Wing Chun Forms/Ba Chun Do

The Ba Chun Do form teaches the use of short-range weapons.

The sword form is the sixth and final Wing Chun form. It comes last partly because of the wrist strength needed and partly because practicing is dangerous. It takes time for a beginning martial artist to develop the focused power needed to properly control a one-handed sword. Even if the student is strong enough, control is likely to be off and practice partners are likely to be hurt.

Opening and Empty Hand

1. Begin in a loose position of attention facing East. Left hand is at your side. Right hand is near waist, holding the hilts of the swords. Blades are forward.
2. Raise left hand to shoulder level, then bring left hand back to rest position while bending knees.
3. Circle step left then circle step right, ending in basic stance.
   • Application: Mobility is very important with the swords. You have a short-range weapon, so you'll need to move fast to get into range without being hit by a longer-range weapon.
4. Left hand Angle Punch.
   • Application: Don't forget that your empty-hand techniques are still available.
5. Open left hand so palm faces right and fingers point forward. Do four vertical wrist blocks, up, down, up, down, up, down, up, down. Turn palm down. Do four horizontal wrist blocks, right, left, right, left, right, left, right, left. Turn palm up, Huen Sau, return to rest position.
   • Tip: Practicing with the swords is a good way to start building wrist strength. Do lots of chops, and otherwise just practice a lot with them. Weight training and fingertip pushups are also good once you know what muscles you need.
   • Note: This movement obviously does not build up wrist strength. It is meant to demonstrate that you have powerful wrists. Doing the wrist blocks in fours is meant to show that you are stronger than when you learned Bil Jie, which does wrist blocks in threes.
6. Shift to face left.
7. Right foot steps forward, bringing feet together. Maintain height. At the same time bring left hand to the sword hilts.
8. Look to left then Side Kick to left.
9. Plant left foot into basic stance. At the same time, bounce the swords up and grab the hilts normally. Bring hands and swords up to Jong Do position, hands a few inches apart.
   • Tip: Both hands are in Jong Do, not one in Jong Do and one in Wu Do.

Chop and Thrust

1. Left hand forward chop. Right hand forward chop. Left hand forward chop. Right hand forward chop.
2. Right Biu Do. Left Biu Do. Right Biu Do. Left Biu Do.
3. Draw both hands back slightly, then High-low Gahn Do to left with shift. High-low Gahn Do to right with shift. High-low Gahn Do to left with shift. High-low Gahn Do to right with shift.
4. Shift forward and do right hand Circling Chop forward. Both swords end up in Jong Do.
   • Application: Circling chop is slower but more powerful.
5. Repeat to the opposite side.

Bong-Do

1. Left Bong Do, shifting right. Right hand is in Wu Do. Right Bong Do with shift. Left Bong Do with shift. Right Bong Do with shift.
2. Right sword circles in front of and above left. Double chop with both swords, right first.
   • Tip: The exact way you do return to double Jong Do depends on the length of your swords. Generally, bring the Wu Do sword down and back slightly as you roll your forward wrist so the Bong Do blade circles toward your head before pointing upward with the blade facing forward.
3. Repeat to the opposite side.

Y-Block

Applications

• Useful against a single long sword or a pole weapon.
• Do not use this trap when your opponent has two weapons. You will be using both of yours to trap one of his.
• You can use the same trap on a weapon to your side. For instance, if your opponent has a long pole, steer it to your side with Tan Do. Then shift enough to bring your other blade in contact and trap the pole. Depending on your blades and how you hold them, you may be able to charge your opponent while dragging your blades along the pole.
• Be ready to move quickly toward your opponent. One counter to the Y-block is to withdraw the long weapon straight away from you and back toward the opponent.
• Shift with the block when catching a weapon from above. If you miss or are unable to hold it, you don't want to be where it's going.

Steps

1. Shift right and perform a Y-block, left sword in front. The blades are outward and the hooks are together
   • Application: Catch a descending blade or pole with the blade and hook. You can then turn the blades to lock the opponent's weapon.
2. Huen Do with left blade as you shift forward, then both swords come to a double chop.
3. Repeat to the opposite side.

Quan Do

1. Low Bong Do to left with shift, at the same time doing a left Tan Do. The hilts should be close to each other. This double-block is called Quan Do. Quan Do to right with shift. Quan Do to left with shift.
   • Application: Block an attack coming in from the side. This double block leaves your Tan Do hand more exposed than in the High-Low Gahn Do, but this might be the best block to use based on hand position.
2. Circle right sword to the left of the left sword, coming down to a double chop.
3. Draw swords back slightly, separate hands, and turn blades to face each other. Shift left and push blades toward each other. Right blade continues the motion in front of left blade, then circles down and around. Double Chop to the front.
   • Application: Chop at a long weapon. Even if the end isn't cut off, the blades should let you control the opponent's weapon briefly so you can run in closer.
4. Repeat to the other side.

Advancing Fuk Do

1. Step forward with right foot and bring left sword to Fuk Do. Right sword is in Wu Do. Step forward left with right Fuk Do. Step forward right with left Fuk Do.
2. Step back quickly right-left-right-left, ending in ready stance approximately where you started this section. As you step back, the sword in the opposite hand is forward and moving down to cover centerline.
   • Tip: Practice the retreat until you can do it very quickly.
   • Application: Retreat while covering from an aggressive attack. The fast footwork is supposed to get you away quickly while the fast swordwork confuses the opponent.

Muen Do

1. Muen Do to left, shifting left to face West. Right sword is in a rear guard to the left, close to ribs.
   • Tip: Leading leg's knee is turned in. Most weight is on the rear leg.
   • Tip: For the form, the blades should both be parallel to the ground. Upper (Muen Do) blade is edge up and Wu Do blade is edge down.
   • Application: Respond to a new opponent coming from off centerline. Muen Do is intended to lift all attacks in its sweep.
2. Drop both swords to a low guard, facing West.
3. Shuffle step forward, to the West, lifting left sword into Muen Do and right sword into Wu Do to West. Drop swords to low guard. Shuffle step, lifting swords into Muen Do and Wu Do.
4. Shift right to face East, lowering both swords in front of you as you pass North, then lifting right sword into Muen Do and left sword into Wu Do to the East.
5. Drop swords to low guard. Shuffle step East, lifting swords into Muen Do and Wu Do. Drop swords to low guard. Shuffle step East, lifting swords into Muen Do and Wu Do.
6. Shift left to face North, bringing both swords to Jut Do.

Advancing Biu Do

1. Step forward with right foot, thrusting left sword forward. Right sword is in Wu Do. Step forward with left foot, thrusting right sword forward. Step forward with right foot, thrusting left sword forward.
2. Step back quickly right-left-right-left, ending in ready stance approximately where you started this section. As you step back, the sword in the opposite hand is forward and moving down to cover centerline.

Advancing Tan Do

1. Step forward with right foot, moving right sword into Tan Do and thrusting left sword forward. Step forward with left foot with left Tan Do and right Biu Do. Step forward with right foot with right Tan Do and left Biu Do.
   • Application: The Tan Do is on the same side as the step to prevent you from turning too far as you advance. If you were meeting an incoming attack you would normally turn into the Tan Do (or Tan Sau) to shift the attack away from your centerline. When advancing, it's more important to keep moving toward the target. But of course you should stay flexible to respond to whatever attack your opponent makes as you advance.
2. Step back quickly right-left-right-left, ending in ready stance approximately where you started this section. As you step back, the sword in the opposite hand is forward and moving down to cover centerline.

Advancing Quan Do

1. Step forward with right foot, moving right sword into Tan Do and left sword into low Bong Do. Step forward with left foot, moving swords into leftward Quan Do. Step forward with right foot, moving swords into rightward Quan Do.
2. Step back quickly right-left-right-left, ending in ready stance approximately where you started this section. As you step back, the sword in the opposite hand is forward and moving down to cover centerline.

Arm Sword

Applications

If you're too close for sword work, put the blades along your arms and fight as if empty handed.

Notes

This is why the swords are not sharp along the entire edge.

Steps

1. Put your left thumb in the hook, then rotate the sword around the thumb so the blade is along your left forearm, edge facing forward. Shift right and make a punching motion to the right so the blade moves in a slicing motion. Shift left with a short elbow jab to the left, then pivot the sword back into a normal grip.
   • Application: For close-in fighting you can fight almost as if you were empty handed. Fold the swords along your forearms to strengthen your strikes.
   • Application: The slicing arm motion is throat cutting.
   • Application: If the sword extends past your elbow, the tip makes your side elbow strike more effective.
   • Application: The sword hilt makes a punch more effective.
2. Repeat with the right hand.
3. Pivot right sword and bring both swords to Jong Do.

Closing

Notes

No practical applications here

Steps

1. Bring hands and swords together in front of body. Transfer the right sword to the left hand and at the same time change the left hand grip so the swords are along the left forearm and the back edges of the swords are in the left elbow.
2. Bring the right hand back to rest position and the left elbow back near the ribs. Come up to a normal standing posture and bring the right foot alongside the left foot. Press down with the right hand so it ends near the right hip.

Training Tips

• Practice on the dummy
• Use tonfas or even plain dowels for safer and less destructive practice

Key Points

• Even though Ba Chun Do literally means "Eight Way Swords", don't knock yourself out finding eight different attacks. "Eight Way" is a Buddhist term, not a sword term.
• Many sword techniques are derived from open hand techniques. The same concepts apply but you will have to retrain your muscles. Use the sword as if it were your forearm in many open hand techniques.
• Don't forget to use hands and feet if appropriate.
• Wrist power and arm strength are very important. There's no point in blocking an opponent's strike if your wrist isn't strong enough to hold the block.
• Mobility is the counter-point to wrist strength. If you aren't strong enough to block an attack, you'll have to use soft blocks and move your body rapidly and agilely to flow around the attacks.
• Ba Chun Do techniques apply to any short-ranged weapon. "Short ranged" in practice means anything you can use with one hand. ("Long ranged" weapons are something big enough to need two hands and which can keep an opponent at a distance.)
• Ba Chun Do are used in pairs. Many of the techniques may be performed with only one sword, but the style as a whole requires two swords, just like the Wing Chun open hand style uses both hands.

Conclusion

See also books and videos on tonfa use. Many tonfa techniques work with Ba Chun Do.