The Absence Of Combat Pressure

I BELIEVE IN PRESSURE TESTING and the fact that it makes a difference in your ability to react properly. You know about Chi Sau, but that is not the pressure I’m talking about.

- Justin Och

I am talking about pressure from an assailant keeping you pinned against a wall whether by strikes, shoulder pressure, or from repeated aggressive shoving. I’m talking about conditioning and training your strikes to hit with power against heavy bags, wall bags, focus mitts and kick shields.

How strong is your strike really? Can it stop an assailant and do some damage? When someone is moving, countering and making you uncomfortable, the mental and physical pressure is very different from Chi Sau.

When we watch our brothers take on an assailant from another martial art, how do they fair? What does it say about our training and capability when those that fly our flag can’t fight? How do we change that for the next generation?

As I watch Chinese martial arts get challenged, in front of streaming and live recordings, by Muay Thai, Jiu-jitsu and MMA to full-contact fights, I ask myself, what am I doing to prepare my students and myself for a real confrontation?

Testing reactions and reflexes is already a key part of so many Wing Chun lineages. Though the drills and intensity may change and the reasons behind the training may differ from one another, one thing always remains—the power, endurance and accuracy behind the strike remain constant.

However, the absence of pressure testing makes a huge difference. I have had students come to my studio with 7-20+ years of background in Wing Chun who had a hard time striking mitts and heavy bags properly, repeatedly and with fighting endurance. Many did their forms beautifully and could work the Wooden Dummy with good flow, yet had a hard time sparring against a non-compliant practitioner.

Let’s look at these four areas regarding the absence of pressure and how to fix it.

Crossing the Combat Lines