From the first few Wing Tsun lessons, you learn to move both hands at the same time, doing different tasks. We know that if you try to defend first, then attack, it is much too late. Your opponent’s next attack is already on the way! It is completely unrealistic to consider the defend-then-attack scenario. We see this all the time in real fights. Quite often the combatants attack at the same time. Often, both miss in landing their first attacks.

This means that one of the persons receiving an attack must be a bit patient and have better judgement and timing than their opponent. There is a saying in Leung Ting WingTsun®, “Start later, arrive first.” This means that if we can feel or see an attack coming, we need to take a shorter route to the target so that we can land our attack first! Alternately, as the situation allows, we must insure that we have contact with one of his limbs to use his force to deflect, dissolve or evade it. We can make him miss his target and enable us to land our own.

In practicing this fast, efficient way of defending yourself, you also learn a new mind body coordination. It is the first of many that you will learn in your journey!

-Sifu Keith Sonnenberg

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