Wing Chun Kung Fu Training Elements
There are so many elements to the Wing Chun system that make it such an effective, complete and unique art.
There are so many elements to the Wing Chun system that make it such an effective, complete and unique art. Wing Chun takes an unusually comprehensive approach to organizing the art. There is first the science of the development of the palette. This palette is never ending and is the foundation on which the Wing Chun practitioner roots his or her practice.
All the training elements of wing chun create a complete system. The usage of the word system here is not a limitation but the foundations of truly effective concepts and principles.
Wing Chun Forms
The forms are great works of art passed down to us and continually refined by the masters throughout the various lineages. Differences in forms are just that, differences, in that they enrich different aspects of Wing Chun. These works are truly amazing and sit next to the great works of musical composers, painters, mathematicians and philosophers throughout the ages. Wing Chun forms are designed to teach position and movement not application. The reasoning is not to limit any aspect of the form to one application.
Wing Chun Core Basics
Before one can play chess, one must first be able to identify the pieces. Then one must become accustomed to the individual behaviors of them. It is from the
consequences of the interaction of these pieces that some of the most brilliant of all strategies are derived. Wing Chun introduces you to all of the individual pieces that make up the structures and strategies of combat. Stances, footwork, hand positions, punching, kicking, and partner exercises are covered here.
Chi Sao
Chi Sao is a training element of Wing Chun that works off of the concepts of contact sensitivity. It is kind of like a game in a way (not a fight). The objective of the game is to understand the complementary partner (not opponent) get in tune with their energy and be able to interpret their actions through touch.
Combat
Once the Wing Chun practitioner informs his or her intuition with the various and fluid structures within the art, the combat event can then be seen as an expression of them. The amount one fights in one’s life depends on the individual’s circumstance. That said, for many of us, it is a rare event and only a small part of the universe in which Wing Chun is a healthy influence.
Self Defense
Wing Chun self defense highlights its principles of economy of movement, economy of energy, simplicity, unification of movement and repetition/contact sensitivity.
Interestingly, repetition proves to be a key discipline and virtue in one’s practice when it comes to addressing the acute anxiety of the moment of assault. This repetition is what develops the muscle memory and contact response automaticity necessary to execute life saving actions in the heat of the moment.
Wing Chun Meditation
Bruce Lee once said “all knowledge is ultimately self knowledge.” This statement is a direct testament to the potential for self-discovery offered by Wing Chun to the mindful practitioner. Mindfulness is developed patiently and forgivingly through meditation and sustained concentration. There is opportunity to develop these aspects in oneself when practicing the Sil Lum Tao and other forms in the art.