Influence of Wing Chun Kung Fu basic stance on postural control of amateur practitioners

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to evaluate the influence of Wing Chun basic stance on postural control of the Kung Fu athletes. Thirteen male practitioners were participated in the experiment. The center of pressure (COP) excursions in parallel and Wing Chun basic stances were recorded for 30 s. COP path area and mean velocities in the anterior-posterior (AP) and medial-lateral (ML) directions as well as sample entropy values were computed. Sway area for Wing Chun basic stance was significantly smaller than parallel stance (p <; 0.005, ES = 0.91). Instead, COP velocity in AP (p <; 0.0001, ES = 1.77) and ML (p <; 0.0001, ES = 2.41) directions in Wing Chun basic stance were greater than parallel stance. Moreover, in AP (p <; 0.00001, ES = 1.73) and ML (p <; 0.00001, ES = 2.13) directions the sample entropy values for Wing Chun basic stance were greater than parallel stance. The results showed COP excursion during Wing Chun basic stance was smaller, faster and more random compared to the parallel stance. Furthermore, due to the greater values of sample entropy in AP and ML directions, Wing Chun basic stance represented more irregular COP fluctuations that indicate lower attentional involvement in postural control rather than the parallel stance.