Wayne Belonoha - Wing Chun Plum Flower Posts: Advancing the Legwork of the Wooden Dummy

Copyright 2020 by Wayne Belonoha. All rights reserved. No portion of this book, except for brief review, may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwisewithout written permission of the publisher. For information contact Blue Snake Books c/o North Atlantic Books.

Published by Blue Snake Books, an imprint of North Atlantic Books
Berkeley, California
Cover design by Jasmine Hromjak
Book design by Happenstance Type-O-Rama

Printed in the United States of America

Wing Chun Plum Flower Posts: Advancing the Legwork of the Wooden Dummy is sponsored and published by the Society for the Study of Native Arts and Sciences (dba North Atlantic Books), an educational nonprofit based in Berkeley, California, that collaborates with partners to develop cross-cultural perspectives, nurture holistic views of art, science, the humanities, and healing, and seed personal and global transformation by publishing work on the relationship of body, spirit, and nature.

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PLEASE NOTE: The creators and publishers of this book disclaim any liabilities for loss in connection with following any of the practices, exercises, and advice contained herein. To reduce the chance of injury or any other harm, the reader should consult a professional before undertaking this or any other martial arts, movement, meditative arts, health, or exercise program. The instructions and advice printed in this book are not in any way intended as a substitute for medical, mental, or emotional counseling with a licensed physician or health care provider.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Belonoha, Wayne, author. | Society for the Study of Native Arts and
Sciences.
Title: Wing Chun Plum Flower Posts : advancing the legwork of the wooden
dummy / Wayne Belonoha.
Description: Berkeley, California : Blue Snake Books, 2020. | Includes
index. | Summary: Apply and defend against all manner of kicks, sweeps,
leg locks, leg checks and kick checks by learning to master the lost
study of plum flower posts. Its time to rediscover the forgotten
secrets to harnessing and wielding the power of the plum flower posts in
combat. The missing link for training the Wing Chun stance, this book
helps intermediate students and practitioners reach the highest levels
of proficiency, teaching leg skills, sticking skills, good positioning,
and checking and immobilization skills Provided by publisher.
Identifiers: LCCN 2020007766 (print) | LCCN 2020007767 (ebook) | ISBN
9781623175177 (Trade Paperback) | ISBN 9781623175184 (eBook)
Subjects: LCSH: Kung fu.
Classification: LCC GV1114.7 .B47 2020 (print) | LCC GV1114.7 (ebook) |
DDC 796.815/9dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020007766
LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020007767

North Atlantic Books is committed to the protection of our environment. We print on recycled paper whenever possible and partner with printers who strive to use environmentally responsible practices.

I have traveled the world, lived in China, and met with countless Wing Chun people from different styles and lineages. Ive also been privileged to meet with and witness some incredible skills from really great masters of different martial arts. Many of these masters could strike up to six weight classes above their own and devastate an opponent with one strike or kick.

I started to notice that there was always one common denominator that separated the good from the greattheir stance and legwork. Many of the masters I met used the plum flower posts in some capacity, and I soon started to notice a dividing line between the skill of the people who trained with the plum flower posts and the skill of those who did not. And while some of the masters with great stance and legwork developed it without the use of plum flower post training, for a large part the plum flower posts were a key element in the training systems of those with the highest levels of skill.

I have witnessed that this knowledge is held by a few and is still trained in earnest across many styles. I also found that some people, for one reason or another, did not have this knowledge. So to preserve Wing Chuns method of advancing these skills for the future, and perhaps for those who want to learn these methods, I decided to write this book.

The plum flower posts are surely the missing link to mastering Wing Chuns rooting power, kicking, kick prevention and avoidance, sweeping, sweep prevention, and movement. While the wooden dummy teaches how to manage attacks on the upper body, the plum flower posts focus on managing attacks on the lower body and foundation. Imagine having a defense for any type of leg attack or sweep.

Some people use the Wing Chun plum flower posts for standing or stepping on. While there is value in training on such stepping posts, this method does not really fit with the rest of the Wing Chun system. To show the fit, we would use the plum flower posts to advance the stepping and kicking found in the wooden dummy form. The leg of the wooden man actually represents one leg post, which is then surrounded by ten others. Further fit is evidenced by the fact that the methods taught in Wing Chuns Sticking Legs program are the same methods advanced using the plum flower posts. The plum flower posts are the Sticking Legs partner in the way the wooden dummy is a static person partner.

The plum flower posts are a fantastic and necessary training tool. They are like weights to a weightlifter, like a swimming pool for the swimmer, like a putting green to a golfer, and like the wooden dummy to a Wing Chun practitioner.

Once well trained with the plum flower posts, you will see these clear benefits. You will:

Your bodys top priority is to prevent a fall, and it will do whatever it needs to do in order to stay upright. This happens when youre tripped, your foot is swept, or you are forced to step back. Your body puts such a high priority on staying upright that it will instinctively not even be concerned with such things as blockingand at that moment youre vulnerable. A skilled martial artist or practiced street fighter knows this and will attack like lightning during this vulnerable moment. You will not be able to stop the attack.

With the skills developed through practice of the plum flower post methods, you will never be put off balance, thrown, or have your foot sweptand your defenses and ability to attack will always stay up.

Your enemy will know how to make you fall by locking or breaking your legs. Your enemy may also counter or check your leg attacks or steps. When your leg gets checked, locked, or broken, your defenses will drop. Your enemy knows that if your upper defenses are strong, he should attack the supporting legs.

With the skills developed through practice of the plum flower posts methods, you will never have your leg checked or broken. Your foundation will always be available to support your hands.

With nimble and robust footwork, you will be in the right position at the right time. You will avoid your enemys punches by not being in front of them. Standing in front of an opponent and hoping your blocks work is not an advisable strategy. Instead you will use your knowledge of positioning and will have the skills to outflank your enemy, attacking him from a safe position. When your enemy is outflanked, your own blocks will also be much more effective since your enemy has no credible method of attack.