Wing Tsun chain punches are, perhaps almost as well-known as wooden dummy techniques or sticky hands techniques as an iconic method of this martial arts system. That said, do you really know what they are why they are effective?

One of the keys is Wing Tsun’s centerline concept. One learns the single, straight-line thrusting punch first. The punch follows a straight-line to its target from the center of one’s chest to the same place on one’s training partner. The centerline, as defined by Leung Ting WingTsun® is the spot on one’s chest that is the intersection of the vertical and horizontal midline. The vertical line is easy to see. The horizontal line is not as easy. This line is the mid-point between the top of one’s thighs and the top of the head. The hands defend this area.

The chain punches are the ‘chained together’ version of the straight-line thrusting punch. It normally extends straight out from the chest, not from the side of the body. This results in a shorter line and a shorter path to the target. When chained together, no two-dimensional block, sideways or up or down or block-then-punch routine is sufficient to stop an onslaught of these punches. The best defense is another Wing Tsun technique and that technique is more deflecting chain punches! Another method is hands positioned at the center-line and counter-attacking from there.

For a look at chain punches, see one of our videos at our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ILk3ncXC2RI

-Sifu Keith Sonnenberg

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