WING CHUN KUNG FU

Although Wing Chun has been around for more than 300 years there is still little known about its simplicity and effectiveness as a fighting system.

Wing Chun was made popular in the early seventies by the legendary Bruce Lee and has gone on to be studied and practice by all ages.

There are many styles of Wing Chun, the style most commonly referred to is that of Yip Man's Wing Chun Kuen.

The simple open hand techniques and close quarter defensive movements, lighting speed precise subtle attacks is a no nonsense approach to street fighting.

There are various accounts to its true origins, one of which is that it came from a 15 year old girl called Yim Wing Chun (meaning ‘beautiful Springtime; April), who was initially taught the art to defend herself against a man nearly twice her size and a great deal heavier.

Yim Wing Chun wanted a system which could be used in any given situation by anyone no matter their age or gender, a system which is effective yet required no formal training, fitness or knowledge to learn.

FORMS

Prior to Yip Man's Wing Chun Kuen there was only one form combining all three forms as we now know them.

Yip Man felt they were too complicated to pass on to students so he decided to simplify and then standardised them by breaking them down into 3 easy manageable forms creating a clearer understanding for all to learn.

After Yip Man’s death and the fragment of his students who dispersed to many areas of the world there are more that 11 variant styles of Wing Chun in existence.

However each of these variant styles still has the fundamentals and foundations taught by the legendary Grand Master Yip Man.

The first of the basic forms is Siu Lim Tau or little ideas, which is without doubt the most important form and sets the foundations to developing the skills required to become an effective practitioner of this highly regarded art.

Practitioners will refer to this form throughout the duration of his/her training the way university student would use a reference book preparing for an exam.

This form consists of only hands movements enabling the practitioner to development a solid foundation of upper body movement.

As you progress through Siu Lim Tau, applications and techniques will be taught to give you a greater understanding to the single and sometimes double handed movements.

The second set is Chum Kiu or seeking the bridge; this takes the basic principles from Siu Lim tau and adds in movement connecting the lower half of the body to the now functional upper part.

The basic structure taught in Siu Lim Tau now has leg and feet movement enabling the structure to have fluidity.

The entry techniques, drills and movements are designed to bridge the gap between you and an opponent hence the name seeking the bridge.

As you advance through Chum Kiu you will be taught footwork, stances and techniques enabling you to defend and attack simultaneously whilst controlling an opponent.

Close range attacks using elbows and knees are also developed here and form some of the key elements to Wing Chun.

The third and final empty hand form is Biu Jee or thrusting fingers.

This form is not always taught in all Wing Chun schools and is referred to as the emergency form.

Biu Jee is composed of short-range and long-range techniques, there are low kicks to the knees and mid-range kicks to the waist.

Sweeps and throws are added to this form and emergency techniques to counter attack when the structure, balance and centreline has been compromised.

Lower body movement learned in Chum Kiu such as pivoting and stepping is further developed in this form allowing the practitioner to take advantage of upper body movements incorporating elbow strikes and finger thrusting to the eyes and throat when in close range.

Biu Jee now gives the practitioner freedom to utilise the energy and extreme power developed in Siu Lim Tau and Chum Kiu with the addition of more fluid subtle movements.

Some lineage of Wing Chun will only teach this form to their most senior students as they viewed this form as imparting deadly "killing" and maiming techniques that should never be used if you can help it hence the reason for so few really understanding the real meaning to Biu Jee.

It is said a master will show a student one corners of a square the student must find the remaining three for him/herself. The only real secret to any Martial Arts lies within the pursuit of Martial Arts.

THERE ARE TWO WEAPON FORMS

Three and a half point pole (Dragon Tail Pole) ranges in length from 8 feet to 13 feet.

It is said that Yim Wing Chun’s husband was taught the pole from a Shaolin Monk and he integrated the pole form into the Wing Chun system.

A practitioner are taught the pole form once the teacher feels he/she has become proficient and has a good understanding of the principles and fundamentals of Wing Chun.

Using the principles of delivering power throughout body in a straight line from fist or fingers the weapon then becomes as extension of the practitioner and thus is able to deliver power to the weapon being used.

This form is taught initially as a solo form then as the practitioner develops he is shown the two man pole form which compromises of subtle body movements and core energy developed in Siu Lim Tau and Chum Kiu.

Along with the development of the Wing Chun system, the Butterfly Knives (bart jarm dao), was chosen initially as the only weapon in the Wing Chun system because the length of the bart jarm dao made it easy to conceal.

It could be used as an extension of the arms, and they were the most deadly and effective weapons of all.

This was because the Butterfly Knives emphasized the training of coordinating the two swords; the training of the eyes, wrist and footwork, along with speed, timing and power.

The principle was based on the fact that every defence was accompanied by a counter attack, and every attack was accompanied by a trapping, parrying or immobilising move of the other sword, in essence an extension of the practitioner’s arms.

Plus, it was designed to use the ingenuity of the Wing Chun footwork to its fullest extent, making it a very effective weapon.

108 Wooden Dummy – Although the dummy represents a human opponent it is not a physical representation of a human.

Wooden dummy practice aims to refine a practitioner's understanding of angles, positions, and footwork, and to develop full body power.

It enables practitioners to understand close quarter contact, referencing, feet movement often taught but sometimes misunderstood.

Chi Sau or Sticking Hands is the term for the principle and drills used for the development of automatic reflexes upon contact and the idea of sticking to an opponent

.

This is practiced with two people maintaining contact with each other’s forearms whilst executing techniques and training each other to sense changes in body mechanics, pressure, momentum and feel. This practice increases sensitivity enabling practitioners to attack and counter attack an opponent’s movement’s precisely, quickly and with the appropriate technique.

Chi Sau also refers to methods of rolling hands; practitioners push and roll their forearms against each others in a single circle while trying to remain relaxed.

The aim is to feel forces, test resistance and find defensive weakness and gaps.

A highly trained Wing Chun practitioner achieves maximum speed by acting reflexively and instinctively to his opponent's moves.

Chi Sau training will help in this. He does not think "if my opponent does this I will counter with that".

Instead, he just reacts; therefore sensitivity is the essence of Wing Chun.

METHODS

Wing Chun’s techniques can be considered short, long, soft and hard, but is designed to be tremendously powerful in close contact situation.

A Wing Chun practitioner learns basic moves that are effective from day one.

From simple chain punches, which are delivered fast and continuous causing your opponent total confusion, to low kicks that defend whilst attacking vulnerable areas.

Using a combination of internal and external strength Wing Chun is both practical and effective and is a must for all Kung Fu students wanting to learn defensive and attacking movements in close quarter situations.

STRUCTURE AND BALANCE

A correct Wing Chun stance is like a piece of bamboo, firm but flexible, rooted but yielding.

This structure is used to either deflect external forces or redirect them into the ground.

Good structure and a well balanced body can recover more quickly from an awkward position than that of one which is unbalanced or unprepared.

Wing Chun trains the awareness of one’s body enabling them to be more sensitive to an opponent’s attack Very rarely will Wing Chun practitioners compromise structure for power as this can cause defensive openings which can be easily exploited.

CENTRELINE

Wing Chun practitioners train on a centreline concept, this is a point starting from the top of the head down a vertical line to the groin.

Along this line are the human body’s prime striking target, eyes, nose, throat, solar plexus and groin.

Wing Chun techniques are considered closed with arms and legs brought close together to protect the centre line whilst maintaining good posture, structure and balance, a practitioners arms will seldom travel outside of this imaginary line, if he or she needs to change position or move to defend or attack the basic structure will remain thus protecting the centreline at all times.

PUNCHES

The most common strike in Wing Chun is the vertical punch and is based around the centreline.

Some refer to this punch as chain punching due to it continuous flow of movement when delivered.

The key to this simple technique is for the elbows and arms to follow and imaginary line from the centre of the body to its target.

Unlike some punches there is no chambering involved.

The arms simple move from where they are in a direct line, never drawing back never changing angle, and the punch is thrown in a straight line following the shortest distance between the practitioner and his opponent.

Chain punching is a fundamental trait in Wing Chun however depending on the lineage the connection point can vary from 2 knuckles to 3 and is swivelled at the wrist on point of impact to add power to the punch.

Many skilled practitioners pride themselves on being able to generate a larger amount of power in short spaces – the so called one-inch punch was made famous by the legendary Bruce Lee.

The punch starts only an inch away from its target and yet delivers a tremendous amount of explosive power.

But it all starts at the beginning with a solid foundation, good fundamentals and a sound foundation. It is said a tree without strong roots will be toppled by the slightest breeze.

KICKS

All Wing Chun kicks are practical as the forms are basic; Depending on the lineage kicks are often taught early on in a practitioners training but explicitly found in the second empty hand form Chum Kiu.

In traditional Wing Chun kicks are kept below the waist allowing the practitioner to maintain good balance and not deviating from the structure taught in the beginning.

Kicks can be straight using the heel, circular using the shine or toes, if the practitioner is in close contact then the knee can be utilised, this can then be turned into a stamp kick or used as a throw.

Every kick is both an attack and a defence, with legs being used to counter an incoming kick or as with the punch it can be used to strike while defending and like the punch the kick is never chambered it is delivered from its point of origin whilst maintain structure and balance.

LINEAR MOVEMENT

Strikes are linear. This is in the belief that the fastest path between two points is a straight line. Some blocking movements however, can be circular.

SIMULTANEOUS ATTACK AND DEFENCE

Whenever possible, an arm will be used to block and strike in one movement. This allows for fast counter attacks, compared to the conventional block with one hand followed by a counterpunch with the other.

INDEPENDENT MOVEMENT OF LIMBS

A Wing Chun practitioner should be able to punch and kick at the same time, thereby confusing his opponent.

Any combination of punches and kicks can be used, so that his attack will be difficult to predict. His opponent cannot hope that punch A will always be thrown together with kick X as any punch can be used with any kick. Even the arms are trained to move independently of each other.

This is one of the purposes of the Siu Lim Tau form, It teaches practitioners not to rely to heavily on one element or technique of Wing Chun but to use the basic principles learnt to be the guide.

These guiding principles are strictly practical and are part of the reason for Wing Chun's uniquely scientific and logical approach to fighting they are not just a collection of unrelated techniques. Its core set of principles allow practitioners to decide what is correct or incorrect this keeps the art a pure and integrated fighting system, while allowing direction for growth that is consistent with its principles.

It is said one of Wing Chun principles is simplicity, theretofore 'growth' should be understood as 'refinement' and not a lack of understanding. To become a successful practitioner of this simple system there is just one prerequisite and it is said to be the hidden secret

“Practice” “Practice” & “Practice”