The Beginning of Modern-Day Wing Chun:

Hawkins Cheung remembers his training days with Yip Man and Bruce Lee.
by Hawkins Cheung Most of the information surrounding the life of the grandmaster Yip Man revolves around anecdotes. But by dealing wither his approach to teaching we also can gain excellent insight into wing chun's greatest modern-day teacher. Through this introspection we will be able to answer many of the question students have about Yip Man. YIP MAN'S BEGINNINGS The China of the early 1900s was an empire on the verge of collapse. Most of the Western powers had carved spheres of influence out of the country's sovereignty. Yip Man was born in Futsan in 1895. He was 5 years old at the time of the Boxer Rebellion of 1900 and 16 when the Ching dynasty crumbled and Sun Yat-sen's Republic was proclaimed. His family had money and he was raised in the fashion befitting a child of wealth - educated, but sheltered as much as possible from the turmoil in the country. When he was 14. Yip Man started wing chun training with Chan Wah Sun, his first sifu. After approximately one year, master Chan died and Yip Man continued his studies with Chan's senior student, Ng Chang-so. Leaving home to attend high school in Hong Kong, by then an established British colony. Yip Man continued his wing chun education with Leung Bik. After graduation he returned to the Mainland, and worked in his family's business. He was not teaching at the time. Yip Man lived through the Kuomintang's revolution warlord period of the 1920s, the Japanese invasion of Manchuria, and the upheaval of World War II. When, in 1949, the Communists succeeded in consolidating their hold on the Country, Yip Man, now 55, was forced to leave his possessions and wealth. He escaped with his family to Hong Kong. Yip Man turned to teaching to survive. He had several schools. His first location was at The Hong Kong Kowloon Restaurant Union. This lasted only a short time. Next he moved to Li Dai Strect (1953-54) and then to the Government Resettlement Area (1955). The average size of his school was 350-to-400 square feet, which doubled as a living space for his family. In essence, his was a school within a school within a school. The daily classes held from 2-4 p.m. and from 4-6 p.m. were open and informal. Anyone who paid could train. Information was passed on by the senior students, but for the most part you either trained by yourself or with a few friends. The high number of people passing through during these hours made it impossible to know everyone who was training. Bruce Lee and I didn't realize we were training with Yip Man until Bruce transferred into my class at St. Xavier Junior High School. Having Yip Man in common. we started spending most of our time together. At these open sessions. Yip Man barely paid attention. Most of the time he was watching what was happening Out in the street, while his senior students did the teaching. He did, however, know what was going on, although he was generally unconcerned with the progress of the public group. THE OLD MAN'S STUDENTS

Before continuing with the story, let me explain the three basic student groups that formed much of what has been taught since Yip Man's death. The first group was predominantly people who had studied other martial arts styles. The most notable of these were Leung Sheung, Lok Yiu and Tsui Sheung Tin. They were older than us and their approach was more traditional, and perhaps more intellectual because of their maturity. The second group was made up of myself, Bruce Lee and other teenage school kids. We wanted to learn how to fight. We were the fighters and partly through our victorious efforts in the street, wing chun began to get a good reputation as an effective fighting method. I make this distinction because other martial artists looked down their noses at us, claiming we were all brawl and no art. We didn't give a damn. We wanted the techniques as fast as possible so we could fight. Just like other teer-agers, we wanted to show off our skill and courage. The third group was comprised mostly of individuals or small, groups studying privately. Most in this section were professionals for whom wing chun was a hobby. It is believed there are people, unknown to us, who trained privately with the old man and are probably excellent fighters. One should also remember Yip Man started teaching at the approximately age of 56. By 1954-55 he was 60 and by 1965 he was 70. Obviously, as he became older he was forced to change his teaching approach either because experience had shown him better ways to get his points across or because physically he had to adapt to his physical limitations. Also remember that each of his students was different. I was 5-foot-1 and weighed 98 pounds. Bruce was 40 pounds heavier and William Cheung was even bigger. Our needs were different. Our training went like this. Each day after school we would go to the roof of the Rose Hotel for a couple of hours of sticky hands practice. Next door to the hotel was the gym where Bruce began weight training and several days a week he would go there after a session on the roof. However, three or four times a week we would head for Yip Man's after our rooftop session, where we would do regular, informal training. The training regime allowed us to work out with many different people, each of whom had a unique way of doing things. This gave us the experience to adapt to different situation and different feels. We would train with seniors, union workers and juniors. During this time I never saw Yip Man stick hands with anyone in the school. He was so busy watching what was happening in the street, or telling jokes. It took me a long time to realize how the improving students were getting their information. Finally, I asked Bruce and learned that after 6 p.m., Yip Man taught private groups by appointment. The name of the game was money and for school kids in Hong Kong like us, the amounts he charged were considered a fortune. However, I teamed with Bruce and several others. We pooled our money and trained privately. These private groups were small and usually composed of students, lawyers, policemen or businessmen. Usually one or two senior students would accompany Yip Man and take the bulk of the physical training. Yip Man would watch and coach. Again, he never stuck hands with anybody at these sessions. Occasionally, he would show a few moves to illustrate his points or he might satirize a student's inability to perform by exaggerating the student's technique. This was done partly to help the student, but also to have a good laugh. What I want to share at this point is that Yip Man Wasn't into the "sifu image" you see in the movies. He was a friend, a coach. He had a sense of humor and a sense of fun. Our respect for him was like one friend to another. That is not to say that he didn't have a serious side. If you lost a fight or had a problem, he became very serious.

HIS TEACHING METHOD I went with him to many of the different groups, both as a senior instructor or a friend to keep him company. Each group was taught differently. Business or professional people treated wing chun as a hobby or sport. So, he concentrated more on theory and sticking-hands training. Our group wanted to fight, so he concentrated on entry techniques, closing the gap and combination. Furthermore, he adjusted his methods to the student's character, natural ability, size, coordination and need. For example, if someone couldn't get the swivel (e.g.. keeping both heels planted and shifting the front of the feet simultaneously to the right or the left. while the upper body shifts). he had the person step and turn. This became two-count instead of one-count technique, but it allowed the student to do the job. The student gained something, but he also lost something, By stepping, you lose the inside game because the timing is stretched and the body is moving away from the opponent. However, if the student felt comfortable and natural, and honed the technique, the compromise became minimal because of the increase in the student's ability to perform the maneuver. This meant that each person learned something different, because each had a different level of ability. Then, a person worked on the techniques he liked, and made them his own. Even though everyone is different, everyone is right. To better illustrate this point, let's look at lap sau. Lap sau changes relative to the size of the person performing the technique and the job he wishes to accomplish in various situations. One is strictly defensive. Another is strictly offensive. The size and shape of the opponent dictates usage. You might decide to smash your opponent's forearm while pulling him off balance, or you may decide to set up a flow so a heavy second punch can he landed. The choice is yours. When I returned to Hong Kong after attending a university in Australia, I trained privately under Yip Man. By then, he was 70 and primarily offering private training to older students. I had trained with him as an adolescent, and now I was training with him as an adult. We had a certain affinity that was built on being the same size and of similar character. Most of this later training was control technique and theory. To capsulize the theory of the system, as it was imparted to me by Yip Man, the essence of wing chun is to get the mind and body working at speed to process the information of a given situation in microseconds and then perform the correct maneuver with the best possible coordination and timing. Within this is the ability to read your opponent before he acts or to trick him into acting. This is the control level of wing chun, which requires a great deal of experience. It was the ultimate game Yip Man played toward the end of his life. There are many stories, rumors and anecdotes about Bruce and Yip Man. I am not about to go into which are true. But there are three which for me are the most important; they show Yip Man's character, Bruce's humanity. and the relationship between the old man and his prized pupil. A STUDENT NAMED CHOY During our high school days, Yip Man had another student named Choy. He was the son of a restaurant owner. Bruce and Choy just didn't get along. They couldn't stand each other, and each wondered if he could best the other if it came down to a fight. Choy went to Yip Man and asked if he could beat Bruce. Yip Man showed him a technique and said now he could beat Bruce. Bruce also went to Yip Man with the same question. Again, Yip Man

showed Bruce a technique and said now he could beat Choy. The joke was that each thought he could beat the other and proving it didn't matter because sifu had told each he was better. When Yip Man told me the story, he laughed and said, "What else could I do? They're both my students. They both respect me. They both have the wing chun attitude. I have to satisfy both and keep the peace between my students." BRUCE WANTED TO QUIT When those of us in the second group were growing up, we would challenge any style. This gave us a great deal of experience in dealing with many different opponents. Choy Li Fut practitioners became our foremost enemies because their long-range style was opposite our short-range style. In the mid-1950s, wing chun's high reputation was very much because of our efforts in the street. The rules for these fights were simple. Each side would provide a referee. The fights lasted two rounds. In the first round, one opponent would attack first. In the second round, the other opponent would attack first. Bruce Lee's first fight took place on a rooftop in Kowloon City, against a Choy Lee Fut practitioner, it was the second fight of a two-fight afternoon. The opponent was first to attack. His attack was violent, with a wild flow of techniques. Bruce handled the situation as best he could. He got in a few punches, defended himself, and absorbed quite a few blows. At the end of the first round, Bruce was scared and wanted to quit. We had already lost the first fight thanks to our fighter's inexperience. We told Bruce the worst was over because he had survived the first round. We told him to go for his face as soon as possible. His fear and excitement became focused and he moved in. He broke the guy's jaw and won the fight. Often, in his letters to me from the U.S. he would relate how good the wing chun served him arid how he was still practicing. Regardless of what he went on to achieve, I still think this first fight was one of the turning points in his life. HIS FEUD WITH YIP MAN In 1964, Bruce came back to Hong Kong for his father's funeral. When he visited Yip Man, he asked him for permission to film him doing the dummy techniques. Yip Man refused, although Bruce was one of his favorites, he was not his senior student. If he let Bruce film him, he would have to let all his seniors film him. Later in his visit, Bruce did a television demonstration and referred only to his "gung fu." To me, this was the first indication of Bruce's departure from wing chun. This turn of events is consistent with Yip Man's way of teaching. The style was only the raw material; the system was the means by which the material was made to work. The forms of sil lim tao, chum kil, and, bil jee create a dictionary or shop manual of the basic material and its application. Usage is dependent on size, coordination, timing and situation. When two opponents meet and the fight is hand-to-hand, the larger person wins. When a physical challenge is met with, for example, superior timing, control techniques, or trapping (the opponent's mind as well as hands), the physical will usually be contained This doesn't mean you should not train for a physical game. It just means the more games you can play, and the more games you can recognize being played, the more often the odds are in your favor. Using a straight lap sau on a big man will produce little success. In this situation, the timing of the lap sau and the use of a smashing lap sau instead of a rolling one, will give the smaller man a chance to use lap sau and follow through with his attack. A WING CHUN RECIPE

Yip Man tried to get each of his students to make the system his own. Consider if you will that all the moves found in wing chun are raw foods - eggs, flour, water, carrots. Onions, beef, or fish, for, example. The theory is what helps you cook the raw food, changing it into a meal. Your level of mastery of the style is that when confronted by your opponent (the guest), you have to cook a meal (fight). You choose those ingredients which are necessary (techniques) to the situation, and you cook and serve them (timing, control. experience). If you serve up a good meal and deliver it in the fastest conceivable time, you have a proficiency in this type of meal for this type of guest. This may not he the right meal for your next guest. You have to serve something else. This comes from experience and is a guide to your level of fighting. Furthermore, given the same materials, different cooks and different guests, every meal will be different even if called by the same name. One person's usage will differ from another's because each person is different and each sees things in different ways. YIP MAN'S DEATH This rift between Bruce and Yip Man continued until 1971 when Bruce visited Yip Man. They got along well. In 1972, Yip Man died of throat cancer. Everyone wondered if Bruce, now a world-recognized film star, would attend the funeral. Rumors circulated that Bruce had betrayed the old man by leaving wing chun. However, Bruce's respect and loyalty never strayed. He attended Yip Man's funeral and paid homage to his teacher. Six months later, Bruce Lee died.
Created & Maintained by Robert Chu & Ren Ritchie

Hawkins Cheung

Cheung Hok-Kin (Zhang Xuejian, Hawkins Cheung) began learning Wing Chun Kuen in 1954 under the guidance of the famed Yip Man. Along with his good friend, Bruce Lee, and others, Hawkins Cheung often engaged in challenge matches and helped to build Wing Chun's fearsome reputation in Hong Kong. After graduating from high school, Cheung moved to Australia to attend college. In 1978, he moved again, this time to the United States. Hawkins Cheung lives and teaches Wing Chun Kuen in Los Angeles. Among his many good students are Robert Chu, Wallace Nakagawa, and many others.

Ho Kam-Ming

Ho Kam-Ming (He Jinge) began learning Wing Chun as a young adult from Yip Man in the late 1950s. In the mid1960s, Ho Kam-Ming opened his own school in nearby Macao, but returned to Hong Kong on weekends to continue his training. Ho Kam-Ming became quite close to his teacher over the years, and when Yip Man would fall ill, Ho would care for him and take him for treatments. In the early 1990s, Ho Kam-Ming relocated to Ontario, Canada, where his son opened a school. Ho Kam-Ming continues to train students privately. Among his pupils are Augustine Fong and Johnny Wong

Jiu Wan

Jiu Wan (Zhao Yun), in his youth in Foshan, China, studied Wing Chun under Chan Yiu-Min (other stories indicate he learned from his cousin (his father's elder brother's son) Jiu Tong. Some accounts name him as the brother of Jiu Chao, who was also the student of Chan Yiu-Min. Later, Jiu Wan established his own Wing Chun school in Foshan and became Yip Man's personal student. After the Communists took over China, Jiu Wan left Foshan for Hong

Kong where he met with Master Yip for continued advanced study and followed Yip for some 20 years. Amongst Jiu Wan's students were movie star Tai Lung (Tam Fu-Wing), Chow Hung-Yuen, and others.

Sifu Said ...

Random notes taken over several years During classes taught by Sifu Chow Hung-Yuen
Compiled by Dan Lucas 1. Other styles tell you what to think. In Wing Chun we teach you how to think. There's a big difference. 2. Open your eyes and you can see further. I can't see it for you. I can only open the window; you have to do the looking. I say one, you say one. I say two, and you say two. That's not the way to learn. I give you the basics, you have to make three yourself. Nothing was explained to us when I learned, we just learned by doing. After a while we learned for ourselves what worked and what didn't. I learned, for instance, after struggling to resist for so long, that it doesn't work to resist. So I gave it up and tried to let go instead. 3. In the beginning don't try to learn too much at one time. If you eat too much, its bad for your digestion. 4. Instead of trying to exploit your opponents mistakes, its better in the beginning to see youre not making any of your own. If your foundation is not solid, the higher the building the more dangerous it becomes. The same is true with the martial arts. If your basics are not good, the higher your level of skill the more critical it becomes. The better your foundation, the stronger it is, the higher you can build on it. 5. For other styles, contact is the end. For Wing Chun, contact is just the beginning. Chi Sao is training for sensitivity. After class you can do the Bong Sao by yourself a hundred times, but if you cant use it in the right way, what good is it? If you do it right, once is enough. If you do it wrong, a hundred times wont help. 6. When styles rely on strength, theres a limit to strength. As you get older your strength naturally declines. Wing Chun relies on letting go, and theres no limit to letting go. As you get older you can also improve. It's not whether or not to use power, but how to use it. It's not whether or not to spend money, but how to spend it. Make every penny count. 7. Wing Chun isnt a hard style or a soft style, its both. I dont resist force, or meet force with force and so its a soft style. But when theres an opening I use all the force I have, and so its a hard style too. Greater strength is a natural advantage. Its also a disadvantage if you cant let go of it when you need to. Strong people naturally rely on their strength and are unwilling to let it go, and so have a hard time learning Wing Chun. Are you more powerful than a car? If a car comes at you, you dont try to hold it back - you get out of the way. Your real enemy isnt your opponent; its you. Your natural reaction is to tense up when attacked, so train to replace this natural reaction with new ones. If you compare power with your opponent, youll eventually find someone stronger than you. I dont care how big or how strong you are because I dont resist you. It doesnt matter if its a car or a train, I just get out of the way. How can you hit me if you cant find my center? If you touch a spinning ball it sends you off in one direction or another. 8. When you aim at me I can't move your aim, but I can move your target. When you change your aim I move the target again. But I always aim at you. If we run a race and youre faster than me I dont have much chance of beating you. But if I choose the direction Ill always have a headstart. 9. Redirecting force is like opening a door. First I have to know which way the door opens. I dont want to push sideways if the door opens up and down. I try one direction, if it doesnt work I try another. Keep moving, like flowing water. If I stop, I give you the chance to use your strength against me. Instead I redirect any strength you have by moving with it. Dont start something, then wait till tomorrow to come back and finish it. Keep moving; take action. Dont stop to think about your next move; it may be too late.

10. The secret isnt in the technique, but in the situation. More techniques dont make you a master, its how you apply them. Each situation differs and nothing stays the same for long. Learn the principles and how they apply to one technique, rather than a new technique for every change or situation. 11. Wing Chun theory is firmly based in Yin and Yang. This can mean turning power on or off in one arm, but more usually means one arm is Yin while the other is Yang. Its like breathing in and out, you cant do both at once. Yin and Yang doesnt mean I attack either hard or soft. It means that in any situation you or I will be stronger or weaker, changing with the situation. I constantly test you to find weaknesses to exploit or strengths to avoid. If one hand is heavy and the other light, don't fight with the heavy hand. Attack the light one instead. If there are two doors, one hard to push and one easy to push, why not go through the one that's easy to open? Chinese philosophy is based on harmony and balance. When you are positive I am negative. When you become negative I switch to positive. I don't mean that I think about it. It has to come naturally through the movements. 12. Magic is only tricks, not really magic. Theres nothing secret, no magic, in Wing Chun. You only have to learn the tricks. Like the old Chinese saying about picking up a rock and hitting yourself with it: for instance, nobody traps your hands against each other, you allow them to be trapped. You offer them to be trapped. 13. I dont know how dumb the fish is, or how strong; I just throw out the bait and see if it takes it. Of course I shouldnt go fishing unless I know Im skillful enough to reel one in. 14. I don't move unless I have to. And if I move, I move as little as possible. For instance a punch on center defends as well as attacks. I keep my elbows on center and attack on center to make it difficult for you to take or use the center, and force you to go the long way around. A circular attack like a roundhouse punch is just an attack, but is in no way a defense. And I dont have to get in on every opening. Sometimes its better to let one go by to set up for another. Put together the right ingredients and youll make a fine supper. In other words, if I set you up in the right way, itll be easy to finish you off. 15. Either make the right move, or make the move thats right for you. Sometimes just being in the right position isnt enough. What really matters is pressure: the pressure you apply and the pressure applied against you. When youre in the right position but apply pressure in the wrong direction, I can take advantage of it and your position wont matter. Good contact means the right amount of pressure at the right spot going in the right direction. Wing Chun is not for display or for competition. A bystander cant see it, but you and I can feel it. Thats why we can practice blindfolded or in the dark, because its something you have to feel and not see. With your eyes open and in bright daylight, practice as though blindfolded and depend on what you feel rather than what you see. 16. The worst thing for you is if I know what your next move will be. In chess if I know your next move and the move after that, how can you win? So in fighting I put you into a position where you have to respond in a certain way. Then, by sticking with you, I know where youre going and what youre doing. When I'm dealt a hand in poker, of course I know what's in my hand. If I know what's in your hand too, I have a much better chance of winning. You may still have a better hand than me but at least I have more options. When I have contact with you I can sense your movement and so have a better chance. 17. And always remember that it doesn't matter how good you are. What matters is how good you can become.

Leung Ting

Leung Ting (Liang Ting) began training in the late 1950's under his two maternal uncles, Cheng Fook and Cheng Pak, who were students of Leung Sheung, and continued under Leung Sheung. In the late 1960s, Leung Ting received private instruction from Yip Man as a close door student (pupil taken after an instructor has retired from public teaching). Leung Ting went on to form the International Wing Tsun Martial-Art Association, and has also served time on the board of the Ving Tsun Athletic Association. The International Wing Tsun Martial-Art Association has become the largest Chinese martial arts organization in the world, with branches in about 50 countries and somewhere in the neighborhood of 100,000 members. Amoung Leung Ting's top student are Keith Kernspecht of Germany, head of the European Wing Tsun Organization, which has about 70,000 members.

Lo Man-Kam

Lo Man-Kam (Lu Wenjin) was born in 1933 in Guangdong, China. Nephew of the famed Yip Man, he began his instruction in Wing Chun under his uncle's guidance in 1950 alongside Lee Man, Leung Sheung, Lok Liu, and later Tsui Sheung-Tin and Yip Bo-Ching, among others. In 1956, Lo made his first trip to Taiwan and in 1960 he was guided back there by his uncle. In 1974, with the encouragement of his cousin, Yip Chun, Lo Man-Kam established

the first Wing Chun school in Taiwan. In addition to the Taiwan military and police forces, Lo Man-Kam has gone on to teach students from 33 countries around the world, including his son, Gorden (who has also trained under Duncan Leung).

Lun Gai

Lun Gai (Lun Jia) was born in 1926. At an age of around 14, Lun began studying Wing Chun in Foshan under the renowned Yip Man. Lun studied for roughly 4 years. Following the rise of the Communist regime, Lun Gai practiced his Wing Chun secretly, not wanting to draw the governments attention. Lun Gai still practices and teaches Wing Chun in China.

Foshan Wing Chun From Where the Water Flows

by Derek Frearson Much is written about the life of Master Yip Man and his students in Hong Kong, his teachings and followers have received wide publicity. Generally little has been published about his teaching in Foshan and his disciples from these early days. Over the last four years I have had the great pleasure of studying with one of Yip Man's original students, Master Lun Jie. With over 20 years experience learning learning and teaching Wing Chun I have had the opportunity to research this style and its many branches in England, Hong Kong and China. I have found Master Lun's method illuminating. This is his story:

Sifu Lun was born in 1926, he began to study Wing Chun at the age of 14 under Yip Man who was about 40 at this time. This was during the occupation by Japanese forces. The class would meet in secrecy in a warehouse as the practise of martial arts was banned by the Japanese. The classes were held during the evenings and attended by six students. Master Yip Man had no interest in teaching a lot of students, in fact Sifu Lun recalls Yip Man saying that he didn't intend to take any more. During training Master Yip laid great emphasis on the practise of Wing Chun's first form Sil Lum Tao and on horse stance practice. When they practiced Chi Sao they would cover their eyes, Master Yip would go around and play Chi Sao with all of his students, his sensitivity was so refined he could tell which one of his students he was training with just by the feel. Master Lun recalls a story of when Yip Man was out walking with a relaitive. The relative got involved in an argument with a detective. As the argument became more heated the detective pulled out his gun to shoot, Yip Man grabbed the gun and broke it. Yip Man left Foshan around 1949 before the liberation of China. As a policeman he feared that he might be arrested by the new regime. Some time later the members of the class scattered and lost contact with each other. In the original class Sifu Lun's older Kung Fu brother was Guo Fu. Sifu Lun recalls at this time Guo Fu was much better at Wing Chun than he was, being six years older he was much stronger and able to apply the techniques in a more realistic manner. Sifu Lun made an effort to try and contact Guo Fu but to no avail, at the same time Guo Fu was also trying to find Sifu Lun. Knowing his old classmate was an electrician by trade he would always ask any electricians he met if they knew Sifu Lun. One time Guo Fu was near Guangzhou he met an electrician who said he knew Sifu Lun and that he had returned to Foshan and was working in a pump factory. Guo Fu wrote a letter to the pump factory in Foshan which Sifu Lun received, the old classmates were reunited in 1958 and have been close friends ever since, They began to train and research Wing Chun and continue to do this up to the present day. CULTURAL REVOLUTION During the cultural revolution the practice of martial arts was banned, anyone practicing would be branded a counter revolutionary. Sifu Lun did practice throughout this period mostly in his home, sometimes lie would go to the park and to the Ancestral Temple. Often the practice at the Temple would be watched by a policeman who was himself a martial arts practitioner so he never reported them. The authorities

all over China were very nervous about the practice of martial arts, this was particularly true about the practice of Wing Chun with its emphasis on attack and combat techniques. Many martial arts masters were persecuted by the Red Guards, this included torture, imprisonment and death. I asked Sifu Lun if he had ever had to use his Wing Chun in a real life situation. He said that it is not his intention to right and he doesn't want his students to fight. There was one occasion, however, just after the cultural revolution when he went out on his bicycle into the countryside at night. He was travelling along a dark road when two men jumped out in front of him, as he stopped the light on his bicycle went out. He quickly put the bicycle down, one man threw a powerful punch towards Sifu Lun. Lun applied the Kuo Sao movement from Wing Chun's second form Chum Kiu. He heard the breaking of bone and the man screamed with pain, turning to the side the other man had already launched a kick which glanced on Lun's thigh. The man didn't follow up the attack hearing his accomplice's screams, both men fled. FOSHAN WING CHUN, HONG KONG WING CHUN? On the development of Wing Chun in Hong Kong and the differences between Foshan and Hong Kong Chun as taught today. Sifu Lun doesn't know why the teaching of Yip Man was different in Hong Kong, he can only assume that Yip Man might have added or dropped some movements, he also might have allowed his students more freedom interpreting the movements, this would account for the differences of his followers. He does, however, know that Yip Man only taught the Bagua steps in Foshan. During Sifu Lun's four year's training with Yip Man he always taught the conventional method of punching, before he left Foshan he told his students to use the Phoenix Eye punch, a method which Sifu Lun still favours today. Even in Foshan there are people who claim to teach Yip Man's method yet Sifu Lun doesn't know how this can be. As long as Guo Fu and Lun Jie can remember Yip Man only had six students, four of which are now dead. Sifu Lun's method is very direct, the amount of power he generates over such a short distance is phenomenal. I was on the receiving end of many "Jerk Hands" techniques and his "Slap Block" made my whole body shake. Although nearly 70 his hands are still very fast, on one occasion we were discussing how to apply force with the Phoenix Eye punch. Our training area was on a rooftop and Master Lun proceeded to demonstrate the punch on a large metal water tank, his right hand flicked into the tank with a thud as he continued to explain the point.

The point was lost for a while as the centre of attention was the dent that had appeared in the water tank, "Sifu you've dented the tank". He laughed loudly then continued the explanation. Since that day I have seen him train by punching trees and brick walls. Master Lun is a very humble man, during training he apologized for any deficiencies in his teaching. He said that Guo Fu and himself were not educated men, in fact Sifu Lun has only had one year's schooling. Both men have concentrated on developing and researching the direct fighting method as taught by Yip Man in Foshan. THE FORMS The Foshan method has the same number of forms similar to those taught in Hong Kong. The first form is around the same length as the Hong Kong version but some of the angles are very different, all the other forms are longer with a greater variety of techniques. Yip Man also didn't teach the Single Sticking Hand or any other method apart from two handed Chi Sao.

Tsui Sheung-Tin

Tsui Sheung-Tin in Hong Kong

by Martin Anderson It has been more than 17 years since I have been in Hong Kong but I will do my best to remember some of the training. First and foremost we did a hell of alot of chi sau with everybody from the most advanced students to just beginers. This could vary from just single hand chi sau to nearly a brawl. Tsui Sheung Tin was always involved in these practices and always helping students at all levels. I would play with Sifu several times a day since I would practice as long as the school was open which was from about 3pm until 10pm. I some times got some training when the school was

closed as Sifu let me live there once when I did not have much money to rent a room. He once showed me a more aggresive side to WC that was interesting to me as Sifu would normally concentrate on defense. Tsui Sheung Tin is a very kind person and extremely generous with his knowledge. He is also alot of fun to play chi sau with because his force is great and his speed is blinding. His defense is close to being invinceable. Victor Kan once told that Mr. Tsui had the best defense in the Yip Man School while he was there. Victor Kan should know as agressive attacking is something he does well. The atmosphere at the school was one of a very relaxed nature. I also got a lot of help from Mui Chung Chi (Joe Mui) who was one of Sifu's best students and a sifu on the Hong Kong side. Joe was very helpfull as he spoke perfect english and I do not speak chinese nor does Mr. Tsui speak english. You might ask how I was able to learn from Sifu. Well I had to develop an ability to literally see force and to try to analize what was happening. Sifu once questioned me (through someone else, of course) about what I was seeing when I watched him and others play. I explained what I saw and he told me he could also see things this way but it took a long time to develop this skill and I could see this way from very early on.

Wong Shun-Leung

Wong Shun-Leung (Huang Chunliang) was born in 1935 and began his martial arts training in his early teens, sampling a variety of methods including western boxing, which he enjoyed. Having heard many tales of Wing

Chun from his father and grandfather (who had been a good friend of Chan Wah-Shun), Wong decided to give it a try. In around 1951, after being soundly defeated by Yip Man, Wong became Yip's student. During the late 1950s and early 1960s, Wong Shun-Leung helped forge Wing Chun's reputation in Hong Kong with his victories in challenge matches and assisted in the teaching of his juniors, such as Bruce Lee. Wong Shun-Leung practiced Wing Chun for over 4 decades before passing away in late January, 1997 and taught many renowned students including Lam Man-Hok (Gary Lam), Ko Kin, David Peterson, Denis Chau, Nino Bernardo, and many others.

Returning to the Basics

The Scientific Foundation of Ving Tsun Gung Fu
By David Peterson
[Speech from the 1999 Ving Tsun Conference in Hong Kong]

There is an old expression in English that goes, "He couldn't see the forest for the trees", and sadly, this seems to be the case for many of my Ving Tsun brothers and sisters. Not that I am in any way suggesting that anyone is wrong, or that I have somehow stumbled upon all the answers, but that over the years since the late, great Yip Man sigung first began to transmit his knowledge of this marvelous system to the world, it would seem that many of those who studied the system have lost sight of its fundamental essence. Perhaps it is due to the influence of other martial art disciplines on the minds of those practicing the Ving Tsun system, or perhaps it is just a basic human trait to overlook the obvious (and not-so-obvious!) and continually "re-invent the wheel" when one already has at their disposal a uniquely brilliant set of combat concepts such as those which make up Ving Tsun Gung Fu, but whatever the case, many of my respected brethren are going down paths that have strayed a long way from the basic tenets of this skill. Before anyone starts accusing me of trying to put myself upon a pedestal, proclaiming myself as some "Next Generation Grandmaster", please allow me to put things in perspective. I am not, by my own definition, a master teacher, a master fighter, or a master "anything" as far as Ving Tsun is concerned. What I am is someone who is in awe of the potential of this system that we have all chosen to practice, a person who loves the art of Ving Tsun above all other pursuits in my life. I have tried to develop an understanding of this system for the past 25 years of my life, and for almost 15 of those years, I had the great fortune of being under the guidance and tutelage of another great man who helped make this system what it is today, my dear Sifu, the late Wong Shun Leung. What Sifu helped me to realize was that the effectiveness of Ving Tsun is in its inherent simplicity, and that as soon as one ignores the most basic concepts of the system, they are no longer practicing Ving Tsun. It is quite natural, and as a result, completely acceptable, for each and every one of us to use Ving Tsun in our own unique way, in keeping with my late teacher's often repeated philosophy that, "One must be the MASTER of Ving Tsun, not it's SLAVE". However, if in being different, we are in fact "breaking the rules" so-to-speak of Ving Tsun, as set out in the basic forms and drills of the system, then we are no longer practicing Ving Tsun and are in fact reducing the quality of what it is that we practice and teach, and over time reducing our skills to a "watered-down" version of what they could be. While I readily accept that there are different ways to interpret or apply techniques, surely each of my learned colleagues present here today would agree that there are several basic underlying principles which simply must not be ignored, yet time and again, in books, magazines, videos and in classrooms around the world, students of Ving Tsun are being shown methods that totally contradict the principles upon which this system was built.

One of the most glaring errors that I have observed, time and time again, is the robotic way in which students are taught to apply, verbatim, the sequences of movements as they are practiced in the basic forms. To be blunt, this is a grave error and will only lead to a false impression in the minds of the practitioners which could well see them totally at the mercy of any potential adversary. Real attackers don't attack in rehearsed or predictable sequences, they attack at random, and with deception and aggression. Attempting to deal with such people by applying a sequence rote learned in the classroom is a recipe for disaster. The sequences in the forms, with the possible exception of an extremely few examples, are NOT to be interpreted as such, but simply as a well structured means of understanding concepts and "internalizing" these ideas so that the body can reproduce the best possible shapes or movements at the most opportune time. It is a serious mistake to presume that certain motions must follow each other in sequence just because they do so in the forms. A more useful way to see the forms is to think of them as an ideal toolbox or toolshed, with all the tools that one might ever need placed neatly and ready for use at our disposal. As we are confronted with each new task, we simply make use of the one or two most practical tools for the job, in no particular order, and with no obligation that if we make use of a particular tool that we are in any way obligated to also use the tools immediately next to it. The tools are simply positioned for either ease of access, or easy recognition of their individual potential. We do not have to use every tool in the toolshed every time we enter the toolshed, nor do we have to make use of every tool in our lifetime. We simply use what we need, but make sure that the entire contents of the toolshed are made available to all who come after us, because while we may not need some of the tools, others may find that they have a need for them. This is in keeping with the Ving Tsun maxim, "Pass on the complete skill in order to make the next generation strong". If we only pass on our favorite ideas or techniques, we rob the next generation of the chance to reach their full potential, and that of the system. It is therefore the CONCEPTS that need to be passed down to each successive generation of Ving Tsun practitioners, not an endless series of sequences. By the same token, drills should be kept SIMPLE, DIRECT and EFFICIENT, with an emphasis on "free" or "open" drills whereby the students are encouraged to apply the most basic techniques and concepts against random and very threatening, realistic attacks, not set routines with fixed patterns and predictable outcomes. This goal is best achieved by firstly setting up a "closed" drill, where a basic concept or technique is tested under fixed circumstances, but as soon as practical, the student should be encouraged to try to apply the same concepts or techniques under increasingly random and more realistic conditions. This helps to get the students out of the trap that complicated set drills can engender, and it keeps the training challenging and realistic. Instead of developing a false sense of security through the rote learning of patterned responses, the students quickly realize that real combat is an unpredictable arena where ones ability to adapt instantly and aggressively is the key to survival. Too many Ving Tsun practitioners overlook the most obvious aspect of the system's advantage over virtually all other combat methods; in Ving Tsun, the best form of defense is attack! We are not, and should not, be in the business of "self-defense" as this is the fastest way to defeat in real life combat. If you are busy "defending" yourself, you are ignoring the fact that your opponent is still in control of the situation. While you are "chasing the hands" of your enemy, you are always one or more steps behind him or her. The ONLY way to guarantee victory when being attacked is to have a better means of attack! This is what Ving Tsun is all about; when the opponent launches his or her attack, you should be responding with a scientifically more structured and more efficient attack of your own! That is the true nature of this system, and that is what sets it apart from virtually all other methods. Why then do many Ving Tsun exponents advocate complicated sequences of blocking and trapping motions when a more aggressive response is what is called for? When you are in combat with the enemy, you are not trying to Chi

Sau with him, you should be trying to hit him! The reflexes and skills developed through correct Chi Sau practice are only needed and applied if and when our own attempts to attack are hindered or impeded by the enemy, and we should definitely not be going out with the idea in mind to "trap hands" with them. This kind of thinking is extremely dangerous, yet such methods are being taught all over the place. This constitutes a blatant misunderstanding of the realities of real combat and has to be avoided at all costs. If we teach our students to attempt to deal with an adversary in this way, we are teaching them how to be defeated! Surely this is not our goal as teachers and practitioners of Ving Tsun. Ving Tsun is one of, if not, the greatest methods of combat that exists in the world today, yet there are still many people in the world oblivious to the potential and benefits of this system of personal protection. One of the reasons that Ving Tsun is still to be taken seriously by many in the martial arts world is the constant bickering and infighting that has occurred in recent years. We cannot deny that this has taken place, and we must come together in a spirit of understanding and cooperation so as to work together for the long term benefit of both the system and all who have, are, or will practice it. This conference is the first very positive step in that direction, and I am indeed proud to be a participant in this historic event, and deeply humbled to be asked to speak to all present. I can only wish that my Sifu was still alive to be a part of this occasion, and I am sure that he would have much more wisdom to share with you all than I could ever hope to have in my lifetime. The other very important reason that Ving Tsun is yet to be recognized universally for the brilliant system that it is, is that we have allowed ourselves to stray from the original concepts of the system, adding unnecessary complications and impractical methods to the repertoire of techniques that are being transmitted to our students. Individual creativity, based on real experience and practical experimentation, is the key to the future of Ving Tsun. This is not to say that we need to radically overhaul and alter the system. On the contrary, we need to put aside our individual egos, be prepared to rethink and reassess our teaching and training methods, and get back to the job of bringing Ving Tsun into the 21st century. This can, and will only be achieved, by returning to the basics, by reexamining the basic concepts and techniques with the added benefit of modern sports science and the input of those who have participated in the "Pavement Arena", pitting their Ving Tsun skills against real opponents in real combat situations. It is no good constantly adhering to "tradition" when the reality of the world is no longer what is may have been in the past. If our Ving Tsun forefathers had thought in this way, there wouldn't be a system known as Ving Tsun and we'd all be here for a poetry or paper folding conference! Ving Tsun is, by its very nature, a constantly evolving art, but for it to evolve further, we must ensure that we never lose sight of what makes it work, and the underlying principles that make this possible. When people come to my classes and ask me what Ving Tsun is all about, I answer by telling them what it is not. It is NOT a sport (there are no rules in real combat!); it is NOT a form of fitness training (it is too efficient in application to demand enough of one to create super fitness!); it is NOT for demonstration (while you and I can see the inherent beauty of the system, for "outsiders" it is just not "pretty" enough!); and it is NOT a form of meditation (well, not in the classic sense, anyway!) What it is, in simple terms, is a sophisticated weapon with which one can overcome an adversary by applying scientifically provable concepts through efficient biomechanical motions, derived and practiced through realistic and efficient training methods and drills, resulting in the acquisition of skills that could one day save your own life, or that of a loved one. The restrictions of time prevent me from elaborating further, but I hope that I have planted an important seed in your mind that will slowly develop into the necessary thought processes that will help each and everyone of us present here today to make sure that the legacy of Yip Man, and those gifted students of his who have also passed on, such as Leung Sheung and Wong Shun Leung, is not only preserved for the future, but is developed even further to even greater heights. Like

the 'Siu Nim Tau' form, this is a "young idea" that should be nurtured so that it develops into something truly wonderful. I thank you for the opportunity to share my thoughts with you, and I hope that I have provided some positive inspiration towards the goal of uniting all Ving Tsun devotees around the world so as to not only take Ving Tsun into the next millenium, but to strive for the development of the very best quality of Ving Tsun instruction and training. I also hope that my comments have in no way insulted or offended anyone present here today. That was never my intention, and if my words have been interpreted in that way, I sincerely apologize to those concerned. If my late teacher taught me anything at all, it was that I should never stop seeking the truth, nor ever assume that there isn't a better way of doing something. He taught my Sihing-dai and I to never accept any idea or method at face value, but to think it over, discuss it and test it, as realistically as possible, in order to determine its validity. Today, I have tried to share some of my Sifu's wisdom with all those present in the hope that you too will make the effort to sort through the "martial mess", to put aside egos, false pride, ignorance and prejudice, and in doing so, once again see the beauty and simplicity of the Ving Tsun forest.

Wing Chun - The Science of In-Fighting

By David Peterson There are, it seems, many interpretations or styles of the Chinese martial art known as Wing Chun being taught throughout the world. Within these variations, like in all martial systems, there are inherent strengths and weaknesses, good and bad points, subtle and not so subtle differences. If what a particular school or instructor teaches is to meet the requirements of what is generally considered to be Wing Chun, a system whose origins are said to be an amalgamation of the most effective combat theories and techniques of several Chinese systems some two centuries ago, then it must meet certain criteria, namely it must reflect three distinct qualities - SIMPLICITY, DIRECTNESS and EFFICIENCY. At the Melbourne Chinese Martial Arts Club, all aspects of our training emphasise and refine these three qualities. Our basic philosophy is that if something requires excessive movement, strength or effort, then it is not something we wish to waste time practising if a more practical method exists. In the words of our Hong Kong-based leader, Sifu Wong Shun Leung, "You can always replace money, but you can't replace time." Sifu Wong believed that if a student is allowed to, or worse, made to spend time on something which is unlikely to be of any use, the instructor is not only deceiving his/her students, but also him or herself as well. Wing Chun is a system based upon logic and science. It requires neither great strength nor great athletic ability. What it does require, however, is a very precise understanding of some very basic combat principles and unless the instructor can get these across to the students, the likelihood is that the students will never fully realise their potential, no matter how skilful the instructor may be. In Wing Chun, it is not just a matter of copying movements, one has to know precisely why something is being done, when to apply it and, most importantly, how to develop and perfect such skills. This being the case, we at the Melbourne Chinese Martial Arts Club (MCMAC) do not spend the majority of our training time alone in lines, punching the air, or engaged in make believe combat routines, but in contact with many partners, constantly testing and refining the principles and concepts gleaned from the three basic training patterns or forms of the Wing Chun system, namely (i) Siu Nim Tau, (ii) Cham Kiu, and (iii) Biu Ji. Training on the Muk Yan

Jong, or "wooden dummy" also provides a means developing good positioning and accurate techniques and allows for the practise of techniques in a way which would not be appropriate on a "live" training partner. As well as a variety of training drills and reflex exercises done with partners, we at MCMAC also place a great deal of emphasis on the Chi Sau or "sticky hands" exercise to further develop instant reactions and technical precision and to provide us with a linking device for all of the above-mentioned concepts, forms and techniques. Chi Sau has, in recent years, become a very misunderstood part of the Wing Chun training regime. There are those who say it has no application to combat and dismiss it as a useless exercise, and there are those who do nothing but Chi Sau, but for all the wrong reasons. Chi Sau is quite simply a means of developing practical reflexes and of refining them to the point where conscious thought is eliminated. It is not fighting per se, but it does provide the perfect environment in which to acquire and develop the skills and responses necessary for fighting an opponent at the worst possible range, ie. extreme close-range, a position where many other fighting systems do not have effective responses. Chi Sau's main purpose is to enable the Wing Chun fighter to develop the means by which they can instinctively find or create gaps in the opponent's defences. The sensitivity developed through Chi Sau is such that whenever the path of an attack (by the Wing Chun fighter) is blocked, he or she automatically redirects the enemy's hands and continues the attack. Should the enemy not put up an effective defence, there is no need for the Chi Sau to be applied. In other words, Wing Chun does not fight by doing Chi Sau with the opponent, but if the Wing Chun fighter's own techniques are trapped, jammed or blocked by the opponent, Chi Sau training has provided him or her with the means to overcome the problem. By its very nature, Wing Chun is an attacking system, the belief being that the best form of defence is attack. The other great advantage of Chi Sau training over the sparring normally seen in other martial art systems is the fact that it is totally spontaneous, virtually anything can and does happen so that the practitioners are constantly forced to react to very real attacks without the luxury of standing back to think about it. Instead of becoming a session of trading blows, "tit for tat" so to speak, Chi Sau training encourages the student of Wing Chun to treat every threat as a real one and to totally overwhelm the opponent at the first opportunity so as to render them unable to offer any kind of defence. In other words, through Chi Sau the Wing Chun student learns to dominate the situation with skill and controlled aggression, never being afraid to go forward and never making the mistake of trying to trade blows with the enemy. Wing Chun in fact trains in reverse order to many other systems of combat. The first range to be developed is closerange, the theory being that as most situations end up at this range, one must excel at fighting there. From there, Wing Chun devotees work outwards, realising as they do that the greater the distance becomes, the more time one has at one's disposal and, consequently, the easier things become. After just a short time training at the In-fighting range, the Wing Chun student begins to realise the effectiveness of getting in close and tends to develop a distinct preference for this range. Contrary to what the many critics of Wing Chun may say, Wing Chun does indeed have medium- and long-distance techniques/strategies, and it does utilise kicking and ground-fighting, but it requires these so rarely that many people think that these skills don't exist within the system. Because of its efficient and subtle nature, Wing Chun trains these techniques and concepts in such a way that even some Wing Chun practitioners fail to appreciate their existence and potential. Sifu Wong Shun Leung, under whom this writer and several of our students have had extensive training in Hong Kong, was a man who believed wholeheartedly in the importance of practical experience and practical training, having himself many times put his fighting skills to the test for the sake of improving himself as well as proving

Wing Chun's effectiveness under real conditions. He prefered to refer to Wing Chun as a martial skill, rather than a martial art, simply because a skill is something which can be tested, proven and improved, whereas art is purely subjective. Like a piece of music or a painting, you can't "prove" whether it's good or bad, it's more a question of taste, but if you think that "A" can defeat "B" then it can be put to the test, their skill levels compared. This then is the MCMAC approach to the training of Wing Chun, being as it is drawn from the training philosophy of my teacher, Sifu Wong Shun Leung, the man who almost single-handedly put Wing Chun on the martial arts map in Hong Kong in the 'fifties and 'sixties when he engaged in countless challenge matches against practitioners of all styles, including western boxing and fencing, emerging undefeated each time. The late Bruce Lee drew many of his fighting concepts from what he had learnt from Sifu Wong during those early days and applied that line of thinking to his own training, the result of course being his own expression of combat, Jeet Kune Do. We at MCMAC believe that not all Wing Chun is the same and that if one examines his or her own training by asking if it is truly SIMPLE, DIRECT and EFFICIENT, it may well be that it just doesn't measure up. Put quite simply, if your not attacking your opponent's attack, it's not Wing Chun; if you have to think, it's already too late! That is the essence of the Wong Shun Leung Way. In order to maintain the highest possible standards, students and instructors at MCMAC regularly spend extended periods of time training at Sifu Wong's school in Hong Kong. As often as possible, MCMAC invited Sifu Wong to Australia to conduct classes and seminars while he was alive. We at MCMAC are constantly striving to pass on the very best Wing Chun skills possible and take great pleasure in sharing Sifu Wong's teachings with anyone willing to put aside pride and ego in order to journey down what we believe to be a more rewarding path to combat proficiency. You just may find that the Wong Shun Leung Way can answer questions for which you have been unable to find a satisfactory solution. We are confident that we have something of value to share with you.

Wing Chun by Definition

Getting It Right ... the "Wong Way"!!!
By David Peterson & Enzo Verratti There are many people claiming to teach Wing Chun, and as many different "versions" of Wing Chun as there are teachers, or so it seems. The reasons for these variations are many and complex, one factor which immediately springs to mind being that there are at least three or four different systems of Chinese boxing which take the name Wing Chun (though the Chinese characters may differ). At least two of these appear to have originated in or around the city of Fatsaan (Foshan in the Mandarin dialect), the southern Chinese city where Grandmaster Yip Man of the Hong Kong-style first studied the system under his teacher, Chan Wa Sun, who in turn had learnt from the most celebrated of Wing Chun "ancestors", Leung Jan, the undefeated "King of Wing Chun", a man who was very protective when it came to passing on his skills. Herein lies just one of the many causes of todays confusion, that Leung Jan in fact seems to have taught two interpretations of the same art, one to his own sons (whom he hoped would inherit and pass on his skills), and a somewhat less sophisticated method to "Chan the money-changer", the man under whom Grandmaster Yip Man began his Wing Chun training. If we are to believe the stories handed down through history concerning Leung Jan and his attitude to teaching "outsiders", it is fair to assume that Leung (who was an intelligent, educated man) did in fact "simplify things" for his not so bright, but physically powerful student Chan, who was a far more gifted fighter

than he was a thinking man. What Chan learnt and made use of was a cruder, less sophisticated, but nevertheless very effective form of Wing Chun. Two events in recent Wing Chun history tend to lend substance to this belief. One of these is the well known story of how Grandmaster Yip was easily defeated by Leung Bik, the son of Leung Jan. According to the story told by Grandmaster Yip himself, and retold by many of his students over the years, he suffered his first and possibly only defeat at the hands of an old man whom he had challenged while a student in Hong Kong during the early part of this century. To cut a long story short, Yip Man was to learn that his opponent was the son of his own teachers teacher, and Yip Man in turn became Leungs student during which time he was taught a much more refined and subtle approach to Wing Chun, something which tends to have influenced what he was to teach to his own students later on. The second event, which is not so widely known, except to students of the late sifu Wong Shun Leung (and anyone who attended his seminars on the Siu Nim Tau form over the years), concerns the fact that Sifu Wongs "version" of the first form contains an extra movement in the third section. The following story explains this fact. While fighting a rather stubborn opponent during one of Sifu Wongs many celebrated "contests", his opponent, in a fit of desperation and at the point of exhaustion, dropped to one knee and lashed out with a punch which Sifu Wong attempted to deflect with the Jam Sau movement contained within his form. Because the attack was so low, the Jam Sau only partially deflected the blow which then struck Wong in the upper thigh, leading to an injury which nagged him for months. He of course went on to dispatch his opponent, afterwhich he and Grandmaster Yip got into some heavy discussion about what had transpired. As a result of this discussion, Yip Man advised his students to include the technique known as Gaan Sau in place of the Jam Sau previously found in this section of the form. Prior to this time, the Gaan Sau technique was only seen in the Biu Ji and Muk Yan Jong ("wooden dummy") forms. Sifu Wong decided that both techniques were important (especially in view of the fact that the Jam Sau is an integral part of the basic single-hand Chi Sau exercise), and so continued to include both, while most, if not all of his classmates (the instructors of today) dropped the "old" technique in favour of the "new" one. Grandmaster Yip Man had explained to Sifu Wong that the Jam Sau movement had been taught to him by Leung Bik, his second teacher, who had been a very small man and had not needed to make much use of the lower action Gaan Sau. Chan Wa Sun, on the other hand, being a taller man, would often make use of the lower action as many of his opponents had been smaller than himself, and therefore were more likely to hit lower. Grandmaster Yip, being more influenced by his second teacher, Leung Bik, had therefore altered his form accordingly. Jam Sau is also a much more subtle action than the Gaan Sau movement and therefore less likely to be included in the arsenal of a man like Chan who tended to just blast his opponents out of his way. It has often been suggested that Yip Man taught in a fairly un-systematic way, tending to pass on skills according to the students size, reach and so on. It is also said that he didn't have much time for his slower, less intelligent or less diligent students, and actually taught few people the entire system in person. This, in turn, led to the fact that many people learnt by observing others training, rather than at first-hand, and that quite a few of these individuals actually learnt a "second-hand" or even "third-hand" version of Wing Chun, filling the gaps in their knowledge with guesswork based on what they could recall seeing others do, or even worse, making it up out of their own imagination. This, of course, gave rise to the variations in technique (and the interpretation of these techniques) extant today among instructors of the same generation, not to mention those of their younger Wing Chun brothers and sisters.

Of all Yip Mans students, Sifu Wong Shun Leung probably spent the longest time under his tutelage because it was Sifu Wong who in fact did most of the teaching in Yip Mans school, whereas most of the other senior students opened their own schools and went about doing things their own way. Wong was therefore always close to his teacher, could confer with his teacher and, most importantly, could train with and observe his teacher thereby picking up many of the subtleties which his peers never did. Sifu Wong was also the one student of Yip Man who always put everything he had learnt to the test, so he soon developed what can only be described as an intimate knowledge of the Wing Chun system. Becoming known throughout Hong Kong as Gong Sau Wong, or the "King of Talking with the Hands", Sifu Wong took the Wing Chun system to a whole new level and was never defeated in dozens of real life encounters with practitioners of a myriad of martial styles. All of the ideas and opinions expressed above would tend to be supported by the fact that the majority of Wing Chun teachers have a fairly similar looking Siu Nim Tau form (though concepts and applications still tend to vary), but that the more advanced forms differ by greater and greater amounts, often appearing like completely different systems! To make matters worse, some of these teachers have withheld certain techniques from their students, or have been unable (or unwilling) to teach certain techniques or concepts at a given time or to particular students. What a present day instructor teaches therefore has many factors influencing it, depending on what his instructor learnt directly from his teacher, or what he may have learnt indirectly from other sources (ie. other students). We need to bear these factors in mind, and understand that Wing Chun is a unique system of Chinese boxing, unlike any other fighting art, Chinese or otherwise. The Wing Chun system is strongly influenced (one could say, obsessed) with three main qualities. These are DIRECTNESS, EFFICIENCY and SIMPLICITY. These three qualities are immediately evident in any genuine representation of the system, from the physical application of the techniques to the structure, practise and content of the six training forms (Siu Nim Tau, Cham Kiu, Biu Ji, Muk Yan Jong, Luk Dim Boon Gwan and Baat Jaam Do). While one would assume that the majority of Wing Chun practitioners are aware of these three qualities, some present day instructors defy all logic by ignoring them altogether! How often have we seen sequences of movements where the instructor demonstrating his or her defence against various forms of attack, takes five or six techniques to deal with a situation that should only have taken one, or at most, two techniques to control? What is even more disturbing (and frustrating) is that many very intelligent people blindly continue to follow such instructors, even when confronted by convincing arguments which clearly prove that what they are doing does not conform to this very logical approach. Instead, they take what is basically a simple, straightforward method, and turn it into a complicated and less efficient one. Like the person who pulls the flower to pieces to discover its beauty, they completely miss the point, becoming obsessed with needless analysis. So many Wing Chun practitioners invent endless sequences of defensive actions when what is clearly the obvious message of the system is that "attack is ALWAYS the best form of defence". Let's pause here to define, in simple terms, what is meant by these three above-mentioned qualities:

DIRECTNESS: extending or moving in a straight line, or by the shortest route; not crooked or oblique; going straight to the point. EFFICIENCY: productive; with minimum waste of effort; ratio of useful work performed to energy expended. SIMPLICITY: easily understood or done; not complicated or elaborate; consisting of, or involving only one element of operation.

By recognising and understanding these three concepts, deciding if what you are learning or teaching is valid and/or deserving of the title WING CHUN!! should (if one has an open mind and a willingness to improve) be a relatively easy process. The sad fact is, however, that the majority of people do tend to freely accept much of what they are told by their instructors when in fact some healthy scepticism, coupled with some positive discussion and experimentation, could and would lead to a better standard of Wing Chun throughout the world. We are in no way advocating anarchy in the classroom, simply that instructors should encourage their students to think rather than blindly follow, to seek out ways of making what they do even more DIRECT, EFFICIENT and SIMPLE. This is the attitude with which the late Bruce Lee approached his personal training, leading to the development of his now well-known fighting concepts. Lee departed Hong Kong as a very young man and found himself without an instructor and with an incomplete knowledge of the Wing Chun system. However, he knew enough of the concepts of the system to realise that by applying those same three qualities to other ideas and methods, he could begin to fill the gaps in his knowledge. Interestingly, Sifu Wong Shun Leung, now generally acknowledged by many to be the most influential teacher Bruce Lee ever had, noted that the more Lee explored the intricacies of combat, the more his ideas and techniques began to resemble the Wing Chun he would have eventually learnt had he remained in Hong Kong! In their many all night discussion-come-training sessions on those occasions when Lee returned to Hong Kong to work, Sifu Wong found that Lee was rediscovering many of Wing Chuns most basic concepts in his efforts to develop ways of becoming more DIRECT, EFFICIENT and SIMPLE. It is unfortunate that Lees own followers have in many ways missed the point of his philosophy, complicating things when the whole idea was to make everything more streamlined. Present day instructors need to take a long hard look at themselves and what they teach, to put aside pride and ego in preference to developing a higher standard of teaching. Even if it means going back to the basics to re-learn and perfect their knowledge, surely its worth it, and their students will respect them for it as well, not to mention the pride the instructor will feel when he starts being honest with himself and starts producing even better students. Take it from two people who have been down that very same road ... its a big step to take but you'll never regret taking it. Having had our eyes well and truly opened up by our teacher, Sifu Wong, after many years of far less efficient Wing Chun training (under an instructor with a poor understanding of the system), weve never looked back! In the long run, when all is said and done, the concepts of Wing Chun are far more important than any particular technique/combination, though obviously if the movement being utilised meets the aforementioned criteria (DIRECT, EFFICIENT and SIMPLE) it has far more likelihood of succeeding. With this in mind, the examples offered on these pages are not to be taken as "The Way", but as illustrations of methods already available to the Wing Chun practitioner within the basic forms, examples which exhibit the three qualities being discussed. In particular it is hoped that they clearly show how the "tools" within the forms can be applied as needed, rather than in set combinations as practised in the training forms. As Sifu Wong Shun Leung so often repeated over the years, "Be the master of Wing Chun, not its slave!" To put it even more plainly, the sequence of the movements in the Wing Chun forms MUST NOT be taken literally, to be copied and applied verbatim, because if so used, the real purpose for doing them is missed altogether, often with disastrous results. The forms contain a combination of theory and technique, of structured movements and concepts which, when seen in the right perspective, provide the Wing Chun student with a system of combat which adapts naturally to any situation, without the need to rote learn an infinite number of combinations to deal with an equally infinite number of possibilities.

Like learning a language, Wing Chun starts with an alphabet (Siu Nim Tau form, the "young idea" from which everything grows) and proceeds to teach the student to make words and sentences, to "engage in conversation" in a natural way, responding to the opponents movements and the changes that angling and positioning bring to the basic concepts of the first form. This is the purpose of the Cham Kiu form which provides the keys for "finding & maintaining the bridge" with the opponent. Finally, like the tertiary stage in ones education, Biu Ji form highlights the need for looking beyond ones own ideas, to step outside ones own universe and consider potential weaknesses or problems and to apply the logic of the three qualities mentioned so as to overcome adverse situations whilst sustaining the least amount of damage to oneself. The Biu Ji form "points the finger" to the fact that rules sometimes need to be broken, that no one and no method is infallible. Through Chi Sau ("sticky hands") training, the Wing Chun student learns to utilise this knowledge and to improve his or her skills and understanding in a freeflowing exercise that develops the "language" and is forever emphasising the need for, and advantages of DIRECTNESS, EFFICIENCY and SIMPLICITY. As a final point, please keep in mind that this article has been written with the deliberate intention of provoking some thought, comment or inquiry into what it actually is that some instructors/schools are teaching. It is our intention to make Wing Chun practitioners everywhere question the validity of what they have been taught, to test the effectiveness and practicality of their "brand" of Wing Chun, and to be prepared to change their approach if it fails to live up to the definition presented here. It is also deliberately aimed at the average martial arts enthusiast, and to those contemplating becoming involved in the martial arts, to help them sort out the WING CHUN!! from the WING CHUN?? To this end we can only hope that we have succeeded in invoking a response which will lead to an even brighter future for this most dynamic form of Chinese boxing. Wing Chun owes its very existence to the fact that somewhere back in time, someone bothered to question the combat theories that they encountered and sought a method that offered more than those at their disposal. Sifu Wong Shun Leung, the "King of the Challenge Fight", spent much of his life attempting to raise the curtain of ignorance surrounding the martial arts, and to test, improve and teach the Wing Chun system minus the "bull****" that keeps on raising its ugly head time and time again. His personal motto was "... To better myself with each day of training". Now its up to us, the next generation of Wing Chun practitioners, to see that we pass on the best system possible, to ensure that only the very best that this system has to offer survives into the 21st century. So then, its time to ask yourself, ... how does your Wing Chun measure up?