Kung Fu (Wing Chun) - general background

History:

Wing chun kuen is one of the crucial styles of Chinese martial arts, whose origins are found in Southern China. Compared with other martial arts, it is relatively a newcomer. The term Wing chun is attributed to a woman called Yim Wing chun, who was the protégé of a Buddhist nun called Ng Mui. Wing chun is known as a soft style, but is in fact a blend of hard and soft techniques. With reference to the hard concept, in simple terms this means meeting force with force, whereas the soft term refers to more evasive manoeuvres and techniques.

Loosely translated, Wing chun means “beautiful spring time” and kuen means “fist” or “fist fighting style”. However, many people refer to the style as being “Wing chun”. This blending of hard and soft is due to the fact that it was developed by a woman and refined mainly by men. It is also claimed that Ng Mui once observed a battle between a snake and a crane. From her observations, sprang ideas on how to create this art. Mimicking animal movements is particularly common in Chinese martial arts.

Principle:

Wing chun is centred on the Taoist principle of “take the middle road”. In essence, this says that we should not go to the extremes and that success is based on balance. If we are on the middle road we can see both the left and the right paths, but if we venture too far out to one side we may lose sight of the other. This can also be interpreted as the concept of the hard and soft principles – or yin and yang. Yin (feminine side) focuses on diverting the flow of energy; yang (masculine side) seeks to resist any opposing energy flow. Yang is primarily seen in the explosive quality of the striking moves.

“Sticky hands”:

One of the most important techniques in Wing chun is known as “sticky hands”. Since Wing chun is a close-quarter system, it is potentially dangerous for the practitioners themselves, who are at risk of being hit, grabbed or kicked. This realisation has led to a particular method called “double sticky hands”.

To the uninitiated, this technique is best described as a hurt boxer trying to “spoil” his opponent’s moves by clinging to his arms. The aim is to prevent an opponent from striking freely, giving the Wing chun practitioner the opportunity to control, trap and break free to strike. The real skill lies in both parties wanting to achieve the same goal and this has led to exceptional techniques, in which either one or both parties can train blindfolded. A skillful practitioner can eventually predict and nullify the danger.

The main areas that “sticky hands” seeks to develop fall into the categories of sensitivity, power and general fitness. Sensitivity covers certain aspects such as the centre-line concept, reaction to direction change, striking when the hand is freed, going with the power and not resisting force, continuous techniques (fluidity), and balance in the vertical and horizontal planes. Power involves guiding, aggression and explosion, control and balancing techniques.