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The footwork in Ving Chun very simple and direct. The is no fancy footwork in Ving Chun. The reason is that when fighting, you must conserve your energy because if you have no energy, you can't fight and your techniques will become useless. In Ving Chun, the footwork mostly consists of small rapid steps forward, side stepping to the left or right and less back movement. There is no hopping and jumping, rather the Ving Chun footwork consists of short rapid steps and quick slides while maintaining good balance.
The use of footwork enables the Ving Chun practitioner to remove his body totally from the path of the force or by following the direction of the opponent's force. It allows the practitioner to move to a more strategic position from which to counter-attack while keeping the body weight at a distribution of 10:90, having the lead leg at 10%, while about 90% is on the rear leg. The feet are always contacting to the ground. With this weight distribution, the practitioner is able to fire off a rapid number of punches when moving. This is because the rear leg provide a stable base for the Ving Chun practitioner to launch his punches and kicks.
The use of footwork in Ving Chun has other purposes too. Not only to neutralize but also closing the gap, chasing or sticking close to the opponent's movement in all direction. At the same time, the opponents constantly finds his movement being cut off or restricted without being able to strike back. Footwork enables you to come into range of your opponent and hit them. Footwork also allows you to generate more power into your striking techniques.
Again, the footwork in Ving Chun aims to conserve energy. It is trained mainly in the Chum Kiu form, but also in the Biu Jee form and the Wooden Dummy form. You will begin to understand more on the importance of footwork once you engage in Chi Sao.
The Legendary Bruce Lee once said, "Your application of an effective technique depends on your footwork".
