Wing Chun's chi gerk, or sticky leg/foot, develops the same sensitivity in the leg that chi sao does in the hand. Some branches of Yip Man Wing Chun say it doesn't exist: "How can you fight on one leg?" Others say it was always there: "Everything in this system is sticky!" Some claim to have added it to the curriculum themselves: "The theories were there, we just had to invent the techniques." For those who have it in "their" version, for those who don't, and for those who are curious, this will be helpful from a fighting application point of view as well as from a technique point of view.

First, why?

• The main purpose is to break the opponent's horse/gate and attack the pole leg, not spin the opponent off center.

• The secondary purpose is to develop close range kicking skills. The knee should land on the body about a fist and a half away so that you can kick the chin from chi sao position.

• The third purpose is to develop balance in your pole/support leg.

• The fourth purpose is to develop a sense of feeling in the leg.

• The fifth purpose is to develop intercepting skills, going forward and defending the leg with a leg.

Chi gerk is not going to be as soft or flexible as chi sao, but the sensitivity concept is still to be trained, as are the the rules and laws of the hands. The ankle is the wrist, the knee is the elbow, and the hip is the shoulder. In the ideal position, the knee is about heart level with a right angle in relationship to the lower leg, with the foot on the centerline.

Cho kiu gerk occurs when the knee sinks past horizontal or when the ankle is going backward toward or behind the support leg's knee. This is the best time to be swept, opened, or kicked in the body.  It is also the best time to "run" to the other side of the leg or to attack the pole leg.

Fei gerk occurs when the knee has crossed the center on either side of the centerline. It is hard to know when the center has been crossed or opened, to know when you are in a good or bad position. Remember, everything is upside down. There is also a balance and fatigue factor involved, unlike when practicing chi sao. Then, when you add the chi sao component to the game, it becomes much more complex and complicated. Don't make the mistake of thinking that you can fight on one leg – you can't. The reality is that you have one moment of contact and the opponent's pole leg should be taken out.

At the proper training levels you will also be using the hands as well, so standing still and defending on one leg for any length of time is not practical or possible. Bil Jee level is usually where "official" chi gerk training starts (at least the way I teach it).

First level consists of the knee raise at close range. The hands can be in contact at shoulder level with same-side wrist contact, crossed-hand wrist contact, or no contact. All hand positions should be trained to get different feelings. There are also two main variations. In variation #1, Player 1 kicks at Player 2. Player 2 defends by raising the knee into the center. This is done while stationary. In variation #2, the drill can be done free form with one person attacking and the other defending, or it can be done in turns. The pattern for this is one kick attack-defend-counter kick-counter defense.

Once you make it live and free form, all kinds of "interesting" things may happen. How can you use your chi gerk against spin kicks, hook kicks, Thai kicks and all other non-centerline kicks?

At the second level, we practice the rolling leg, then attacking and defending the pole leg.  At the third level, we practice the rolling leg position (hand contact/non contact can be the same throughout all levels) with Lut Sao, Jik Chung level techniques . It is of the utmost importance that the no-hand-contact phase be trained. The less the player uses hand contact for balance and control, the more truly developed become the feeling leg and pole leg. This lets the hands feel where the opponent's openings are.

In the Wing Chun system we try to develop every body part independently and fully so that when they are used together, the techniques are actually stronger. From the first to the second level, the applications of hand with leg techniques are integrated. These include:

• Lop dar with kicking
• Tan dar with kicking
• Pak dar entry with front kick (In this drill, the leg is put straight down into the center safely while you enter at the bridge.  If the front kick is caught with tan or fook gerk, you must feel your way down and back to the center.)
• Poon sao with kicking and countering
• Luk sao with kicking and countering
• Random chi sao with kicking and countering (The wooden man will teach the proper when and how of using hand and foot techniques.)

Tan gerk is used as a blocking leg and an opening leg. The ankle is in the centerline, while the knee is at the edge of the body's gate. In Fook gerk, the foot is turned inward with the knee and ankle in the same straight line with the centerline.

In bong gerk, the knee is slightly past the centerline with the ankle at the edge of the body's gate. With chi gerk, the reference point and staying in contact is slightly more important than the (wrist) ankle position or knee (elbow) position. It is still always center-to-center and center-to-contact point. More force can be used to open or cross a leg because balance is now a factor and the body always tries to keep balance before everything else. (It doesn't care if you are being punched, swept, or kicked – it wants you to stay on your feet).

Chi gerk training actually starts at Chum Kiu level. Push horse (Toi Mah) training is feeling through the horse from the floor up and through, with your bridges. Both partners face each other. They grab each other's respective wrists – right hand to right hand and left to left with the elbows in. This is the basic structure pattern. First you learn how to move your body through your horse (step and shift pattern). Then you learn (push/pull and enter pattern) to move your body with your horse and arms. The final stage is generating power from your horse up through your legs, accompanied by arm power in a refined sensitivity framework (Jull Mah or free /random pattern).

You are feeling through the horse and either shifting the leg with the horse, the leg, the arms, or a combination of all three. Once you can feel through the leg with your body while it's on the ground, you can now enter the waters of chi gerk safely. That is why the last technique you learn in Toi Mah is Bil Mah or Jut Mah, designed to break the lead leg horse balance.

Mook Jong wooden dummies at the Syracuse Wing Chun Academy.

GERK JONG

At this point in the training, the kicking dummy is introduced. It is a three poled dummy at 30 degree angles to each other imbedded in the ground. The jong is used to train multi directional attacks and blocks, as well as hip and leg strength and leg toughness in both the attacking and pole leg. The jong was originally 6 poles in the shape of a plum blossom (Ng Mui), named after the founder of Wing Chun (reputedly an expert at fighting opponents on top of them at 6-8 feet off the ground). Legend says the ancient wooden men also had knives or stakes embedded in the ground so when they fell there was an even bigger price to pay.  (Wasn't breaking your neck from the fall bad enough?)

JONG TRAINING

First level jong training involves the basic kick pattern (this is the most important part of the training on the jong).  It trains the  arch (sweep kick), the foot edge (knee kick), and the bottom of the foot (side kick).  Level two training involves leg toughening (you should be using Dit Da Jow at this point in the training). One or all of the jong posts may be used. There really is no set sequence for the leg toughening – you're hitting your leg into hard wood with every position that you know. Here is one sequence:

• Tan gerk to Bong gerk (right leg to right post)
• Bong gerk to side kick (to front post)
• Backwards sweep with right leg into right post
• Step to the outside right of the front post with your right leg, adjust the left leg into a neutral stance, and repeat with the left leg on the left leg.

Continue around the jong. If you have enough jow, it should be applied after every sequence of right and left legs. When you're done striking the posts is usually the most convenient time to apply it liberally. Pay attention and really work it into the acupuncture points. Jow should be left on for at least one half hour to an hour after you're done rubbing it in.

Level three training, on top, requires the use of a five-post dummy (bricks or coffee cans are just as good and you don't get hurt when you fall off). This trains balance and attacking into the center, as well as proper placement of the feet. Once this is mastered, a nine-post dummy is used and random chi sao is done on top of the nine so the players have the ability to move around.

Traditionally, the posts were buried in the ground and stabilized with rocks so that when they were kicked there was at first something solid.  It would then would move like a real leg and you would have to go after it like a real opponent. The poles can range from 3-6 feet depending on preference. About one third to one half was buried in the ground before rocks were added to the holes. The importance of post training is that it controls where the player puts the leg down.  They must remain soft and non-committal with their energy and they must lift the legs when they move.

Most of Wing Chun training up to this point has kept the legs close to the ground. This is to ensure that the horse, legs, and hips are trained to stay low so that you cannot be swept, intercepted, or uprooted when moving.

At this level you are supposed to be in control of your horse, legs, and body position in order to move them safely and where you choose.