The Wing Chun Philosophy

Things Wing Chun

Wing Chun movements are just mechanical movements if we don’t examine the philosophy behind them.

Whether I play a musical instrument or practice Wing Chun, I should remain calm. Peaceful, that’s how it should be.

Wing Chun is an art. Mastery of any technique is art.

We learn to control ourselves, first and foremost, and then to control the opponent.

We stick to the principles to make decisions. How can we succeed without them? We have to set our centerline, our priorities.

The centerline is the shortest distance to the opponent. If I attack with a straight path while the opponent attacks in a circular path, I’ll hit first. So if I take the centerline first, I have the upper hand.

And in any fight, we should keep our clear head. If we don’t, and attack wildly, we make things easy for a calm opponent.

In fights and in life, if we fail to keep calm, we fail to make the right decisions.

At first, we may not understand the purpose of what our SiFu says we should do. We should do them, anyway, and the purpose will come later.

The Siu Nim Tao (Little Idea) is the first, most important form to learn. It teaches control, correct positioning, how to obtain the centerline and how to use and combine every part of the body into one.

Learn to control your body as one, and then turning doesn’t cause you to lose your balance.

All this cannot be done properly if inner peace isn’t there.

If your center of mass differs between punching and standing, you’re doing one of the movements incorrectly. You center of mass should be the same in any movement you’re performing.

If a tan sao is incorrect, the weight is on me. If a tan sao is correct, the weight is on the opponent.

Be direct.

When we punch, our fists are relaxed until right before the impact, and become relaxed again right after the impact. We concentrate and use energy right before impact, and then relax immediately to save the energy for the next strike.

When we connect our hands with the opponent, a bridge is formed. In Chum Kiu (Searching for the bridge) we learn to twist and turn our body as one. We exert our force to one direction.

With pivoting, we can reach the opponent with fewer steps.

One strike rarely defines the outcome of a fight. Biu Jee teaches us to focus on the next step, and not on victory or defeat. We exert force on different directions. The elbow may turn downwards when the body turns horizontally.

By using both hands, we have another chance to control our opponent’s balance.

Chi Sao is using your hands once you’ve made contact with the opponent. Sticky hands.

We should always maintain balance while striking. Controlling ourselves before controlling the opponent.

Our centerline provides moderation. The way we exert power, maintain our position, balance our hands, attack and defend are all in moderation. If our body is too heavy to the front, we can’t maintain balance.

Moderation is also about appropriateness. We have to know when is the right time to attack and evade.

There are no blocks. A bong sao, for example, has an attack element. Wing Chun diffuses attack and defense.

We stick to the opponent with minimal force. This is how we increase our sensitivity, to the point that we can feel the opponent’s next move.

I would first protect my centerline. Only then would I seek the opportunity to find an advantage.

Wing Chun benefits those who learn it sincerely, from the heart. There’s a lot more to it than just fighting.