We can say that there is “only one punch in Wing Chun”. I want, however, to differentiate my meaning from those who seem to actually only have one punch! Sure, they say and teach that they have that strange “uppercut” in their chum kiu or the “hook” in their biu jee. But, they never seem to be able to credibly demonstrate how these supposed strikes in their forms can be applied realistically against an uncooperative attacker in a free, flowing fashion. Their Wing Chun is simply chung choi or saam sing choi. This is OK when it works. However, there are times when you need more versatility in real fights – especially if the attacker is a decent fighter not a cooperative gwoon brother posing for you and only delivering one attack!
In saying that there is “only one punch in Wing Chun”, I am saying there is only the need for the one single punch structure. Our punch is always structured in the same fashion. It is the same for chung choi, sam sing choi, chau choi, pau choi, au choi, chaap choi, gwa choi, chou choi, pin choi, and, gwai choi. The back of the hand is aligned with the forearm and the wrist is kept straight – always. To bend the wrist is an error both in terms of impeding the flow of energy (hei or “chi”) and in terms of practical injury prevention.
We don’t kink the wrist or perform wrist straightening en route to the target or any vertical wiggles of the wrist. We don’t throw half formed fists or trendy half open hands to clutch at the air and “close on impact” in an effort to add any “power”. Keep it simple! I have never been convinced of the argument that anyone can significantly increase their power by flipping their wrist up on, or just prior to, contact. I think that from a practical combat point of view that’s really fanciful. I also consider it potentially dangerous in a real fight, myself. And, it’s not relaxed. If it’s not relaxed, it’s breaking one of the Wing Chun principles. So, logically, it isn’t Wing Chun!
With our punches, we employ spiral or rotary power (coming from the snake art) in our delivery of the punch. We don’t push the punch as almost all the people I see demonstrating do. We throw it in keeping with employing internal powering. I’m not going to describe how we do that in this article. That’s for my students. If the reader is open minded and clever it ought not take much thinking to figure it out. It does actually add considerable power. If you can’t figure it out, go talk to a Western boxer. He’ll put you straight! Coupled with our focusing of our impacting fist surface correctly, this type of punch simply does deliver much more power.
Our Wing Chun has the several punches I listed above delivered along different trajectories and at different levels and distances from the body, to meet the needs of different real world combat needs - but they all employ a wrist supported at all times by the correct, unbending structural alignment. This leads to a firmer, stronger structure and is safer in that you don’t risk spraining your wrist if your punch is intercepted before it is delivered with the wrist bent. It also, quite simply, adds more power to your punch.