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What Wing Chun Is.... |
Like some other martial arts, the idea of Wing Chun came from humans watching the way animals fight. Wing Chun's founder was a Buddhist nun of China's famous Shaolin Temple named Ng Mei. According to legend, Ng Mei, one of China's top five martial artists during the early 1700s, developed the style after she watched a skirmish between a stork and a large rodent.
With its lighter build, the stork was expected to lose but by using its wings and legs simultaneously to defend against the rodent and fight back at the same time, it was able to walk away unharmed. These movements provided Ng Mei the inspiration to develop a new fighting style which she adapted to the human form and then named after her student, Yim Wing Chun ( which means " everlasting springtime"). |
Yim Wing Chun was to be forced into an arranged marriage so she trained diligently under Ng Mei, and when her intended husband came to take her away this small woman defeated him. Yim Wing Chun then settled down with the partner of her choice. |
| This is one of the most popular accounts of the Wing Chun history, although the details vary from one version to another. |
| Throughout the long history of China, there have been numerous styles of kung fu. Wing Chun is very different from existing styles in its theory, the structure of its movements and its method of applying force. Wing Chun's movements are simple, building on established knowledge but removing all unnecessary movement and effort. |
| Wing Chun Kung Fu is a system based upon a logical set of principles: |
The five principles of Wing Chun Kung Fu are : |
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simplicity
this means that all movements are simple and uncomplicated; they are based on natural body movements. The techniques are easy to learn and apply; they do not involve difficult or contorted maneuvers.
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directness
the shortest time and distance are taken to strike the opponent and simultaneous counter-attack is used against an attack.
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practicality,
designed for realistic self-defence, all the techniques are geared to practical fighting situations. and allow the Wing Chun student to handle the attacker with minimum effort and movement. The Wing Chun system is not intended to look showy or spectacular. Wing Chun emphasises efficiency rather than variety and all the movements are designed for practical use.
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economy of movement
the minimum necessary movement is used in all the Wing Chun techniques. From the Wing Chun guarding position, it is easy to counter-attack using short, sharp movements; this demonstrates the use of the centreline theory. The use of efficient, economical movements also helps to conserve energy.
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minimum use of brute force
the force of Wing Chun is not generated by sheer strength, but by maximising force, also the opponents force is used against them. To effectively guard against any strike, Wing Chun uses deflection instead of hard blocking. By using deflection the Wing Chun student redirects the opponent's force rather than clashing with the incoming force.
Wing Chun is based on the use of skill rather than brute strength and it is therefore effective for people of any size or strength.
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| Due to the principles upon which Wing Chun is based, it is a system that can always adapt to contemporary society. It is not restricted by archaic or outmoded techniques. In fact wing Chun has been constantly refined and adapted as it has passed through each generation. It will always be popular and useful for self defence. |
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