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About Ving Tsun
1. Foreword
2. Figure of 2 Stance
   (Goat Pinching)
3. 4 Direction Leveled
   Large Stance
4. Contemplating
   Martial Arts
5. Application of
   "Drawing Elbow"
6. "Draw Elbow" When
   Sticking Arms?
7. Fok Sao
8. Slow Siu Lim Tao
9. Centre Line
10. Centre of Gravity
     and Centre Line
11. Single Weight
12. Forces Originate
     from the Ground
13. Whole Bodily Force
14. Lax and Tense
The usefulness of the Figure of Two (Goat Pinching) stance in combat
There are not many different stances in Ving Tsun martial arts, only four in total, and they are:
1. theFigure of Two (Goat Pinching) stance,
2. the turning stance (or sitting stance),
3. the front and back stance, and
4. Biu Tsi stance.
Only the last three can be applied in actual combat.
In particular, the turning stance and the front and back stance are most frequently used. The Figure of Two stance is not used in combat simply because it is not suitable at all. However, the Figure of Two stance is the foundation of all Ving Tsun stances. The other three are derived from it. Put differently, any of the turning stance, the front and back stance, or Biu Tsi stance can always revert to the Figure of Two stance. In order to master it properly, one must first understand its functional purpose. Attention should not be limited only on the form of the stance, but should be drawn to the unity of the whole body. Only in this way can a full understanding of the stance be attained.
The Figure of Two stance is aimed at developing the structural characteristics and their coordination habits in the torso, waist and legs for combat purposes. Consider the following analyses:
  1. When the Figure of Two stance is in place, one should relax the upper body, without deliberately building tension in the shoulder, chest, abdomen and ribs area. A guide would be when you feel easy and comfortable. At this point, your centre of gravity is slightly lowered compared to the chest-out, upright position, so that you gain a degree of stability. In addition, because in the Figure of Two stance you have to use more the waist and leg muscles than when in a natural standing posture, you gain an added sense of stability by virtue of the fact that you are putting more effort in the lower body. Moreover, when in future there is any sizeable incoming force, or any reaction force as a result of your striking out by the arm, you can deploy the same coordination of the structure in the torso, waist and legs to off-load the forces on to the ground and maintain your balance with ease.
  2. The sections of the spinal column from the waist area down to the coccyx should be pulled forward and upward. It is as if you are sitting on a fence. This is a factor that determines whether a Figure of Two stance is of an adequate standard. In terms of force delivery, this is a condition to what is called "The ground is where forces originate from". In this condition, you are ready to deliver bodily forces upward and forward at a target, as well as to direct incoming forces downward along the body structure. In pulling up the coccyx, a moderate tension in the muscles around the abdominal area also help to connect up the body while moving or turning. This is what is called "Advance, withdraw in unity; top and bottom connected; whole body as one".
  3. Ving Tsun practitioners often liken the shape of the Figure of Two stance, from waist down, to an equilateral triangle, because of their apparent similarity in shape, and a common use of triangles as structural supports. Frankly, there is not a single, complete triangular structure any where in the Figure of Two stance. If there was, you could forget trying to move or turn your body as you can naturally. In fact, the sense of stability, dexterity and elasticity in the Figure of Two stance comes from the positioning of the centre of gravity and an appropriate bending of the joints. We have already discussed centre of gravity in point 1 above. With respect to the joints, the angles formed at the knee, the ankle and the arch of the foot give rise to a compressible structure that is able to absorb forces, store energy and readily change shape. In addition, the knee angle and the distance between the feet are also factors in optimizing stability. Therefore, any theory based on the idea of a static triangular support can be said to be no more than a convenient, imprecise generalization.
During a Sticking Arms exercise between two highly skilled practitioners who master powers of sufficient purity and depth (or at least one of the two practitioners), they will find their Figure of Two stances constantly responding to the sizeable incoming forces by making fine adjustments, in order to enhance their abilities to off-load forces, store energy and maintain stability. Given time, not only will the waist area and the legs become tougher, but the ability to fine-tune the stance's height and width will also be increasingly fluid, natural and effortless. Such abilities obtained from training in the Figure of Two stance will find practical application in the turning (sitting) stance and the front and back stance.

I will conclude with a point to note, that one must not be pedantic by insisting on finding a way to use the Figure of Two stance in free combat. It is impractical. Anyone who does that will be fooling himself and others in a game of death.
Author: Cliff Au-Yeung Kim Man
Date: Feb 19, 2008

Last Revised: Feb 28, 2008