4 Favorite Non Wing Chun Techniques

Although I consider the Leung Ting version of wing tsun, which has incorporated antigrappling and groundfighting techniques, to be a complete martial art for self defense, there are still a few non wing chun techniques which are just too good to be ignored for self defense.

The Jeet Kune Do Straight Punch
When martial arts legend Bruce Lee created Jeet Kune Do, he modified the wing chun punch to make it into a combination of the wing chun punch, the straight lead of boxing, and principles derived from fencing. The jeet kune do fighter keeps his strongest hand forward and launches the straight lead using his dominant hand. While punching the jeet kune do fighter steps into his opponent for extra power and also turns his body so that, at the point of impact, he is punching more to the side than to the front. Although the jeet kune do punch breaks the wing chun “facing” principle it has up to a foot more range than the wing chun punch. For even more power the jkd fighter uses Jack Dempsey’s “falling step” which means that at the moment that the punch lands the jkd fighter is just about to step down with his lead foot. Thus the JKD straight punch is fast, non-telegraphic, can be used from a relatively long range, and can pack knockout power.

The muay thai Roundhouse Kick
It has been called the “most powerful kick on the planet”, although as we will see later, it is rivaled for power by the spinning back kick. While round kicks from other styles may incorporate a pivot of the hips, the thai version uses the entire body to pivot on the fulcrum of the supporting leg. Imagine a car door pivoting on its hinge and slamming into you. The entire weight of the door is mobilized into the hit. Thai boxers condition their shins until they are impervious to pain. The constant conditioning of the shin actually increases the strenght and density of the shin bone, making the kick as potentially damaging as a hit with a lead pipe. Because this kick is somewhat telegraphic and slower than karate, tae dwon do, or some kung fu roundhouses, it is most effective when targeting the legs. Thai fighters typically target the sciatic nerve just above the knee. This kick can be particularly effective against western boxers as the range is slightly greater than punching range and few boxers are used to the kick or are able to defend against it.

The Spinning Back Kick
While many give the title of strongest of all kicks to the muay round kick, others believe that the spinning back kick takes the crown. A spinning back kick uses over 200 degrees of rotation and the resulting torque can create a devastatingly powerful kick. The spinning kick, if done quickly and non telegraphically, can be a very effective surprise move, especially against street fighter, boxers, or even thai boxers, who are not used to defending this attack. The spin kick does however break the wing chun “nose to nose” principle in a big way. A wing chun fighter will never turn his back on his opponent, but if it is done quickly enough and if a straight back kick, and not a hooking kick is used, it is actually quite difficult for even a good wing chun man to step in and hit you in the back of the head, while using a zig zag step to avoid the tremendous power of this kick.

The Choy Li Fut Sao Choy
This is the style’s signature move. The ClF fighter will swing his back arm in a very large circle with the arm totally straight while rotating his entire body using the stance, legs, and hips. The strike usually lands with the inside of the forearm which, like the elbow is a very hard and relatively sharp bone. The preferred targed is either the side of the neck, the back of the neck, or the base of the skull. This strike, while very telegraphic is tremendously powerful and if you can build up the speed it can be a life saving resource in real world street combat. It is perhaps similar to the muay thai round kick, but delivered with the forearm instead of the shin. Because the wide swing would ordinarily leave you open, the best way to use this technique is by either moving to the opponent’s blind side or turning his body and controlling his lead hand.

The video below shows Benny Urquidez, the famous full contact karate fighter of the 70′s fighting against two thai fighters. Notice how he uses the spinning back kick to knock the first one out by taking out several of his ribs.