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Drill #1 Falling Step

Standing in front of your partner fully extend your right arm at chest level with fingers pointed upward, palm facing his chest. Now stand on your left leg, hooking your right leg behind the knee. You are not punching, as this is only an exercise to better understand an important principle. Fall forward until your palm strikes his chest. Be sure to keep the arm straight. At the same instant that your palm lands, your foot hits the ground. It is this timing of hand and foot striking simultaneously that maximizes weight transfer at the critical moment. If done correctly, your partner will be hurled backward, if not knocked flat on his back. Be careful with this and have him wear a protective pad. Important points to remember are don't hit, just fall forward keeping arm straight. Most important, don't bend the knee when your foot impacts the ground, as this will absorb shock. Be sure you are standing far enough away so that your impact takes place at the point of maximum acceleration. Think of a big oak tree falling. The closer it comes to the ground the more the acceleration and the greater the impact.

Drill #2 Bow Hip Power

To get an idea of what it feels like and just how powerful it is. . . try this: Place both palms on a wall, shoulder width apart. Step back about 4 or 5 feet with your left leg, while dropping your left hip and lifting your right foot, extending it out in front of you as though you are taking a huge step forward. The closer you reach your extended foot to the wall, the greater you will exert force.

Now have your partner brace both of his arms parallel at chest level. Placing your palms on his arms tell him to resist your effort to push him back. As you step back about 4 feet with your right leg, lift your left foot and extend it beyond and slightly to the side of him. You should feel the power build before hurling him backward.

Now, have him push against you. As he pushes, simply lift that same left leg and extend it past him. See if you can hold against his pressure. If done correctly you will be able to accomplish this with little, if any, effort.

Learn how to use this power source in your trapping. It will crush your opponent's defenses because you are now trapping with the mechanics of your body, not just your arms.

The construction of the hip joints and connective tissues backed by the large muscle groups are capable of exerting tremendous power.

When striking or trapping, the bow action of the hip can be applied with the falling step. Add rotation to this, and you have three power sources with accumulated effect. Very powerful, indeed!

Drill #3 Immovable Stance

A good wing chun trick is to pick up the long teak pole (very, very heavy) and lift it at chest level, holding your arms straight out in front of you. Likewise, Bruce was able to demonstrate this technique with very heavy dumbbells. The secret is not in strength, but mostly in correct hip structure. Put to practice in combat it becomes an effective way of uplifting your opponent and breaking his structure, or holding against his pressure.

But even without this incredible mechanical advantage you can easily perform the following trick, or drill:

Have your partner place both hands on your chest or shoulders. He will easily be able to push you backward. This time, place your palms facing upward under his elbows. As he pushes, lift his elbows upward. No matter how hard he tries, he will not be able to push you backward. If this is not interesting enough, tell him to push as hard as he can, as if he were pushing a car down the road. Only this time, you stand on just one leg.

Drill #4 Contact Sensitivity

Chi Sao drills develops sensitivity throughout the body and tools. But here is a good solitary chi sao drill that Bruce used to help develop his proprioceptive sensitivity, proper neuro-efficiencies, drilling and adduction mechanics, non-intention movement, contraction and expansion triangles, third hand, ball principle, switching, final power (Bruce called it "sparking"). It's one of my favorites, too.

Stand crossing your wrists at chest level, palms facing inward. Now circle your arms away from you (out, down, back, and up to original position). Repeat until you get the natural flow of this. Now try it alternating your wrists. For example, you begin with the right wrist on the inside. At the end of a full revolution you have switched to the left wrist on the inside. As you speed up the movement, work on relaxing the arms. Feel the contact where the arms touch. Begin to put on and take off pressure. At any given instant, suddenly fling your hands apart snapping into double fuk saos, or a tool punch combination. Try it watching television. Every time the camera cuts from one scene or view to another you let your hands fly. You will be amazed at how this will build speed and jing power.

Now, build in different techniques into the spinning motion. For instance, quan sao, kan sao, double jut sao, jut sao/bon sao, whatever. Make up things. The more you invent the more you will learn. Feel it.

Drill # 5 - Pak Sao Drill

I will assume that everyone knows this drill. However, here are some pointers. When punching against your opponent who pak saos, punch with your elbows in to the middle, otherwise you will be giving him bars, which are easier to stop.

And when doing pak sao keep the elbows in so that you are giving him poles reinforced by your structure. Pak with a cupped loose hand so that you don't take shock into the body.

Learn to drive him back with your pak saos even when he is chain punching as hard as he can. When punching, drive him back through his pak saos.

Add different drills to your pak sao, by switching in and out of other tools. For example with your left hand, begin with pak sao, then tan sao, then back to pak sao. Repeat with your other hand as he continues his chain punching.

As with the mechanics and principles, there are many more drills, but these all teach some very basic understandings.

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