Grandmaster Tse’s Wing Chun Notes 438

Advanced Level of Sahp Sīng Bouh 十星步 – Ten Star Footwork – Part 2

In Tsum Kìuh 尋橋 – Looking for the Bridge we also have Jeun  Máh 進馬 – Forward Step and so if we have forwards then we must also have backwards, Teui Máh 退馬 – Backward Step. This is not in Tsum Kìuh, but we do have Teui Máh in the Baat Jáam Dōu 八斬刀 – Eight Chopping Knives, however this Teui Máh is not the same as you would do in Chī Sáu 黐手 – Sticking Hands or in fighting. No matter what, at least we know there is Teui Máh in Wing Chun. Our Wing Chun ancestor Ng Mui Sitai 五枚師太 must have used Teui Máh as we cannot fight only using Jeun Máh. There are some Wing Chun people who think that in Wing Chun we never step backwards. This is totally wrong. We cannot only go forwards to win. Sometime we can be under pressure or at a disadvantage and so we need to be able to retreat. Also if we are fighting more than one person, it could be three or four, will you need to step back? Of course you will. So Wing Chun must have Teui Máh. We must be able to go left, right, forward and backwards and not only that, we must be able to walk around either clockwise or anticlockwise. We should also be able to be stationary and move very quickly or slowly.