An Overview of the Wing Chun training System.
Wing chun is probably one of the most well known kung fu systems in the world, mainly due to the exploits of Bruce Lee, who popularised King Fu, especially Wing Chun to the western world.
But you don’t need to have the talent, strength or skill of Bruce Lee to learn Wing Chun. Legend has it a nun from the shaolin temple Ng Mui taught Yim Wing Chun the style. So since its inception it was designed to cater for women- or those who are small in stature.
Wing chun does not rely on Brute strength alone as it is formulate by a series of forms and concepts. These are taught at the very beginning of your wing chun training.
The sil lim tao or little idea form is the most important thing beginner wing chun students will learn. This is where the foundation concepts and ideas of the wing chum system are learned. You learn the basic stance and defensive guards and tools of Wing Chun.
Next form is Chum Kill also known as bridging the gap- where advanced footwork is introduced and attacking moves and strategies. Bridging the gap refers to the gap between you and your opponent and how to make up that ground in an attacking manner to nullify and win over your opponent. Be mindful of your distance from your opponent as the real threat is when they are close. If the worst they can do is call you names, so what.
The more you train the more confident you will become so much so that name calling will have no impact, its only when there is a physical threat you should be prepared. The distance between you and your opponent is the space between your safety and your danger point. If you want to instigate an exchange making up this ground where you are within reach of your opponents fist and feet, this is the most dangerous ground to make up. Chum Kill teaches you how to make up this ground to devastating effect.
Bill Jee is the most advanced form in the Wing Chun training system where you train to strike with your fingers. The basic idea is that fighting with this technique amongst other thinks increases your range to strike your opponent and targets specific areas. A little knowledge is a dangerous thing so his advanced technique is offered for informational purposes only.
The one thing that distinguishes Wing Chun from other styles is Chi Sao. This is a sparring technique where you apply the hand forms learned by the previous wing chun training forms and apply them to a sparring/ fighting situation. The sticky hands technique teaches how to guard/attack by the feel of your opponents arms.
Wing Chun fighters should have both wrists interlocked with each other in a specific position to break through the others defences. You stick to your opponents hand to block any attack as well as instigate traps and attacks.
It is a lot more involved than this, however it is a critical part of your wing chun training.
Finally you have the Wing Chun Dummy to contend with. The Wooden Dummy can be used to formulate any number of strategies and techniques-only proviso is to condition your arms -you'll thank me later. The Muk yan jong or wooden dummy will be a tireless training tool you can use for a long time ..but not sure if your arms can take the Wing chun wooden dummy and its solid base and solid arms However it is an invaluable tool and an essential component of any students wing chun training.
