Wing Chun Basics
Wing Chun (which can be translated roughly as beautiful springtime, or everlasting springtime) is considered a more contemporary and newer form of martial arts or Kung Fu style. It is one of many, but considered one of the primary, traditional Southern Chinese Kung Fu styles and form of self-defense, developed about 300 years ago in the late 1700s. Wing Chun became very popular in American culture by a man named Yip Man (Master Ip, or Ip Man), the eventual teacher of Bruce Lee, as well as many others.
Wing Chun History
Wing Chun is said to have been founded in the late 1700s in a Shaolin temple by a nun (a female monk) who was said to be inspired by a confrontation between a crane and a snake or rodent. She developed the foundations of Wing Chun by observing the skills of these animals, which was still a nameless style at this point. Shaolin monks were also simultaneously influenced at the time by a traveling Monk named Sadartha Gautama (the Buddha) who had taught many of the skills of mediation, mindfulness, and other spiritual practices… along with many other masters of the day like Lau Tzu and others. All of these teachings, although many were closely kept secrets, were spread around the world. So we really have a beautiful combination of physical, spiritual, and philosophical practices that combined into some of the most beautiful martial arts—Wing Chun being one of those.
Keeping in mind also the turmoil in the 1700s with battling emperors, leaders, and factions of that time and place, which certainly had an effect on how people protected themselves. Combined with ancient martial arts practice, to protect themselves and their families, especially against the soldiers—who were much stronger than the women of the temple of Shaolin, which was eventually burned down by soldiers. A female monk (nun) named Ng Mui (or Wu Mei) was said to be one of five survivors.
Wu Mai later passed her teachings on when a 15 year old girl named Yim Wing Chun approached her and asked her to teach her martial arts. At the time, Yim Wing Chun was being forced into marriage by a local warlord and needed a method to defend herself and her freedom. After she was able to successfully defend herself, Yim Wing Chun continued to develop this style and passed her interpretations and techniques to her husband, Leung Bok-Chau. Many years later after Yim Wing Chun passed away, her husband credited her with the style, naming it “Wing Chun Kuen” (Wing Chun Boxing) and traveled while spreading Wing Chun.
Basic lineage
Over the years, Wing Chun was handed down to only a small number of dedicated students. Yim Wing Chun taught it to her husband, Leung Bok Chau, who in turn passed on the knowledge to Leung Yee Tai and Wong Wah Bo. Leung Yee Tai then taught Leung Jan, who went on to teach his son, Leung Bik, and Chan Wah Shun. Both of these practitioners taught Yip Man, who himself later went on to become a legend in martial arts circles and is still spoken of today.
Grandmaster Yip Man is credited with having rescued Wing Chun from having been wiped out in the Chinese Cultural Revolution by migrating to Hong Kong in 1948 and introducing the style to the general public. Renowned as a teacher and an invincible fighter, he is considered to have refined and further perfected the system.
Grandmaster Chu Shong Tin was one of Yip Man’s earliest students, having commenced his training in 1951, and became one of his main instructors. Acknowledged during his early years as the 'King of Siu Nim Tau’, he is today the world’s leading authority on Wing Chun Kung Fu.
Grandmaster Jim Fung, who became Grandmaster Chu’s student in 1960, was one of the very few Wing Chun practitioners throughout the years who learned the entire Wing Chun system and reached the level of ability and understanding to be recognized as a Grandmaster.
Wing Chun differed greatly from other Kung Fu styles of the time in its theory, the structure of its movements and means of generating force. Although originally “inspired by” nature, was not purely based on imitation (such as directly copying animal movements), but on natural, scientific laws, eliminating unnecessary movements to overcome and generate force in the most efficient way. A practice found in many ancient traditions.
There are 6 forms in Wing Chun: 3 empty hand, 2 weapon, and 1 dummy
Sil Lim Tao (or Siu Nim Tao)
Chum Kiu
Biu Jee
Dummy (Cantonese: Muk Yan Jong; lit. “Wooden Man Post”) (108 forms, originally Ip Man had 116)
Pole
Knife
Ip Man once noted that Chi Sau in Wing Chun is to maintain one's feeling of opponent's movement by staying relaxed all the while keeping the strength to fight back, much like the flexible nature of bamboo. The emphasis is the “center line” of the body.
The Core Concepts
Centerline Theory
The centerline is a straight line drawn from the centre of the Wing Chun exponent's body to the centre of their opponent's body. It is the shortest and most direct path along which to attack and defend.
Strikes down the centerline such as the Wing Chun straight punch or palm strike have less distance to travel and are much faster than strikes which curve or deviate from the centerline.
In a situation where the Wing Chun exponent is caught off center, instead of disengaging, the Wing Chun exponent will quickly redirect their opponent to regain control of the centerline and then continue striking through.
Centerline theory allows the Wing Chun exponent to maximize their force by ensuring that their body's centre of mass is behind every attack and defense. An example of the incredible amount of force that can be generated by a close-range centrerline punch is Grandmaster Jim Fung's famous one-inch punch.
Stance and Guard
Wing Chun's front-on stance and guard has several distinct advantages over side-on stances:
It allows the Wing Chun practitioner to use their arms and legs to protect their entire body, with an emphasis on protecting the body's vital organs - most of which are located along a vertical line which runs down the centre of the body.
It does not expose vulnerable blind spots to the opponent, such as the back of the body.
It allows the Wing Chun practitioner to strike quickly and without warning from both sides of their body instead of disadvantaging one side in favor of the other.
It allows the Wing Chun practitioner to use up to three limbs at once (2 arms and leg).
Most importantly, the stance forms the basis of Wing Chun's internal structure, which allows the Wing Chun practitioner to overcome and generate large amounts of force in a relaxed state.
The Application of Centerline Theory to Defense
The position of the Wing Chun guard on the centerline forces the opponent to deviate from the centerline to strike around the guard, causing him to waste time and leave himself open to attack. A strike directed at the Wing Chun practitioner's guard is easy deflected by a centerline punch.
Centerline theory is also applied when kicking and defending against kicks, and in many instances allows the Wing Chun exponent to defend themselves whilst simultaneously attacking their opponent.
The Adaptability of the Wing Chun Stance and Guard
The Wing Chun stance is extremely mobile and allows the Wing Chun practitioner to move quickly from their centre of mass in any direction.
Due to the advantages of a square-on (or front-on) stance, the Wing Chun practitioner will always try to remain square on to their opponent. This is easily achieved through a small pivot of the body.
Even when they are not square-on to their opponent, the Wing Chun practitioner may still defend themselves effectively as the centerline automatically adapts to their opponent's position.
This allows the Wing Chun exponent to respond efficiently and effectively to an attack from the side when there is not enough time to turn to face the opponent square-on.
In appropriate situations, kicks may also be delivered to the side of the body.
An Effective Form of Self Defense
The centerline theory and stance and guard are two examples of the comprehensive and refined theoretical foundation of the Wing Chun system.
Five Principles
In his 'blue book', Wing Chun Kung Fu, Grandmaster Jim Fung described the Wing Chun system as consisting of a logical and comprehensive set of principles, which he defined as 'simplicity, directness, practicality, economy of movement, and minimum use of brute strength'.
Simplicity
Wing Chun's techniques are based on natural body movements which are simple and easy to apply. For example, a young lady responds to the bag snatcher by turning her body to draw him and her bag towards her, whilst simultaneously delivering a powerful elbow strike to his head.
When you are dealing with a sudden, unexpected attack, there is no time to go through a vast array of complicated techniques in your head before deciding which one to use on your attacker. Wing Chun's simple and natural movements allow it to be applied instantly in any circumstance.
Directness
Wing Chun's strikes take the shortest and most direct path to their target. The Wing Chun exponent's aim is to always land the first strike by attacking and defending in the same movement.
For example, when a young man is pulled into the knee strike, he goes with the force of the pull and delivers a powerful double chit sau to the first attacker's mid-section while simultaneously deflecting the knee strike. He then redirects the second attacker's punch with a reverse tan sau whilst simultaneously delivering a palm strike to the attacker's head, which he follows up with a side slash to the throat. All simultaneously.
The principle of directness originates from Wing Chun's Centerline Theory, which allows the Wing Chun practitioner to attack and defend in one movement by striking down the centerline. This makes the Wing Chun practitioner fast and efficient, which is crucial to realistic self defense, particularly when more than one attacker is involved.
The key? Efficiency of power and skill. Speed and directness.
Practicality
Wing Chun is a realistic self defense system which can be used anywhere, any time and in any type of circumstance or clothing.
For example one’s first response to chaos is to try and calm the situation down. Failing that, he counters the first attacker's strike by redirecting it away from his body with a gan sau whilst delivering a punch to the attacker's face. When the second attacker comes in with a swing of the baseball bat, so now you might redirect a bat being swung at you down and away from his body with a double fook sau and uses the momentum of the swing to throw the attacker to the ground. Again, simultaneously.
The Wing Chun system emphasizes efficiency over variety and does not use showy or theatrical movements. It can be applied in any self defense situation; even in an unexpected situation involving multiple attackers wielding weapons.
Economy of Movement
Wing Chun emphasizes the use of efficient movements to achieve the most effective outcome - minimum effort for maximum result.
Another example, someone using the force of the first attacker's push, she then uses her entire bodyweight to deliver a powerful double palm strike to the second attacker's chest. In one motion, she then pivots her body to deliver a side slash to the first attacker's head, thereby neutralizing his grab and knocking him out.
Wing Chun uses short, sharp movements to attack and defend. This allows the Wing Chun exponent to be effective, even in a cramped environment like an elevator. It also allows the Wing Chun exponent to conserve energy to engage other attackers if necessary.
Minimum use of brute strength
The Wing Chun system allows smaller practitioners to easily overcome larger and stronger attackers through its non reliance on physical size or strength. When striking, the Wing Chun practitioner strives to relax and maximize the amount of body weight in their strikes, instead of tensing up and holding their weight back. When defending, the Wing Chun practitioner relaxes and uses structure, leverage and redirection to overcome their attacker, rather than hard blocking.
By using a double bong sau movement, you might redirect a downward force of the first attacker's stab and then takes him down him with a palm strike and hook kick. When engaging a second attacker, you might shift your entire bodyweight with a chit sau to the attacker's stabbing arm to deflect the stab. Then follow up with a latch and knee strike to the attacker's solar plexus.
In a real-life attack, your attacker is likely to be larger or stronger than you. No matter what form of self defense you use, if you rely on your own physical strength to defend yourself, a stronger attacker will always be able to strike through your defense. You cannot always rely on being faster than your attacker and landing the first punch or dodging your attacker's strike - particularly when the attack is unexpected.
Wing Chun's non-reliance on brute strength allows the Wing Chun practitioner to overcome larger and stronger opponents with relative ease. It also teaches them to maximize their body weight in all movements, which allows the Wing Chun practitioner to generate greater striking power than their muscles alone could ever generate.
Skills for Close Range Combat
Chi Sau, or ‘Sticking Hands’, is a Wing Chun training exercise designed to develop close range combat skills. In close range combat, your ability to see an incoming strike a punch and react by reflex is greatly diminished, which is where the skills developed through Chi Sau apply.
The aim of Chi Sau is to learn through touch any shift in an opponent’s body position which indicates an eminent attack. Training the arms to have ‘a mind of their own’ allows a Wing Chun practitioner to instinctively break an opponent’s structure and remove their ability to apply force.
A thorough understanding of the Siu Nim Tau form is essential before a student can undertake training in Chi Sau as movements between the two forms are closely related.
Benefits of Chi Sau
Correct training in Chi Sau offers many benefits including:
Improved hand speed;
Shorter reaction time;
Heightened sensitivity, allowing one to find a hole in an opponent’s defence instantly;
More power;
Better balance;
The ability to control an opponent at all times; and
The ability to apply the strongest structure against the weakest structure of the opponent.
How it is Practiced
In practicing Chi Sau, the Wing Chun practitioner learns to intercept an opponent’s arms, trap his hands and strike through simultaneously. The exercise is performed with constant forward force and the arms ‘soft’ and relaxed enough to ‘stick’ to those of the opponent.
The arms are moved in a continuous, circular motion involving movements known as Tan Sau, Dai Sau, Fook Sau and Bong Sau. Using the concept of a circle, the Wing Chun exponent's arms are constantly repositioned or 'rolled' while searching for or creating an opening in the opponent’s defense so that the Wing Chun exponent may strike through.
Chi Sau Exercises and Drills
These exercises build on the structural aspects of the Siu Nim Tau form, further developing relaxation and looseness in the joints. Students progress through Single Chi Sau, where the basics are taught using one arm, to Double Chi Sau, where both arms are used simultaneously, to refining and building the skills of both in Lap Sau.
Once competency is attained in the static Chi Sau arm movements, stepping and pivoting is introduced, training the practitioner to utilize body mass, deflect an opponent’s force and adjust positioning. Once he is able to move freely and maintain all other Chi Sau movements, other skills including trapping, engaging and disengaging with an opponent and arm movements from the three Wing Chun empty hand forms and Mook Yan Jong (Wooden Dummy form) may be introduced
Blindfold fighting is a true test of Chi Sau skills, testing the ability of the practitioner’s arms to operate independently of sight and to control and manipulate a partner by touch and reflex. It takes many years of training under a qualified master before these movements become natural reactions.
The Forms
Siu Nim Tao
Siu Nim Tao is the first “open-hand” form of Wing Chun Kung Fu. And while there are significant differences in this form depending on schools and branches, the fundamentals are very similar. In Ip Man’s Wing Chun Siu Nim Tao the first section of the form is done by training the basic power for the hand techniques by tensing and relaxing the arms.
Chum Kiu
The second form, Chum Kiu, focuses on coordinated movement of body mass and entry techniques to "bridge the gap" between practitioner and opponent, and move in to disrupt their structure and balance. Close-range attacks using the elbows and knees are also developed here. It also teaches methods of recovering position and centerline when in a compromised position where Siu Nim Tau structure has been lost.
Biu Jee
The more secretive form reserved for advanced students, he third form, and the last form Biu Jee, is composed of extreme short-range and extreme long-range techniques, low kicks and sweeps, and "emergency techniques" to counter-attack when structure and centerline have been seriously compromised, such as when the practitioner is seriously injured. As well as pivoting and stepping developed in Chum Kiu, a third-degree of freedom involves more upper body and stretching is developed for more power. Such movements include close-range elbow strikes and finger thrusts to the throat.
The Wooden Dummy
The Wing Chun wooden dummy is the most popular form of wooden dummy. A popular legend says it came about when 108 separate wooden dummies from the Shaolin Temple were combined into one by the nun Ng Mui to make training more efficient and effective. The Wing Chun wooden dummy uses an arm and leg configuration designed to cultivate fighting skill and chi simultaneously. Today there are many versions of the dummy but all are used for the same purpose.
Butterfly Sword
Butterfly swords are used in several Chinese martial arts, notably in Wing Chun. In Wing Chun, one notable aspect of butterfly sword combat is that its principles are the basis for all other weaponry. In theory, any object that can be held in the hands of a Wing Chun practitioner will follow the same basic principles of movement as the butterfly swords. This is because the use of butterfly swords is simply an extension of empty-handed combat.
Long Pole
A tapered wooden pole ranging anywhere from 8 to 13 feet in length. Also referred to as "dragon pole" by some branches. This form is very popular in most Kung Fu training, but emphasized uniquely in styles such as Wing Chun. With it, you not only learn to use the weapon itself, but you also learn to develop power generation for more penetrating and devastating punches.
In short, Wing Chun—this beautiful and powerful Kung Fu martial art style can be used and celebrated as an honored tradition, as a part of your personal martial arts growth (physically, mentally, and spiritually) as well as an excellent form of self defense. Developed over 300 years ago in Southern China and made culturally popular in America through Master Ip Man and Bruce Lee, it is a very popular style practiced by many thousands of people around the world.
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