Wing Chun

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Wing Chun (Chinese: 詠春; pinyin: yǒng chūn; Yale Cantonese: wing2 cheun1), also romanized Ving Tsun, is a system of Chinese martial arts with an emphasis on unarmed close-range fighting, although its curriculum includes weapons and techniques suitable for various ranges.

History

The history of most martial arts, including Wing Chun, has historically been passed from teacher to student verbally rather than by text, making it difficult to confirm or clarify the differing accounts of Wing Chun's creation, which has long been a subject of debate. Since students are usually more focused on learning the art itself rather than its history, historical fact easily becomes lost as these stories become romanticised and mythologized. Such legends nevertheless shape every practitioner's idea of what the art is and are therefore worth studying in their own right; for example, the traditions of many of its branches maintain that Wing Chun was designed for women and fighters of lighter build in general.

Theories have been proposed that apply the methods of higher criticism to the oral histories of Wing Chun and other Chinese martial arts or discern the origins of Wing Chun by determining the specific purpose of its techniques. Wing Chun starts to appear in independent third-party documentation during the era of the Wing Chun master Leung Jan, making the subsequent history of Wing Chun more amenable to documentary verification.

Oral histories

Yip Man Wing Chun

The oral history of the Yip Man branch of Wing Chun dates its creation to the reign of the Emperor Kangxi (1662–1722). After escaping the destruction of the Henan Shaolin Monastery by Qing forces, the Abbess Ng Mui fled to the distant Daliang mountains (大涼山) on the border between Yunnan and Sichuan. One day, she came upon a fight between a snake and a crane. She took the lessons she learned from observing the fight between the two animals and combined them with her own knowledge of Shaolin kung fu to create a new style. Ng Mui often bought her bean curd at the tofu shop of Yim Yee (嚴二). Yim Yee had a daughter named Yim Wing-Chun (嚴詠春)[1] whom a local bandit was trying to force into marriage. Ng Mui taught her new fighting style to Wing-Chun, which the girl used to fend off the bandit once and for all. Wing-Chun eventually married a man she loved, Leung Bok-Chao (梁博儔), to whom she taught the fighting techniques that Ng Mui had passed on to her. Husband and wife in turn passed the new style on to others.

Yiu Kai Wing Chun

The oral history of the Yiu Kai lineage dates the creation of Wing Chun roughly a century later, to the early 19th century, and names Wing-Chun's father as Yim Sei (嚴四), a disciple at the Fujian Shaolin Temple who avoids persecution by fleeing with his daughter to Guangxi. Wing-Chun learned the Fujian Shaolin arts from her father and, from their raw material, created a new style after being inspired by a fight between a snake and a crane. She eventually married Leung Bok-Chao (梁博儔)—a Shaolin disciple just like Wing-Chun's father—and taught her fighting style to her new husband. The young couple began teaching Wing Chun's fighting style to others after moving to Guangdong Province in 1815, settling in the city of Zhaoqing.

Theories

Other origins for Wing Chun have been suggested, typically involving connections to the Triads, revolutionary groups, or the Hakka people of southern China. Almost all extant lineages of Wing Chun, with the exception of the Pao Fa Lien (刨花蓮) branch, claim descent from the members of the mid-19th century cohort of the Red Boat Opera Company (紅船戲班).

Espionage and assassination

According to one proposed explanation, opponents of the Qing Dynasty used the Red Boat Opera Company as a cover to disguise themselves as troupe of travelling entertainers. Their identities as Chinese opera performers provided a cover for martial arts training; however, the flashy moves of opera style martial arts ware not suited to the activities of espionage and assassination, which required specialized skills. Even though assassinations themselves would be carried out using poison or knives, their targets were usually protected by bodyguards who, on discovery of an intruder, would seize the person, call for help, and disable the person to be held for interrogation. Therefore, according to this hypothesis, Wing Chun was designed to deal with an opponent who seized rather than struck and to silence that opponent immediately. This would explain certain technical aspects of Wing Chun, such as its emphasis on close-range combat and its many strikes to the throat and diaphragm.

Wing Chun City

Also of note is the existence of a city called Yongchun (永春)[2] in Fujian Province, China. In Mandarin, the pronunciation of the martial art and the pronunciation of the town are identical: Yǒngchūn. In Cantonese, the pronunciations are not identical, but nonetheless similar: wing2 cheun1 (martial art) vs wing5 cheun1 (municipality). The name of the town is written with the character yǒng/wing "永" meaning "always," whereas the lineages of Wing Chun that descend from Yip Man, Yiu Kai, Yuen Kay-San, the Cho family, Tam Yeung, Fung Sang, Yeung Fook, and Leung Kwok-Keung write the name of their martial art using the character yǒng/wing "詠" meaning "sing." However, the lineages of Wing Chun that descend from Pan Nam, Nguyễn Tế-Công, Way Yan, the Wang family of Saiquan, and Pao Fa Lien use the yǒng/wing "永" character, making the name of their martial art identical with the name of the town. Both yǒng/wing "永" and yǒng/wing "詠" share the radical shuǐ/seoi "水".

Several other Chinese martial arts come from Yongchun and the surrounding area, most notably the Fujianese style of White Crane, one branch of which is even called Wing Chun Bak Hok Kuen (永春白鶴拳),[3] or Wing Chun White Crane boxing. Li Wenmao (李文茂), a historically verifiable opera performer and leader in the 1854–1855 Red Turban Rebellion in Foshan, is said to have been a Wing Chun White Crane practitioner.

There is a story that White Crane was created by Ng Mui after she was inspired by a fight between a snake and a crane, as in the Yip Man oral history of Wing Chun. Another White Crane legend states that the art was created by a young woman who combined her observation of cranes with the martial arts she learned from her father—in some versions a refugee from the destruction of the Fujian Shaolin Temple—and later taught her art to her husband, as in the Yiu Kai oral history of Wing Chun. Most stories name this young woman as Fong Chut-Neung (方七娘),[4] to use the Cantonese pronunciation, but other stories name her Fong Wing-Chun (方詠春)[5] and the Shaolin disciple she marries as Hung Hei-Gun (洪熙官), to whom she teaches her Crane style which he combines with his Tiger style to create the famous Hung Family Tiger Crane style!

Oral history aside, the technical similarities of Wing Chun and Fujian White Crane suggest that the two are related. As Yip Man's student Leung Ting put it, "Wing Tsun System is derived from the Fukien System of kung-fu, which is related to the Hakka System. Their common features are that during fights, pugilists of these systems prefer short steps and close fighting, with their arms placed close to the chest, their elbows lowered and kept close to the flanks to offer it protection. Another characteristic of these two systems of kung-fu is, unlike those of Kwangtung Province and Northern China, their boxing forms are rather simple" (Leung, 1978, p. 30). Fujian White Crane and Okinawan Karate are indisputably related and Guangdong is much closer to Fujian than Okinawa.

The origins of Wing Chun's branches

Leung Jan (梁贊)[6] is as far back as the lineages that descend from him—Yip Man, Yiu Kai, Pan Nam, Tam Yeung, Fung Sing—can reliably verify their genealogy. He was a practitioner of traditional Chinese medicine in the city of Foshan in the 19th century. Leung Jan is said to have learned from Wong Wah-Bo (黃華寶)[7] and Leung Yee-Tai (梁二娣),[8] respectively the male and "female" martial leads of the Red Boat Opera Company, each of whom is said to have been an expert on different aspects of Wing Chun. According to legends from the Yip Man lineage, Leung Yee-Tai was a poler, that is, he used a pole to steer the Red Boat away from rocks and shoals, and was therefore chosen by the legendary Shaolin master Jee Shim himself to learn the six-and-a-half point pole. Leung Jan's students included his sons Leung Chun (梁春)[9] and Leung Bik (梁壁)[10] as well as "Wooden Man" Wah (木人華) and Chan Wah-Shun (陳華順)[11] nicknamed "Moneychanger Wah" (找錢華), from whom the Yip Man, Yiu Kai, and Pan Nam lineages descend.

However, the Leung Jan lineage is not the only branch of the art. According to the traditions of the Cho family, Wong Wah-Bo and Leung Yee-Tai had as many as 11 peers in Wing Chun among their colleagues at the Red Boat Opera Company. For example, "Dai Fa Min" Kam (大花面錦),[12] who played the role of the martial painted face, is the ancestor of the Way Yan lineage. The Yuen Kay-San and Pan Nam branches claim descent from both Wong Wah-Bo and "Dai Fa Min" Kam. Gao Lo Chung ("Tall" Chung) and "Hung Gun" Biu (紅巾彪),[13] also of the Red Boat Opera Company, both passed the art on to relatives, respectively, his son-in-law Yin Lee-Chung and the Wang (王) family. Outside the Red Boat Opera Company, a monk who had taken the name "Dai Dong Fung" (大東風)[14] is named as its ancestor by the Pao Fa Lien (刨花蓮)[15] lineage of Wing Chun.

In this cohort of the Red Boat Opera Company, the role of the virtuous "female" was played by Yik Kam[16] (翼金), better known as "Ching-Deng" Kam because of the role he played. Cho Shun (曹順),[17] who played the "Little Martial" (小武) role, was a student of Yik Kam. By passing the art on to his son Cho Dak-Sang (曹德生),[18] Cho Shun established the Wing Chun lineage of the Cho family of Panyu village.

Recent History

Events within living memory can be pinned down with a little more certainty. Nonetheless, conflicting accounts remain.

Yip Man was the first Wing Chun master to teach the art openly in Hong Kong on a school fee basis. His students and their students therefore make up the majority of the practitioners of Wing Chun today (see his article for the outline of a family tree). Yip Man died in 1972.

One of the last students of Yip Man, Leung Ting, formed a branch called WingTsun (rather than his master's Ving Tsun) as an international franchise. This organization has spread to Europe and spawned several offshoots.

More recently, beginning in 1970, Bruce Lee, who trained primarily in Wing Chun but also some other arts, incorporated some of its techniques and ideas into his own Jeet Kune Do. His fame led to international interest in Wing Chun.

Though he never started a school himself, Yuen Kay-San's lineage of Wing Chun was continued by his student Sum Nung and the subsequent generations of students that descend from him.

Notes

  Chinese Pinyin Yale Cantonese  
^ Yim Wing-Chun 嚴詠春 yán yǒngchūn yim4 wing2 cheun1
^ Yongchun 永春 yǒngchūn wing5 cheun1 literally "Always Spring," the name of a town and its surrounding county in the prefecture of Quanzhou, Fujian Province known for its White Crane boxing
^ Wing Chun Bak Hok Kuen 永春白鶴拳 yǒngchūn báihèquán wing5 cheun1 baak6 hok6 kyun4 the style of White Crane boxing associated with the town of Yongchun, Fujian
^ Fong Chut-Neung 方七娘 fāng qīniáng fong1 chat1 neung4 Minnan: hng1 chhit1 nia5
^ Fong Wing-Chun 方詠春 fāng yǒngchūn fong1 wing2 cheun1
^ Leung Jan 梁贊 liáng zàn leung4 jaan3
^ Wong Wah-Bo 黃華寶 huáng huábǎo wong4 wa4 bou2
^ Leung Yee-Tai 梁二娣 liáng èrtì leung4 yi6 tai5
^ Leung Chun 梁春 liáng chūn leung4 cheun1
^ Leung Bik 梁壁 liáng bì leung4 bik1
^ Chan Wah-Shun 陳華順 chén huáshùn chan4 wa4 seun6 nicknamed "Moneychanger Wah" (找錢華)
^ "Dai Fa Min" Kam 大花面錦 dàhuāmiàn jǐn daai6 fa1 min6 gam2 "Painted Face" Kam
^ "Hung Gun" Biu 紅巾彪 hóngjīn biāo hung4 gan1 biu1 "Red Bandanna" Biu or "Red Turban" Biu; the red turban, or red bandanna, was initially a symbol of opposition to the rule of the Mongol Yuan Dynasty that was revived by opponents of the Manchu Qing Dynasty
^ "Dai Dong Fung" 大東風 dàdōngfēng daai6 dung1 fung1 "Great East Wind"
^ Pao Fa Lien 刨花蓮 pàohuā lián paau4 fa1 lin4 "Wood-Planer Lien"
^ Yik Kam 翼金 yì jīn   better known as "Ching-Deng" Kam (??金; pinyin: "qingdan" jīn) because he played the role of the virtuous "female"
^ Cho Shun 曹順 cáo shùn  
^ Cho Dak-Sang 曹德生 cáo déshēng chou4 dak1 saang1

Curriculum

Empty Hand

Conventional Wing Chun schools teach three empty-handed forms:

Additionally, Wing Chun uses one wooden dummy form, Muk Yan Jong (木人樁; pinyin: mùrénzhuāng; Yale Cantonese: muk6 yan4 jong1; "wooden dummy"), as a training tool.

Note: Both the Way Yan and Nguyễn Tế-Công branches use different curricula of empty-hand forms. The Tam Yeung and Fung Sang lineages both trace their origins to Leung Jan's retirement to his native village of Gu Lao, where he taught a curriculum consisting of dozens of short drills rather than conventional long routines. The Siu Nim Tao of Cho Ga Wing Chun includes the movements that, in other branches, comprise Chum Kiu and Biu Jee. The other 2 major forms of the style are Sui Da ("Random Hitting") and Jui Da ("Chase Hitting").

Chi Sao, "sticking hands"

Central to Wing Chun training is the chi sao or "sticking hands" drill. During chi sao, the two participants stand in front of each other with their forearms touching. The participants then "roll" and push their forearms against each other, the aim being to probe and test for gaps in each other's defence. Chi sao develops body sensitivity and trapping skill, crucial elements to Wing Chun. Chi sao is often compared with the pushing hands drills of Taijiquan in terms of appearance and principles. There are also pre-arranged chi sao and "chi gerk" (sticking legs) drills used to practise rudimentary techniques.

Weapons

Although initially developed as an unarmed form of combat, the Wing Chun system incorporated the use of the pole and the butterfly swords during its evolution. Such training is considered advanced and only taught at that level.

The weapons curriculum of most lineages of Wing Chun comprises:

  • "Six-and-a-half Point Pole" or "Dragon Pole" - a nine-foot wooden pole
  • "Butterfly Swords" - small double Chinese broadswords (Dao)

The weapons curriculum of the Vietnamese style includes the jian and the Pao Fa Lien lineage trains more weapons still.

Because it develops physical conditioning and precision, weapons training has a beneficial effect on the performance of empty-hand techniques.

Wing Chun Kuen Kuit

Some Wing Chun schools use wing chun kuen kuit in teaching the art. These are short, often sing-song, sayings or rhymes that encapsulate principles, or strategies, or combat responses. Their meanings are often derived from local slang. Some sayings may appear simple but gain greater meaning during training.

Characteristics and Principles

Wing Chun has retained its focus as a practical fighting art, avoiding modification into a competitive point-scored sport or demonstration art. As such, Wing Chun tournaments are rare or unknown.

It is common for Wing Chun strikes to target the eyes and throat, making Wing Chun unsuitable for freestyle tournaments where such strikes are often illegal. Therefore, Wing Chun is rarely seen in competition.

Wing Chun has a core set of guiding principles which allows practitioners to decide what is correct or incorrect Wing Chun. This keeps the art a pure and integrated fighting system, while allowing direction for refinement that is consistent with its principles.

These guiding principles are strictly practical and is part of the reason for Wing Chun's scientific and logical approach to fighting. It is suggested that Bruce Lee managed to develop Jeet Kune Do from Wing Chun because Wing Chun trained him to think about fighting in a scientific way.

All Wing Chun techniques have a practical purpose. There are no flowery moves or graceful techniques that mimic animal movements. Wing Chun is less showy than other styles. Like Xingyiquan, another linear style, Wing Chun practitioners pride themselves on plain-looking but effective techniques. The crowd-pleasing elaborate moves used by Bruce Lee in his movies are not real Wing Chun or Jeet Kune Do. Bruce Lee consciously choreographed more flamboyant moves to entertain his fans. His actual fighting style was simple, direct and effective.

Following this utilitarian approach, the names of Wing Chun techniques are purely descriptive. For example - spreading hand (tan sau), wing arm (bong sau), slapping hand (pak sau). Wing Chun terminology is traditionally rendered in the Cantonese dialect of Chinese.

External or Internal?

Whether Wing Chun is an external style (relies on body mechanics), or an internal style that makes use of qi (internal energy) is disputed. This is possibly due to different interpretations of the meaning of the terms internal (also known as soft) and external (also known as hard).

However, Wing Chun is not as well known for its use of internal energy as are T'ai Chi Ch'uan, Baguazhang or Xingyiquan.

In practice, the concepts of Wing Chun may be explained and understood either in terms of body mechanics or in terms of qi. Wing Chun does differ from most internal styles in that Wing Chun training is comparatively more vigorous, fast and forceful, and often works with partners.

This is not to say that Wing Chun relies on brute strength — on the contrary, softness (via relaxation) is fundamental to the style, and essential to deflect, negate, and use an opponent's power against him. Some say that while it is possible to use Wing Chun while tense, such an unsophisticated approach is easily defeated by a skilled Wing Chun practitioner.

Even chi sao training can be misused if too much force is used. Yip Man did not lose to his young students in chi sao even during his later years, when he was weaker. He used his superior sensitivity, body structure and skill to control their power.

Such skill does not come automatically. The difference in the application of techniques can be subtle, and proper instruction under a qualified instructor is deemed crucial by many Wing Chun practitioners.

Close Range

Wing Chun is one of the few styles that emphasizes non-grappling close range fighting. Ideal Wing Chun fighting distance is fist range. "Emergency" techniques also permit Wing Chun practitioners to fight at closer ranges using elbows. While the Wing Chun forward kick can be considered a long range technique, Wing Chun practitioners concentrate on "entry techniques" - getting past an opponent's kicks and punches to bring him within range of Wing Chun's rich close range repertoire.

Other styles reason that you should aim to strike at maximum range - which means kicking. This is because if you do not, your opponent will be able to hit you before you can hit him.

Wing Chun teaches that it is always possible to get past an opponent's long range technique and close in to fight on Wing Chun's terms. A kick can be jammed before full extension, before it develops full power. A kick can also be jammed while it is being withdrawn. A Wing Chun practitioner will rush in during these times, using quick footwork to close the distance.

A favorite Wing Chun saying is "He comes I remain, he leaves I pursue, he disengages I attack" to emphasize its close range and stick-to-your-opponent approach to fighting.

Wing Chun's reputation as a style suitable for smaller sized people arises partly from the advantages close range fighting gives to the smaller person. At close range, a smaller person will still be able to develop full power in punches and kicks, as long as there is sufficient space to fully extend his limbs. A longer-limbed opponent at the same distance may be crowded, unable to extend fully and develop full power, though techniques are available to overcome this difficulty.

Speed

Wing Chun values speed over power. A weaker fast punch that is too fast to be avoided is better than a stronger slow punch that can be dodged or deflected.

Striking inevitably opens up part of your own body to attack. A fast strike reduces the exposure time.

A punch is faster than a kick, so punches are emphasized over kicks. Punches are also safer as they do not disrupt balance and alignment as much as kicks do. Kicks are kept low, below or slightly above the waist, so as to not to be grabbed by your opponent's faster hands.

Wing Chun's emphasis on speed arises naturally from its close range fighting focus. At close range, a punch has less distance to travel and so will arrive more quickly. At close range, techniques are more difficult to react to because of this heightened speed. This is why chi sao is used to train a Wing Chun practitioner to sense his opponent's movements and probe for holes in his defense from touch.

In comparison to other Chinese martial arts, the Wing Chun stance favors speed. The feet are kept a little more than a shoulder's width apart, forming a good balance between speed and stability. A wider stance would be more stable but would slow down kicks and footwork.

A highly trained Wing Chun practitioner achieves his speed by acting reflexively and instinctively to his opponent's moves. Chi sao training will help in this. He does not think "if my opponent does this I will counter with that". Instead, he allows his Wing Chun trained reflexes to react.

Because the range in Wing Chun is typically so close, there is generally no time to react to visual stimuli. The art is essentially tactile, and the practitioner learns the "feel" of correct technique only through extensive partner drills with skilled partners.

The speed at which Bruce Lee fought in his later movies is not an accurate representation of the speed at which Wing Chun or Jeet Kune Do is conducted, with the exception of the scene in Enter the Dragon where he and Robert Wall start out with crossed wrists, which is a highly accurate representation of Wing Chun and its speed. Bruce Lee slowed down to make his movements easier to see. His earlier movies such as Fist of Fury (USA title: The Chinese Connection) [19] are more realistic in this regard.

Vertical Punch

Punches are thrown with the elbow down and in front of the body. The fist is held vertical and the contact points are the bottom three knuckles. In some lineages of Wing Chun, the fist is swiveled on point of impact so that the bottom three knuckles are thrust forward adding power to the punch while it is at maximum extension.

Wing Chun favors the vertical punch for the following reasons:

  • Speed. Because the fist is not loaded by first pulling the elbow behind the body, the vertical punch is faster than a conventional roundhouse punch. This speed is gained at the expense of loading power. The waist is may or may not twisted to add power to the punch, but this is not an option when chain punching (see below) as the twisting would be too slow. Nevertheless, the power developed without loading the fist can be significant, as demonstrated by Bruce Lee's "one inch punch".
  • Protection. Keeping the elbow low and forward protects the front midsection of the body whereas pulling the elbow back would expose it. The unconventional elbow position makes it more difficult for an opponent to execute an elbow lock/break. Again, protection is gained at the expense of loading power.
  • Alignment & Structure. The vertical punch allows a practitioner to absorb the rebound of the punch by directing it through the elbows and into the stance. In contrast, the rebound of the horizontal punch creates torque in the puncher's body. Like many Chinese martial arts, Wing Chun favors the usage of stances; the vertical punch is thus more suitable. As the vertical punch is believed to be structurally safer, practitioners feel no need to tape their wrists.

The last item above can be easily tested. Hold your fist vertically, in front of you, your elbow pointing down, one foot behind the other. Ask a friend to push into your fist while you attempt to resist. You will feel the push pressuring your legs and stance. Repeat with a horizontal fist, elbow at shoulder height and to the side. You will feel the incoming push twisting you sideways.

The vertical punch was kept unchanged in Jeet Kune Do by Bruce Lee.

The vertical punch is the basis for the Wing Chun chain punch - alternate left and right vertical punches thrown in quick succession, resulting in a fast flurry of punches of a few punches per second. The chain punch is surprisingly effective for its simplicity.

Wing Chun students are taught that when in doubt as to which technique to use, they should attack with the chain punch. This avoids the "analysis paralysis" that can occur when a martial artist who overemphasizes specific attacks and counters gets into an unstructured street fight.

Centerline

Wing Chun emphasizes attack and defense along an imaginary vertical line drawn along the nose, throat, navel and groin. The human body's prime striking targets are considered to be on or near this line.

A Wing Chun practitioner will strive to protect his centerline and attack his opponent's. Footwork is used to move your centerline away from an opponent's attack and to position your hands and feet to attack his centerline.

Wing Chun techniques are "closed", the limbs drawn in to protect the centerline and also to maintain balance. Generally, the hands do not move beyond the vertical circle that is described by swinging the arms in front, with the hands crossed at the wrists. To reach outside this area, footwork is used.

One subtle advantage of attacking the centerline is force redirection, or rather the lack of it. Hitting someone on the side (for example the shoulder) will cause the recipient's body to twist, harmlessly dissipating a portion of the attacking energy. Hitting someone in the center causes more of the energy to be transmitted to the body. (The closer the line of force is to the center of mass, the less torque, and thus less rotation, result.)

Linear Movement

Strikes are linear due to the belief that the fastest path is the shortest path (a straight line). Some blocking movements however, can be circular.

Note that the vertical punch is linear - only straight line movements are used.

Simultaneous Attack and Defense

Whenever possible, both arms 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 Nim Tao routine.

Risk Aversion

A life-or-death combat situation is not the time to take unnecessary risks. Wing Chun is conservative in this regard. Equal emphasis is placed on offensive and defensive measures.

Most hand techniques place one hand close to the chest, to ward off punches that manage to get past the lead hand. The elbows are kept low, to protect the centerline (vulnerable spots on body).

Proper balance is always maintained. Wing Chun practitioners will not risk their balance by over-reaching to attack an opponent. Strikes should be launched from a solid stance. All-or-nothing gambles are not taken.

Feints are discouraged as these are seen as opening up your body to attack, with no possibility of hitting your opponent in return.

Balance and Body Structure

Overall body balance is emphasized as this affects speed. A well-balanced body can readjust more quickly. The trunk is always kept upright for this purpose.

A Wing Chun practitioner will not lean sideways in order to throw a high kick to an opponent's head. Moving your body's center of gravity in such a manner results in speed penalties, aside from opening your groin to attack and your foot to grabbing.

Bobbing and weaving is not used to dodge punches. Footwork is considered faster for dodging, and is less likely to affect stability or body structure.

Wing Chun practitioners believe that the person with the better body structure will win.

Proper body structure is used to redirect horizontal force from a punch, vertically into the ground. This allows more powerful punches to be thrown.

Proper positioning of the arms will close holes in one's defense, allowing less room for an opponent to strike.

For example, the forearm in the bong sau should be kept high so as to deflect punches upwards. The bong sau forearm is also kept forward because having it too far back weakens the leverage of the triceps and allows the forearm to be pushed back.

Wing Chun students are taught how to test each technique against specific attacks so that they can assume the correct positions from actual feedback and not from blindly following their instructor. The applicability of stances is verified by having a helper push to test for stability.

The importance of balance in Wing Chun can be seen in this alternate description of the Wing Chun forms:

  • Chum Kiu, the second form, consists of techniques to disrupt your opponent's structure and balance, leaving him open to attack.
  • Biu Tze, the third form, consists of techniques to counter attack when you are in a disadvantageous situation, when your structure and balance have been compromised.

Relaxation

Wing Chun techniques are performed in a relaxed manner, during both training and in actual combat.

  • Muscles act in pairs in opposition to each other (e.g. biceps and triceps). If the arm is tensed, maximum punching speed cannot be achieved as the biceps will be opposing the extension of the arm. A tensed arm must first relax before beginning the punching motion. When relaxed at the onset, the punch may begin at any time. This saves time.
  • Unnecessary tension wastes energy, causing fatigue. This can be critical in an extended engagement.
  • Tension stiffens the arms, making them less sensitive in chi sao and reduces ability to sense and react to an opponent's intentions.
  • A stiff limb provides an easy handle for an opponent to push or pull with, whereas a relaxed limb provides an opponent less to work with.

The mind should be relaxed when fighting. The gritted teeth and bulging neck muscles attitude of the Incredible Hulk is the antithesis of the correct Wing Chun fighting mindset.

This relaxed approach is extended into the training itself. It would be difficult to teach students to relax if the training atmosphere itself was tense. Wing Chun classes are commonly informal, relaxed and light-hearted affairs. Sifus are friendly and open, far from the Hollywood (and Hong Kong) caricature of sadistic inscrutable taskmasters.

Trapping Skills and Sensitivity

Wing Chun is famous for its trapping hands. Control over an opponent is maintained by making contact, either through a block or a strike, and sticking to and sensing the opponent’s intentions. Whatever energy the opponent may supply at the moment of contact is sensed and controlled. At the moment a punch is deflected, rather than letting go, contact is maintained, so that when the opponent attempts to withdraw or redirect the hand, this is sensed and the motion is used to either facilitate a trap or a strike. If the opponent again reacts and is sensed, the energy is again used to facilitate another trap or strike. A good Wing Chun practitioner can trap a strong opponent and continue to use the opponent’s energetic attempts to defend or counter to add to the effectiveness of his own close range attacks.

Branches

Main article: Branches of Wing Chun

It is said that there are 7 main Wing Chun families in mainland China. Some other branches are found in Malaysia, Vietnam, and Taiwan.

See also

References

  • . ISBN 0-8048-3141-6. {{cite book}}: Missing or empty |title= (help); Unknown parameter |Author= ignored (|author= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |Publisher= ignored (|publisher= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |Title= ignored (|title= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |Year= ignored (|year= suggested) (help)
  • . ISBN 962-7284-01-7. {{cite book}}: Missing or empty |title= (help); Unknown parameter |Author= ignored (|author= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |Publisher= ignored (|publisher= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |Title= ignored (|title= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |Year= ignored (|year= suggested) (help)
  • Rene Ritchie, Robert Chu and Hendrik Santo. Template:Web reference simple
  • Rene Ritchie, Robert Chu and Hendrik Santo. Template:Web reference simple
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