Wing Chun Trapping vs. FMA Trapping

[It is Fake]

Not really. The centerline is just a reference. Your "centerline" doesn't have to be in line with your opponent's centerline. In fact, you have an advantage by creating a mismatch.

Think of "centerline" as two verbs: "center" & "line".

This is what people misunderstand when I say I like centerline theory.


I think poor chun teachers mix this up.

[kwoww]

This is what people misunderstand when I say I like centerline theory.


I think poor chun teachers mix this up.

Having never practiced the chun, I'm actually confused about it myself. Could anyone explain it in the terms of a layman or, better yet, of an idiot?

[Tom Kagan]

Having never practiced the chun, I'm actually confused about it myself. Could anyone explain it in the terms of a layman or, better yet, of an idiot?

Face your opponent. Duh!

[ty5]

Center line of the opponent could be their side, front or back. It depends on your posistion, a lot of chun moves are intended to make the opponents center line open, but that does not necessarily mean their front. For example the side center line would be me facing their side full on and target is still the same temple, ear, jaw, throat, ribs, knees, move to the back - back of the head, spine, back of knees, throat for take down.

This is the whole reason why chain punches are the sign of lame wing chun, the idea is not to chain punch them till they start crying, but gain a posisition which gives you dominance to strike the center line and then posistion again to strike the center line from a different angle.

That is how I understand it anyway.

[Thaiboxerken]

Do some Wing Chun trapping. Now, put a knife in your right hand. That's FMA trapping, it'll be similar, but you'll have to modify it just a bit so you don't cut yourself. Wing Chun trapping tends to move both hands close to the same time. FMA trapping is a 1-1-1-1-1 rhythm so you don't cut yourself. Both systems take advantage of centerline. Now do some trapping while holding a stick as a weapon. Try it with nunchaku as a weapon. There is your difference, FMA is weapon based, Wing Chun is not.

[amichaell]

Quartering and flanking vs. maintaining the centerline seems like pretty opposing tactical goals.

I try to stay on my opponent's centerline and keep them off of mine. Flanking is a good way of doing this.

[Southpaw]

The goals tend to be different. Fma trapping tends to end at extreme close range, and often ends in the clinch or a takedown. There's no real thought that trapping range is something that you can maintain in the fight.

I don't think there is such a range as "trapping range." If you can trap, you can strike. Also, I don't think the goals are different in in wing chun and fma. The goal is to not get killed. Trapping in wing chun and fma should be incidental and a means to an end...never the end itself.

[Southpaw]

Do some Wing Chun trapping. Now, put a knife in your right hand. That's FMA trapping, it'll be similar, but you'll have to modify it just a bit so you don't cut yourself. Wing Chun trapping tends to move both hands close to the same time. FMA trapping is a 1-1-1-1-1 rhythm so you don't cut yourself. Both systems take advantage of centerline. Now do some trapping while holding a stick as a weapon. Try it with nunchaku as a weapon. There is your difference, FMA is weapon based, Wing Chun is not.

I think this is a good post.

[Bear1980]

This is what people misunderstand when I say I like centerline theory.


I think poor chun teachers mix this up.

Yeah alot of people totally misunderstand this, some systems of VT have added another line (Horizontal Mid Line- ) to help make this easier to understand.

[Chili Pepper]

Do some Wing Chun trapping. Now, put a knife in your right hand. That's FMA trapping, it'll be similar, but you'll have to modify it just a bit so you don't cut yourself.

If you have a weapon in your hand, why are you bothering to try and trap? Hit him for cryin' out loud!