How to Use the Wing Chun Pak Sau Against an Attack

In Wing Chun, "pak sau" (also spelled "bak sao") is a blocking technique used to deflect an incoming attack. It is typically used to defend against punches and other strikes, and involves using the inside of the forearm to redirect the attack away from the body.
To perform the pak sau, the practitioner brings their arm up and across their body, with the elbow bent and the forearm facing upwards. The hand is positioned so that the palm is facing towards the attacker and the fingertips are pointing towards the ground. The practitioner then uses their body weight and arm strength to deflect the incoming attack by pushing it away from their body.
The pak sau is often used in combination with other Wing Chun techniques, such as the tan sau (palm up block) and the fook sau (covering hand). It is an important technique for developing control and awareness of an opponent's attacks, as well as for setting up counterattacks.

[@dusty_dietrich]

All of this makes perfect sense and I'm not even a wing chun student yet. Thats what I love about Izzo, he illustrates why Wing Chun was always designed to make logical sense and he dispels myths and misconceptions.

[@johnnathan2149]

The best explainer of wingchun martialart ... thank you for all this rare stuff!!!!!!!!!

[@brucknerf]

Many martial arts use the Pak Sao, but they may call it something else-a good explanation of the structure and how to apply the technique.

[@mikkirombakmhler8228]

This is the best wc explination i have seen on yt. Its the exact same lessons i learned at my School in denmark under sifu Riis. Always have explosive forward energy when u need to defend yourself and i have learned alot from that. I have also been in a couple of street fighting situations and this is simply the best solution/concept if u wanna use real wc

[@waderogers776]

Dom, thank you for bringing up Blauer's SPEAR concept. I've been studying his videos and demos, and I could only see Wing Chun concepts....it just works! And your new series of videos is great. I have trimmed away so much fat from my practice (and my thinking); and your stuff is the essence of what Wing Chun should be if it's gonna survive in today's violent world. Can't wait for the next one.

[@IzzoWingChun]

Outstanding!

[@1962archuleta]

So great your back to making videos, keep it up brother. Thank for sharing.

[@videojames]

Looking forward to this series! I want to see what a tan can do that a wu can't. So far, I haven't figured out a benefit using tan over wu. I heard that tan is yin and wu is yang, but if we should always be moving with forward energy and attacking, does it even make sense to use yin energy? Thanks for your thoughts.

[@IzzoWingChun]

Shoulder muscle vs back muscle. It’s anatomical.

[@henrywong997]

Tan has a corkscrew forward motion. It can help you slip in when the opponent paks your punch, for example.

[@henrywong997]

Yeah very similar with what I learned in my school. You should always attack and go for a punch. But if you happen to catch the opponent's arm before finishing the punch, then it becomes a pak sau.

[@germainewillz5614]

Thanks!

[@IzzoWingChun]

Thank you!

[@trondyne3513]

Kuen Kuit: "We don't pak the in door"... If that *happens* then you must *recover* with a move that "closes the door"... We also don't turn with pak sao... Pak sao is explosive energy that vectors into their center.... Pak does not cross over the line, doing that with any tool is an error.

[@Menyhard]

Like it

[@yisraelaker6825]

Where in Chicago are you teaching

[@mikkirombakmhler8228]

Finaly real wc

[@aaronsaunders6974]

The heel of the hand, right 😮🤙

[@davidwayne9982]

I prefer open hand anyway--- I NEVER punch.. and in 40 years have only lost 2 conftontations which I told you about.

[@notusingmyname4791]

5:53 wow your pak sau now looks like the william cheung pak sau... for someone who dislikes william cheung's wing chun, your wing chun sure looks an awful lot like his when you start to apply it.

[@realherbalism1017]

I agree & disagree with you. If the pak sao comes straight in as you suggest, there's no need to have palm strikes. The tool at the end of the forearm isn't as important as the overall energy delivered by the forearm. What I'm saying is that there wouldn't be an oblique pak & a cross pak if the palm strike suffices for them.

[@IzzoWingChun]

Then it becomes a matter of pre and post contact.

[@realherbalism1017]

@@IzzoWingChun could you elaborate?

[@amk8411]

@@realherbalism1017 Not in front of another Man...

[@Menyhard]

Like it