Why you should learn Wing Chun Kung Fu

There are many reasons to start learning Wing Chun Kung Fu. The main benefits I will list are Self Defence, A Focused Mind, Body Control & Balance, Postural Alignment and Health.

Many students are not even interested in Self Defence, especially females. In today's society you do not expect to have to defend yourself and can easily get through life without these skills. However Wing Chun Kung Fu is an art form, which develops self confidence, awareness and is a vessel for self discovery. Of course Wing Chun is an extremely effective method of self defence, however there are so many more benefits to learning this special martial art. Here I have listed a few reasons:

A Focused Mind

In today's modern society, we have many things to think about and to be worried about. Our minds wander from one thought to another, anxious about the future, perhaps depressed about the past. Rarely do we find ourselves in the present, thinking in the present. When you think in the present, for that period of time your worries disappear, time seems to pass quickly, and gain a feeling of fulfillment. 

How do you achieve this state, and how can you achieve it at will? This is something that can be trained, however it occurs in life quite regularly. Anybody who has a hobby will be able to spend hours at a time completely focused on their task.

Wing Chun Kung Fu, by its very nature, helps a person focus their mind, both naturally and trained. As a hobby, one can spend hours at a time training Wing Chun, moving their mind to the present. By also training this focusing during Siu Nim Tau practice, one can develop this skill even deeper. Siu Nim Tau training is training both the body and mind; you are working on your body, similar to Tai Chi and your mind, similar to meditation. For example, you may be walking down the street and you put your awareness into your arm to practice a tan sau movement; At this moment, you are focusing your mind into the present and into your body, focusing your mind.

A personal experience I can share is related to my University degree. Having very little ability when I was younger to study for more than 10 minutes at a time, I wanted to apply what I had learnt about focusing my mind towards my studying. I can easily spend all day training Wing Chun Kung Fu, so I decided to apply this ability to my university studies. During my Master's degree I could study as long as I wanted (with breaks) with little effort. I had learnt how to focus, and could concentrate for hours at a time to study material. I achieved very high marks, and where I could see that others can achieve high marks with little effort, I knew I had achieved it with hard work.

Another example was one student who went to run in a marathon for the first time. He told me that his training helped him greatly as throughout he focused on his running movements, joints, breathing and relaxing his muscles the whole time. For him, focusing on his body throughout the races took his mind away from other thoughts, such as pain, how far to go, and giving up.

Though I believe you can learn to focus your mind with any hobby, I believe that Wing Chun is geared towards this as it is an Internal Style which forces you to focus on yourself, your body movements, your posture, and correct thinking.

Body Control, Coordination and Balance

The benefits of Wing Chun Kung Fu extend to body control, co-ordination and balance. These are excellent benefits, and is akin to relearning how your body works.

Body control can be attributed to body mechanics. This means learning how the body moves and in Wing Chun, learning the most efficient and powerful way the body can move. For example if the practitioner can learn how to relax the muscles and move from the joints, movement becomes easier, more efficient and when used in Kung Fu, more power. In Kung Fu, learning to move from the joints creates more powerful movements that can utilise the whole body mass. In every day life, it brings small benefits such as learning how to stand up from a sitting position much easier, walking up stairs more effortlessly, standing more comfortably and generally moving with less effort.

Co-ordination is the ability to control our limbs. Having better co-ordination allows us to move and do things with our body more easily and effectively. Wing Chun Kung Fu effectively trains co-ordination development in the body. By learning hand techniques for self defence, with the use of both arms simultaneously, and also together with kicking, stepping and pivoting, Wing Chun increases co-ordination. Learning sticking hands (Chi Sau), a practioner further develops reflexes and co-ordination by continuously using both arms at the same time for extended periods of time.

After training Wing Chun sufficiently, the practitioner should feel much more co-ordinated not only in Kung Fu practice, but in every day life, applied to every day tasks.

Balance is the body's ability to stay upright, and in control of itself. This is trained in Wing Chun with the Siu Nim Tau stance, and emphasises an equal amount of pressure on each foot. Training also involves finding the body's centre; movements will be the most efficient if they come from this centre. Siu Nim Tau on one leg further trains the body's ability to balance. Balance is much improved with sticking hand (Chi Sau) training, as the balance is constantly tested by your training partner. After sufficient training, the practitioner will feel better balanced at all activities, whether it be walking, running or even standing on a bus.

Postural Alignment and Health

Postural alignment refers to the having good posture and is integral in maintaining good health. The field of Chiropractory is founded on this notion. Wing Chun emphasises good posture, in fact it is necessary for proper power generation in Kung Fu. After learning an Internal style of Wing Chun, whether walking, standing or sitting, the practitioner will most likely be thinking if his or her posture is correct. In this way, the focus on good posture spills into everyday life and gives the benefit of preventing back pain from bad posture. This is especially important as we grow older.

Other health benefits are achieved due to Wing Chun's light fitness. Any activity that involves moving around is good for your health. Wing Chun is not a heavy physical excersise like many martial arts, so it can be practiced into old age, and you will get better with age. Similar to Tai Chi, Wing Chun is good for increasing blood flow to the body, and is a relaxed exersize.

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As we age, all of these benefits are more fully realised. Having a good ability to focus, brings benefits throughout your life. Learning body mechanics, coordination and balance are very useful as we grow older, allowing us to age with full control over our bodies. Similarly, with good posture we can grow older in the right shape in our spines, allowing more freedom of movement in later life. Wing Chun Kung Fu is more than just self defence and is truly an art-form for life.

7 Wing Chun Health Benefits

In Wing Chun, health is important (even though, you probably study it to learn how to take away someone else’s health). There are at least seven areas where Wing Chun has a positive affect on your mental, emotional or physical well being.

What’s more, results from a study in the International Journal of Sports Medicinesuggests that Wing Chun offers a more robust cardio workout than Tai Chi. And a study in the British Journal of Sports Medicine found that a group of middle aged martial artists (40 - 60 year olds) had more muscle endurance and strength, and lessbody fat than the control group matched for the same age and sex!

These studies are great for geeky scientists in laboratories… but how about in real life for people like you and me?

1. Fitness: At my school one student quit smoking, another lost almost 100 pounds (45 kilos) in the year he trained with us, and I lost weight and lowered my blood pressure by practicing Wing Chun.

Naturally, the level of fitness you achieve depends on your motivation and goals. The student who lost almost 100 pounds (45 kilos) worked out after kung fu class and watched his diet carefully. All of this added together with Wing Chun led to his amazing results.

When asked about our transformation, each one of us admit that it's thanks to Wing Chun that we decided to take action and make positive changes to our health.

2. Better Coordination: One of the great things about Wing Chun is that we train both sides of our bodies (the left and right sides). Better still is the fact that Wing Chun, and kung fu in general, trains you to use fine motor skill to fight (this is especially true at the advanced Wing Chun stages). For example, it takes a lot of coordination to attack using a finger jab or simultaneously block, strike and kick at the same time.

3. Builds Internal Energy and Wellness: Most people have heard how Tai Chi and its slow forms are good for your health and helps develop internal “Qi” power. There are dozens of medical studies that support this.

Well, if you do your Wing Chun forms slowly and deliberately, like Tai Chi forms, you’ll get many of the same benefits. I get a similar workout doing my Wing Chun forms, slowly, as I do when I practice Tai Chi. What’s nice about using Wing Chun forms is you can workout in a small area, like a corner of your bedroom or hotel room if you’re traveling.

In addition some Wing Chun schools teach basic Chinese medicine to the very advanced or “Provisional Sifus”. This way they have some ability to help heal minor injuries and ailments. See how to use Dit Da Jow to heal bruises.

4. Relieves Stress: Getting a good workout, especially a cardio workout helps purge the stress. And it’s good for the heart too. Plus, training Wing Chun forces you to focus on the here and now, not on your problems.

For instance, if someone is throwing a kick or punch at you, you don’t have time to worry about the parking ticket you just got or the pile of paper work sitting on your desk at work.

Getting rid of stress has really helped me clear my mind and allows me to do better work in my job.

And I’m not alone… the Oscar-nominated actor Robert Downy Jr. credits Wing Chun to helping him relaunch his career, break his drug habit and get his life back together.

5. Better Reflexes: In Wing Chun we train both contact (chi sau) reflexes and visual reflexes. This training also improves our muscle memory. Which is when your body makes the right moves on it’s own. It’s almost like Spider-Man’s spider-sense.

I’ve had many experiences where I’ve caught something falling off a table or counter, in mid-fall, without even thinking about it. And on more than one occasion I’ve ducked my head just before smacking it on a low hanging ledge or shelf, you know, one of those low ledges that everyone else walks into. My body just “knew” it was there and “knew” what to do.

6. Improves eye focusing: When you’re not in contact range you have to rely on visual reflexes (your eyes) to keep you safe and a threat to your opponent.

In the West we pay little attention to eye health. In Chinese schools, on the other hand, exercising the eyes during school is part of the daily routine. In my kwoon we exercise the eyes during our warm up.

I’ve noticed that the eye exercises are beneficial to me especially since I work on a computer most of the day.

7. Improves speed and power: Wing Chun is well known for its speed. And when you train correctly you learn to back up the speed with explosive power.

This is good for your overall health because you want to have ”reserves”available in an instant.

In other words, you don’t want to be so well tuned that you’re always cruising around at maximum efficiency. Think of it like your car.

You’re cruising down the highway when a car crash happens next to you. In a case like this you need to hit the gas pedal and jump out of harm’s way. If your car doesn’t have “spare capacity”, or extra power in reserve, you’re going to sit there and get crushed.

Your health works in the same way. You need extra capacity to deal with physical, emotional or mental shocks. There are too many stories where someone suffered a heart attack because of emotional or mental distress, not a physical one. 

HEALTH BENEFITS OF WING CHUN

Wing Chun practitioners often comment on how their particular training makes them feel really good. There seems to be an almost addictive nature to it and practitioners often say that it seems to almost infiltrate every part of their life. It seems quite clear that Wing Chun does have certain health benefits. These can be broadly divided into the physical and psychological.

I must start however, with a word of caution. Some martial arts try to make the body do almost unnatural things and emphasise actions in their training which can excessively load joints. This is a serious concern. In the long-term this can lead to osteoarthritis (wear and tear arthritis) which can cause much pain and suffering. There is no cure for osteoarthritis and the only real treatments currently are painkillers and joint replacement operations. I would urge all martial artists to look closely at the pros and cons of their training methods. Even just doing repetitive, powerful, full extensions of the elbow during punch training will eventually damage the joint.

There is also the issue of breaking lumps of wood, concrete etc. This always looks fantastic and you can only admire the focus and determination of the individuals who do it, but does this type of training make you any more likely to win a fight, and are you prepared to accept the joint damage which may result? There will always be much debate as to what are good and bad training methods but in my opinion a true martial art should not be damaging to the body and should be easily practised into old age. Wing Chun, in contrast to many arts, if practised correctly, is actually a soft, free flowing style, which deals more with deflecting an opponents energy rather than clashing with it head on.

In Wing Chun the training takes place at close range, the elbows mostly remain in a semi-flexed position even during striking. These factors help to keep joint loading to a minimum. Minor injuries do occur as with any contact activity, but the system on the whole it is not damaging to the body. The Wing Chun forms teach many things including good posture, flexibility, and coordination. The forms have an almost meditative quality and can really help to calm the mind. Chi sau in particular is a fascinating part of the system. It provides an excellent form of gentle controlled aerobic exercise which improves contact sensitivity and reflexes .

There is much emphasis in chi sau in learning to relax and conserving energy and players often find that they perform better if they just switch their mind off. This release from conscious thought can result in the whole training experience being incredibly relaxing and refreshing. I believe that this stress relieving quality is probably the major health benefit of Wing Chun. The practice of Wing Chun Kung Fu can have profound psychological effects. Most importantly I think, it can provide an enormously positive focus in peoples lives.

All too often in my work as a GP I see patients who lack such a focus, often they suffer from low self esteem, depression and anxiety. There is now evidence that physical exercise can make you less likely to suffer from depression. The close range nature of Wing Chun training helps to break down social barriers between people and training partners often become trusted friends. In order to learn much of the training is co-operative and it is not necessary to hurt your partner. Chi sau is such a dynamic drill that your perceived advantage can quickly be turned against you. All of these factors help us to realise the importance of controlling our egos.

There is obviously a philosophical side to kung fu which I believe can subconsciously affect the way you approach life. Many parallels can be drawn between the fighting concepts and strategies and the way we deal with problems in real life. The centreline theory for example could be interpreted as maintaining a balance in your life. For myself I often find that keeping things in life simple, direct and efficient works very well. I find that the complexity of modern life can frequently increase stress levels, which puts us at risk of mental and physical ill health.

There is much to be said for having a simple life. Wing Chun constantly reminds me of the value of simplicity. I recently found a wonderfully profound old Taoist saying: ” Lessons learnt by the body educate the mind.” This for me sums up the whole philosophical side to kung fu but in truth it is up to the individual to discover how it can change his or her life in the course of time. Kung fu really can be a “soul food”.

Seven Training benefits you may not knew about in Wing Chun

Most people choose Wing Chun because it’s one of the best ‘street-smart’, hand-to-hand combat martials arts.
It’s also easy to learn. It works – regardless of your age or gender. And it will easily take down a stronger, faster opponent.
But there are many other ‘hidden’ benefits you get from training in Wing Chun that you may not realize. Here are just a few:

#1 Helps Refine Your Spatial Awareness

Your Wing Chun training helps you refine your spatial awareness (knowing where your body is in relation to things around it).
In a day and age where many of us sit at desks or cars, our sensitivity of knowing where we are in relation to other people and objects becomes dull. With training you become more visually aware of your distance from objects (both stationary and moving ones).
This helps you in everything from sports to driving to social interactions.

#2 Improve Your Body Mechanics and Reduce Minor Injuries

With consistent Wing Chun training, you learn how to use proper structures to do everyday activities. This, in turn, will help you reduce minor injuries because of poor body mechanics.

#3 A Healthy Outlet for Pent-Up Stress

Wing Chun forms especially can help teach you how to truly relax your body as you master more efficient body mechanics. This helps tremendously with stress relief – something most of us need in our go-go-go world.
Doing the forms can also provide a meditative benefit – a sort of ‘moving meditation’. Forms are a great way students can work through stresses and problems of the day in a healthy way.

#4 More Confidence and Better Focus

With forms training you also gain good body posture, which can help you appear more confident and in control to those around you.
Training over the long term also helps you develop increased focus in everyday life. This translates into helping you achieve your other life goals faster and more effectively.

#5 Improve Your Reflexes

Chi Sau (or sticky hands), provides the training of increased contact sensitivity and increased auto-reflexes. This will also help you in other martial arts or sports that you choose to take.
I often find that, when studying another martial art, I progress much more quickly through it because of my years of Wing Chun training.

#6 Better Relationships and Social Support

Another benefit that my students especially like about their training is the social interaction and friendships that come with taking classes.
In my classes for example, I emphasize to my students that they are family. Because we’re a family we help each other improve. We’re not there to break each other down but to build up. We’re also there as a social support in a world where many peoples social supports are breaking down.

#7 Increased Discipline

Self-discipline is a lost art today in a world where so many things are cheap and easy. The downside to this is that people aren’t given a lot of chances to develop self-discipline.
But the truth is that you need it if you want to go anywhere in life. Wing Chun helps you develop self-discipline in a truly enjoyable way. While you’re learning the art, you’ll also be developing the self-discipline of training, practice and conditioning.
You’ll notice before long that this self-discipline (and the confidence that comes from developing it) is leaking over into other areas of your life, helping you achieve more and go further than you ever dreamed.
So those are just a few of the added benefits of training in Wing Chun Kung Fu. If you’re interested in taking classes, make sure to look for a good instructor that provides a supportive positive environment to train in.
You should be able to ask questions and work to your own fitness level. Good luck in your training!

What makes Wing Chun Kung Fu the Science of Self Defense

There are thousands of known and practiced martial arts from every country in the world, and though all martial systems are based on human combat, different styles have different focuses and blind-spots, strengths and weaknesses. Some martial styles are based around ancient esoteric forms and traditions, others are more geared towards sports competitions, and some are designed to maim, disable and kill people as efficiently and effectively as possible.  Wing Chun is among the latter.

We aim to never injure or kill any living creature, but if necessary in self-defense or in the defense of innocents, if violence is being committed against me or a loved one, we will use every weapon available to me to incapacitate that aggressor.  Wing Chun is such a versatile and superior system, however, that even against deadly aggression, a skilled Wing Chun practitioner can diffuse and re-direct an opponents’ energy indefinitely without ever having to actually physically harm them. 

Tai Chi and Aikido masters also train and develop this ability to completely dominate and control an adversary without ever having to hurt them.  Only such “soft style” martial arts can develop this ability because only the soft styles train with the principle of “no force against force.”  Muay Thai, Boxing, Kickboxing, Karate, Taekwondo, and Wrestling for example are all hard styles which train brute force against force, conditioning arms and legs for repeated bone on bone hits.  If you’re a strong young man with solid bones and big muscles preparing for combat or competition, such hard style bone on bone conditioning is a must, but Wing Chun wasn’t developed by a big strong young man preparing for combat or competition, Wing Chun was developed by a small weak old woman preparing for self-defense.

Wing Chun is in fact the only martial art known to have been invented by a woman.  Ng Mui, a Shaolin nun on the run from the Manchu government, created Wing Chun as a system of self-defense that women, or smaller, weaker, slower, older people could successfully use to defeat men, or bigger, stronger, faster, younger adversaries.  By allowing the aggressor to lead, the soft style practitioner, like the woman in couples dancing, is completely receptive and responsive to the man’s motions and movements then mirrors him in real-time. 

Through sensitivity training like “Chi Sao” (sticky hands) and “Chi Gerk” (sticky legs), Wing Chun practitioners develop the ability to receptively respond, re-direct and diffuse or use the opponent’s energy against them.  By “bridging” and sticking to their limbs we receive constant tactile information allowing us to manipulate and stay ahead of attacks

Looking at human anatomy Wing Chun notices that the eyes, throat, groin and several of our other main vulnerable targets all rest along the body’s centerline.  For this and many other reasons we always attack and defend along the center, since both the opponent’s and our most vulnerable targets are right there.  Then we extend our longest weapons forward like “Bil Gee” thrusting fingers into the opponent’s eyes and knee stomp kicks into their lead leg.

There is an axiom in geometry that states “the shortest distance between two points is a straight line.” This is another reason Wing Chun practitioners always strike and defend straight ahead along the center.  If the opponent initiates a circular attack like a roundhouse kick or hooking punch, we simply advance straight ahead with a mirrored straight attack which allows our strike to land first. This is known as “economy of motion” and is one of Wing Chun’s main mathematical principles.  Instead of blocking first then hitting back as in most martial arts, a Wing Chun man will simultaneously block and hit while the opponent is still mid-strike.  This gives us the surprise factor and results in double the damage because the opponent’s forward energy is met head on with our straight forward attack

There is an axiom in physics that states “no two objects can occupy the same space at the same time.” Keeping this in mind Wing Chun practitioners always aim to occupy the centerline with our punches and kicks, yielding to and re-directing all obstacles in the way, but constantly replacing our limbs back across the center.  Once we control the center by bridging a bent arm/leg we use sticky hands/legs sensitivity to feel and exploit the opponent’s under and over-commitments.

The triangle or pyramid is the strongest shape in nature and recognizing this, Wing Chun repeatedly uses triangles and 45/60 degree angles in its structure and movements.  For example when training we stand slightly pigeon-toed with knees bent in and extend both arms frontwards making three triangles with our arms, legs, and feet.  The upper triangle, like a door wedge, allows us to easily control the centerline and the lower triangles allow us to receive incredible amounts of forward energy without having to back up.  

When parrying and attacking we constantly use the power of 45/60 degree angles to deflect, re-direct and cut through our opponent’s defenses.  The Wing Chun knee stomp kick 45 degrees downward just above the knee-joint is absolutely the easiest and most effective leg breaking technique in existence.  If massive force is directed at our centerlines like with a sidekick, Muay Thai teep kick, or a running tackle, we triangle side-step and advance at 45/60 degrees allowing us to overtake their position using not brute strength or muscle, but just the power of angles.  If a strong punch comes along our centerline, we pivot 45 degrees and throw our own centerline punch which cuts through theirs allowing us to block and strike simultaneously. 

When Wing Chun practitioners kick we don’t chamber our legs first then extend out straight at 90 degree angles like most Taekwondo, Muay Thai, or Kickboxing kicks, because as Newton’s axiom warns us, “for every force or action there is an equal and opposite force or reaction.”  If a smaller, weaker person performs a Muay Thai teep kick to the trunk of a bigger, stronger adversary, when that kick connects, instead of pushing back the adversary, that direct force will come straight back and the power of your own kick will launch you straight backwards.  If instead front and side kicks are performed Wing Chun style, with no chamber, foot rising straight from ground to target at a 45 degree angle, the equal and opposite force is absorbed and earthed completely by our back legs. 

The “immovable elbow” principle of Wing Chun comes from the observation that our arms are at their strongest and most stable when held straight ahead about a fist-distance away from our abdomen elbows bent at 135 degrees.  Bent at any more of an angle, strength is quickly diminished, we become unbalanced and vulnerable to being pulled; bent at any less of an angle, strength is diminished and we become vulnerable to being pushed or taken down.  By maintaining this bent arm ready stance, hitting and replacing chain punches at 135 degrees along the centerline we maximize balance, speed, power and control.

There are many more examples and reasons why Wing Chun truly is the science of self-defense, but suffice to say, by taking into account aspects of physics, kinesthesiology, geometry, and anatomy Wing Chun is less like a martial art and more like martial science.  The art part is in the application, the drilling and training, making the science subconscious and second-nature, embedding the muscle-memory, learning to channel the opponent’s energy, and successfully expressing yours.

Tai Chi History: An Overview

Mist-shrouded Origin of Tai Ch. Like the Chinese Wudang mountains, tai chi history is the stuff of legends and mist. Even simple questions, such as “How did tai chi begin?”, have no simple answers. 

The origin of tai chi can’t be easily summarized. We don’t know who founded tai chi or in what year (or century) that occurred. Instead, there are three major theories about the origin of tai chi.

Read more below and find the one that seems most appealing. Or simply immerse yourself in the stories, background, and legends around the origin and evolution of tai chi.

Theory 1. Snake vs Crane. The origin of tai chi may in fact spring from the Wudang mountains in the 12th century. Some hold that the Taoist sage Chang San Feng was there when he happened to observe a deadly fight between a snake and the crane. The crane attacked, stabbing and jabbing at the snake. Somehow, the snake managed to evade. The snake fought back with whip-like attacks of its own. But, the crane deflected these attacks by fiercely spreading its wings.

Inspired by this scene, Chang San Feng went on to create the soft internal martial art of tai chi. He included moves inspired directly from the crane and the snake. His new fighting style was very different from the external Shaolin Temple gung fu, emphasizing relaxed movements. Being a high level Taoist, he also infused it with the wisdom, military strategies, and longevity methods of Taoism.

Theory 2. A Mysterious Stranger Brings Tai Chi to the Chen Village. Tai chi was passed down to Wang Tsung Yueh, a mysterious stranger who travelled to the Chen village. While at the local inn, he let loose with a string of insults about the village’s martial arts. The Chen villagers responded accordingly and fiercely attacked Wang.

Although outnumbered, Wang was the clear victor. The next day, he became the official Chen village martial arts teacher. Wang taught the villagers how to modify their Shaolin-like martial art with the internal principles of his style.

Theory 3. A Seasoned Chen Fighter Creates Tai Chi. Others argue that tai chi was created in the Chen village by a Chen warrior. The headman Chen Wan Ting (1600-1680) had mastered numerous martial arts techniques while serving as a general in the Chinese army. He combined the best aspects from various combat styles he’d learned, then added components from Chinese medicine and the acupuncture meridian system to create a tai chi fighing style to protect his village.

The martial applications of tai chi--with underlying Chinese medicine principles and some internal Taoist practices—was known, thriving, and also well-guarded in the Chen village by the 17th Century.



Chen Village: First Known Tai Chi School. The list of stories on the origin of tai chi goes on. But most agree that the first records of tai chi as a distinct martial art stem from the Chen village. How long it had been practiced prior and by whom may well remain a mystery. 

The Yang Style Arises from the Chen. The secrets of the Chen style tai chi may have remained locked within the borders of the Chen village for many more years, if it weren’t for the dedication and ingenuity of Yang Lu Chan (1799-1872). He initially infiltrated the Chen village but eventually gained their recognition and respect—and equally or more importantly, became an official student of their martial arts.

After mastering the techniques, Yang left with the blessings of the Chen village and travelled throughout China. He went on to serve the Chinese emperor with his martial arts skills, and to found the Yang style of tai chi. 

The Wu Style Arises from the Yang. In addition to being an amazing martial artist, Yang Lu Chan was also talented as a teacher—not a common combination. One of his top students was Chuan You (1834-1902), who went on to found the Wu style. That’s not a typo. It’s called the Wu style because the family was forced to change their surname for political and safety reasons.

Chuan You’s son, Wu Jien Chuan (1870-1902), as well as Chuan You’s grandchildren, went on to create their own variations of Wu style tai chi.

Changes in the Early 20th Century. In the early 20th century, more people were able to learn about the health benefits of tai chi. This was due to the more open teachings by descendants of the Yang and Wu style founders, including Yang Shaohou, Yang Chengfu, and Wu Chien Chuan.

Tai Chi Goes Underground in China. The creation of the People’s Republic of China in 1945, as well as the ensuing Great Leap Forward (1958-1961), and Cultural Revolution (1966-1976), brought about great changes in the practice of tai chi. This was a time of wanton destruction of ancient buildings, artifacts, and knowledge.

Tai chi was likewise suppressed because of its notable history and links to the Taoist and Buddhist religions. Potential fighters and rebels were targeted by the government. Within China, tai chi masters stopped teaching, hid their skills and went underground in order to survive.

Tai Chi in the West. Some tai chi masters managed to flee. Outside of China, tai chi began to be taught more openly, as these teachers sought to keep the knowledge of their lineage alive.

Cheng Man Ching, highly schooled in Yang style tai chi (as well as other arts including traditional Chinese medicine and calligraphy), moved to New York and began to teach in 1964. He, and other skilled practitioners, brought tai chi out of China and to a range of students in the West.

Tai Chi for National Health in China. Although disdainful of the religious aspects of tai chi and also wanting to suppress the potential threat posed by skilled tai chi fighters, the Chinese government nevertheless embraced the health benefits of tai chi.

The government even created and promoted simple forms of tai chi. In 1956, the Chinese Sports Committee created the Beijing short form, probably the most popular form practiced today. Read more about this in the section.

Tai chi is now the national exercise of China. With support from the government, tai chi has since moved out from the underground and into universities and government-supported sports and martial arts programs in China.

Tai Chi Today. Currently, there are over 200 million practitioners of tai chi throughout the world. From its roots in China, its popularity has spread to become a form of exercise appreciated around the globe for its health, stress control, and self defense benefits.

Wing Chun: The Martial Art for Women

Would you like to get fit while learning a form of self-defense which is based on technique rather than brute force? Would you like to learn a martial art which is not only perfect for women but founded by one? Would you like to learn a martial art which is so good that it was practiced by Bruce Lee? Then read on.

For some women, the thought of attending a martial arts class which is typically full of men can be an intimidating one.

It was therefore with some trepidation that I first ventured into our local community hall a few years ago for my first taster of Wing Chun Kung Fu.  After all, it’s not on every woman’s list of ‘must do’s’.  Looking after yourself and keeping fit; yes maybe.   Acting out fight scenarios with a roomful of buff men, well, I don’t suppose it was all bad.

The idea of punching focus pads and standing in butt clenching stances did not exactly appeal.  However, being able to defend myself in this crazy mixed up world; gaining more confidence and learning a new skill without ego getting in the way certainly did.

The Martial Art for Women

One of the great things about Wing Chun is that it is said to be the only martial art founded by a woman and takes its name from its legendary ‘founder’; Yim Wing Chun.   In Chinese Wing Chun literally means ‘beautiful springtime’ or ‘everlasting spring’.

The legend has it that back in 17^th century China, the young and beautiful Wing Chun rebuffs a local warlord’s marriage offer, he agrees to withdraw his proposal but only if she can beat him in a fight.  Wing Chun asks a local Buddhist nun, Ng Mui, to teach her boxing and the style they develop enables Wing Chun to defeat the warlord.

Ng Mui had herself witnessed a fight between a snake and a crane in which the crane avoided and fought its attacker simultaneously by use of its wing and beak.  Instead of mimicking the animal movements, as with other styles of Kung Fu, she took into consideration the concepts of directness, simplicity, and conservation of energy and never fighting strength against strength.

Wing Chun later married her intended sweetheart and taught him the style, which he thoughtfully (and probably wisely by the sound of it) named after her.

The style does certainly lend itself to those of us with a smaller stature because it relies on technique as opposed to brute force.   Wing Chun is about understanding the use of force and a successful student will learn to use force correctly; this is a key element in Wing Chun practice.

Learning Wing Chun is not dissimilar from learning a foreign language, once you know the basics and get the foundation right, all things lead from there.     As you progress you develop a ‘tool box’ of actions which you can utilize in any given situation.   Of course, all situations will be different and in the real world there are no ‘set’ fight plans, so you have to react before thinking.   Wing Chun practice therefore involves plenty of drill exercises to form the appropriate muscle memory so that your response is immediate and effective.

Although there are many forms in Wing Chun, the basic forms are ’open hand’ which mean there are no weapons involved.  At the early stages, there are no kicks involved either so you are just using your hands and core stability, or balance if you like.

Wing Chun focuses on simultaneous attack and defense, which means that one hand is doing two things at the same time, i.e. attacking and defending.  Important basics in Wing Chun are economy of movement, center line theory and triangulation.  Wing Chun requires you to be centered at your root because the center is the power house, so a good basic structure (stance) is essential.

Without getting your stance right, your core power will be compromised.

Unique to Wing Chun is the practice of ‘chi sau’ or ‘sticking hands’; this is an exercise used for sensitivity training so that you can ‘feel’ your opponent’s next move.

This involves you and your partner ‘rolling’ your arms in certain set hand/arm positions.   As you progress you also include certain other drills to enable both you and your partner to become more skillful.

Chi sau practice provides a link between the forms and fighting.

Getting into Form

At the beginning of each class it is normal to perform a brief warm up and go through the first ‘form’.  A ‘form’ in the most basic sense is a preset sequence of movements set out to enable the correct movements in Kung Fu to be passed on.  The ‘open hand’ forms are practiced slowly and precisely.

In Wing Chun training the forms are not rushed.  Every action is purposeful and deliberate. There is no wasted action.

Although the class I attended was not a fitness class, one does naturally burn up energy by the drills that are practiced.  This includes single and chain punching, and some of the more advanced partner drills practiced once you master the basics can provide a real work out.

With Wing Chun you are required to deliver your attack as quickly and as effectively as possible, this may mean that you are close to your opponent or attacker in a real life scenario.

For this reason you will often find yourself in close proximity with your training partner.

If this bothers you, don’t worry, you will soon get used to it.

Applying Martial Arts in the Real World

One thing I have found with martial arts is that although there are competitions and some schools do have gradings, the real challenge is with yourself.

Wing Chun, like most martial arts, can also have an everyday spiritual and philosophical application to your life.

Wing Chun teachings can therefore be applied to everyday circumstances and not just used for self-defense.   As you develop as a student and your knowledge increases, you may find that you naturally apply the teachings to your life.

Grandmaster Yip Chun suggested that students and teachers of Wing Chun should study Confucius especially a small volume called The Doctrine of The Mean; this would enable students to develop a philosophy to better their chi sau practice, and for teachers it would provide good examples of leadership.  A moral guide if you like.

The most important weapon in Wing Chun is the mind.  Wing Chun is a continuous process where you are always learning and developing.

Searching for a Sifu

A Wing Chun teacher or instructor is sometimes called a Sifu.  Some Sifus will wear sashes and some will not, just in the same way that some schools have gradings.   The main thing when you join a club is to make sure you feel comfortable with your instructor and ask as many questions as you like beforehand.   A good teacher will always give you the time of day to try to answer all of your questions.    Most clubs will allow you to watch a class before joining, or may give some free first lessons.

There are different lineages of Wing Chun so it can also be known as Ving Tsun, or Wing Tsun.  The style and forms can be slightly different but the overall aim is the same.  The trick is to find the style which most suits you.

Exploding the Myth

Although Wing Chun was studied by Bruce Lee, in fact it formed a large influence on his martial arts career, and its roots are from the Shaolin Temples, Wing Chun is not a mysterious martial art with secrets held only by the elders or masters.   In its purest form Wing Chun is a simple, efficient and devastatingly effective form of self-defense that anyone can learn.

For those of you who are looking for something which can be a bit fast paced, which combines an element of spiritual practice whilst learning an essential skill, then Wing Chun is could be for you.

Learning a martial art could in fact save your life.  An important message for any woman who finds herself in an aggressive or potentially dangerous situation would be this; never trade in your backbone for a wishbone.  The way you respond to an attack could literally mean the difference between life and death.

What You will Need:

The following is a list of what you will need to attend a typical Wing Chun class.  The list is not exhaustive and will depend on the school and much of the equipment will be provided so you don’t have to buy your own.

Protective wear will only be required at more advanced stages.

• An open mind
• A relaxed attitude
• Martial arts slippers or normal trainers
• Top and jogging bottoms.  (Sometimes the school will provide a uniform)
• Gum shield
• Training pads
• Arm and knee pads.
• Chest defender.