About Wing Chun Kung Fu

WING CHUN (詠春) sometimes Wing Tsun is a concept-based Chinese martial art and form of self-defense utilizing both striking and “sticking” or controlling while specializing in close-range combat. It is a relatively young martial art, with most historians agreeing that it developed in southern China approximately 300 years ago in the Ming Empire during the Qing Dynasty.

The Origin.

According to legend, Wing Chun was created during the Qing Dynasty by a Buddhist nun, Ng Mui, who was a master of Shaolin Kung Fu. Using her martial training and personal experience, Ng Mui synthesized a compact form of Kung Fu to exploit weaknesses inherent in the other combat styles of her time and give an advantage to smaller fighters like herself. This new system was well-guarded and passed on to only a few, very dedicated students. Her fighting style became known as Wing Chun (Wing Tsun), after Ng Mui’s first student, a woman named Yim Wing Chun (Yim Wing Tsun). Yim Wing Chun passed her martial arts skills to her husband, Leung Bok Chau. To dig deeper into Wing Chun’s history click here.

History.

Wing Chun martial arts began to quietly spread throughout southern China, evolving as it was adopted into various groups. It gained popularity when Grandmaster Yip Man (Ip Man) began to teach openly in China and Hong Kong. He became well-known for his mastery of martial arts skills and learned Wing Chun techniques from Leung Bik, who was taught by his father, Leung Jan. Yip Man (Ip Man) students continued the evolution and spread all around the world. Today, many people have heard about this easy-to-learn martial art through the late martial arts superstar Bruce Lee or through the popular Yip Man (Ip Man) series of movies.

The main reasons that Wing Chun has grown in popularity is that

(1) it is very practical in the modern world
(2) it can be learned in a relatively short period of time
(3) it can be practiced by people of all sizes, shapes and degrees of athletic ability.

Alternative Oral History.

The stories in oral histories are different from Wing Chun Grandmaster Yip Man (Ip Man). Wing Chun (sometimes spelled as Wing Tsun or Ving Tsun) Practitioner Yiu Kai authors them. The Ving Tsun Athletic Association, established in 1967 in Hong Kong, was the first to use that spelling. The story is almost the same, the main difference being the guy who taught Yim Wang Chun to combat.

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Main Techniques and Forms.

Wing Chun is based on the hand forms that are trained on a wooden dummy and two weapon forms. The forms serve as a reference and are customizable to the individual student.

Main Components of Hand Forms.

1. Sil Lum Tao (Little Idea Form) – trains the power of the legs (stance) and hand techniques
2. Chum Kiu (Searching Bridge) – trains body and foot positioning, kicks, blocks, and strikes
3. Biu Jee (Shooting Fingers) – trains stepping, last-minute power, and recovery
4. Mook Yan Jong (Wooden Dummy) – used to train proper distance, precision, and power

Weapon Forms.

1. Bart Jaam Do (Butterfly Swords) – trains the use of swords or knives with respective footwork
2. Luk Dim Boon Kwan (Long Pole or dragon pole) – trains the use of a long pole as a weapon

It’s important to know that some of the movements can vary between various Wing Chun Schools. For example, Chum Kiu (AKA Seeking the Bridge), also known as Chum Kil, is built upon principles a student learns in Sil Lum Tao and focuses on the rules of footwork and body unity during movements.

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Benefits of Wing Chun Kung Fu.

Self-Defense.

Probably you noticed that the streets of modern cities are becoming more and more dangerous due to the increasing number of homeless and aggressive people. It’s hard to know what to do when you are faced with a physical threat. Your natural instinct may be to run or freeze up, but that can leave you vulnerable to attack.

Wing Chun originated in and was developed for crowded urban environments such as the cities most people live in today. It is a close-quarters fighting system. It can be used even in a confined space like a cramped hallway, stairwell, or elevator. Wing Chun is an empty-hands system. It allows even a regular person to defend himself or herself unarmed. Wing Chun is based on reflexive movements and utilizes the center line theory. Wing Chun protects your body’s central line, which is the most vulnerable and must be always protected. Some of the most important principles of Wing Chun are body structure and balance. Proper body structure must be maintained to prevail over an opponent during a fight. When the center line is compromised students also learn emergency techniques to regain balance and stability. It teaches the students to respond instantly and instinctually to a surprise attack as opposed to a ring fight or sport combat match.

Finally, Wing Chun is simple, direct, and efficient. It is eliminating techniques that are unnecessary in the modern world, such as high-kicking an enemy off his horse.

Easy to Learn / Fun to Practise.

Probably you know that most martial arts are either too boring or too difficult for the average person. While many systems of martial arts require a decade or more to learn, Wing Chun was designed to be learned in the shortest time possible. With regular, consistent practice you can learn the entire core system in about two years. Mastery of the system, of course, takes a lifetime.

Fitness and Weight Loss.

These days the challenging part of getting in shape is that it takes a lot of discipline and determination. Often it feels boring and difficult. That is why most of us quickly lose motivation and give up.

Hollywood elite coaches confirm that the process of getting fit can be a lot of fun if the right equipment and tools are used. Wing Chun practice involves dance-like body movement activities. They make it feel like an interesting game. Seamlessly it tones muscles and helps lose extra weight fast.

The good news is that It does not require any boring cardio exercises.

Wing Chun is For Everyone.

Wing Chun can be practiced by people of all ages, sizes, shapes, and degrees of physical ability. It is equally applicable to both men and women. Though there is a trend for women to make progress much faster. Wing Chun (some people spell it as Wing Tsun) uses structure rather than strength and timing rather than speed. It is also based on natural human anatomy rather than mimicking the movements of animals. So it does not require extraordinary flexibility or athleticism.

Focus and Relaxation.

Proper training in Wing Chun (Wing Tsun) does, however, build both a high degree of physical fitness as well as mental focus. Consistent practice develops extraordinary sensitivity, balance, endurance, and coordination. Through training, you will learn to quiet your mind and focus your attention. Perhaps most importantly, you will learn to relax and unwind tension from the body, bringing yourself into a natural state of structural stability and intrinsic strength.

This emphasis on structure, technique, and mind-body strength is part of what allows a normal-sized person to effectively defend against a bigger, stronger attacker. Wing Chun King Fu teaches a regular person to use defense and attack simultaneously. That allows you to protect yourself from the most offensive situations in the urban environment.

Self-Confidence.

As you’ll learn as you dig into the concepts and principles, Wing Chun makes your movements stealthy. It makes you feel safe and comfortable when assaulted without warning or at high speed or even with violence. Wing Chun’s fighting style utilizes reflex response to interrupt the attack, get the attacker off balance, and turn the fight in your favor.

Wing Chun vs Other Martial Arts.

While other systems block and then attack; the Wing Chun fighting style allows one to defend and attack simultaneously. Other martial arts schools urge to drawback or block punches before striking back. On the other hand, Wing Chun’s fighting style allows one to hit without warning from any position. Other martial art styles require one to wind up to generate force. The Wing Chun fighting style uses the structure of the entire body to create power even in a limited space. Other martial arts styles teach to exchange strikes back and forth until one fighter is either knocked out or takes sufficient cumulative damage. Though Wing Chun turns on like a chainsaw and it doesn’t stop delivering damage until the assault has been effectively ended.

Body and Brain Speed and Power Development.

The bulk of your training is not spent punching heavy bags, though. Students improve at moving their bodies efficiently and with great precision. It helps to have structural positioning that will overcome sheer strength. Wing Chun uses a combination of forms, reflex development drills, tactical training drills, and specialized equipment to develop this precision and economy of movement. Wing Chun’s main principle is simple physics: use the minimum amount of effort to create the maximum effect. To read about the details of Wing Chun’s training methodology click here.

Self-discipline and motivation.

We all know that we need to be more disciplined and motivated, but it’s hard to find the time or energy to do this. A lot of exercises can become boring for those who practice them.

Discipline and motivation are essential for success in any area of life, but they’re often in short supply.

Wing Chun Kung Fu is a time-tested system for developing discipline and motivation that has been passed to us from generation to generation. The training is never boring and there’s no end goal just continuous learning and self-mastery. Wing Chun martial arts training can help you achieve your goals and become the best version of yourself.

Healthy lifestyle & wellness.

We all know that life can be hard. Between work, family, and social obligations, it sometimes feels like we’re constantly under pressure. It’s no wonder we feel stressed out and overwhelmed most of the time.

Wing Chun Kung Fu can help you reclaim control of your life. It is an ancient martial art. It teaches how to deal with stress in a healthy way. Seamlessly it makes you more discipline and focused.

Stress relief.

We are all stressed out at times. Between work, family, and social obligations, it feels like we’re constantly running on a treadmill that’s about to spin out of control. 

Modern science proved that stress can lead to heart disease, obesity, diabetes, and a host of other chronic conditions.

Wing Chun is the answer! This ancient form of martial arts is one of the best ways to purge stress from your body and mind. Wing Chun martial arts help you focus on the present moment and forget about everyday problems.

Social, Friend, and Welcoming Community.

It can be hard to make friends and feel like you belong somewhere. 

You may feel like you’re always alone, or that you don’t fit in with anyone. This can be really tough, especially when you need someone to lean on.

Wing Chun Kung Fu can help solve this problem for you. Not only will you learn an amazing martial art, but you’ll also make lasting friendships and connections with other people who love Wing Chun martial arts too.

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The Best Way To Start Learning Wing Chun.

It is very easy to start and learn Wing Chun martial arts basics online. You can also sign up for our free program that will help you develop Wing Chun’s essential skills and knowledge, boost your self-confidence in martial arts and improve your fitness level. 

We will start sending you weekly guidance and assignments twice a week. That way you can start learning Wing Chun at home for free. 

Later on, for the advanced level, you can search for a Wing Chun club close to your home.

In case there is no Wing Chun school in your area, you can always sign up for an advanced class that will include newly uploaded weekly videos, classes with detailed instructions, and live support from experienced trainers.

Accessories to make the process easy, fast, and comfortable.

Wing Chun Uniform

It is highly recommended to wear loose and comfortable clothes. You can pick something from your own wardrobe or get Wing Chun Kung Fu Uniform Clothing, that can be used for any kind of traditional Chinese martial arts, whether you are practicing Tai Chi, Qigong, or Kung Fu.

Stainless Ring “Yewen Sau”

Another great item for Wing Chun training to help one learn the proper positions of their hands is the Wing Chun Stainless Ring Yewen Sau. It will teach you how to keep your hands properly linked in attacks and defense and also help toughen the forearms.

Wooden Dummy

Once you have learned the basics and spent enough time understanding and practicing the foundational techniques, you are ready to move to the next level in training, you will need to get Wing Chun Wooden Dummy. Probably you may have seen it in the movies. Bruce Lee and Yip Man (Ip Man) used similar Wooden Dummies to practice their skills.

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How To Overcome Fears and Concerns of Wing Chun.

Does It Actually Help in Real Fights?

Some people believe that the Wing Chun fighting style is not effective in a real street fight. However, that is not true. Many famous MMA and UFC fighters like Jon Jones, Anderson Silva, and Tony Ferguson state that training with the right guidance and tools will make anyone ready for any street fight. Wing Chun Kung Fu is one of the most effective defense systems in the world, especially in small cramped spaces where there your moves are limited. The forms and techniques are simple, easy to learn and practice, and effective from a biomechanical standpoint. The effective use of timing, angles, and a combination of blocks and attacks allows the practitioner to have certain leverage over their opponent.

Is It Hard To Learn?

When people watch a movie with famous Wing Chun fighting style masters like Bruce Lee or Yip Man (Ip Man), they become skeptical that they might never reach that level and don’t even dare to start learning it. On the contrary, It is rather easy to learn with a skilled guide in a gym or online. The key is to find the right class or online training material that has a proven record of success. And if your goal is to learn how to defend yourself and your loved ones, it’s fairly easy to stay motivated once you start.

Fear Of Injury

Another common reason why people never start practicing Wing Chun is the fear of injury. Being hurt is a deep-rooted fear for adults because daily responsibilities are still a priority. However, many people may not know that martial arts, statistically, are not as dangerous as any other common sport. One has a higher chance of injury playing soccer or basketball. 

Even at the beginning of the learning process at the gym, you will find out that respecting your opponent and having proper control will help you avoid a lot of unnecessary pain. If you are practicing on your own at your house, then you have the advantage of training at your own pace using a special Dummy Mook Yan Jong and a stainless ring Yewen Sau, which can help you stay injury-free while practicing the strikes and blocks.

Fear Of Failure Or Looking Awkward

It is quite natural to have a fear of looking awkward when starting a new activity. Learning Wing Chun, it’s very easy to replace that fear with excitement. Usually, adults are more hesitant to start because we assume that we already know how to protect ourselves and how to fight off an opponent. Wing Chun is very easygoing, it is based on the human’s natural movements. On the other hand, there is always an option to start learning that martial art online.

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NEXT: Training Curriculum
In the next section, we will go into more detail about the Wing Chun Concepts training curriculum, with an overview of the course material and the linear hierarchy of the coursework.