Ok. When you’re punching in the air, do you fully extend your arms (so the elbows lock) or not? What about when punching the wall bag? I heard they’re opposite but I forgot which is which.
Hey, I’m in a computer lab here. Look at me, everyone! I’m on kfo!!!
Iron 
I don’t think you’d ever want to lock your elbows out. Locking them out not only damages them but makes your arm one big ol’ lever so that you can be controlled easily or maybe put in an arm bar.
I agree with Kuen. In addition to the lever argument, people also
sometimes hurt their elbows if they punch too hard and lock the
elbows.
So I stop the punch right before a full extension, right?
Sorry, I don’t have a sifu to ask so I ask you guys instead
IronFist
No stopping of the punch. It’s all in the positioning of the muscles.
No stopping of the punch.
I mean begin to retract it. I know you wouldn’t just leave it hanging out there I meant you retract the punch before the elbow locks.
It’s all in the positioning of the muscles.
I don’t know about you, but I think my muscles are all positioned in the same places as almost everybody elses… o.O
Iron
Hi IronFist.
Locking of an elbow can damage your shoulder joint as well.
Leave it slightly loose to absorb impact.
Actually a lot of peple in the hong kong group and others do lock their elbows when punching.
When you first start wc, they have you punch slowly until you build elbow energy. AFter that you can punch at normal speed without damage.
Punching with locking the elbow increases power but of course you’re in danger of getting your elbow broken.
Tsui seung Tin and his group, ah cheung, ah dak, kenneth chung, leung sheung, lok yiu all punched that way with the elbow locked.
the elbow should be fully extended, just not hyper-extended.
i’m sure that everyone knows that there is a difference.
vts
Originally posted by IronFist
I mean begin to retract it. I know you wouldn’t just leave it hanging out there I meant you retract the punch before the elbow locks
No retracting either.
Originally posted by urban tea
Actually a lot of peple in the hong kong group and others do lock their elbows when punching.
All the more reason not to…
When you first start wc, they have you punch slowly until you build elbow energy.
Elbow energy???
AFter that you can punch at normal speed without damage.
For about 20 years, at which point you have to stop punching altogether because the arthritis is too painful.
Punching with locking the elbow increases power but of course you’re in danger of getting your elbow broken.
Something to think about, isn’t it?
Tsui seung Tin and his group, ah cheung, ah dak, kenneth chung, leung sheung, lok yiu all punched that way with the elbow locked.
What are you suggesting with that statement?
Whippinghand,
I love your tone of " voice" in your post. You seem very friendly.
What are you suggesting with that statement?
=-------------
What I am suggesting? Well it’s not wrong do punch with your elbows locked. I just started wc and I come from a different backgroudn where we don’t lock our elbows. And some of the other classmates from choy lay fut background argue with the teacher about locking elbows with the danger of getting elbows broken by CLF guys or white crane guys.
The teacher likes to do it that way and well the hong kong group that does lock their elbows when punching… i’m sure they know that the elbow can be broken. They are not *******es.
Some of those HK guys have been practicing wc for over 40 years and they have no arthritis. WHen they punch, it’s important to point out that their bicep is not flexed. It is relaxed punching at normal speed.
whipping hand ! happy and i said HAPPY chinese new years. =]
Hello
I was tought to punch to full extension but not to lock the joint. there is a difference.
If you lock the joint energy will rush into the hand and cause the elbo to hyperextend.
But if you punch fully and let the tendons snap the hand/arm back there will be no undue stress on the joint.
the goal should to build tendon streangh but not damage the joint,and of matter of course, there should be no power put into any strike until you actually make contact with you target.
“Well thats my two cents”
CAN ANY ONE MAKE CHANGE??
SEE YA LATTER! C.A.G.
Originally posted by urban tea
You seem very friendly.
I know it’s hard to believe, but I’m always smiling.
Well it’s not wrong do punch with your elbows locked.
Your right. It’s not wrong. Nothing is every wrong. It’s just not in one’s best interest to do so, from a practical and health standpoint.
The teacher likes to do it that way and well the hong kong group that does lock their elbows when punching… i’m sure they know that the elbow can be broken. They are not *******es.
Hopefully they don’t know. 'Cause if they do know, and they still do it… frankly, they’re more of an idiot for knowing. (Ignorance IS bliss.)
If a position is susceptible to breaking, 1) there is minimal power in the movement, 2) it indicates that the practitioner does not understand flow.
By the way, I need a translation of “*******es”.
Tsui seung Tin and his group, ah cheung, ah dak, kenneth chung, leung sheung, lok yiu all punched that way with the elbow locked.
Are you so sure of this? Is it a Fact?
elbows
If your elbow locks out then the energy at the elbow is going upward, which can cause it to hyperextend. If the force is going forward from the elbow, you will get a full extension and a much more powerful punch without hyperextension.
I’m not quite sure I know what you’re referring to by “hyperextension.” My elbow joints go to exactly 180 degrees. I don’t have one of those weird arms that some people have where their elbow actually goes more than 180 degrees when they lock it out.
So, instead of just saying “it means this and not this, there is a difference,” it would be more helpful to me if you were to say “… this is the difference” or “this is how you do it…”
Thanks,
IronFist
Hi IronFist.
Let me try to explain it, but might be wrong.
Yes, your arm goes to 180 degrees.
Extension = Arm is straight and the joints & muscles are still “loose”.
Hyper Extension = Arm is straight with all your Muscles tense and joitsn locked.
People correct me if I got it wrong.
IronFist
i’m sure if you look properly you will find that you can
hyper-extend your elbow, think of your legs.
straight, then fully straight(ie hyper-extended)
god, i am such a pathetic beginner that i can’t even think how to put it in words, never the less there is a difference.
or try straightening your arm & then once this is done see if you can pop your elbow up a little more from the vertical fist position.
this now hyper-extended.
vts
Keep something in reserve
Hello,
Just my 2-cents FWIW
IMHO locking out the elbows would niot be the optimum method for a couple of reasons.
As already pointed out you run the risk of hyperextending the elbow and causing damage to the elbow joint and possibly the shoulder as well. 
With a fully locked out arm you have nothing in reserve. You have fully comitted to that punch/movement. You lose the felxibility to change or modify your technique quickly.
If the joint is already extended then it takes far less effort on the opponents part, sometimes even by accident, to damage your arm so you may not be able to use it again right away.
Most of what I just said has already been stated here so it should be nothing new. I teach to fully extend the arm but to not lock the elbows in training. I do this because I want people to train the FULL Range of Movement. This will help to strengthen the tendons and ligiments. This should be done slowly and with a snap at the end. It is kind of like Yin and Yang. There is only “tension” for lack of a better word, at the end of the punch. Prior to that and immediately after delivering the punch the entire arm, and body, should be relaxed again. However when you fully extend the punch you never want to “lock” it out fully. There is a difference which can sometimes be very subtle. Try this stick your arm straight. Now fully extend it, now push it a bit further. I think you will be able to feel the difference. Although your arm may not move much past the 180’ if at all in the final position you should be able to feel the tension around the elbows and even the shoulders.
Now if you train to fully extend the arm and relax right away you will get the extension and there will be a slight retraction due to the tension being released. Also, by staying relaxed any energy returned to you by the punch, and you will get some energy back, will be more easily disolved due to the relaxation and spring-like quality you develope. If you punch a wall bag for example; the energy of the punch comes from the floor through your body and through the arm into the wall bag then wall. The energy will have nowhere to go as the wall is unyeilding, unlike a human target, thus the energy will come back through the wall through your arm and back through your body to the ground. If you are relaxed, and not fully locked, this energy will dissipate at various points, wrist, elbow, shoulder, waist legs, ground. If locked and still tense this energy will not move smooothly through your body and will get caught up along the way potentialy causing some problems.
Now in application the punch should, again IMHO, not extend fully but have a slight bend in the arm. My reason for this is that it allows you a cushion to work with. If your punch is a bit short or the opponent moves it enables you to have a little bit held in reserve to then extend if needed. Without this “reserve” you have comitted to the movement and would need to rechamber in order to continue with the punch, thus in fact going to a new punch. With a slightly bent elbow you can continue from the same punch and extend fully if the need is there. Besides, you can hit quite hard without fully extending the arm. You will also find that should you get in a bind your arm will have a bit more play in it and be less susceptible to movemetns causing damge. Your arm can still be damaged but you have a bit of play to help you avoid it.
I believe that much of this was already said and only wish to put a slightly different spin on it. You can punch any number of ways but if you comitt yourself fully you may have violated some principle of Wing Chun. Think about it, do we ever want to not have something in reserve, just in case???
Peace,
Dave
NICELY SAID DAVE (sehing73)
I hope everyone understands there is a big differance between a chunchoie and a reverce punch! its the differance between a concussion strike, and a kinetic strike. (Bruce Lee in an interview, stated its like a ball and chain, when it strikes it causes more damage… there is more to the quote but I hope you get the point.)
sehing73. stated that there should be no tension in the arm until the point of contact… I cannot agree more.
Have a good day C.A.G.
humm? PERHAPS INSTEAD of asking for change, I should have dialed 10,10,220? ;)LOL