To those of you doing one legged squats or other heavy weight training
Guys,
Have you found that doing this sort of training has helped your kicking. I ask because my kicking is weak despite being able to squat a reasonable amount of weight. Basically I’ve got plenty of slow muscle but not much fast, twitch muscle. Have you noticed significant gains in explosive power from the leg work you’ve done or are the benefits more in terms of rootedness and stability ?
Balance and general leg strength. For explosive kicking, the only thing I’ve found that really works is kicking, especially kicking something substantial (dummy, pad, etc.) just to keep the joints healthy.
I think the biggest key to strong kicking is proper mechanics. The best way these mechanics can be trained, IMO, after the basics have been drilled sufficiently in the air, is to kick an airshield held by your partner who is moving slowly around the room. Try to get your weight behind the kick and uproot your partner if possible. This is also very good exercise for your legs.
Further exercises towards strength development should help your kicking power, but only moderately and slowly. I’m training my legs because I like to train my legs, most of all.
any one knows why in YM SNT (not sure about YKS’s), we open the stance by lining up the feet in a straight line;
etc.
Who’s WE, sucka?
I do YMWC and don’t start the form like that. I do the two circling steps. And I don’t use a pigeon toed stance either.
As for that being an exercise to mobilise the hips and legs, it is not exactly efficient for purpose. The circling steps would be slightly better, but not much.
If WC was ever a system of health cultivation or physical culture, highly unlikely IMO, it must have been strictly third-rate.
It’s just to get into the stance. Why does everything have to have some deep significance to you guys?
Are these leg exercises taught to you guys in class, did you pick them up elsewhere (excluding YGKYM), or did you just invent your own exercises? I’m just curious because legs are the foundation of your structure, yet what gets talked about all the time is upper-body/arms stuff.
Originally posted by anerlich
[B] etc.
I do YMWC and don’t start the form like that. I do the two circling steps. And I don’t use a pigeon toed stance either.
[/B]
perhaps Andrew and I We shall have a clear distinction between the YM M(oodified) side and YM T(radissshhhhhenal) side of his personality 
Next time I will say YMMWC SNT for sure 
Re: To those of you doing one legged squats or other heavy weight training
Originally posted by KingMonkey
[B]Guys,
Have you found that doing this sort of training has helped your kicking. I ask because my kicking is weak despite being able to squat a reasonable amount of weight. Basically I’ve got plenty of slow muscle but not much fast, twitch muscle. Have you noticed significant gains in explosive power from the leg work you’ve done or are the benefits more in terms of rootedness and stability ? [/B]
i experienced something interesting. i had a knee injury which prevented me doing any kicking for about six months. i was pretty much restricted to doing sil lim tao (even chum kiu and bil gee was forbidden during that time)
when i started kicking again i had improved tremendously, kicking much more powerfully than before. i have to assume it was due to an improved stance (rootedness and stability).
What about cycling?
Re: Re: To those of you doing one legged squats or other heavy weight training
Originally posted by sel
i experienced something interesting. i had a knee injury which prevented me doing any kicking for about six months. i was pretty much restricted to doing sil lim tao (even chum kiu and bil gee was forbidden during that time)
when i started kicking again i had improved tremendously, kicking much more powerfully than before. i have to assume it was due to an improved stance (rootedness and stability).
Good observation. It’s amazing how much Wing Chun training can help one’s Wing Chun.
Regards,
KJ
That’s my question KJ: what are typical WC leg training exercises?
Run up the hill every Friday
Opening stance.
I do this a lot.
Open.
Close.
Fast.
Slow.
Alone.
With somebody else’s knee outside/inside mine.
In chi sao.
In sparring.
From a triangle entry.
From huen bo.
It seems to have an application, Anerlich, no?
On a summer’s eve I even like to do it with a beer…
Besides the usual squats, etc. - Do any of you do any hip exercises or hip streches for kicking?
IMHO - leg squats are good, but I think learning how to use your hips in your kicks is more important.
I think Wing Chun 5 kicks drill is certainly a taxing exercise for you hip flexors, and promotes flexibility specifically for our kicks.
Throw many reps of kicks along with stance-shifts will also help you to use your hips correctly.
Can you describe this 5 kicks drill in a little more detail?
First when you are learning it, you practice the kicks individually using the exchange step and advancing. Then you combine them all as follows: Stand in your Bai Jong stance, lift the front knee (1), then stomp kick (2), front kick (3), side kick (4) then jut gerk (5), which brings your foot back down. Repeat 5 or 10 times. Then switch legs.
I think most Wing Chun schools have a variation of this drill.
Shins of Steel
How to get these? Any ideas?
Steel implants? 
Actually, this could be interesting. Let’s hear more.
Can occasional dowel use over the shins calcify them to the extent that they become rock-solid or only cripple you?