Training to hit a person- as opposed to hitting empty air or an object

Hi, everyone!

One of the my favourite training tools is the Wing Chun Dummy. Too bad I don't own one myself.

Still- Regardless of what style you practice- this simple piece of equipment reminds you of one very obvious thing about fighting- Your opponent is not a punching bag. 

A lot of what I see in the way punches are done for basic practice or in forms makes it easy to forget that our opponent's have arms and legs. The path that our fists take toward their targets are often not without obstacles in the way.

You would agree with me that it feels easier to land a hard punch on a wide open target than it is doing the same with a target that is behind an arm or a hand. 

The creator of Wing Chun Quan- The Shaolin Elder Ng Mui knew this. That is why she deemed it necessary for a fighter to practice hitting a solid object, but with the portrusions that we see on our wing chun dummies these days.

Punching bags serve a purpose too, of course. Kicking and punching empty air is one thing, but you start learning to hit properly once you get to deal with the instinctive urge to brace yourself for impact when you hit a real object. It really makes a big difference to how you actually hit.

Aside from that- our opponents' fighting stances also do not always allow for us to attack from the front in a straight line. I have felt that shadow boxing actually feels a lot less comfortable when you have a leg or a foot to work around.

That was the idea behind the placement of the shoes and the chlorine buoy in the video below.

There is also a huge difference between hitting on the move to score a point for a tournament bout and landing a serious blow while moving. The largest part of hitting hard is timing. 

Lastly we have the fear of getting hit ourselves to deal with. The only advice I have bout that is that it is not no much that we will calm down once we are in control of the situation, but rather that we can gain control of a situation as soon as we calm down.The timing, relaxation and fast-twitch movement that goes into a powerful punch or kick are things that can only be accomplished with a calm focused mind. How you train that depends on your style.

That's it from me for today. Have a great week ahead!