What is wing chun Kung Fu?
Wing Chun (traditional Chinese: 詠春; simplified Chinese: 咏春) is a concept-based Chinese martial art and form of self-defense utilising both striking and grappling while specializing in close range combat.
Is Wing Chun effective?
Wing Chun wushu is a Chinese traditional martial arts, is a technology to stop the invasion, boxing is a positive, streamlining the justifiable defense system, the legal use of force. Compared with other traditional Chinese martial arts, more focused on the uniform as soon as possible, so as to minimize the damage .
Wing Chun is one of the ancient southern style of Chinese Kung fu. Firstly it was developed in Guangdong and Fujian (two southern provinces of China) about 250-300 years ago.
Origin of Wing Chun
There are many stories of its origin. The most popular is the story below:
Wing Chun was created by a female Shaolin Master called Wu Mei (Ng Mui). She was also a great master in Shaolin white crane style. In the Qing Dynasty (1644—1911), the Southern Shaolin Temple was set on fire by the government. Five great Shaolin Martial Artists (Wu Mei, Zhi Shan, Bai Mei, Feng Dao De and Miao Xian) managed to fight the enemy and escape. In order to avoid the Persecution for the government, Wu Mei hide in the DaLiang Mountain, which is situated on the boarder of Sichuan and Yunnan provinces. In this duration, she kept practicing Kung fu; occasionally she saw a snake and crane fight. This enlightened her and she created her own unique style on this basis. Later on, she passed this style to Yan Yong Chun (Yim Wing Chun). After Wing Chun gained this, she systematized it and widely spread the form. Then people named this style Wing Chun to memorize her.
Many Wing Chun lineages emphasize fighting on the outside of the opponent rather than facing them head on. Such a position could be described as standing at an angle where the Wing Chun practitioner can strike with both their arms, while their opponent can only strike with one of their own arms due to poor positioning. This is often referred to as “taking the blindside” or “fighting on the outside gate”.
Balance, structure and stance
Some Wing Chun practitioners believe that the person with better body structure will win. A correct Wing Chun stance is like a piece of bamboo, firm but flexible, rooted but yielding. This structure is used to either deflect external forces or redirect them.
Balance is related to structure because a well-balanced body recovers more quickly from stalled attacks and structure is maintained. Wing Chun trains the awareness of one’s own body movement derived from muscular, tendon, and articular sources. Performing Wing Chun’s forms such as Chum Kiu or the Wooden Dummy form greatly improve proprioception. Wing Chun favours a high, narrow stance with the elbows kept close to the body. Within the stance, arms are positioned across the vitals of the centerline. Shifting or turning within a stance is carried out variantly on the heels, balls, or middle (K1 or Kidney 1 point) of the foot depending on lineage. All attacks and counter-attacks are initiated from this firm, stable base. Wing Chun rarely compromises structure for more powerful attacks because this is believed to create defensive openings which may be exploited.
Structure is viewed as important, not only for reasons of defense, but also for attack. When the practitioner is effectively “rooted”, or aligned so as to be braced against the ground, the force of the hit is believed to be far more devastating.
Characteristics
Wing Chun is a style of kung fu that emphasizes close quarter combat, quick punches and tight defense to overcome opponents. This traditional Chinese martial art destabilizes opponents with quick footwork, defense and offense happening simultaneously, and redirecting opponent’s energy to your advantage. This is a complex kung fu method that requires years of practice to master, but beginners can easily start learning Wing Chun by understanding its principles, theories and basic skills.
Learn the center line theory. A foundation of Wing Chun is the protection of your body’s center line. Imagine a line that starts at the middle top of your head and travels along the middle of your chest to the lower body. This is the center line of your body and it is the most vulnerable. It should protected at all times.
According to the center line theory, you should always attack down the center line and perform your defensive moves against your opponent’s center line.
The basic open stance in Wing Chun is based on the theory of the center line. In the open stance, stand facing forward with your knees bent and your feet pointing slightly outward. By facing your opponent head-on, you are able to attack with the most balanced force.
Understanding Siu Nim Tao
Learn about Siu Nim Tao. Siu Nim (or Lim) Tao, or “Little Idea,” is the basis for many moves in Wing Chun. Siu Nim Tao is the first form in Wing Chun, and it is here that you will learn proper stance, holding your body, relaxation, and basic hand movements.
Each section of Siu Nim Tao should be mastered before advancing to the next section, and before learning other techniques.
Understanding Gong Lik
Gong Lik is the first section of Siu Nim Tao and focuses on good structure and relaxation. You will learn the open stance, which faces you head-on to your opponent. Work on keeping your body relaxed. Practice the Gee Kim Yeung Ma stance, or the open stance. In this stance, stand facing forward. Point your feet outward slightly. Keep your knees bent. Your weight will distribute evenly over both feet. You will focus on your positioning of your arms and elbows in preparation for learning hand and arm movements. This front-on stance will give you the most advantage in a fight, such as allowing your arms and legs to protect your center line. Both sides of your body can be used equally, rather than favoring one side of the body over the other.
Understanding Fajing
Fajing is the second section of Siu Nim Tao. Fajing develops the release of power. Here, you learn how to use strength and how to preserve strength and energy. Focus on staying relaxed until the moment when your hands are ready to strike.
One of the common movements in Fajing is the palm strike (yan jeung) in which your left hand opens, rotates to face downward, and moves downward to strike your opponent.
Understanding Basic Skills: The third section of Siu Nim Tao is learning basic skills of hand movements and blocking that will provide the foundation for learning other Wing Chun techniques.
Some of these basic skills are Pak Sau or Huen Sau (strike), Tan Sau (palm up block), Gan Sau (splitting hand), and Bong Sau (wing arm). Much of the Siu Nim Tao practice in this section involves a combination of these movements. Once you learn these skills, you will practice them first on the left hand side and then on the right hand side.