Chum Kiu | Basic Understanding Of Closed Bridge To Open Bridge
By Sifu Larry Rivera
Maybe you are already a member of Enter Shaolin or you are just searching around the web looking for more Wing Chun training, either way you came to the right place. Wing Chun is known for its close quarter fighting ability. Because of teachers like Ip Man who taught the late Bruce Lee, this amazing martial art has managed to captivate a generation. People from around the world have the ability to learn the Wing Chun training system thanks to pioneers and now the internet.
Chum Kiu which is the second form in Wing Chun taught after Sil Lum Tao. It unlocks a practitioners ability to fight close quarter by using closed and open bridges to close the distance between you and your opponent. While Wing Chun has many offensive and defensive techniques the style really shines as a counter offensive system of fighting.
Another thing Wing Chun is known for is it’s quick attacks by utilizing the center line theory. In the following video, Sifu Phu teaches a basic understanding of using bridges. Bridges are just a fancy way of saying forearms. ? Bridges are best used as intercepting tools to close the distance when someone is attacking you. Because you have mobility at your elbow, it makes it easier to deflect as well as draw in your opponent because you can bend at your elbow.
Because much of Wing Chun training deals with close quarter situations bridging your opponent brings them into the ideal range for a counter attack. If you use your bridges effectively you don’t have to chase your opponents arms. This is a good thing because often times when a person starts chasing arms, they begin to lose their own stability and balance thus creating an opening for their opponent to attack them.
Once a student starts learning the Chum Kiu form is when they usually start learning Chi Sao too.
Chi Sao is sensitivity training. Sensitivity training helps the student know where, when and how an opponent is going to attack.
Source: https://www.entershaolin.com/wing-chun-training-online-chum-kiu-basic-understanding-of-closed-bridge-to-open-bridge/