Why I teach the '8 Punch' as the '6 Punch' Now

The '8 Punch' or 'Bat Ha Che Kuen', are a series of drills to teach you how your punch coming forwards or backwards, interacts with your opponent's arms. The original 8 are:

1. 'Elbow In' Punch

2. 'Elbow Out' Punch

3. Jum Da (same side, outside - e.g. your left arm outside their right arm)

4. Lai Da (diagonal, outside - e.g. your right arm outside their right arm)

5. Gwat Da (same side, outside)

6. Cheun Da (same side, inside)

7. '1 in, 1 out one side' (same as '5', but front hand is inside)

8. '1 in, 1 out other side' (same as '6', but front hand is outside)

Jum Da (same side, outside)

The confusing issue however, is that the first two drills are just teaching the two main punches - 'elbow in' punch and 'elbow out' punch, and the last two are the same as 5 and 6, but with your attacking arm ending up a different side to theirs. The way I currently teach them in order to simplify things, is as the '6 Punch' - 'Lok Ha Che Kuen' - with 3 punches going forwards, and 3 going backwards.

3 Forward Punches:

1. Jum Da (same side, outside)

2. 'Elbow Out' Punch (same side, inside)

3. 'Diagonal Outside' Punch (diagonal, outside - obvs)

3 Backward Punches:

1. Gwat Da (same side, outside)

2. Chuen Da (same side, inside)

3. Lai Da (same side, outside)

I don't worry about what our non-defending arm is doing, as it mainly relies on the position of our opponent's arm, and is not something we can directly affect.

'Diagonal, Outside' Punch

As you may have noticed, you can't use a punch - forwards or backwards - to defend on the 'diagonal, inside' (e.g. your right arm inside their right arm).

Therefore, you need to use a backwards or forwards 'Pak Sau' in this scenario - either inside or outside.

'Diagonal, Inside' Backwards Pak Add us to your address book