels. After a while, some people will feel their legs shaking and this means their legs are not strong enough. However after a few months of training this shaking will become less and this means their legs and stance are getting stronger. With more practise then Gong Lihk 功力 starts to grow and the upper body feels lighter. Then when you practise Chi Sau and touch other people’s hands you are more sensitive and you can feel their strength more and respond better. So a good posture with a good stance, the weight on the heels, is very important.

Michael Tse