How is your wing chun training coming along… Have you continued with your classes ..more importantly are you practicing outside of classes. This is what differentiates those that see wing chun as a hobby and those that treat it as a serious path..
Either way is fine. You will get out of it what you out in… Some may find it hard because they dont have a training partner, there is a fix to this. As I have mentioned before, the best place to start is the wing chun dummy.
ITs the main trainining tool . However you dont need to use it right now. You can improvise. -Broom Handles and a post ..but look online there a some great resources that show you how you can make one. Initiate family members or even friends to sit in…just think of fun was throughout your day where you can pick up some wing chun kung fu training time.
Bruce Lee was famous for coming up with new ways to train Now I’m not saying to go to those lengths-but its just an insights on how little things can help and build up to a larger training experience.
Training can get boring But you need to grind it out and you find little tidbits that help with your training progression. Be creative with your training routine, it well get you more motivated You need to define a systematic routine so that it becomes habit. Passion can only get you so far. Its fuel will burn out. You need a more practical approach then you will get real results. In time you will see this habit be part of your everyday life.
Because of this you will see your training improve and go from strength to strength.
One of the most important things people get wrong when performing chi sao is that they do not get their hands positioned correctly and this bad practice with a partner can cay se your skills to slip and erode what you have been taught.
A classic example of this is performing wing Chun chi sao and having sore shoulders. This is mainly becomes of one of two things. Your opponent is hanging on your hands and arms pushing you down or you are driving our hands by the shoulders and by the elbows. Your body will tell you if you are doing it wrong.
Remember everything in wing Chun training revolves around the shoulders. The elbows are not where you should be focussing yor energy. This is contrary to popular belief.
Usually we are used to our shoulders carrying the burden.
The idea is to have great fluidity.Relax the shoulders , the elbows drive the arms forward.
This is where you should be practicing on sil lim tao… The wing chun system was smart enough to teach you the basics early on so if you hit a stumbling block you just go back to basics. Moving forward from the elbow towards your opponent.
Have energy in your arms , but be loose you dont want to be too rigid.
The idea of wing chin is to adapt your own style and enhance your strength s, as well as adapt to your opponent. That is why you need to master this, so you can automatically gauge the feel and energy required to defeat your opponent. The idea is not to meet your opponents energy head on force on force you need to deflect it use it against him and find an opening.
This is very similar to an aikido technique where it uses the opponent’s momentum against them. I am far from an aikido expert the principles are similar.
One of the best ways to practice chi sao is obviously with a fellow student.
However if you are at home and no one to train with the best advice would be to proactive your wing chun training forms to get the positioning right and the movement. The wing Chun dummy is also an excellent training tool for chi sao.You learn how it should feel, you can then move to correct the position to enhance your training.
One of the first things you learn as part of your wing Chun training as that martial arts is used for defense never for attack.
As you become more proficient in your training you learn that how to defend you, attack and handle general self-defense. You become comfortable with being able to handle any situation that arises.The question is when will you be required to put what you have learned into practice. As a beginner the thought f getting in a fight would have been terrifying.
Now with some level of proficiency your confidence has grown.With your inner confidence you wont need to prove yourself in a fight. Confidence has been cultivated in your kung fu training and you are a more calm person.. When confronted in a situation that requires you to use your skill you know you will be able to handle yourself.
Usually you will be confronted with someone who will verbalize you, they may be full of steam and want to mouth off. It will only take one phrase, one word by you to get things more physical.. they are looking for an outlet and not thinking. It may be easier to let them blow off their steam if they are some distance away let them talk all they want. If thy approach you ,, be aware of their distance.. Can they reach you to attack you?Do you feel threatened?Be aware of your environment to see if you have any room for movement. Be conscious of your environment.If you can calm the situation down where you can walk away -thats fine. If not- be aware.Is there are group of them? If they touch you -be ready to react. Your chi sao and wing chun dummy training will come to you effortlessly.You should defend not attack.. You dont want to hurt someone unnecessarily- there could also be legal repercussions.
As basic as it looks , once you master the wing chun dummy, it can see your training and development go from strength to strength
The wing chun dummy or Muk Yan Jong form, is an essential part of your wing chun training.
As there are many Chinese kung fu styles there are various kung fu wooden dummys
The Wing Chun wooden dummy is the most popular form of wooden dummy. The Wing Chun dummy uses an arm and leg configuration designed to cultivate fighting skill and chi simultaneously The form is performed against a “wooden Dummy “, which is made ups of a thick wooden post with two upper arms, a lower arms and a representing an opponents body in in various positions and the lines of force the body can give out.
Although representative of a human opponent, the dummy is not a physical representation of a human, but an energetic one. Wooden dummy practice aims to refine a practitioner’s understanding of angles, positions, and footwork, and to develop full body power. It is on the wing chun dummy that the open hand forms come together and understood completely.
The Hong Kong wooden dummy is a wall mounted version of the Wing Chun Wooden Dummy that hangs using two wooden slats through the body of the wooden dummy. Older versions of the Wing Chun wooden dummy were originally placed in the ground. Yip man created the modern design to fit the needs of his apartment.
The wooden slats on which the muk yan jong is mounted has a springiness that is similar to a human opponent’s involuntary reaction and allows the user to practice absorbing energy into his/her stance. Due to this springiness, this type of dummy is considered an “alive” dummy. Therefore the older version of the dummy is called a dead dummy because it is not mounted.
A lot of people I meet interested in wing chun training or any martial arts or even on taking a class. However the number one thing that holds them back is that they think its too late, they say to themselves “I’m too old, I don’t want to make a fool of myself etc….
This is quite common and one of the reasons that hold people back from learning or expanding into the martial arts. I remember when I first started I was 22 and though I was tool old to learn My instructor was in his 40’s and I thought he had spent his entire life from perfecting the art—he was that good. It was only until later that I found out that after spending many years of doing various martial arts it was only when he was in his early thirties that he started wing chun and devoted all his training around the art.
Soon he was training full time and dedicated his life to becoming an instructor and delve even deeper to become a very knowledgeable practitioner of Chinese medicine. All beginning with the basics of wing chun training
Looking back and I remember the classes had a wide range of ages. From guys in their late teems/early 20’s to guys in their 30’s 40’s even 50’s just starting out, trying to figure out the wing chun dummy. (This frustrates those of all ages).
I suppose the beauty of wing chun is that it does not require any special skill prowess.You dont have to be flexible to do the splits – execute flying kicks..it is very much a grounded art-literaly. The techniques are very low impact and easy to learn. If anything wing Chun training will help your flexibility, helps with weight loss and improve confidence.Alot of people start wing chun for fitness. They see it as a way to have fun and get fit..and it is.
If you’re a tragic of old karate movies and 80’s flicks there are few that are more popular than the Karate Kid.. There has been a resurgence in the movie thanks to the remake with Jackie Chan. The fact that it is based on Kung Fu this time around is a little bit of a twist.
But back to the original, the key player for me in the movie was Mr Miyagi,… and the lessons he taught. Apart form teaching us all how to violate about every child labor laws to man- (and also giving us a loophole to justify it) his important lesson came from his words.
When begged to ask to teach karate he explained that to reach the level of master of martial arts this there are three levels of commitment.
Karate Yes Ok
Karate No OK
Karate So So Scchwwikkkk –squashed.
This is a lesson for all of us, not only for your kung fu training but also for life. If we are going to attempt something worthwhile we need to be committed all the way. We need to say yes to ourselves and throw our heart into it. That’s how i excelled at wing chun
If we say no , then don’t proceed that’s ok too. It’s a firm decision. No can be harder to say than yes, however you must be happy with the decision.
The danger lies when we are indecisive and not committed.We face our opponent not committed and not prepared.We are getting sacrificed like lambs to the slaughter. For we are fighting an opponent who is willing to go the extra mile. Who puts in the extra hours into their training and preparation, not because he has to, because he wants to.
Your opponent already has the edge on you and through your own disinterest you are bound to fail. Even before you start.
Sometimes we have doubt and insecurities, however it is when we confront these issues and power through them we find room for growth and a lesson: We are more talented and have greater capabilities than we realise.
Sometimes you have to take a chance…. To get out the rut. The comfort zone can be suffocating and staying there too long will cause you more harm.
When people ask me about wing chun and why it was the art I chose to pursue, they are usually bombarded with hundreds of ways that wing chun training has helped me…sometimes my enthusiasm gets the better of me and people are left overwhelmed, sorry they asked or just freaked out by this kooky zealot.
So in the cold light of day with time to actually slow myself down I thought would write about just 3 immediate benefits you will receive from Wing chun training.
1) Fitness. Yes this may sound a little obvious but the actual movement and exercise during a wing chun class will help with your flexibility – stretching your muscles and joints. This is a big side effect for me I didn’t know how unfit I was until I started to train regularly.The ability to toes my toes is a bonus. Exercise also relaxes you and helps you cope with stress.Mental health is also benefitted.Some like going to the gyn, but i like some purpose to my training.
2) Self defence This goes without saying . Learning a martial art is about being able to defend yourself from an attacker and develop the basic skills of a fighter. Depending on how far you want to progress, you can become an elite tournament fighter or just devote the right amount of energy into it that will enable you to defend yourself in an altercation should the need arise.
A benefit if this is an increase in confidence. Learning to fight to put it bluntly in today’s society is seen as quite the macho skill. Learning this skill will have an impact on how you perceive yourself, some of those latent fears will disappear and also once you learn this, you will soon discover there are other skills you can learn outside of martial arts that previously you have been too scared to pursue. That’s true in any endeavour and having confidence in yourself is the number one key for a happier life.
3) Its easy to learn wing chun. its low impact you wont be stressing the body.
Conditioning is required. That will cause a bit of soreness when you start, (especially when training on the wing chun dummy) however when you get into your routine you will learn that Wing Chun encourages a more graceful approach to martial arts.Its not reliant on brute strength. Therefore this is a skill you can enhance and develop even in later life.It like learning a trade that stays with you for years
Above is an introductory video why Wing Chun is so awesome. But I would also like to add some other benefits that wing chun training provide
The advantages of wing Chun is that its a subtle martial art that doesn’t rely on strength or hard physical conditioning. This is important as it allows you to train longer and develop your skill without burning out, feeling sore and even risking degenerative injury. This is also important, as you get older. Depending on how old you are when starting your wing Chun training you are full of beans as you learn your craft.The beauty of wing chun is that you can start ant any age form 10- 60+. If you are a little older your body may not have the give it once had. That’s Ok.you dont have to do a spinning axe kick to be successful. . Wing chin kicks are straight kicks and low and targeted.
This is mainly due to efficiency of movement.A kick to the face is not very subtle and needs a huge movement to be executed. No matter how fast you are – to a training practitioner this can be picked up relatively easily. That’s why training of the eye and understanding the principles of fighting and martial arts is more important than being able to execute a flamboyant move.
Think of it this way as you progress with Wing Chun you will learn to love it and you will actually get better with age. Imagine being in your 30s- 40 ‘s 50s and beyond and really being proficient but also excelling at Wing Chun. .
This is the key to Wing Chun’s success and something to be mindful of when choosing any method ok kung fu training or any martial art. What is its longevity? How sustainable is the training over time.If its too physically demanding , you may not be able to continue past a certain time.
Sparring is something that all martial arts use. There are numerous sports, such as boxing and wrestling that use sparring as well. sparring helps your technique. By practicing with other people, students learn their arts better and become more apt at performing the techniques quickly and efficiently.
If you are studying wing chun training or any kung fu training in a reputable school, you’ll find sparring to be very exciting as well as beneficial to your training. The instructors will be there to make sure no one gets hurt. Students use full head gear and body gear for safety during the sparring sessions.
Depending on your skill level and martial art you are studying, you may end up using no protective gear. Students that are very skilled wont normally need protective equipment, as they are good enough with sparring and their techniques that they can go a few rounds with other skilled students and not make any type of contact at all.
Martial arts such as Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, that focus on grappling, make the most use of sparring, as it is needed to properly execute the techniques. Martial arts that focus mainly on grappling use joint locks and submission techniques, which will need to be practiced quite a bit before they can be used effectively during a competition or even as self defence.
During sparring, students go back and forth, competing with each other and testing each other. The rounds will vary, although most last several minutes. Students will also receive help and insight from their instructors to let them know how they are doing and if they need to change anything they are doing. Instructors can also see how you are progressing and where you need improvement.
Sparring can be done on your own. If you are sparring by yourself, you’ll use equipment such as punching bags, tackling dummies, wing chun dummy, or other forms of equipment that will help you with your martial art. The foam or rubber dummies are most often used with grappling techniques or punching on the ground, as they represent the opponent that you are trying to pummel into submission. The wing chun dummy is obviously for wing chun, but can be used for other martial arts.
Sparring is great to hone your skills. Students are fun to spar against, especially if they are at a higher level of skill than you are. Sparring can be used to your advantage. The longer you spar and practice your moves – the better you will get in your training, speed, and the execution of your skills.
One of the most important things people get wrong when performing chi sao is that they do not get their hands positioned correctly and this bad practice with a partner can cay se your skills to slip and erode what you have been taught.
A classic example of this is performing wing Chun chi sao and having sore shoulders. This is mainly becomes of one of two things. Your opponent is hanging on your hands and arms pushing you down or you are driving our hands by the shoulders and by the elbows. Your body will tell you if you are doing it wrong.
Remember everything in wing Chun training revolves around the shoulders. The elbows are not where you should be focussing yor energy. This is contrary to popular belief.
Usually we are used to our shoulders carrying the burden.
The idea is to have great fluidity.Relax the shoulders , the elbows drive the arms forward.
This is where you should be practicing on sil lim tao… The wing chun system was smart enough to teach you the basics early on so if you hit a stumbling block you just go back to basics. Moving forward from the elbow towards your opponent.
Have energy in your arms , but be loose you dont want to be too rigid.
The idea of wing chin is to adapt your own style and enhance your strength s, as well as adapt to your opponent. That is why you need to master this, so you can automatically gauge the feel and energy required to defeat your opponent. The idea is not to meet your opponents energy head on force on force you need to deflect it use it against him and find an opening.
This is very similar to an aikido technique where it uses the opponent’s momentum against them. I am far from an aikido expert the principles are similar.
One of the best ways to practice chi sao is obviously with a fellow student.
However if you are at home and no one to train with the best advice would be to proactive your wing chun training forms to get the positioning right and the movement. The wing Chun dummy is also an excellent training tool for chi sao.You learn how it should feel, you can then move to correct the position to enhance your training.
A lot of people I meet interested in wing chun training or any martial arts or even on taking a class. However the number one thing that holds them back is that they think its too late, they say to themselves “I’m too old, I don’t want to make a fool of myself etc….
This is quite common and one of the reasons that hold people back from learning or expanding into the martial arts. I remember when I first started I was 22 and though I was tool old to learn My instructor was in his 40’s and I thought he had spent his entire life from perfecting the art—he was that good. It was only until later that I found out that after spending many years of doing various martial arts it was only when he was in his early thirties that he started wing chun and devoted all his training around the art.
Soon he was training full time and dedicated his life to becoming an instructor and delve even deeper to become a very knowledgeable practitioner of Chinese medicine. All beginning with the basics of wing chun training
Looking back and I remember the classes had a wide range of ages. From guys in their late teems/early 20’s to guys in their 30’s 40’s even 50’s just starting out, trying to figure out the wing chun dummy. (This frustrates those of all ages).
I suppose the beauty of wing chun is that it does not require any special skill prowess.You dont have to be flexible to do the splits – execute flying kicks..it is very much a grounded art-literaly. The techniques are very low impact and easy to learn. If anything wing Chun training will help your flexibility, helps with weight loss and improve confidence.Alot of people start wing chun for fitness. They see it as a way to have fun and get fit..and it is.
The wing chun dummy and its 108 movements are designed to help you think on your feet and apply the practical techniques of the wing Chun training system.
Learning the moves, as you become a more experienced student enhances your skill, technique and understanding of wing Chun.
Although looking at it with the beginners eyes and you see a practitioner or your instructor run through the movements they seem to be a random set of moves that make no sense.
It seems like just an exercise in beating around a wooden post.
As you develop your wing Chun kung fu so does your appreciation of the wooden dummy. It has within it a sequence of moves for th whole wing Chun system.
You will see how your new techniques are adapted to the wing chun dummy, reinforces your training. So sequences on the wooden dummy are designed to simulate an actual attack with an opponent. Although the wooden dummy is static it facilitates the concepts you’re learning. These concepts teach you to apply it in real life situations. You will learn how to position yourself to your opponent. These concepts are critical to any confrontation. It teaches you to be in the correct position. If out of range you are ineffective, to close you’ll the prone to attacks.
Also when you get to more advanced intermediate levels the rhythm of which you flow through the moves of the wing chun dummy becomes more important. An experienced instructor or master will be able to tell how well you execute the moves of the dummy just by the sound. There is rhythm to it, so its not static. It’s not supposed to sound like a metronome. There are elements that are slow and other parts that speed up..
Going through the wooden dummy moves is like telling a story. When you begin it tells a story of engaging your opponent and throughout the moves , how to counteract and instigate further contact until the end he completed the sequence and defeat your opponent.
More importantly the wooden dummy is there to help you during your training and when you have completed all your levels of training. He is your companion throughout your trials and tribulations of you training. Wll be your teacher throughout your training.
Your wing chun should teach you to be as flexible as possible. Throughout your wing chun training you would have learnt the basic movements of the forms. They are just a series of moves that are at first very foreign and don’t make sense. It is only during your training class that you will learn to put these techniques into practice. You learn how to block a punch. Which move to use (bill Sao) also where to position your feet, where you should stand etc. You are roped learned into executing these moves. However with practice you not only learn how to do the moves, you begin to understand why they are done in a certain way. You learn concepts such as facing the point of contact. Deflecting your opponents force.
Wing chun was based on these principles and designed to grow from these building blocks. Its no longer about just knowing which technique to use or the how’s and why’s. The decision comes automatically. Your understanding of the principles and your application of them is what will make your wing chun a success.
That is why when you see the masters in action they are formless, they move seamlessly and with elegance. The simple fact is that they make it look simple and effortless.I just wonder how many years it took to look so easy.
That is why I find it often amusing that people come to me and say…that looks nothing like wing chun, it’s completely wrong…they are not real Wing Chun masters.
Know yourself that is the real key. Study your art no only on how to do it, but why. What makes it so effective? What works and what doesn’t.
Follow these guidelines and you will not only find your success you will also find a greater joy and understanding of wing chun training.
A key part of the wing chun training and its heritage are its tools. The weapons and its greatest training tools.
The weapons consist of the butterfly swords and the six and a half point pole. The butterfly swords are a classic example of what the wing chun training system is all about. They are short blades – not overly long and are used to bridge the gap between you and your opponent for close quarter fighting.Exactly like the wing chun system. Many of the moves in the sword form are extensions of wing chun training. Indeed many of the open hand forms are easily transferred into the weapons form. It teaches strength in the arms as well as increased coordination. Traditionally the story goes that the reputation of the swords was enhanced when used against a master of the dragon pole (6 half point form). The pole form also incorporates the principle of wing chun in that its strikes are linear-in a straight line– like the wing chun straight punch, it is direct and efficient and only has a few simplistic yet devastating movements.
Legend has it that two masters where fighting with two strategies in mind. The pole master will use the length of the pole to keep the opponent at bay and defend with its parries and defeat with its strikes.
The swordsman parries the pole strikes to fight in close range to strike their opponent – either their hands to disarm or torso to kill. These two weapons have opposing strategies which the practitioner needs to master to be most effective.
Next is the greatest training tool in wing chun, The wing chun dummy. The 108 moves begin with the basic principles of wing chun and apply the more intermediate and advanced principles of the system.Dont let the basic look of the wing chun dummy fool you. Not only does it allow you to practice your technique it allows you to condition your arms and strikes. Teaching you the rhythm of the form, not to be too robotic and it is a great tool for executing applied wing chun training principles. Apart from having an actual training partner the wing chun dummy is the next best thing and a must for the serious wing chun student.
Wing chun kung fu is a close contact dynamic fighting style, what that means is that to be most effect most of the time you are in close and fists are flying everywhere.. This can be a pretty daunting for the beginner as they learn their craft and develop a feel for the system.. The problem is. When you are learning you are with a static pattern.One of the first kung fu techniques to learn is to defend a punch. Where the opponents jabs at you and hold their hand out very slowly. You react using the technique that was taught with the opponent standing there statically taking a virtual beating.- Which for a beginner is a very valid technique and crucial to build confidence.
Most of the different levels of fighting you have the contact range and the exchange range these are the two levels of fighting..contact stage is where you can make the initial contact where you can me your opponent wrist on wrist..that is went you are leading with a punch or looking to defend.. the importance of this is critical…when you enter close to your opponent you are in range where you can get you head knocked off, if you enter too far out of this distance you are ineffective.
That is why entires to initiate first contact with your opponent is very difficult and takes some skill.
That is where your training comes in..if you have a good Sifu they will hammer you relentlessly with drills to the point where you are doing them in your sleep (ala Uma Thurman bride in Kill Bill 2) You have no time to think .”.hmm what should i id here”…In any case the drilling & training should be very intense and constant to the point where it should not only be stored into your subconscious memory, so you can act on it immediately. It should be honed into your muscle memory as well. Even now after ten years of learning my first drill i can remember the sequence automatically.
So when you make an entry or initial contact range attack you do so confidently and with purpose and intent ..a half hearted approach will get you into trouble..executed properly you will triumph with an impactful assault.
So what the what’s the important point to remember?….keep you form…
In a real life ..keep in mind time and space… the wing chun training system, amongst other things teaches timing and space-being mindful of your distance … that is the essence of knowing what range you are from your opponent. Your opponents weapons are their fists, for punching an feet/legs for kicking–assuming there are no foreign objects.The key here is finding an opening to engage your opponent. This is where the Wing chun Dummy comes into play where these techniques are applied into your kung fu training.
Lets take someone who is in a boxing stance leading with the left hand. The left jab and/or front kick is your immediate threat. Even though in a dynamic situation you should be able to gauge the distance you can engage in to deal with the initial threat of the punch.The closest threat confronting you is the lead punch. It makes sense , because the right hand is cocked further away and has a longer way to travel to be an immediate threat.
So if you adapt, you should see that punch coming –same as the front foot. If the boxer punches and you can block …say with a bill sao or Pak sao (learned in Sil Lim Tao & Chum Kil) as you are i contact range. The next levels of stage in combat is the exchange range where you fully agnate your opponents in close range fighting an look to overwhelm them.You are in exchange range when you are able to use both hands to both strike and defend against your opponents without twisting your body or reaching.
This sounds all so very complicated and technical- you may be thinking how ca i do this. Well its not all doom and gloom.one advantage of your wing chun training is to work on your focus.
In your Wing Chun training you are taught not to be focussing on your opponents hands or feet, if you do you will find you will get a little too close a look at what may be the last things you see for a while–..as an oncoming fist heads your way.
The beauty of this Kung Fu Training is that early on you are instructed to watch the opponents elbows. Wing chun is based on the dynamics of human movement. ..Take note of the when someone makes any movement with their hands. Whether its to punch or pick up a spoon, the first initial movement comes from their elbows. It is the first calling card for you, telling you what is going on…….If you have kept up with your training, especially the Shil Lim Tao form..your guard should be positioned to stop any oncoming attack.
Also note when your opponent kicks with a front kick ,they need to make a move to generate the power ..what’s the first thing to move? The elbow.. as they move slightly backwards to adjust their balance. Practise this in the mirror and you will see.. alway focus on the the elbows…even if they want to strike with their back leg or right hook ..assuming they are in a boxing stance leading with their left….these parts of the body have a longer way to ravel and the elbow “tell” is even more exaggerated so they telegraph the movement..
Now this may sound all to easy and is just one of the reasons why wing chun kung fu is such an effective martial art. as an added bonus it will teach you to be the best martial artist you can be. But, and this is a big but…it takes training and time to develop this skill… this is he story behind it …the practice is way harder than the learning ..but well worth it. So what is the answer to the question- What is more important than technique? Its your commitment and your intention.
If you are serious about your wing chun training you have decided to take the path of the martial artist…a lifelong path of learning and hard work. Remember it s not the system that will make you a great martial artist it is your application and execution of the system. One of the key assumptions & philosophies of wing chun is to respect your opponent. Always assume they are bigger , stronger and a better fighter than you. But above all believe in yourself and your abilities …the confidence you gain in your wing chun training will not only make you a better fight and martial artist ..it will also impact you on other areas of your life.
You know, remember that thing you always want to do but thought you never could..hey you thought probably you could never learn Kung Fu or any new technique.. the ability to defend yourself and the discipline to learn a new art will further prove self evident that you are able to achieve alot more than you realise.
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