My Way of Wing Chun

The Learning Curve

Moving Away from “Traditional” Wing Chun

2 Comments Posted by on April 11, 2012

In About page I have mentioned that I have spent several months (six to be more accurate) in one of the Australian Wing Chun schools, that follows W. Cheung (WC hereafter) lineage, and teaches the so-called Traditional Wing Chun (TWC). After the six months of training, when my subscription at the school has ended, I decided to move on.

The main reason for my move were the high fees. When I decided to undertake Wing Chun training, I chose the school of WC because I got influenced by the marketing – direct disciple of Ip Man and the man who trained Bruce Lee. I thought, I cant really go wrong with this, so long story short – I signed up. I remember my first time when I met WC and shook his hand I thought: “Ooh wow, I actually met the world known grandmaster, direct disciple of Ip Man”.

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Personal Thoughts , ,

My Take on Wing Chun Controversy

5 Comments Posted by on April 9, 2012

In About page I have mentioned that I have spent six months (before moving away) in one of the Australian Wing Chun schools, that follows W. Cheung (WC hereafter) lineage, and teaches the so-called Traditional Wing Chun (TWC). The school  is actually WC’s head quarters (HQ hereafter).

The main reason why WC started to become a controversial figure in the 80′s through the 90′s, is certain claims that he made in the Western world. Claims like that he is the only and true successor of Ip Man‘s secret traditional Wing Chun system, and hence the only and true Grandmaster. Claims like that he is the one who trained Bruce Lee and Lee’s success should be attributed mainly to him.

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Personal Thoughts , , , , ,

How and Why I Decided to Study Wing Chun

Leave a Comment Posted by on December 19, 2010

I was longing to study Chinese Martial Arts since I was a kid. Originally, I come from Eastern Europe, and we as kids, were greatly influenced by old Chinese martial arts movies about Shaolin temple and of course Bruce Lee.

Is it enough wanting to study martial arts because of some movies? I guess not. But during that time as a kid, I knew only one thing – it looks cool, it is highly efficient and I want to do it.

As I grew older, I learned to respect not only the fact that its “looks cool”, but I also started to see the philosophical side of things. The importance of body and mind connection. It was not just about looking cool anymore, I started to recognize the efforts needed to master a style or at least to become comfortable enough in it and concepts one learns along the learning way. Some of the things that impressed me is the amazing control over the body one has, the discipline and the dedication.

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Personal Thoughts , ,

Footwork

Comments Off Posted by on December 11, 2003

Many people today practice Wing Chun, Chi Sau (sticking hands). However, they only stand in the same position and they do not move their feet. In this way it is very easy to lose a lot of energy, because when your opponent is very strong and they are attacking you, you cannot move to avoid their power.

The most common way we do to avoid an opponent’s power is to change your technique such as changing from the Bong Sau to Tan Sau or the other way round. Of course, there are other techniques you can use by yourselves but because you do not move your stance, you have to use more strength. Therefore we see many people, who do Chi Sau just like they are fighting. With this kind of skill, only the stronger and bigger guy will win easily. Even if you beat up your opponent, you can also suffer injury, so this is not the best way for Chi Sau.

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Foundation and Basics , , ,

Siu Lim Tao – Stillness

Comments Off Posted by on June 11, 2003

Laozi’s Dao De Jing mentions how the world was created and also how things work. Wing Chun Kuen was created from nothing and from Wing Chun Kuen many Wing Chun skills have been created. Then these Wing Chun skills will go back to nothing. This is how nature works you were born from nothing, then you do a lot of things in this world, finally you die and go back to nothing.

“Everything is created from nothing and also created by something.” – Dao De Jing

When you study Wing Chun Kuen, the first thing you have to learn is the form “Siu Lim Tao”. The first part of the form you have to do very slowly. Many people wonder why this is. Some will think that Wing Chun is a martial art, which is supposed to be quick and powerful. There are other people who will think the opposite, that this is Qigong training that will help to make you powerful, particularly your one-inch punch.

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Forms, Foundation and Basics ,

Wong Shun Leung – The Logic Behind Wing Chun

3 Comments Posted by on August 8, 2002

One of the top Wing Chun fighters at Yip Man‘s hong kong school, Sifu Leung taught Bruce Lee privately for one-and-a half-years and recalled “his Kung-Fu was not very good he couldn’t fight.” Leung’s own introduction to the Wing Chun system was less than stellar he challenged Yip Man to a trial by combat, convinced he could defeat him. When m a n easily won, Leung became a lifelong believer and disciple of the system that Bruce Lee would eventually turn into the most popular Kung-Fu style ever taught. Yip Man, seeing more in Lee than others, predicted to the incredulous Leung that, “this little kid will make Wing Chun famous.”

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Bruce Lee, Jeet Kune Do, Wong Shun Leung

The Spread of Wing Chun

Comments Off Posted by on August 11, 2001

In this article, Grandmaster Ip Chun refers to certain controversial individuals in Wing Chun, ex-students of Grandmaster Ip Man, that after leaving Hing Kong, have said some things over the time that were not true regarding their learning experience under Grandmaster Ip Man in order to make a better living. (Path Seeker)

Ip Man starting teaching Wing Chun in the 1950s in Hong Hong and he died in 1972. In just over twenty years of teaching he made Wing Chun very popular and it spread throughout the world.

Whether they are just beginners or more experienced people, I would estimate that there are about 1 million people practising Wing Chun. In the 20 years that my father taught, he relied on his own resources and received no outside support. So the fact that Wing Chun became so popular is quite remarkable. In fact, there are actually some Wing Chun practitioners who are investigating why Wing Chun is so popular. In this article, I will express my ideas of why this is so and why it is still spreading.

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Ip Chun, Ip Man ,

The Art of Sticking Hands

Comments Off Posted by on April 9, 2001

Chi Sau is the most important part of Wing Chun training. The purpose of Chi Sau is to develop your instinct and sensitivity to your opponent, so when he moves you can react straight away. However Chi Sau is not the same thing as fighting though it will help you to develop your fighting skill. Chi Sau is also not the same thing as sparring. How are they different and how does Chi Sau develop fighting skill?

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Foundation and Basics ,

The Centre Line Part 2: Misconceptions

Comments Off Posted by on June 9, 2000

Last time we looked at the Centreline and found that there were in fact three Centrelines to consider, the Jik Sin (Centre Line), Ji Ng Sin (Meridian Line) and the Centre of Gravity. Now we will look at how Centreline theory is commonly misunderstood.

Someone once made a passing comment about Wing Chun. It went something like, “Wing Chun only blocks attacks that come in along the centreline”. This statement implies that unless your opponent attacks you along the centreline then you will not bother defending yourself against this attack. So for example, if your opponent were to attack you with a hooking, circular punch, then you would not bother to block them. This is of course nonsense. Who will allow someone to hit them just because they attack you in a different way?

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Foundation and Basics , , , ,

The Centre Line Part 1: A Definition?

Comments Off Posted by on April 9, 2000

One of the most important principles in Wing Chun is Centre Line Theory. In essence, this is a simple principle and once understood will help your practice no end. However, to understand Centre Line Theory we must take into account three “different” Centres.

The Centre Line, as can be seen in Fig 1, is the Centre Line which divides the body into two running vertically from the top of the head down through the body. It is this line that Wing Chun emphasises when attack- ing and defending. This line is called Jik Sin. When standing directly opposite your opponent, then your Jik Sins will also face each other. In this case, it is simple to work your line of attack. Fig 2.

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Foundation and Basics , , , ,

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