Conditioning With The Ving Tsun Long Pole

By Alan Gibson & Dr. Matthew Mills

The value of the Ving Tsun weapons has often been called into question. To the extent they are often taught as an afterthought to the empty hand forms. Such scepticism is clearly justified with the development of more sophisticated weapons, such as the handgun. Training effort is rarely wasted in Ving Tsun, and the retention of the pole form suggests it serves more than the observance of tradition.

Every action of our lives is dependent on forces we exert on other people and objects. These forces are produced by our Skeletal Muscles. Their effects, whether it is punching another person or resisting their strikes, are predicted by Newton’s Three Laws of Motion. These tell us that if you want to change the motion of an opponent, you must exert a force on him. The greater the force, the further and faster you will move him. The force you exert depends on the mass you hit him with, such as that of the arm, and how quickly it is moving. It follows that a heavy object moving slowly can exert the same force as a light object moving fast.

The pole is far from being redundant, and consistent with central Ving Tsun concepts, it is one of the simplest and most effective tools for improving striking power.

The fist is relatively light, so punching power will depend mainly on the speed at which you can deliver a blow. This principle is central to the use of any long weapon. Swinging a pole in a wide arc, the far end of the pole must move faster than the grip. While the mass of the pole is light, the force delivered by the end of the pole is massively increased (Diagram 1).

Our muscles produce movement by exerting forces on our skeleton. This is essentially a series of levers. Common experience will demonstrate that we are stronger, and able to exert greater forces, in certain positions. For example, we can carry a heavy load cradling it in bent arms, but not at arms length. In these positions our muscles are said to have the greatest mechanical advantage. Our ability to accelerate our fist to maximum speed will therefore depend on the initial position of the arm.

Complex movements are not produced by action of muscles in isolation. To execute a punch the legs first extend forcefully driven by the hip and thigh muscles. Newton’s Third Law of Motion tells us that the movement of Earth will not change much because it is too massive. The ground exerts an equal and opposite force which is driven up through the body. This has a much greater effect on us because our mass is tiny in comparison to that of the Earth. These forces are transmitted through the waist and into the shoulder. The muscles of the arm and shoulder girdle add additional impetus to drive the fist forward.

If you wish to improve punching force you must therefore train against a relatively light weight, at high velocity, in the punching action. This is the action of the rear arm in the pole punching exercise.

The transmission of forces through a complex series of movements is called a Kinetic Chain. A movement will begin in one segment of the body, such as the legs, and the forces produced will be transmitted to another limb such as the arm. The kinetic chain of a javelin thrower, for example, begins with a powerful push from the legs. This is transmitted through the waist where the force is increased by a forceful twisting action. The cumulative forces drive through the shoulder to snap the arm forward. Importantly, at each stage the forces produced in one limb or segment add to the next. In the case of the javelin thrower, the result is that the javelin is propelled by much greater force than would be possible with the arm alone.

The transmission of forces is not perfectly efficient. When we strike an opponent, some of the force will be dissipated because the arm is not perfectly rigid. Another reason for employing a long weapon is that the material it is made from is less likely to bend. Struck at the same speed, a pole will be more painful than a hand strike because less of the force is dissipated. All things being equal, the more rigid object is said to have greater Effective Mass. The lesson from the pole is that the more rigid our arm and body is at the point of impact, the greater the Effective Mass of our fist and effect on the opponent (Diagram 2).

Counter-intuitively perhaps, the Ving Tsun practitioner is more likely to increase punching power using light weights than lifting heavy ones.

Ving Tsun exploits our Neuro-physiology to increase the Effective Mass of our strike. In evolving to use tools in a standing position humans have developed a range of sophisticated postural reflexes. These ensure the correct balance of muscle forces to maintain posture and limb positions while using tools. Holding progressively heavier objects away from the body will produce greater activation of the chest and back muscles. This process is called Irradiation and can be experienced simply by clenching the fist of an outstretched arm. Delivering a punch with a clenched fist exploits this reflex, making the arm rigid and the strike more forceful. Tensing the leg and abdominal muscles, which is required when standing holding heavy objects, augments this reflex. The Ving Tsun stance not only optimises forces to drive a punch, but also its effect.

When designing a training strategy for Ving Tsun it would be easy to assume developing greater strength would increase striking power. The force a muscle can produce is, however, dependent on speed of movement. As velocity increases, maximum force that can be produced decreases. A hand strike can be executed at over 45 km per hour, a speed at which maximum force production is relatively low.

Rate of force production is a far more critical factor in the speed at which a punch is fired at an opponent. It takes around half a second for a muscle to develop maximum force. A punch will be over in a fraction of that time. The difference between maximum force possible and the force that can be produced in the time available is called Explosive Strength Deficit (Diagram 3).

The Dynamic Effort Method is specifically directed at reducing the Explosive Strength Deficit. Rather than training with heavy weights, the objective is to train with light weights allowing movement at speeds just below those achieved during the actual activity. The objective is to overcome the resistance and move at or above normal speed. This kind of training has been demonstrated to increase the rate and absolute level of force production at high speeds. Counter-intuitively perhaps, the Ving Tsun practitioner is more likely to increase punching power using light weights than lifting heavy ones.

The pole punching exercises are not the final evolution of pole conditioning. Standing in YJKYM with the pole held at arm’s length, the hips can be used to drive the fist forward against the resistance of the pole.

Control over the rate of force production also varies between the upper and lower limbs. The upper limbs are hard-wired to produce fine increments of force, and we have considerably greater control over the arms as a result. Because they must carry the whole body weight the legs are hard-wired to produce high forces, but we have less control over them. As a direct result there is a greater Explosive Strength Deficit in the legs than the arms.

The difference in neural hard-wiring between the upper and lower limbs has implications for training. The upper limbs are best trained at high speed with a relatively light weight. This is because we can exert a high level of control over the rate of force production. The arms can therefore produce a rapid increase in force and then relax in a short space of time. Because the lower limbs can only increase force at a relatively low rate they cannot keep up with the arms. While the arms can be trained with rapid loading and unloading, the legs should therefore be maintained in a state of tension.

Conditioning with the pole reflects the specific neural and muscular demands of Ving Tsun strikes. The relatively light weight of the pole allows it to be moved at near normal striking speed. The deep stance places the muscles of the lower limbs at a mechanical disadvantage, meaning they must be maintained in a state of high tension. Grasping the pole at the point of focus requires high levels of grip strength, inducing the irradiation effect and making the arm rigid at the point of contact. Evidence suggests this training will reduce the Explosive Strength Deficit and increase punching velocity. Enhanced neuromuscular coordination increases the Effective Mass of the strike at the point of contact (Diagram 4).

Ving Tsun pole training contains a range of sophisticated hidden forms. It demonstrates the fundamental physics and mechanics of effective hand strikes.

The effects of conditioning are highly specific and they may have little carry-over to another activity. Dynamic Effort must be trained in the specific movement you wish to improve. If you wish to improve punching force, you must therefore train against a relatively light weight, at high velocity, in the punching action. This is the action of the rear arm in the pole punching exercise.

The pole punching exercises are not the final evolution of pole conditioning. Standing in YJKYM with the pole held at arm’s length, the hips can be used to drive the fist forward against the resistance of the pole. A step can be added with each thrust of the hip. The pole can therefore be used to develop power with specific application to empty hand fighting (Diagram 5).

In any discussion of conditioning with the long pole, it is important to consider the context in which it was originally introduced to Ving Tsun. At that time, a detailed understanding of muscle physiology was not as well developed as it is today. It is likely that exercises with the pole came about simply by observing that people who used them regularly became powerful. In a time when many could not read or write, the central message of pole training could become distorted as it was passed along, and its retention become more a matter of tradition than pragmatism.

While by no means perfect, our understanding of muscle physiology has improved tremendously. The effectiveness of methods for increasing muscle power has paralleled our understanding. Naturally, a full discussion of these methods is beyond the scope of this article, but it is clear that modern methods will almost certainly supersede the effectiveness of pole training. Nonetheless, the long pole remains a viable training method, if only because it is a simple, cheap and accessible way to highlight the fundamental physical limitations to striking power and how to develop them.

Ving Tsun pole training contains a range of sophisticated hidden forms. It demonstrates the fundamental physics and mechanics of effective hand strikes. Use of the pole teaches us to efficiently exploit a series of neuromuscular mechanisms to maximise striking power. The pole is far from being redundant, and consistent with central Ving Tsun concepts, it is one of the simplest and most effective tools for improving striking power.