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Wing Chun

Wing Chun is a Martial Arts system rather than a style.

by Editorial Team June 16 2022

written by Editorial Team 2 minutes read

Wing chun is a conceptual Chinese martial art, a style of kung fu that emphasizes close quarter combat, quick punches and tight defense to overcome opponents. It is a skill is based on several basic principles, of which the body structure is the most important. Like many traditional martial arts, specific details on its origins are unclear. Legend says it was created by a Shaolin Kung Fu master, Ng Mui. Wing Chun is one of the youngest and most contemporary styles of Kung Fu, having been constantly refined and adapted over its 300 years of existence.

The objective of using Wing Chun is to create unbalance in opponent’s center. Unlike many martial arts that focus a lot on strength and speed, Wing Chun’s main focus are timing and positioning. The purpose of this martial art is to teach individuals how to defend themselves, it is effective in a real fight or as a self-defense mechanism. Wing Chun is powerful, practical and easy to learn. A key Wing Chun principle is that, during fighting, energy should be used conservatively and economically. According to the theory of skill, a person who has a better body structure wins the fight. The right structure is like Bamboo, solid but flexible, well-founded, rooted but easily mobile. Good balance helps the fighter to maintain the structure after the attack or to regain it quickly if it is disturbed. A good part of the training is focused on practicing balance.

One of the significant characteristics of Wing Chun is relaxation when performing techniques. Excessive muscle contraction causes a reduction in the strength and speed of the stroke, which is why Wing Chun insists on relaxation. Wing Chun was also developed for internal use. Wing Chun method can use to sculpt minds to be calm, focused and goal-oriented. When practicing this martial art, minds must be relaxed and focused on the center of the opponent. Proper training in Wing Chun does, however, build both a high degree of physical fitness as well as mental focus.

Consistent practice develops extraordinary sensitivity, balance, endurance and coordination. This emphasis on structure and relaxed, intrinsic strength is part of what allows a normal-sized person to effectively defend against a bigger, stronger attacker. Wing chun is sneaky it assumes that fighter are being assaulted without warning at high speed. This martial art trains for a simple reflex response to interrupt the attack, get the attacker off balance, and put the fight on oneself terms.

June 16 2022 3 comments

Wing Chun Kung Fu

by Editorial Team July 16 2021

written by Editorial Team 3 minutes read

A brief introduction by Chu Shong Tin

Wing Chun was created by the Abbess Ng Mui three hundred years ago. Amongst all the martial arts in China, Wing Chun is the one I like the most. The reason I say this is not because I am teaching Wing Chun, but the fact that the theory and structure of Wing Chun are very scientific and has reached the acme of perfection.

According to the oral statement of Master Yip Man, the Late Abbess Ng Mui became weak and less powerful as she was growing older. Consequently, the traditional kung fu which she was very familiar with and depended on the physical fitness of the person became less effective in fighting. In order to overcome this, she tried to create a special kind of kung fu which did not rely upon the physical fitness
of a person in such a way that the effect in combat would not reduce because of old age. After researching for a long time, the perfect kung fu of Wing Chun was introduced.

It is considered that the Wing Chun kung fu is flawless. Its theory, structure and technique in attack and defence is very profound and comprise different aspects including the characteristic of human muscle, skeletal structure, the theory of force, and human thinking as well as the potential power of a person. The familiarization and understanding of the above aspects will lead to the highest level of fighting technique. One, who indulges in martial art, will find great satisfaction when one fully understands the theory through persistent researching and practicing.

Wing Chun comprises of three forms i.e. [Siu Nim Tau], [Chum Kiu] and [Biu Gee], and each form has a theory of its own. In order words, each form has a specific goal to be achieved. Each of the three forms will, on its own, generate a kind of manoeuvring effect. The combination of these kinds of manoeuvring effects will mean an invincible martial art which is powerful in both attack and defence. In addition to these three forms, the practice of Wooden Dummy will increase a person’s interest in practicing.

At first, I will give a brief description of the theory. Then, I will analyse in more detail. It is hoped that, in this way, a learner can understand how to practise so as to obtain the best result.

1. SIU NIM TAU

The basic concept of Siu Nim Tau is the adoption of some simple moves, and the skill of using the force together with the infusion of the spirit into different parts of the body. In this way, every simple move becomes a very strong structure and can withstand heavy impact as well as being efficient in arrack.

2. CHUM KIU

The basic concept of Chum Kiu is to use the body weight in connection with the moves of Siu Nim Tau to form different kinds of techniques in the use of force. In this way, one can overcome the opponent very easily without wasting much energy.

3. BIU GEE

The basic concept of Bill Gee is to generate explosive power with the body weight in speedy motion. This is basically the use of the simple moves of Siu Nim Tau together with the turning skill of Chum Kiu modified by increasing speed. When this is practiced well, one can strike out a fully concentrated power. This is why form is called Bill Gee (In Chinese, the word Bill Gee means “striking out a fully
concentrated force with a finger-tip”).

July 16 2021 7 comments

Martial Arts Wing Chun

Wooden Dummy

by Editorial Team April 14 2020

written by Editorial Team 8 minutes read

The Wing Chun wooden dummy (aka Wing Chun dummy or Ip Man wooden dummy) is a solo training device used in Wing Chun Kung Fu and other Chinese martial arts. The Wing Chun dummy is designed for to teach a Wing Chun student things such as range (distance), proper positioning (hands, body and footwork), fluidity from move to move and to refine the precision of Wing Chun movements.

What are the benefits of training with the wooden dummy?

The Wing Chun dummy is “the best solo training device for Wing Chun” because you can’t always find a training partner ready and available to stick their arms out while you practice your Wing Chun techniques.

The Wing Chun dummy teaches you to develop position, footwork, structure, efficiency, angles for deflection, precision, fluidity, coordination, simultaneous attack and defense and more. With the Wing Chun dummy, you learn to move around their pressure in order to practice simultaneously attacking and defending.

The arms and leg on the dummy represent obstacles, or “pathways of pressure” from someone while they attack you. You learn to move around the dummy’s arms and legs to get to postions of leverage. As you practice this, the dummy teaches you what proper positioning feels like.

That way it teaches you to learn to what it feels like to use your structure and leverage against bigger, stronger opponents. When you make contact with the dummy, you are given immediate feedback regarding the solidity of your structure.

Trace history

As early as 2,000 years ago, monks at Shaolin Temple in China have used this intelligent training tool to improve their martial arts education. According to legend, the Southern Shaolin Temple in Fujian invented this man-made sparring partner.

There are 108 wooden puppets in one corridor, and they have 108 attacking postures, said William Cheng, a Wing Chun expert. These monks often come out of the temple to practice their offensive and defensive skills with these puppets.

Three centuries ago, the temple was in ruins. Among the survivors was a nun named Nenghui. She created a new training device based on the principles of these wooden dummies. “This wooden dummy has three arms and one leg, and can achieve 108 movements as demonstrated by the original 108 wooden dummies, said Coach Cheng.

There is a saying that the wooden dummy was invented by Qi Jiguang.

In the practice of martial arts, Qi Jiguang discovered that the development of kinesiology is the key to improving training skills.

However, Qi Jiguang’s martial arts are unparalleled in the world, and he can’t find a sparring partner. So the wooden dummy was invented.

In the past, dummy stakes were made from a large tree trunk, some nine feet high with a tapered bottom.

"Dig a hole in the ground and bury 3 to 4 feet of it in the ground". "When the wooden dummy is attacked, he will shake slightly so that the trainer will not hit it hard."

In the traditional Shaolin Kungfu, the purpose of confronting the wooden dummy is to train people’s strength to prepare for the challenge. While some martial artists are still keen on it today, Wing Chun does not recommend it. Instead, it uses wooden dummy stakes to train people’s ability to weaken the enemy’s attack. This is important, especially for those who have to deal with someone taller or stronger than themselves, and for those who want to train their defenses.

It is said that there is a wooden alley in Shaolin Temple. If this legend is true, Wooden Man Alley is probably a row of differently constructed wooden figurines used for intensive training. We believe that the earliest wooden dummy stake may have been an upright wooden stake to replace the practitioner’s opponent.

Later, early Wing Chun masters improved these devices until now they have three hands and one foot. The wooden dummy method should be very simple at first, and after improvement, it will eventually become a complete and systematic wooden dummy method

It is said that in the early years of Ip Man, Wing Chun was just introduced to Foshan. At that time, there were 140 movements in the wooden routine method, which were divided into ten sections according to different training purposes.

Later, Ip Man went to Hong Kong to teach apprentices (it needs to be pointed out that before this, Wing Chun kung fu had been secretly circulated, and it was the first time that Ip Man started to promote Wing Chun and teach it publicly), and felt that the wooden dummy method was too complicated and too complicated. So they rearranged them into 108 type (108 coincides with astrology, so the Chinese prefer this number). However, after several years of practice, Ip Man found that the 108 movements were not enough to cover the most important part of the wooden dummy method, so he finally reassembled these techniques into 116 movements.

The 116-style wooden dummy method is divided into 8 sections, as follows:

Section 1:

Ten moves Starting from the left pose, it mainly includes fighting pose, neck-climbing hand, left and right hand spread, horizontal palm and middle hand. This section focuses on footwork posture.

Section 2:

Ten move:. from the right.

Section 3:

Ten Actions: Start with clapping. The focus is on the changes in the clapping of the inner and outer doors. This section also provides effective offensive and defensive palming exercises.

Section 4:

Nine Actions: From the side palm up. The importance of this section is the change in the hand and the fit with the side braces. Emphasis should be placed on the application of the technique of throwing and rushing. When being strongly suppressed by the opponent, you should immediately counterattack with your hands or legs.

Section 5:

Twenty-one actions: Start with two hands. In this section, practitioners can learn how to sneak inside an opponent’s defenses and attack their weak spots subtly. For example, the practice of circling the hand and the practice of going around to the opponent\’s side to attack.

Section 6:

Fifteen moves: Start from the hand. This section mainly practice the application of holding row hands.

Section 7:

Fifteen moves: Start from left to right. The emphasis is on the change from the big hand to the hand and the use in conjunction with other attacking palms. The last part of this section focuses on practicing the application of the cross leg and footwork variations. Cross-legged is the most tactical kick in Wing Chun.

Section 8:

Twenty-six actions: Start from the left and right lower arms and end in the closing posture. This section contains most of the leg techniques.

There are various theories about the origin of the wooden dummy pile, and there is no authoritative proof. My preferred theory is that the red boat of Cantonese opera was used to insert the mooring rope in the water when it was docked, and it was usually erected on the boat to join the bridge hand to practice.

Nowadays, the most popular wooden figurines in Foshan are those left by Ye Wen and Peng Nan. The piling methods created by Mr. Cen Neng based on the ideas of Ruan Qishan and Zhang Bao are also circulated in a small area. Yao Cai’s Wing Chun School used to practice bamboo stakes instead of wooden figurines.

Fortunately, Yao Cai’s descendants kept pace with the times and created their own wooden figurines.

In the early 1980s, Peng Nan was the first to set up a wooden stump at the entrance of the Jingwu Association to teach Wing Chun to the public. The size of many wooden figurines sold on the market is that later people went to Jingwu to measure the stake. As far as I know, the size of the two upper bridge hands is a little bit different, but everyone spreads it based on falsehood, and it is a convention.

After Ye Wen went to Hong Kong in the 1960s, he drew the size of the wooden figurines in Foshan according to his memory. Several early disciples made the wooden figurines. Since then, there have been wooden figurines in Hong Kong, and they have since spread to the world. . It is said that at the time, Ye Wen was very serious about the wooden dummy method, and even Bruce Lee’s proposal to make a film with a lot of money was rejected. But at that time, someone still took a video of Ye Wen’s demonstration of the pile method. There are 108 common wooden pilgrims, but I believe it was formed by Ip Man’s generation, and there should not be so many movements in Ryazan at that time. Empty piles are also called pile shadows, and not everyone has them.

Foshan Piling Shadow is the first to recommend Brother Guo Weizhan (Guo Fu), which is widely recognized.

Master Zhang Zhuoqing’s piling method embodies the Wing Chun style of Master Yip Man in the later period.

It is simple, focusing on point-to-point “eating positions”, which is very suitable for lazy people like me to practice. This is a new product, and it is believed that it will soon enter the public’s family. The wooden dummy is also undergoing changes.

April 14 2020 1 comment

Martial Arts Wing Chun

The interview with Grandmaster Yip Man in the magazine “New Martial Hero”

by Editorial Team March 15 2020

written by Editorial Team 9 minutes read

One of two ever published interviews with the famous Kung-fu Grandmaster

At that time there was a magazine called “New Martial Hero”. It sold quite well between the very late 60s and early 70s. In the mid 70s, due to various problems, the magazine’s sales declined until it closed down in the early 80s.

The interview took place when New Martial Heroes magazine was at its peak circulation during the early 70s. The reporter Mok Pui asked Leung Ting if Grandmaster Yip Man would give an interview for the New Marial Heroes magazine. As everybody knows, Grandmaster Yip Man was quite an odd character in some ways:
First of all, he hated to give interviews to the media. Secondly, he hated to take photographs, especially photographs of him in kungfu postures.

For quite a long time prior to Mok’s request, reporters dared not ask him for interviews or information for their publications. Mok Pui On, of course, knew this very well. When Leung Ting told Mok Pui On that the Grandmaster had promised to be interviewed by him, he was more than happy to invite Leung Ting to dinner!
The interview took place in Grandmaster Yip Man’s house. Mok Pui On first took out his notebook and started asking the Grandmaster a lot of questions. He began by asking about how and when Grandmaster Yip Man began to learn Wing Chun in Fatshan. He asked such precise questions concerning some aspects of Grandmaster Yip’s early training that even Leung Ting was eager to learn the answers!

After the interview in Grandmaster Yip’s house, Leung Ting suggested that they take lunch in a restaurant call Sam Hei Lau or the “Three Times of Happiness Restaurant”. This was the Chinese Restaurant where the late Grandmaster used to have his breakfast.

Leung Ting remembers two things very clearly:

Grandmaster Yip Man emphasized very clearly to Mok Pui On that “Wing Tsun is not the same as Weng Chun!”
Mok Pui On told Grandmaster Yip Man that he had learnt Weng Chun with his Sifu Chu Chung Man for 13 whole years. He added that there were still lots of the movements he could not master. Grandmaster Yip Man comforted him by saying: “Just be patient. You’ll learn everything one day.”

However, right after Mok Pui On said good-bye and left us, it took no more than two seconds for Grandmaster Yip Man to deliver the punch line!
The ironic old Grandmaster wasted no time and minced no words: “You see how stupid Mok Pui On is? If anyone has to use 13 whole years to learn nothing, he would be better of studying nuclear physics!”

This interview was later printed in New Martial Heroes. Some of its contents were added to coincide with Mok Pui On’s own “Weng Chun” ideas.

Grandmaster Ip Man was a Fatshan native. When he was very young, he was quite weak.

Therefore, his parents sent him to learn Wing Chun from Chan Wah Shun, the most outstanding student of the famous Dr. Leung Jan.

When Grandmaster Ip described his past, he did so with great warmth.

New Martial Hero: “How much was 20 taels of silver worth, in terms of your living standards?”
Yip Man, after thinking for a while: “For 20 taels of silver you could marry a wife, say if you did it economically. Also, with no more than 1 and a half taels of silver you could buy 1 picul of rice.”
The Grandmaster continued: “That was why, at that time, most of the people who learnt kungfu were rich people. These people could leave their jobs and live in the old temples in deep mountains for training. It is not the same as today when people can easily learn kungfu anywhere.”
New Martial Hero: “After the death of Wah the Money Changer, you left Fatshan and came to Hong Kong to study in St. Stephens’s College. Did you learn Wing Tsun kungfu again when you were in Hong Kong?”
Yip Man, smiling: “Of course I did! And I can say that it was because of a highly proficient Wing Tsun expert whom I met that I learnt the most advanced Wing Tsun techniques.”
New Martial Hero: “Who was that highly proficient expert?”
Yip Man: “It was Leung Bik, the eldest son of Dr Leung Jan. The story of how I came to meet my teacher Leung Bik was really quite dramatic. It’s a long story.”

After repeated requests by the writer, Grandmaster Yip Man started telling this story in detail:

At the time Grandmaster Yip left Fatshan to go to study in Hong Kong, was already very skilled in the basic wing chun fighting techniques. He always fought with his classmates at the school. Although Yip Man was not tall, he was very skilful in fighting techniques. Therefore, he could defeat all his classmates, even those that were much taller and stronger than he. For this reason, he became arrogant for he believed that nobody could match him.

New Martial Hero: “Did Chan Wah Shun have the nickname Jau-Chin Wah (Wah the Money-Changer)?”
Ip Man: “This nickname does not represent my instructor’s character. Other than ‘Wah the Money Changer’, he had also a less graceful nickname. ‘Ngau-Chin Wah’ of ‘Wah the Bull’. He was the head student of Dr Leung Jan”.
New Martial Hero: “This name indicates that Wah the Money Changer was a very bad tempered person who liked fighting all the time, right? How many students did Wah the Money Changer admit? How were you ranked amongst your kung fu brothers?”
Ip Man: “Including me, Wah Kung only admitted 16 students since opening his kung fu school. I was 11 years old when I became his student during his latter years.”
New Martial Hero: “We Chinese have a saying that the last son is the most beloved one. According to the Chinese custom, since you were his last kung fu son, you must be the most beloved student of his. Right?”
Ip Man, smiling: “You’re right. When I learnt under Wah Kung, he was already 70. He was a bit weak at that time. However, he still corrected my mistakes with great patience. Furthermore, he also told his other students to teach me. As a result, my techniques improved at high speed.”
New Martial Hero: “It’s a good question. Let me tell you why. In olden days, people were very strict concerning the teacher/student relationship. Before they admitted a student, they had to know the character of this would-be student very clearly. This is what is called ‘to choose a right student to teach’. Secondly, it also depended on whether the student could afford to pay his school fees or not”.

Grandmaster Ip stopped for a while. He then talked in a rather low tone.

Ip Man: “The fact is, not too many people could afford to pay for such a high school fee. For example: at the time I paid, the red packet for the ‘Student-admitting Ceremony’ had to contain 20 taels of silver. And I had to pay 8 taels of silver each month as my school fee.”

Meeting Leung Bik in Hong Kong

After six months, one of Yip Man’s classmates, surnamed Lai, whose father ran a big silk company named “Kung Hang Silk Company” in Jervois Street of Sheung Wan, told Yip that there was a friend of father’s living in their house. He was in his 50s. This man knew some kungfu techniques. He offered a friendly sparring with Yip Man.
At that time Yip had never been defeated, and so he wasted no time in accepting the challenge. Lai made an appointment to introduce them to each other on one Sunday afternoon.
On that Sunday, Yip went to the house of his classmate. After being introduced to this middle-aged man, Yip looked at him appraisingly. To Yip’s eyes, he looked more like a typical slim-gentleman than someone who really knew kungfu.
After a short, Yip Man frankly challenged the man to a sparring match.
With a smile, the middle-aged man said: “Well, Yip Man, so you are interested in doing some sparring with me. Before your fight me, I can tell you not to worry about me. All you need to do is attack me to any part of my body with your full strength and that’s all!”
On hearing this, the arrogant Yip Man, though apparently still unruffled, was actually so mad that all he wanted to do was to beat this man up!
No sooner did the middle-aged man give Yip Man a hand-signal inviting him to attack than he was subjected to Yip Man’s aggressive rain of punches. However, this man was so quick that Yip Man could not match his counter-attack movements. In an instant, Yip Man was forced to withdraw into a corner. The man stopped at the same moment.
After the first contact, and already defeated, Yip Man could not believe that this man had gained the upper hand so quickly. Therefore, he asked the man if he could try again. Once again, Yip Man was completely controlled by this man. He could not do anything against him! This time, Yip Man knew that he had surely been beaten by a real kungfu expert. Without saying a word, Yip Man went away with great disappointment.
After that friendly sparring match, Yip Man was so depressed that he did not even dare to mention that he knew kungfu.

One week afterwards, Yip was told by Lai that the middle-aged man wanted to see him again. At that time, Yip Man rather afraid and too ashamed to see the middle-aged man again. He told Lai: “I feel too embarrassed to see him again. I am not his match at all.”
However, to Yip Man’s surprise, Lai told Yip that his father’s friend actually praised Yip’s kungfu techniques highly. That was why he wanted to see Yip and talk to him again. Lai started telling Yip Man the secret of his father’s friend. In fact the one who had fought with Yip Man was none other than Leung Bik, the son of Dr. Leung Jan!
After learning the truth, Yip Man thought to himself: “Gosh! That is why he is so good in kungfu techniques. Actually this time I was fighting with a high-rank Wing Tsun expert!”
Immediately Yip Man’s realized what an opportunity this was. He was still not that highly skilled in the kungfu techniques taught to him by his si-fu Wah the Money Changer. This would be the best chance for him to learn the more advanced Wing Tsun techniques. Therefore, he wasted no time in asking Lai, his classmate, to take him to the Kung Hang Silk Company to meet Leung Bik.

Since Yip Man was a genius in terms of learning kungfu, Leung Bik was very happy to teach all he knew to Yip Man.
A few years later, Leung Bik got tired of living in Hong Kong and was thinking of going back to Fatshan. At that time Yip Man had already attained the highest proficiency in kungfu techniques.

March 15 2020 9 comments

Wing Chun

Wing Chun is a Martial Arts system rather than a style.

Wing Chun Kung Fu

Wooden Dummy

What are the benefits of training with the wooden dummy?

Trace history

The 116-style wooden dummy method is divided into 8 sections, as follows:

Section 1:

Ten moves Starting from the left pose, it mainly includes fighting pose, neck-climbing hand, left and right hand spread, horizontal palm and middle hand. This section focuses on footwork posture.

Ten move:. from the right.

Section 3:

Ten Actions: Start with clapping. The focus is on the changes in the clapping of the inner and outer doors. This section also provides effective offensive and defensive palming exercises.

Twenty-one actions: Start with two hands. In this section, practitioners can learn how to sneak inside an opponent’s defenses and attack their weak spots subtly. For example, the practice of circling the hand and the practice of going around to the opponent\’s side to attack.

Fifteen moves: Start from the hand. This section mainly practice the application of holding row hands.

Twenty-six actions: Start from the left and right lower arms and end in the closing posture. This section contains most of the leg techniques.

The interview with Grandmaster Yip Man in the magazine “New Martial Hero”

Meeting Leung Bik in Hong Kong

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