Lap Sau Drill basic - Part 1 (technical article)

Introduction

Lap Sau is one of the typical moves in Wing Chun. It literally means “to-pull hand.” Lap Sau has several functions, such as pulling a hand out of the way or causing your partner to lose balance. One common mistake is using Lap Sau to hold the other person’s hand and not letting go. In practice, it is a short-lived move that you transition away from once you’ve completed it successfully.

The focus of this technical article is on practicing principles rather than applications.

The objective of the Lap Sau drill

There is a typical Lap Sau drill to practice the Lap Sau move. Its objective is to practice the pulling action in the most effective and efficient way. While learning the pulling action, you can also train a few additional principles:

• Using both hands at the same time and being aware of the “other” hand
• Building sensitivity
• Improving structure and shape
• Calibrating the line of action of your punch and the line of action of your bong sau

I’ll cover the basic version first in Part 1, then move on to more advanced concepts later:

• Principle 1 focuses on simultaneous movement of both hands
• Principle 2 focuses on sensitivity promoting flow

The Drill

The setup

• Two partners stand in a basic stance, squared up opposite each other.
• They start with the Luk Sau form (i.e., rolling hands).

Getting into the initial Lap Sau position

1. From Luk Sau, Partner A throws a punch from their low Fuk Sau and pulls their other hand back into a Wu Sau.
2. Partner B keeps their Bong Sau up, and their other hand is pulled back into a Wu Sau.

Doing the drill

1. Partner B throws their Wu Sau toward Partner A’s punch.
2. Partner B feels resistance from the punch, uses their Lap Sau hand to pull that punch, and slightly retracts their Bong Sau elbow to get closer to centre, immediately following with a punch.
3. When Partner A feels their arm pulled, they don’t resist; they “give” their arm by using a Bong Sau to make contact with Partner B’s punch.

Let’s Focus on the Principles

In this article, we’ll focus on just two principles; more will follow in later parts.

Principle 1 – Simultaneous Movement of Both Hands

Often, the person punching from Wu Sau forgets about the other hand. Here, both hands in each action must move together:

• Action 1: Wu Sau launches as a punch while the Bong Sau drops (you avoid both hands to cross here and potentially be trapped)
• Action 2: That punch becomes a Lap Sau, pulling the partner’s hand, and the dropped Bong Sau now becomes the punch.

Principle 2 – Sensitivity

Partner B’s punch meets Partner A’s punch. Partner B must feel resistance early, avoiding overcommitment or wasted energy, yet punch as if no resistance exists. This is mentally and physically challenging.

Meanwhile, when Partner A feels the pull, they must not resist. They should guide their arm in a Bong Sau shape, using that spring‑like energy.

Conclusions

By practicing these principles, you develop the habit of retracting one hand when the other moves forward, ensuring neither hand can be trapped and that a Wu Sau is always ready to deflect. The sensitivity you gain makes you more fluid and receptive, whether punching into resistance or being pulled by your partner.