Articles – Page 10 – Wing Chun Lexicon

The Centerline Theory of Wing Chun (technical notes)

by Ray Van Raamsdonk

The shortest distance between two points is a straight line.
If you are face to face with an opponent, the shortest distance to the opponent is a straight-line path from your center to the opponent’s center.
If you put your palm toward your opponent’s vertical axis you occupy the center line. Two physical objects can’t occupy the center at the same space at the same time. So if one person occupies the centerline the other person doesn’t. If a straight-line punch comes toward your face and you stick your hand in the center then that punch will be deflected away from the centerline.
There is a vertical centerline which runs parallel to the vertical central axis of the body. There is also a horizontal centerline which runs from your vertical centerline to the opponent’s vertical centerline (if you are facing your opponent).
In Wing Chun we try to always face our opponent’s central axis. We don’t let the opponent get to our side. This is called proper facing. In a fight we can’t always maintain this facing, so then we are in recovery mode to get back to that way of facing.
When face to face with arms in contact, we have a saying that noone takes our arms off the centerline. If you point towards the opponent’s central axis and they push or deflect your hand (arm) away from the centerline, then you are in recovery mode and return back to the centerline just like when pushing on a springy twig or pushing on a ball floating in water.
When an opponent’s arms drift off the centerline, they have a structural weakness in their defense. A hole is created and they’ll be hit because a straight-line attack will come in so fast there won’t be enough time to recover from such a mistake. If the opponent’s arm disengages, we hit straight forward, along the shortest distance path, since that would be our best chance against an opponent with a slight timing advantage from moving first.
When you have a perfect center position, as taught in sticking hands, it’s difficult for an opponent to penetrate this position with any kind of attack.
If an opponent disengages to do a circular hit, he’ll be hit first with a straight-line hit.
If an opponent tries to grab, he’ll cross himself and be trapped.
If an opponent uses brute strength to break down the center, he’ll be stiff and can be pushed, pulled, jerked or easily unbalanced. The other option is that the opponent’s strength will encounter emptiness from your relaxed, soft feeling. Or when their hard force comes we pivot or shift so the hard force is redirected. The opponent will face the wrong way and we will point at their central axis.
If an opponent attempts to kick, this attempt can be felt in the hands and a pushing/pulling force or stepping in will unbalance them. (Note: however, Kenneth Chung showed how he can kick with no signals given.)
If an opponent retreats we chase in such a way that arm contact is maintained. Once in contact it’s difficult to shake off a person with good sticking skills without destroying your own good center position.
In sticking hands/rolling hands we try to detect when the opponent has deviated from the centerline position. As soon as this deviation occurs we hit. When an opponent’s centerline position is good, we may try to destroy that good position with a variety of pushing, pulling, jerking tactics, but these create defects in our own defense which can be taken advantage of. A beginner is too slow to react and can’t accurately sense centerline mistakes, so anything works against them.
Some Wing Chun people try to blast their way through the center, which works well against an inferior opponent. Against an advanced opponent he will either be counter-blasted, if the opponent is stronger, or more ideally will encounter sudden emptiness and be hit.
Since we are human, mistakes are made, so we lose because of thousands of kinds of mistakes. Mistakes include:
- unstable stance
- off center to the left
- off center to the right
- hands too high
- hands too low
- hands too stiff
- hands too soft
- not sensitive
- slow reactions
- contact between the arms too loose
These mistakes and hundreds more are studied so they can be countered instantly.
When two people are in double-arm contact, nearly everything can be defended by maintaining a good stance and smothering the opponent’s attacks by sticking to their arms. However, when the opponent goes off the centerline we don’t stick, but attack in a straight line or else we’ll be open to attack. The idea is not to stick with and chase arms wherever they may go.
The first form of Wing Chun teaches ideal positioning. The positions taught in the first form are mathematical ideal positions or structures, when you are face to face with an opponent. Since we are all built differently, we can only approach these ideal concepts and have to compensate in other ways if we can’t physically apply the math concept. E.g. if you aren’t flexible enough to keep the elbows on the centers you can compensate by being more sensitive with the hands or forearms, or by shifting more.
When our force limits have been exceeded then body shifting is used to redirect the force. So ideally, we either stay put, shift (turn) or step forward. In reality we sometimes have to back up or even duck. The second form of Wing Chun teaches the mechanics required to coordinate the hands with the feet. This means we learn when to turn or advance depending on what we feel.
In real fighting nothing is ideal. Our good mathematical centerline positions may be totally destroyed. An opponent may have our elbow pushed off to the side, or grabbed us or have us bent over, or pinned us to a wall, or there’s not one opponent to face but several. In this case your perfect center-facing position against a single opponent has been lost and you are therefore in recovery mode to regain a good position. The third form of Wing Chun teaches how to regain the centerline or how to get back into a good position as taught in the first and second forms or dummy forms. Because of this it makes no sense to learn the third form of Wing Chun before having mastered the others. How will you know what position to recover to if you don’t understand the subject of positions and structures?
The wooden dummy is a device which forces you to have correct position because the arms of the dummy are in fixed locations. So the wooden dummy is like a teacher who forces you to have correct angles. The wooden dummy is used for secondary reasons to enhance speed, power and to condition the arms. It also doesn’t make much sense to study the dummy before having learned the first form, because you won’t understand what a correct position is. And the wooden dummy movements can’t be applied without an understanding and adeptness in sticking hands skills.
In Wing Chun we try to gain a correct position based on centerline concepts. From hundreds of hours of rolling hands (Poon sau) practice we can detect when an opponent’s position is off. We must be relaxed and sensitive to detect these things, then we must have the timing to attack with speed and power.
When close range skills are mastered there is no fear of arm contact with an opponent. After that, total concentration can be given to how to make contact with the opponent. This involves the study of structure and entry methods, and most of all, timing. The second form of Wing Chun, the wooden dummy and free style sparring teach how to enter properly so the sticking hands skills of Wing Chun can be applied.
From a few simple concepts, such as “the shortest distance between two points is a straight-line” and the concept of economy, quite an elaborate art has evolved.
Someone knowing the ideas behind Wing Chun can create counter-concepts just as in Chess, where some players occupy the center and others try to destroy it from the flanks. This is part of the fun, to outwit each other. However, once in contact there is not much room for error, not much time to change from this move to that move.
Many if not all of the center control theories of chess also apply to Wing Chun. Fencing does not use the concept of placing something in the center or they will get beat fast (another discussion). Some other Chinese styles think like fencing people and tend to sweep attacks aside from one corner of the four quadrants instead of from the center position. Using two arms instead of having one fencing foil changes the rules of the game.

These are just a few quick thoughts which are in no way a complete or hole-proof theory. Another topic not discussed is the location of hitting targets along the vertical center line. Also, in fact, there are many lines of balance which are used, as explained above, even during sweeping, off balancing and while ground fighting. Different Wing Chun lines may have different viewpoints on this subject. Tai Chi is also a center searching art, but the mechanics are not the same and probably conflict with Wing Chun theories.

We would view Tai Chi as violating some of our principles but we say that the Tai Chi system probably has ways to compensate for what we consider a weakness. From the Tai Chi point of view the elbows in the center do not seem like a good idea, but we have ways to compensate for this weakness perceived by the Tai Chi practitioner.

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Emin Boztepe – Training Notes 1

by Ray Van Raamsdonk

Here are my thoughts on Emin:

I first heard of Emin Boztepe when he had an encounter with Grandmaster William Cheung in Germany in the late 1980’s. I was studying Wing Chun under Dr. G.K. Khoe, a student of Wang Kiu. At the time I didn’t think too much about Emin except that he was just a wrestler kind of a guy who took William to the ground and that was that.

Many years went by and during those years I continued to study Wing Chun and learn from different masters. I am familiar with many branches of the Wing Chun family. One day I read a note on the Internet which said how skillful Emin Boztepe was. This sparked my interest because the note put him at a level where he could handle very high ranking people of different arts. In my own mind Wing Chun was good but somehow I always wondered whether it can really handle those super fast kicks from the other styles like you are taught in class or whether they would just be too fast. We were told that the Wing Chun people do very well in tournaments in Europe but we have never seen such tournaments and so it was just talk to most club members. Some of our members eventually in fact switched arts and went back to other styles because they lacked confidence in Wing Chun. They knew it was good in the close range but did not trust it at all in the distance fighting.

So, I contacted Emin Boztepe to ask if he could give a seminar on Wing Tsun in Canada. Emin was quite nice on the phone and said that he would come. This was last year. But at the same time we were considering someone else for a seminar and couldn’t decide as a club who to get. Usually our members want to go to no more than one seminar per year. So we didn’t get Emin Boztepe. This year (1994) we decided to get Emin to see what he was all about. In a short sentence, we were SHOCKED at how good he was. Everything I had read about him was true. He was like that mysterious stranger who comes into town in the movies and when the stranger leaves, the town is never the same again. At the seminar we had mostly Wing Chun people attend but there were also people from Karate, TaeKwonDo, Hapkido, Aikido, some Kung Fu style and Escrima. On the first day Emin blew everyone’s mind with his awesome demonstrations of Wing Tsun. To Emin we were all beginners. He could do it all: grappling, kicking, punching, escaping from joint locks, and handling wrestling. He showed us simple things relating to hitting and footwork but then demonstrated how this simple stuff could defeat anything anyone could throw at him. Emin’s movements were swift, accurate and graceful. When I first talked to Emin I said, “Your stuff may be great because you train six hours a day and are rough and tough, but what good will that do for our smaller female members?” Emin responded by saying that he trained more women than anyone else and they are all good. I still had my doubts. When I saw Emin in action, he defeated people not at all by relying on brute strength. He was a very superior technician and used a very soft springy touch. He showed how the little person can apply the art against stronger opponents. There was not one person in the room who was not convinced of his skill.

Further than that, Emin was a superb teacher. We have female members who are professional top notch teachers themselves and who consider most males just “Bruty.” They have hardly ever said any kind words about any teacher. But both of them said they hope to be able to teach like Emin someday. Emin was very meticulous in being able to pinpoint the finest of details. He could explain why it is done that way. He could break everything down into very logical steps. By the way, I am not on Emin’s payroll and am not a part of his organization. I am trying to honestly report what I saw.

I thought before, that Emin would do a lot of weights and therefore he wouldn’t have that relaxed sensitive touch that we have, but I was wrong. He could react to the smallest of forces and offered little resistance to work with. He was incredibly fast. He was a master of technique. Not once did he rely on techniques other than pure Wing Tsun technique. (Note: Wing Tsun is still pronounced Wing Chun but Leung Ting’s organization wants to distinguish their art from the art of other Wing Chun families). His footwork was very impressive.

The second day of the seminar was spent on applying the knowledge from the first day to kicking attacks of any kind. Emin does not care if they are Thai boxing kicks, Karate kicks, TaeKwonDo kicks or Hapkido kicks. He handled them all. He always just goes in towards your center. The footwork is phenomenal. At one point he asked one of the smallest female members to come up to the front to face a second degree black belt in Hapkido. He asked the Hapkido guy to throw very fast roundhouse kicks to her head then by giving her a push, just at the right moment, demonstrated to her that it was only timing and proper footwork to get inside this kind of kick. After you see Emin you have no more doubts about handling kicks. But as Emin said, there is no magic, no mystery, it is just hard work once he shows you what to do. Emin always picks on the most skillful, largest or best people to demonstrate on. Then in a relaxed way neutralizes anything they do. Emin does not care what art you do or what ranking you have in your art.

In the afternoon Emin taught the common ways that wresting, grappling or jujitsu people take you down to the ground. Once we were moderately familiar with these techniques we were shown how to counter these attacks. Again the counters relied on workable techniques even for smaller people. Some of these things I had never seen before. Everyone enjoyed it. When I first heard that he taught wrestling and how to counter it with Wing Tsun, it didn’t sound very appealing to me but it was fun, and effective.

On the third day Emin split the class into those with Wing Chun background and those with none. Those with Wing Chun background did Chi sau. Before we started he said that we knew nothing about Chi sau. This sounded quite arrogant to me since he knew nothing about what we knew. But once he crossed hands with us we couldn’t help but agree. He was very subtle, very light, very sensitive. It was not possible to find his center. His hand and foot coordination was very good. Even though he does not hurt you, he is one of the most scary individuals you would ever want to face. Emin’s corrections, explanations and demonstrations of Chi sau were very good. In all honesty I would say that I have felt one or two others in the Wing Chun world who also have exceptional skill (Dr. Khoe and Kenneth Chung) but Emin had a real systematic way to pass on his skills. I would say he has the most organized system for teaching. During the course of the seminar Emin would answer all questions with theory and impressive demonstrations. He demonstrated multiple opponent defense, defense against stick and defense against knife. He demonstrated both how to use the knife and how to defend against it but he said realistically, forget it. The odds are heavily against you no matter who you are. A question came up about Bruce Lee’s one inch punch. Emin said, “That’s nothing,” and proceeded to demonstrate on the largest member who weighed 240 pounds. Emin’s soft looking punch, sent him one foot up and four feet back to land on top of some desk. However, in reality, he said, the effect will be quite different because you will drop on the spot.

For any Wing Chun practitioners who have doubts about their art or who think they are already the best, you have seen nothing until you have seen Emin. I would highly recommend Emin to anyone who has any doubtful ideas about Wing Chun. I remember reading some literature that Wing Chun was just a primitive system of combat which anyone can learn in two years and that’s it. In fact many people do learn Wing Chun that quickly and then move on to newer more exciting looking arts. Wing Chun or Emin’s Wing Tsun is the most effective thing I have seen to date. You read this in the literature all the time about everyone’s art and think, “Oh, sure!” Not all the people who attended will join Emin’s organization but ALL who attended agree that he was the best they have seen. We felt that we were seeing a Bruce Lee in the making at the height of his career. Emin does not claim to be the best, but no one can think of anyone better. Emin has not learned the complete Wing Tsun system yet but what he has learned he has learned completely. He can execute everything he has learned. Many of us have learned everything but can’t realistically execute anything.

No one we have ever had before for a seminar has had such an emotional effect on our club members. If fighting effectiveness is what you are after then you will seriously start to doubt the things you are practicing now. A lot of the Wing Chun arguments on the Internet newsgroups would not exist if those people met Emin in person. Emin is a tough taskmaster but is sharp with wit and humor. Not everyone will like him but none can deny his skill. Emin is very strict on what type of individuals he teaches. It is a good thing, and you will know what I mean when you see his art. In Germany many clubs have switched over and remained loyal to Emin once they had seen his art. He was declared fighter of the year in Germany in 1988. Now I can see why.

In the early days the Wing Chun clan in Hong Kong had many good fighters. I think since Emin the Wing Chun clan will have to reevaluate the way they train their art. There are of course other good Wing Chun fighters around but unfortunately the ones I have seen have not got a training system which can handle today’s very complex modern fighter. WT and WC have conflicting principles. Wing Chun usually refers to Yip Man’s earlier art and WT is the later art which has been modernized to handle today’s type of fighters. The Germans have done a lot of their own research in this area. I expect it will still evolve, especially if WT and some top WC representatives meet. I think we are just about to see a new crop of Wing Tsun / Wing Chun fighters come from Europe who will revolutionize our view of what is Wing Chun. In the 1980’s I produced a Wing Chun newsletter called Wing Chun Viewpoint that I was very proud of. This newsletter went around the Wing Chun world. My teacher’s teacher Wang Kiu always said that most written things on Wing Chun are rubbish. After all these years I can see now what he means. I still think the information was still good and valuable in a very general sense but realize talking is quite easy. Really knowing what you are talking about and being able to perform what you are talking about is another matter altogether

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Siu Nim Tau- The little idea Form

by Phil Bradley

Introduction

The first form of the Wing Chun system is called Siu Nim Tau. Meaning Little Idea, this form demonstrates basic but efficient concepts that provide a logical method. Regardless of the style, all Wing Tsun/Wing Chun/Ving Tsun methods will generally begin their teachings with the Siu Nim Tau.

Whereas many arts focus on an application, Wing Chun focuses on the concept of that application. A concept can adjust and respond to ever-changing situations, while focusing only on the application itself can see it defeated.

All Wing Chun empty-hand forms are taught in three sections to make for easier learning. For the Siu Nim Tau, however, its three sections have a specific purpose and stress a unique function:

Section 1 teaches the correct bio-mechanics of arm movement and leg strength.
Section 2 teaches how to develop relaxed power.
Section 3 combines these elements in order to “release” that power.

Some will train the Siu Nim Tau as internal while others will train it as external. We train Wing un solely from the mindset of fighting (what many denote as external). Elements of internal training will result, such as relaxation and smooth breathing, but we do not focus on the internal aspects as some others do.

Instead, our primary focus lies in the relaxed, physical aspects of response and engagement, learning to overcome an opponent swiftly and efficiently. Internal elements result over time, but they are not our primary concern; defeating the opponent as quickly as possible is the primary goal, and utilizing the concepts found in the Siu Nim Tau begins that process.

The interesting thing about Wing Tsun is that you will find many variations. The families, lineages, and styles have particular ways to train, as well as specific modes of that training in order to cultivate what they feel are the essential elements to their preferred methods. Some are more effective than others, but on the whole, you will usually find more similarities than differences.

Section 1

Section 1 begins by learning how to lower one’s center of gravity from the chest to the waist. Called Hoi Ma, or Opening the Stance, this basic but primary element is one of the reasons we can take an opponent head-on. Should too much force be encountered and we are overpowered by brute strength, the structure itself allows us to “borrow” that force and re-direct or deflect it.

When engaging force with your own force, the stronger of the two opponents has a better chance of success because the odds are more in their favor. Therefore, in order to overcome that, borrowing their force allows us to quickly change angles, respond faster, attack the exposed areas, and keeps it efficient without thinking about what to do.

Drills & Applications

A variety of drills can be created exclusively from section 1. To illustrate a bit about what the Siu-Nim-Tau teaches us, let’s explore a few drills that begins the foundation of Wing Tsun.

Punching

There are three primary punches in Wing Cun, with Yat Chi Chung Kuen, or Character “Sun” Thrusting punch (commonly called the Straightline punch), being the most prevalent. If you close your hand to make a vertical fist, and then look at the front of it in a mirror, it resembles the Chinese character for “sun”.

Wing Chun punching differs from other arts in that instead of striking with a horizontal fist and using the first two knuckles, we use a vertical fist and strike with the bottom three knuckles. If you place your arm to your side, make a fist, and then raise the arm to the front, you will see that the bottom three knuckles are in alignment with the arm. Upon impact, the entire arm acts like a shock absorber.

This is why Wing Chun punching can inflict so much damage to the opponent, and it is also why the punch can be so fast from such a short distance. It is biomechanically the correct way a punch should be enacted.

Tan Da, Fook Da and Gaun Da

Three of the first movements are the easiest to learn. These actions address defense against straight punches, hook punches, and low punches.

Tan Da

Tan Dar, or Palm Up-arm with simultaneous attack, is mostly for straight punches. Note, however, that many practitioners use Tan Da for hook punches, too. Personally I don’t subscribe to that concept since the elbow is slightly inward vs. outward, and you need the elbow outward in order to handle the force of a real hook, as well see in Foo Da.

Fook Da

Fook Da, or Bridge On-arm with simultaneous attack, is quite adept at defending against hook punches. It is not just a block, though; instead, it slices into the attack so that it doesn’t take the full brunt of force. In this way, you don’t take the entire force on your arm. It is vey similar with Lan Da.

Gaun Da

Gaun Da, or Splitting Block-arm with simultaneous attack, is like axe splitting wood, hence the name. Wing Chun does not have blocks; instead, our “blocks” are either attacks or they slice through the attack so that we counter-attack while defending.

Lead-arm Defense Drill

After learning the first section of Siu Nim Tau and exploring the variety of concepts, we can take these movements and blend them together to create our own drills/scenarios as necessary. This teaches us not to be stagnant or always training the same drills over and over without change.

To begin this process, we work what is called the Lead-arm Defense Drill. This drill is just one of many variations that frees us up by changing from side-to-side while simultaneously working the arms. We also learn more control of the lower body and how to pivot ourselves in order to borrow the force of the attacker.

Pak Sau Drill

An excellent real-world drill that you can work with your training partner right now is called the Pak Sau drill. This drill teaches coordination, learning to make contact, feeling what that pressure is about, and how to better protect your centerline. It also puts into motion the concept of working both hands at the same time so that you can enact simultaneous attack and defense.

The Pak Sau drill is very important to Wing Chun, our entire fighting curriculum begins with it. From driving in, down, around, adding kicks, elbows, knees, and any other action you can think, Pak Sau easily and quickly transitions to effective and efficient counter-attacks.

Concepts & Theories

Wing Chun is concept-based vs. application-based, meaning that the movements themselves can only take you so far. They are excellent movements, for certain; however, they are still only mechanical actions. What really makes Wing Chun so effective is how and why the movements are applied.

For example, think about how many martial arts are in existence. Now, think about how many ways the human body can move. With the hundreds of systems and styles in the world, a person can still only do so many things.

When someone trains only for applications, what happens if they meet up with an opponent who is trained in movements that the defender did not train to respond to yet? If they follow a set pattern or routine in their daily training, then any deviation from that routine can be cause for defeat.

Wing Chun does not follow this premise; instead, the system applies concept – not movement – to the equation. Concepts such as learning about the centerline, straightline, and vertical midline are essential to what we do. Understanding how the body responds to incoming force allows us to borrow that force and use it our advantage.

In combination, the centerline and straightline principles increase your reactions so much that our responses can become extremely fast. However, there is no mystery there. It is nothing more than simple body mechanics.

The vertical midline separates the left and right halves of the body so that we can analyze what limbs would be appropriate for various attacks. This is assisted by working the Six Gates principle, in which the body is broken down into six separate areas. For example, gates 1 and 2 are for the right and left sides of the head, gates 3 and 4 cover the right and left sides of the trunk, and gates 5 and 6 cover the right and left sides of the lower body. With these areas being analyzed, we can quickly see what limbs would be more efficient to address any kind of attack we might encounter.

The Siu-Nim-Tau is unique to the rest of Wing Tsun in that while all forms are learned in sections for easier learning, the Siu-Nim-Tau’s sections each have a distinct purpose:

Section 1 – Section 1 teaches the correct biomechanics of arm and hand positions, as well as strengthening the lower body. The structure of the stance from the ground to the top of the head is learned, and we take this structure to reinforce our upper body mechanics.
Section 2 – Section 2 teaches us how to develop relaxed force. Anyone can release force, but releasing the proper force is what this section focuses on. Here we learn about relaxing our actions in order to remove the stiffness and tension that goes with fighting, as well as how to develop a relaxed whipping type of force.
Section 3 – Section 3 combines all of the lessons learned in sections 1 and 2, and teaches how to unite these concepts into a workable, efficient explosion into our target.

Like all things Wing Tsun, though, not everyone trains the sections in that manner. Some apply different associations to it, such as learning double movements, focusing on gaining the inside line, etc.

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A brief history of Yuen Kay Shan Wing Chun Kuen

by Rene Ritchie

Many of the early masters of Wing Chun Kuen were Guangdongese opera performers and Hung Suen (Red Junk) men. Among them were Wong Wah Bo, Leung Yee Tei, and “Dai Fa Min” Kam. Wong Wah Bo and Leung Yee Tei went on to teach the highly skilled Dr. Leung Jan (known as “King of the Boxers”), and “Dai Fa Min” Kam passed along his knowledge to a man named Fok Bo Chuen.

At the turn of the century in Foshan, Guangdong, there lived a wealthy merchant named Yuen Chung Ming. Yuen Chung Ming’s fifth son, Yuen Kay Shan, was an energetic and intelligent youth who loved practicing the martial arts. Yuen Chung Ming, sparing no expense in order to provide his son with an opportunity to nurture his talent, engaged Fok Bo Chuen to teach Yuen Kay Shan the skills of Wing Chun Kuen. Yuen Kay Shan studied for many years and learned all Fok Bo Chuen had to teach including the Kuen (Fist Forms), the Jong (Dummies), the Gwun (Pole), the Dao (Knives), and the Biu (Darts). He also succeeded in developing the Dit Sa Cheung (Iron Sand Palm). Through constant hard work and determination, Yuen Kay Shan eventually went on to surpass even his teacher in skill.

A relative of Yuen Kay Shan had, at one time, been in a position of considerable power in Sichuan province. One day, having reason to pay his relative a courtesy call, Yuen Kay Shan was introduced to the famous Bo Tao (marshal), Fung Siu Ching, who was renowned for his remarkable Wing Chun Kuen skills. Fung Siu Ching was quite old at the time and was in the process of ending his career, yet Yuen Kay Shan approached him, seeking additional instruction. Fung Siu Ching, noting Yuen Kay Shan’s sincere interest, decided to delay his retirement and to accept Yuen Kay Shan as his student. After a short time, however, it became apparent to Fung Siu Ching that Yuen Kay Shan’s foundation was solid and that his skills were already quite advanced. He realized that there was, in truth, little he could do to improve upon them. Nevertheless, the two practiced Chi Sao (Sticking Arms) together and Fung Siu Ching taught Yuen Kay Shan new methods for expressing power.

Following Fung Siu Ching’s tutelage, Yuen Kay Shan spent time studying the scientific principles of Wing Chun Kuen. Blending together and linking all the knowledge he had acquired, he developed a complete understanding of Wing Chun Kuen and went on to create an extraordinary set of theories encompassing its forms and functions.

While Yuen Kay Shan was quite well known in Foshan, he kept his knowledge of Wing Chun Kuen as private as possible. He used his skills only to defend himself and for practice. In fact, since Yuen Kay Shan was fairly wealthy, he did little with his time but practice his Wing Chun Kuen. Content, he neither sought out nor accepted any students for most of his life. Yuen Kay Shan would, however, from time to time drop by a local restaurant to take tea. At the restaurant worked a man named Cheung Bo who taught Wing Chun Kuen to a small group of fellow staff members. Cheung Bo was a large and powerful man and his Wing Chun Kuen was quite unique in structure. Chueng Bo found it difficult to keep his elbows closed (as was the method of many other Wing Chun Kuen practitioners) and instead used open arms, compensating for them with rapid and powerful stance changes. Furthermore, Cheung Bo’s Wing Chun Kuen was based on a number of short, ordered Sic (Forms) and not the more commonly practiced Three Fist Forms.

One of Cheung Bo’s students at the time was a hard working young boy named Sum Nung, whose family had recently returned to China from South America. Yuen Kay Shan, after dining at the restaurant, would sometimes remain behind and watch the staff practice their Wing Chun Kuen. While observing, he would stay quiet and never comment or criticize, but over time he grew to admire the dedication of the young boy and eventually asked Cheung Bo if he could take over Sum Nung’s instruction. Cheung Bo, knowing and respecting the quality of Yuen Kay Shan’s Wing Chun Kuen, happily agreed and soon introduced Sum Nung to Yuen Kay Shan. Sum Nung was hesitant at first, as the elderly and slender Yuen Kay Shan was a stark contrast to the young and powerful Cheung Bo. Soon, however, Sum Nung became his student and eventually his treasured disciple.

Over the years, Yuen Kay Shan and Sum Nung spent much time together, constantly practicing Wing Chun Kuen and contemplating and exploring its theories and techniques. Under Yuen Kay Shan’s guidance, Sum Nung continued to refine and polish his Wing Chun Kuen, developing an intelligent and practical synthesis, as simple and efficient as it was well-rounded and effective. With Yuen Kay Shan’s passing, shortly after the establishment of the People’s Republic of China, Sum Nung named the style Yuen Kay Shan Wing Chun Kuen, in honor and memory of his teacher.

Sum Nung went on to train as a muscle and bone doctor and eventually moved to the city of Guangzhou, introducing Wing Chun Kuen and the teachings of Yuen Kay Shan to the region. In Guangzhou Dr. Sum Nung taught Yuen Kay Shan Wing Chun Kuen privately, not wanting to attract too much attention. Among his students was a man named Ngo Lui Kay (Ao Lei Qi in the Beijing dialect). Although born in Hong Kong, Ngo Lui Kay went to university near Beijing to study communications and, after travelling China and Korea as a both a teacher and an engineer, he settled down in Guangzhou. Ngo Lui Kay was drawn to Wing Chun Kuen by its practicality and its usefulness and in the mid 1960s he began training under Dr. Sum Nung. Ngo Lui Kay followed Dr. Sum Nung and practiced constantly for more than a decade and a half, devoting himself to the development of his Yuen Kay Shan Wing Chun Kuen skills.

In the early 1980’s, with the help of his uncle, Ngo Lui Kay moved his family to Canada. For a long time in Canada, Ngo Lui Kay kept his knowledge of Yuen Kay Shan Wing Chun Kuen very quiet and accepted no students, preferring to invest his time in his business, working hard and trying to secure a future for his family. Thankfully, in 1990 when his business grew more solid and he had some time to spare, he started to teach a small and tightly knit group of formal students. In honor of, and respect for his ancestors, Ngo Lui Kay is determined to share his knowledge and to help preserve the art of Yuen Kay Shan Wing Chun Kuen.

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Lessons from Patrick Chow

by Ray Van Raamsdonk

Training notes from 1976

Patrick Chow was a slimly built individual who was a private student of the late Grandmaster Yip Man. His family was wealthy so he could afford the fees. When I met him, he was teaching various people with eight to ten years of martial arts in different styles like boxing, Hung Gar, Choy Lee Fut, Tai Chi and others. He asked people to come up and try anything they liked on him. What impressed me was that he handled the attacks in a very controlled manner without relying on speed or strength. He was very, very relaxed and supple in his actions. He said that Wing Chun was small circle Kung Fu. He said other Kung Fu systems also have many of the techniques, but teach them at a much later stage. He said Wing Chun just disposed of the big movements. In 1976 Patrick Chow charged $50/month which was more than double what anyone else charged. He had no intention of teaching the complete Wing Chun system. He said, “None of what any of you learned will work on me.” I will teach you just a bit of Wing Chun but I guarantee it will improve your skill. Because of Patrick’s skill level, everyone thought it was worthwhile.

For quite a few months, practice consisted of getting into the Wing Chun pigeon-toed stance or goat-restraining stance. Then students would slowly (very slowly) bring the Tan sau out, do a Heun sau, and slowly bring it back. Then do the same with the Fook sau. We did this for one hour straight each class. I didn’t know why at the time. All I knew was that Patrick was incredibly relaxed. He had very short range powerful hits and he always outmaneuvered everyone else. He never hurt one person in a fight. For seven months straight, we only learned part one of the “Siu Lim Tao” form plus some applications.

Here are just a few of the things he said:

To be good you should do daily sticking hands practice.
Keep the elbow in. This determines the circle size.
In Wing Chun we never take the hand back to hit.
Never put the head and knee forward like other styles. If you do, you will certainly get hit.
Step right in the center of the opponent’s legs, then hit.
Always protect your center.
Attack the opponent’s center. Punch at the nose. Always face the opponent.
The stance must be very active or mobile. Yet at the same time it must be very rooted.
Either foot from the pigeon-toed stance can kick.
Always use a straight line attack. A straight line attack is the shortest distance between two points.
Wait for the opponent’s movement. When it comes then counterattack at the very same time. Never block, just counterattack.
The stepping punch determines success in Wing Chun. It is just like an arrow shooting from a bow.
In the old days, sticking hands were not that important. (Note: Patrick was quite good at it though.)
In Wing Chun you go to the next step only after you have mastered the previous step.
The first part of the “Siu Lim Tao” is the door to the Wing Chun system. It represents one quarter of the whole system. I had to practice this part for two and a half years before I got taught anything else.
If you practice nothing else, then practice 500 double punches every single day.
If an opponent from the side surprises you, then turn and do a double punch.
The top punch is as high as your nose. Even if you do not hit the opponent, at least you protect your own nose.
In an engagement with a Korean kicker, the kick came fast but my Gum sau to his kneecap almost shattered it.
Against a very quick jab that someone threw, Patrick applied a light Pak sau to the outside of the arm and then punched the nose with the same hand.
Against a kick to the knee, Patrick was very quick to sidestep and simultaneously kicked the opponent’s rear leg.
Patrick’s students in Hong Kong specialized in different things. One was good at clawing techniques, one was good at the use of the palm, and one was very good in his Wing Chun kicking skill.
Yip Man was better in kicking than with his hands. His fellow students were much better with their hands.
Patrick suggested hitting the sand bag for one year. No more than this or you may develop arthritis. Patrick thought this killed Bruce Lee, because your body is just like a machine which wears out if you overtrain. The sand bag at first has peas or rice in it, then it is filled with sand, then it is filled with small BB-sized steel or iron balls.
Patrick said other styles have the defect of having their knee and head forward and their elbow out.
When I asked Patrick if it is good to practice a few different styles at once, Patrick said if you practice one day with the elbow out and the next with the elbow in, what will you use in the real fight when you have no time to think? You will lose the fight because your mind will hesitate. You use what you practice, so you have to make up your mind what you want to practice.
The wooden dummy is trained for two solid years. After that you will have the required skill and you can sell it. The wooden dummy should be the size of the practitioner.
Practice the slow Tan sau exercise to build up your forward flowing energy.
After the Bong sau deflection, you can do a palm up hit.
Practice at home can consist of practicing the first form very slowly, practice double punches, chain punches, turning the stance right and left with the elbow parallel to the floor, stepping with the punch (same hand and foot forward), elbow and palm practice on the sand bag. Everyday do Chi sau.
A bean barrel exercise is to drive the poking hand in (biu sau), then twist and claw at the bottom and pull the hand out.
90% of the Hong Kong police who train in martial arts, now train in Wing Chun. For bodyguards it is almost mandatory to know Wing Chun.
The second best Kung Fu system is the Bak Mei or White Eyebrow style. (Patrick felt they curved the chest in too much.)
A very famous Bak Mei master in Hong Kong just died from overtraining. All of a sudden he just spit up blood. So be careful in your training.
Patrick practiced hitting nerve points on the side of the opponent’s punching hand using the middle knuckle of the index finger. It made the whole hand go numb.
Against very tall opponent’s, Patrick sometimes resorted to a jumping, whipping uppercut to the throat. It is mostly used without the jump however.
In the single sticking hands, modern students use the Bong sau. Older generation students used the Tan sau to stay inside of the opponent.
Move the feet to get into an advantageous position.
After the single sticking hands, use a lot of force to hit your partner. Later also use the feet to step in and really try to hit.
Patrick felt that Tai Chi was too soft and Hung style was too hard.
The use of the Wing Chun knife is the same as using the hands. A spear can be trapped between the blades.
Wing Chun is a ladies style. You can’t expect a lady to develop the same force as a large man. Many Wing Chun practitioners use too much force.
Many Wing Chun practitioners use the wrong arm angle. Their Tan sau is too steep. This means it can be pushed up. Some also have the Tan sau too low. This means you can punch over the top.
Someone threw a quick uppercut at Patrick and he used a double palm technique which resulted in the uppercut punch hitting that person’s own face.
In the first form, the teacher can test the Wu sau coming back by hitting it at any time. If the student is too stiff or not concentrating, his whole body will move or his Wu sau will collapse.
Wing Chun people often grab the back of the head to force it forward, then hit the head.
The Huen sau can be used to escape a grab.
You can change the Huen sau into a side hit. But if you are countered with a high fist, you can use the Tie sau (lifting hand) to counter and hit the opponent’s head.
For tournament fighting, conditioning is performed everyday by lightly hitting the student so that his resistance builds up. This works because each new generation of cells will become stronger when it replaces the old cells. The new cells are better able to withstand shocks.
Yip Man went to the Hong Kong police station to show them Wing Chun. He showed them part of the Siu Lim Tao. They all laughed at this display and said, “That’s not a martial art!” Then Yip Man sat down on a chair and asked various people to attack him. They all failed and then they switched to learning Wing Chun.
Wing Chun initially got established in Hong Kong by knocking on various gym doors and challenging the instructors. The Wing Chun challengers usually won, thus attracting all the students.
[Yim] Wing Chun was quite a tall lady.
Don’t punch, but throw the punch.
Two straight punches will handle a hooking punch. Hit straight to the nose, then hit to the eye area with the other hand. Other good alternatives are to use the elbow or use kicking.
Against a front bear hug, you can cave in the chest and thus create enough room to punch.
Wing Chun can handle Thai fighting but you have to train in the proper way first. People with a good fighting spirit can do the job. Many Wing Chun people don’t train hard enough and hence will fail. Patrick said North American’s are more strongly built and should be very good Wing Chun tournament fighters against other styles. A lot of money can be made in Thailand if you have a good fighter.

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Seminar Notes – Eddie Chong

by Ray Van Raamsdonk

Notes from a visit to Eddie Chong in 1982

Leung Sheung was noted for his expertise at the Bil Jee.

The knees are in to stop the front kick. When you turn a kick is also stopped. Practice with a brick between your legs.

Practice with a tennis ball between your elbows.

The Bil Jee is the enemy of the Chain punch.

Practice the wrist hit on the sandbag. Practice the slanted kick on the dummy post.

Never have a high Bong sau otherwise a quick slapping leverage technique can be applied against the elbow.

Always Pak sau the elbow. Even against a very strong guy it works.

Do the Huen sau slow and with some tension to build up the forearm muscle. Don’t move the elbow too much.

Do the Chi sau but learn to charge in with it.

Don’t lean back in the stance.

Eddie does not do the low Wong Shun Leung Gan sau like Leung Ting’s version in section 6 of the first form. Wang Kiu’s version is the same as Eddie’s version in this part.

Practicing the double palm hit, Jut sau, double Huen sau, double low palm hit continuously on the wooden dummy is good for building up power.

The knife can beat the stick and the stick can beat the knife.

In chi sau, as soon as my attack started, I was countered with multiple hits. They were good at catching the timing early.

Eddie prefers the pressing flat palm over the pressing vertical palm. (Gum sau vs. Chum sau)

Never take the hand back. Never suck back your force. Always keep a forward force.

Against Eddie’s TaeKwonDo kicks (brown belt level) Kenneth Chung charged in and double palmed him into the wall every time no matter which type of kick he threw. Eddie said he had very fast kicks.

When grabbing the opponent’s hand, never use the thumb or else you can’t punch quickly enough.

Against the Judo throw, put the palm into the hip and you can’t be thrown.

Eddie’s group had a lot of experience against Hapkido, Karate and Aikido.

Eddie was good at the heavy arm of Wing Chun.

Don’t use the long hand in Wing Chun. Just use it for demonstrations. Wing Chun also has shortcuts.

If you can do the Huen sau a few thousand times, then you are pretty good.

Against my left hand grabbing his right arm, Eddie applied the Bil Jee elbow. Against a straight punch, he applied the Tok sau to send me backwards. Against the Chum and punch he applied the Bil sau to trap both hands. Against the shoulder attack he applied the horizontal Chum Kiu elbow. Against my attempt to grab his fingers, he let me do it and then punched me with the other hand. Against a cross wrist grab. Eddie applied a simultaneous Tan sau and punch. Against my Tai Chi wrist and elbow control maneuver, Eddie just turned the elbow in and I was countered. Everything had very simple solutions. Against my front kick, Eddie circled his foot and kicked my support leg.

Eddie had nice controlled counters to my various attack attempts. The club was very friendly and treated other Wing Chun people like they are part of the same family. In 1990 I visited again and they were very friendly again. All of Kenneth Chung’s line treated me in a respectful friendly manner. To me this reflects well on the teachers.

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American Dit Da Jow?

by John Crescione

First, I would like to thank everybody for calling or writing me with comments, questions, praise and some criticism on the article [about Wing Chun Dit Da Jow]. The biggest problem most Westerners have with Oriental martial arts is a lack of being able to read, write or understand the language. It can be very frustrating trying to make sense out of a flowery concept like “Beauty plays the flute.” And then, trying to apply that to fighting is harder still because it is open to so much interpretation. With that in mind, how do you decipher Oriental medicine? “Can’t read the writing, don’t know what the heck is in those jars, and they don’t look like anything that can be good for me – sea horses, deer antler, seal penis and something that looks like wood!” Then, is it (the problem) caused by dampness or wind, excess yin or deficient yang? HEEEEEELP MEEEEEEEEE SIFUUUUUUU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yes, at that point I too went running to sifu for help and guidance. At the end of the last article I mentioned an American Jow. Why? For many reasons. Purists will argue it’s not the same – maybe so, or maybe not. Do the purists make their own rice wine before they add the herbs? Do you know what a pain it is to try and make rice wine? Where can you get the herbs, and how do you really know if they’re fresh (the most common question I got asked). Most people don’t live near a Chinatown and have to do mail-order, and that can be expensive. Look, we’re doing a Chinese martial art (most of us) and we should have some knowledge of it. However, the concept is more important, “Why are you making what you’re making?” Because of necessity. Like the barefoot doctors did hundreds of years ago. FOLKS – THIS IS THE 90’S. A Ferrari is a heck of a lot better than that Model T of Granddad’s if you’re not talking about nostalgia and history. As a martial artist it becomes important to know how to make a jow recipe from the land, not the herb store. Here are two stories to help me explain myself.

A Chinese master was giving a demonstration on Hard Chi Gung. He had four slabs placed on his head, and then a trusty student smashed the slabs with a sledge hammer. The master was unharmed, happy and smiling. Applause, Applause!! When he sat down next to me after the demonstration I asked him, “Sifu, with all due respect, doesn’t that hurt??” He said, “Yeah, it hurts like hell!!” So I proceed to adjust his neck and head. After, he said to me, “That was very good, but I have something at home that works just as good. Come drive me home and I will share it with you.” Now here I am, I’m going to this Sifu’s house to be revealed a secret Chinese magic herbal preparation. How would you feel? So I drive him home, and we go upstairs into his apartment. “You wait here, I’ll be right back.” He goes into another room and returns. “Here, this is very good for head pain.” And lo and behold the magic herbal is … Tylenol. This is the 90’s, folks.

I once had a kung fu student from a different Wing Chun school visit me and my class (same lineage, different branch). After class, one of my student’s was complaining of ankle pain. So I checked his ankle and foot and found that he had moved two bones in his arch and one bone in his ankle. I proceeded to adjust the ankle while the visiting student watched. After I was done he asked me why I didn’t use meridian/acupuncture point therapy on him? “Because this works faster and better.” He looked at me, puzzled and confused. Did I want to spend 15 minutes doing meridian work on a structural fault, and let the body’s own innate energy move the bones themselves and then heal the tissue? Or, would it be simpler and faster to move the bones and then let the body heal itself? This is the 90’s, folks – and we do Wing Chun, not Tai Chi (that’s not a shot.)

Even in the old KUNG FU television series Caine took American herbs from the Indians, because he was unfamiliar with them, and added them to his healing pouch (Just how many herbs did he have in there anyway – kind of like Batman’s utility belt, huh?).

We are American martial artists, and our knowledge needs to be as broad as possible when it comes to the healing part of this thing we do, even if it’s just for ourselves. Whether you like it or not, today’s Ben Gay is ancient Tiger Balm.

I will give you two recipes, simple to make, easy to get the herbs in most good health food stores or grocery store AND you won’t have to wait 6 weeks to 6 months for the stuff to be usable.

No claims made, this is for educational purposes only. Consult your Sifu, Medical Doctor, or knowledgeable health care practitioner for further use or injuries.

When trying to make an herbal preparation you must keep in mind what the preparation is suppose to be doing, what qualities do you want in the jow? If you’re making an Iron Palm jow then you need to keep in mind bone healing as well as circulation. Following are some guidelines:

Reduce pain
Stimulate blood flow
Break blood clots
Strengthen tissue
Increase tissue healing and immune system response
Strengthen muscle (and bone – if your training iron palm)
Eliminate heat, swelling, dampness or cold
Have an anti-spasmodic effect
Stop internal bleeding

These are the basic qualities you are looking to have in your jow formula. For an all purpose jow the above should be evenly balanced, to a little on the tissue-healing side for sprains and bruises. For iron palm – bone healing, strengthening, etc. However, if you know about herbs, then you know that certain ones work better together than others, and a sprain injury will require different herbs than a bone bruise. That’s why you have to do some homework if you’re going to do it yourself. Then call somebody to check your work!

All Purpose Jow

Alcohol (Vodka, Gin, Brandy – even Rubbing Alcohol) 1 or 2 quarts
Breadstraw
Calendula (Marigold)
Camomile
Comfrey (if you can still get it – you may have to grow your own if you want to add this)
Common Club Moss
Cow slip
Dandelion
Shepherd’s Purse
Stinging Nettle
St. John’s Wort
Wintergreen oil (Many times this comes together with rubbing alcohol, either way is fine – obviously if you’re going to use rubbing alcohol you won’t need the vodka, gin, etc. Remember, boxers and other athletes have been using it for hundreds of years and they get abused a lot more on a daily basis than most of us.)

Use 1 oz. of each herb, pour the alcohol into a glass jar (or back into the alcohol bottle – all the herbs should have been ground or are small enough to funnel in). Leave it in a dark place for a week, shaking occasionally and you’re ready to roll (figuratively speaking, no pun intended). True, the longer it keeps the better it will be, but you can use it in about an hour or two if necessary.

Iron Palm Jow

Use the above formula but you MUST ADD THE FOLLOWING:

Horestail [horsetail?]
Mallow
Cow parsnip
Fenugreek
Walnut
Yellow dead Nettle

Have fun with these. I have used both with excellent results. Many of you may not be able to get all the herbs. E-mail me at drkwaichang@msn.com and I can tell you what you can leave out or substitute if necessary. In the future I will discuss Wing Chun and how it relates to both point hitting and chi gung. Good Training!!

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Wing Chun And The Art Of Teaching

by Paul Simmons

Teaching Wing Chun Kung Fu is like teaching any subject; the more you do it, the better you become, both as a teacher and as a practitioner. This is because a teacher, sooner or later, realises that teaching and learning are the same thing. In fact, the best teachers are those who continue to be students, themselves. Finding better ways for students to learn is the most effective way for a teacher to improve his or her own skills.

The teacher of Wing Chun has the same goal as any teacher; that is, to pass on certain knowledge and skills to students. However, there is another goal which can often determine the effectiveness of the former – A good teacher strives to improve their teaching skills. Having knowledge and skill in a specific field does not guarantee good teaching skills. After all, teaching is not something that comes naturally; it, like Wing Chun, must be practiced until experience can be gathered. Usually, in the beginning stages of teaching, people copy methods with which they are familiar. Also, like Wing Chun training, teaching is a constantly changing process; new ways to be more effective have to be experimented with in the hope that understanding can be gained and passed on.

Once the connection is made between teaching and learning, most teachers begin to develop their own ways of passing on their skill. So, in actual fact, teachers go through the same learning process as their students; that is, they, also, are students. It is this perspective on the learning process which can allow a teacher to empathise with their students and to understand that we are all at different stages of our learning. Students change all the time; some come and some go, while some stay and get older and wiser and more skilful. Each student has a different motive for training and a different way of learning. Some students talk a lot; some keep to themselves; some are there with commitment and some are there for fun; and some learn quickly and some take longer, but they are all students who are there to learn. The rewards of teaching, though occasionally outnumbered by the frustrations, lie in gaining insight into students, as well as yourself. In effect, the teacher learns from others, as well as from him or herself.

The most basic aim of teaching is to enable a student to ‘know what they are doing’. This is vital in Wing Chun teaching because if a student remains in the copying stage of learning, whether practicing the forms or doing Chi Sau or sparring, then progress will be slowed. The best chance for improvement of any skill lies in understanding what you want to do and in being able to do it often. One without the other can only take a student so far. To be able to continue improving, a student must be able to think for themselves, that is, to know what they are doing. They must understand how to continue improving. It is only then that a student can begin to take some responsibility for their own learning.

Many students reach a certain stage of training and then plateau; they continue to train, but the improvements slow down and frustration creeps in. In basic terms, this student is just ‘going through the motions’; doing what they have done thousands of times before. Just as the teacher must find their own way of teaching, so the student must find their own way to progress and improve. The teacher can still be a guide in this process, but the signs are there that the student needs to take the next step, at least partly, on their own. The teacher can only ‘show’ a student what to do; he or she cannot do it for them. Once a student realises this, things can begin to change; and so, the progress continues. The student learns to become their own teacher.

The old adage of whether it is better to give a starving man a loaf of bread or to teach him to bake, applies here. It is just too difficult learning techniques from other people. The wonder of the Siu Nim Tau form is that after years and years of practicing it, lessons can still be learned. It is sometimes easy for a teacher or a person who can perform a certain skill to forget that others cannot, that they are still consciously struggling to feel the right way. This is evident in the most basic aspect of Wing Chun training – the structure. What the teacher sees as obvious (straight back, tai gong, muscle relaxation etc.) might be a matter of great conscious concern for a student. What is important is that the students know what they are doing; know the feeling they are trying to achieve. The teacher’s role is to help them to discover these feelings for themselves.

No one can make you feel the relaxation necessary to perform the Siu Nim Tau when you are on your own; no teacher can tell you how to feel the sensitivity through touch during Chi Sau training and, a teacher’s understanding of ‘focus’ and ‘intention’ cannot be understood through words alone. When a student is able to work things out for themselves, the teacher has achieved a degree of success.

Above all other things, a teacher must be able to show that they not only understand how the system works, but that they can perform the skills which they are teaching. The irony in Wing Chun is that the better one understands the system, the less physical strength is required, in accordance with the principle of economy of movement. Complex movements are not necessary when simple ones are just as effective; in line with the principle of simplicity. When a Wing Chun teacher demonstrates or trains with students, it is to prove to them that the system actually works. No one owns the system, especially not the teachers of the art – Why else would they spend so much time trying to give it away!

Finally, teaching is the best way to improve your own skills. By constantly showing others what you already know, you are reinforcing the foundations of the art; the very ones which allowed you to get where you are. It should not be forgotten that all students make mistakes when learning new skills. An effective teacher allows their students the freedom to experiment, while continuing to reinforce the basics. Understanding, patience and practice are the necessary ingredients of learning – just as they are for teaching

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What is Wing Chun

by Barry Lee

Ving Tsun Kung Fu is a sophisticated form of fighting, which develops an ultra-high level of feeling and instinctive reaction… “If you have to stop and think it’s too late!”
“If you have to always use your eyes, to see what your opponent is doing it’s too late!”. Ving Tsun teaches specific reactions to certain attacks (as do all fighting styles) but exactly how you move is dependent on the “feeling” developed throughout the body from a unique training method called Chi Sao.

Chi Sao is designed to increase feeling ( sensitivity to changes in force & movement), flexibility, instinctive reaction, continuity and co-ordination of movement. It also teaches angles of attack, timeing, distancing, footwork and above all, a principle called Lut Sao Jet Chung,
which refers to a continuous forward force, often misunderstood but invaluable once mastered.
In Ving Tsun very great force can be generated from close quarters and good practitioners are magnificent “in-fighters”. Those who truly master the style are in no way disadvantaged by long range attacks however. ln fact the specific training to fight in close, generally makes a distance attack appear slow by comparison.
Ving Tsun teaches conservation of energy and simultaneous block and attack. Economy of motion, the principle of using the right amount of force at the right time is one of the corner stones of this exciting style. The kicks employed are usually very low, to the weaker areas and used in conjunction with the hands. Being a style which does not rely on brute muscular strength, but co-ordination of body movement, angles of attack, redirecting and using the opponents force and movement against them. Ving Tsun is particularly suitable to woman wanting a truly effective means of protection.
The term “Self Defence” is often misunderstood. As my Sifu, Legendary Master Wong Shun Leung once said: “How can you defend yourself, unless you can fight & win?”. Ving Tsun gives you the necessary tools (principles, techniques and practiced skill) to fight and win.

Understand the situation, know the technique, react without hesitation. “Feel, don’t think!”

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Thoughts When Approaching Twenty Years in Wing Chun

by Susanna Ho

Twenty years is not a very short period of time but yet it is not really long in the martial art world. During this period of time, it was full of challenges, excitement, happiness, depression, frustration, pain and other different types of feelings. But up till now, I can still say that I enjoy practising Wing Chun.

When I first started off with martial art, I wanted to learn one for self-defence and I selected Wing Chun as it was founded by a woman. When I started leaning it, I first thought that it was a more easy and a simple art to train. As time passed by, I found out that Wing Chun is an art easy on movements but very hard on using our body correctly during the movements and be coordinated with the mental side.

When we talk about Wing Chun, the word “relaxation” must come up straight away. But I found out from my teaching that most of the students are too concentrated on relaxation and end up become sloppy. Although “relaxation” is very important in Wing Chun, in my opinion, it is more a final result we will achieve if we can manage the skills. Therefore, during the training and especially for the junior students, they should work on the basics, like structure, linking, shadowing and rotation, than just want to be relaxed. Instead of keep asking ourselves to relax, in the beginning one should work on less forcing and holding ourselves or do it as relax as we can when we try to develop our skills. During rolling and sparring, we should not just work on relaxation unless we have developed up to a certain level of skills, otherwise, we need to back off all the time. Instead, we should try to find a way to do our structure properly when moving so that we do not need to hold our ground which will cause tension or depend purely on movements to release the pressure all the time. Another problem will appear especially for the juniors if we just work on “relaxation” because they will be afraid to use their body because they will worry that they will force their muscles then they cannot fully utilized themselves to the limit.

I am lucky to be a student and have my own school at the same time so I can experiment the different ways of thinking at different positions. As a student, we always want to learn more and think that we are ready to move on to the next stage. By saying so I do not mean that we have to be a hundred percent right in one thing before we move on to the next one. We need to be able to manage a skill to a certain level then by learning the new stuff, it may help us to disclose the weaknesses of the previous one that we think we have managed. But what is the right level of a skill before we can move on will depend mainly on the experience of the teacher.

In a view point of a student, they always want to have some standards like what is a right structure, what is a proper Bong Sao to guide whether they are doing things right or wrong. But unfortunately, Wing Chun is an art that does not have a standard on the positions or shapes. Wing Chun, in my opinion, is more an art that help us to manage our body efficiently and be able to use it towards the opponent to its maximum. In other words, the way that make our skills work is more important than the physical positions. If we understand the proper method to maximize our power so whenever we can feel any tension of the opponent if they are bigger or the same size as we are that mean they cannot use their skills as efficiently or on the other hand, our skills are not good enough to deal with that type of force.

As a teacher, both holding back the progress of their students or teaching too quickly are not good enough to be a good sifu. A good sifu need to be able to demonstrate whatever they ask their students to do and if they cannot manage the skills very well at that time, they need to admit it to their students. I believe that a proper demonstration is better than explanation in thousand words. In my opinion, students do not need to manage one skill perfectly before they move on to the next one. They just need to show that they can use that skill constantly at least for a certain amount of time and know how to put it back on whenever they forget to put it on. This judgment is very difficult to make especially if the sifu are pretty new in teaching. They can make better decisions when they got more experience. When I now look back about eight and a half years ago, I could not believe that I have the courage to open up my school with the skills at that time.

Although a skillful sifu will always help our training better but their responsibility is to guide us to train at the right path and give suggestions in working out the skills. If the students can response properly under their teacher’s instructions, it does not mean that they can control their body to manage the skills and do it again without the instructions. Therefore, the main responsibility on progress is still depended on the students because they are the only one that can control their own bodies. Wing Chun is a special art that cannot be able to improve purely just by training hard. If we keep working hard on the wrong direction then it will be more difficult to get rid of the previous bad habits when we found out the mistakes. A correct attitude of the students in training is very important and they should not completely rely on their sifu to tell them how and what to do.

Everyone need to have an open mind during training. We are not Saints. Therefore, sifu can be wrong and students can be right sometime. Therefore, I always encourage my students to have open discussion. Through discussion, we can find out different view points which help us to see thing from a different angle. We should not afraid that we may say something stupid or foolish or want to hide our weakness by just listening to others. Communication is very important in training. If the sifu does not know what the student is thinking when he try to work out the skill then the actual problems may not be discovered. On the other hand, if the students do not try to understand what their sifu actually want them to do, they may only push their bodies too hard.

As Master Chu Shong Tin has said before, “Practicing, discussing and questioning are the best ways to success”. On top of that, I think we should add patience, logical thinking, try to develop the skills as relax as we can and trust what we are working on.