The Basics of Wing Chun Training
Out of all the Chinese kung fu styles wing chun has been the most popularized, principally thanks to the face it was the style that was immortalized by the legendary Bruce Lee. It was designed for simpleness, economy of moment and for all body shapes, types with no discrimination. Legend has it that it is a composite of many ancient martial arts that derived their styles from the primary animal forms. The overtly elaborate showy more-exaggerated movements made way for direct precision striking and economy of movement -to make your strike. Effectively wing chin was meant to kill.
That's the reason why out of the entire system there are largely 3 open hand forms- 2 weapon forms and of course the wooden dummy sequence. With a special mention to the chisau sticking hands coaching (a private favorite of mind)
There are lots of variations of how these forms are spelled and pronounced, so I'll go by what I was taught.
1st form is the Sl lim tau or little idea form. This is the basic foundation of the system. The beauty and design of the wing {chun} training system is that it awfully basic and not at all visually impressive as a demonstration like you see in the kung fu films “
However as a practitioner each move learned opens up another door of possibilities as the system slowly unearths its secrets. The simple principle such as the centre line theory vs the central line concept. The proper stance & posture, the distribution of weight and also having the proper energy in your arms and legs. And most of all timing.
That is the reason why the Sil Lim tau form is often called the soft or internal version of wing {chun} training as its focus is on concentration of the form rather than beast strength -which is one of not the core philosophies of the the wing {chun} system.
Inside this form all the offensive & defensive principles are taught. From the positioning of the hands for where concepts such as fut sao, garn sao are introduced. This is a component of the armoury which will remain with you through your wing {chun} journey.
The next form is Mate Kill- or bridging the opening form. This is the subsequent form which incorporates bigger movements and introduces coordination into the system, Here is where another concepts is further explored. The concept of 2 hand independent co-ordination. Where both hands are used independent of each other in their movement. Sounds confusing-? Well it can be. Think along the line of a simultaneous defensive & attacking strike and you start to be told how effective Wing {Chun} can be.
This role of footwork is expanded in buddy kill and that is also one of the keys to the wing {chun} training system. The ideas are planted in the first stages and then grown and merged into the system as you progress. Effectively they're all systems brought from one single concept or idea (hence the name title idea form-Sil Lim Tau Form).
The final most advance form is Bill Jee. Or Finger striking form. This is by a large margin the most difficult and difficult form as it incorporates bigger degree of discipline and is much more dynamic in its movement and needs a specific amount of conditioning. Indeed any wing {chun} student should work to finish this form with a sense of control and force that should do it justice ..rather than following the steps and movements do the form it needs precision, and Plan for its success..
The root of this form was to supply lethal strikes to opponents. For advanced scholars trying to master this form can be taken much further. It could be a system all itself.
Legend has it that this was rarely taught in older times, however in our westernized culture where we need it all and now–it has made its way to the main line, m Much to the chagrin of the old Chinese teachers.
There is a lot to learn about the wing {chun} system and this is barely a short overview, however it's a great journey that will take a lifetime to defeat. For me the main attraction and what I get out of this system are the coaching strategies. They are fun and easy to learn. However the largest revelation to come out of Wing {chun}, I uncovered was that there where different styles of wing {chun} training techniques-traditional and modified. The story behind how this came about is as intriguing and as old as China itself and its implications massive –especially as it relates your Wing {Chun} training.
George kane first begun Wing chun training in the early 90′s and straight away saw this kind of fighting as the final fighting systems for beginners and seasoned martial artists. You can read more about his wing chun kung fu exploits at his popular blog
