Wing Chun Palm Up Block

Wing Chun Palm Up Block "Taan Sau" 谭扫 - Movement Analysis Blog

Stance
Description: Taan Sau is a foundational movement in Wing Chun Kung Fu and is mainly used as a structural position, a block, and in some cases, an attack. Like many other movements, Taan Sau is not limited to any stance and can be used in a variety of body structures. The participant is in Four Point Stance with both hands clenched into fists and facing upwards with elbows retracted.
 Shoulder Girdle
Dexter and Sinister: No movement, although teachers encourage depression. Isometric.
Shoulder Joint
Dexter and Sinister: Extension because of the nature of the hands in the stance. Isometric. 
Elbow Joint
Dexter and Sinister: Flexion, isometric. 
Radioulnar Joint
Dexter and Sinister: Supination, isometric. (I know, my right mind is a bit pronated, I'm trying =P I have a bone deformity in my right elbow, sorry.)  
Wrist
Dexter and Sinister: No movement, isometric.
Hand
Dexter and Sinister: Finger Flexion, isometric  

Prep
Description: To begin the Taan Sau movement, the participant begins to open his or her palm facing up and accelerates toward the centerline of the opponent.
Shoulder Girdle
Dexter and Sinister: No movement, although some novices mistakenly abduct/protract. Isometric. 
Shoulder Joint
Dexter: Slight flexion, concentric. Sinister: No movement. Isometric.
Elbow Joint
Dexter: Still flexed with slight extension, eccentric. Sinister: Flexion, isometric. 
Radioulnar Joint
Dexter and Sinister: Supination, isometric.

Wrist
Dexter: Wrist extension to neutral, eccentric. Sinister: No movement, isometric.
Hand
Dexter: Finger Extension, eccentric. Sinister: Finger Flexion, isometric  

 

Movement
Description: At this point the taan sau has reaches the centerline of the participant and is still accelerating toward the centerline of the opponent. The hand is fully open and facing up.
Shoulder Girdle
Dexter and Sinister: No movement, although some novices mistakenly abduct/protract. Isometric. 
Shoulder Joint
Dexter: Slight flexion, concentric. Sinister: No movement. Isometric. 
Elbow Joint
Dexter: Still flexed with slight extension, eccentric. Sinister: Flexion, isometric.  
Radioulnar Joint
Dexter and Sinister: Supination, isometric.
Wrist
Dexter: Wrist extension to neutral, eccentric. Sinister: No movement, isometric.
Hand
Dexter: Finger Extension, eccentric. Sinister: Finger Flexion, isometric  

 

Follow-Through
Description: The palm is now directly facing up and the elbow is nearly fully extended. The Taan Sau is now the "bridge" between the participant and the opponent. The follow-through phase represents the final phase of the taan sau movement.
Shoulder Girdle
Dexter and Sinister: In this phase it is considered "okay" to abduct/protract a slight bit. Concentric.
Shoulder Joint
Dexter: Slight flexion, concentric. Sinister: No movement. Isometric.
Elbow Joint
Dexter: Still partially flexed with slight extension, isometric. Sinister: Flexion, isometric. 
Radioulnar Joint
Dexter and Sinister: Supination, isometric.
Wrist
Dexter: Wrist extension to neutral, isometric. Sinister: No movement, isometric.
Hand
Dexter: Finger Extension, isometric. Sinister: Finger Flexion, isometric  

 

Recovery
Description: Technically, there is no recovery phase for the taan sau since it has many uses, mainly forming the "bridge" between participant and opponent, and enabling the use of other moves through the movements of "Chi Sao" (黐手) or most commonly known as "Sticking Hands". For argument's sake, we will assume that the recovery phase represents recovering to a guard phase ready to straight punch.
Shoulder Girdle
Dexter and Sinister: No movement, although some novices mistakenly abduct/protract. Isometric.
Shoulder Joint
Dexter: Slight extension, concentric. Sinister: No movement. Isometric.
Elbow Joint
Dexter: Flexion, concentric. Sinister: Flexion, isometric.  
Radioulnar Joint
Dexter and Sinister: Supination, isometric.
Wrist
Dexter: Wrist flexion to neutral, concentric. Sinister: No movement, isometric.
Hand
Dexter: Finger flexion, concentric. Sinister: Finger Flexion, isometric  

Terminology
As some of us feel, Chinese terminology can be quite confusing and intimidating! The good news is that the name of the movements are exactly translated to the movement in English, so have no fear.
Kung Fu 功夫
Believe it or not, Kung Fu is translated to "hard work" in English and was popularized by Bruce Lee in the 1960's. Before that, it was known as "Wu Shu" which is translated to "Martial Arts".
Wing Chun 咏春拳
Translates to "Eternal Springtime". The Wing Chun style of Kung Fu was named after Yim Wing Chun, a Chinese princess in the mid 1800's who defended herself against a Warlord after she refused to marry him. When Wing Chun defeated the warlord, the martial art of Wing Chun was born. The Chinese characters (咏春拳) translate to "Wing Chun's Boxing".
Taan Sau 谭扫
Literally means "dispersing hand" in English, although is has gained other nicknames such as "Beggar's Palm" and "Palm up block". This is the main focus of this blog post.

Centerline 中门
A very important Wing Chun principle. Imagine the body as being split in half (think Sagittal Plane), this central axis represents the shortest distance between you and your opponent. In Wing Chun theory, if a practitioner can control the "centerline", they can control a confrontation.
Chi Sao 黐手
A Wing Chun movement that is learned at advanced level and translates to "sticking hands" in English. Chi Sao will be explained in the Drill portion of this blog because it is very difficult to explain.