There are several punches in Wing Chun. The most common punch which most martial arts magazine readers would identify with Wing Chun is the chung choi. I note that this punch goes by a number of names in China but chung choi is possibly the most commonly used term. Chung choi is thrown with the elbow down and in front of the body on the centreline. The fist is held vertical with the thumb facing up. The contact points are the bottom three first knuckles – like a wedge. If the fist is formed properly with the wrist properly aligned, these are the three points that should contact. If the wrist is incorrectly bent then the whole flat face of the fist contacts. This is incorrect and isn’t making the most of the punch.
In some lineages of Wing Chun, the fist is swivelled upward on point of impact so that the bottom three knuckles are thrust forward. This is incorrect, risks spraining your wrist and is unnecessary. Those who do this have not been taught fully and have not mastered cher lik or chuen gik.
Amongst the reasons given for Wing Chun favouring the vertical punch are the following:
- Alignment and Structure. The vertical punch allows us to absorb the recoil power of the punch by directing it through the elbows and into the stance. By contrast, the rebound of the horizontal punch creates torque in the puncher's body. The vertical punch is also believed to be structurally safer for the wrists.
- Directness. The punch is not "cocked" by pulling the fist back to the ribs and the elbow behind the body. The punch travels directly to the target from the guard position (in front of the chest) or wherever the fist happens to be at the instant of attack.
- Exclusion. If the punch is executed correctly along the centreline and not merely to the centreline then the rotation of the forearm will deflect any incoming straight punch such that you can easily capture the centreline. This is the concept of “kuen siu kuen”.
- Self Protection. The elbow is kept low to cover the front midsection of the body. It is more difficult for an attacker to punch in directly to the middle inner gate or perform an elbow lock or break when the elbow is in this position.
- Power of Impact. The elbow is behind the fist during the strike, it is thereby supported by the skeletal structure of the arm and body linked behind it, rather than just a swinging fist, and therefore has more impact power.
Chung choi, of course is one of several punches used in Wing Chun. Most branches of Wing Chun have very few punches. Our lineage utilises several. The above points help clarify the advantages of chung choi.