About Wingchun
By Ray Van Raamsdonk
Wingchun is the name of a Kung Fu style passed on in southern China by a woman named Yim Wingchun. According to legend, Yim Wingchun learned this art from a Buddhist Nun Ng Mui, famous for her skill at fighting on top of the “plum blossom poles.”
Today it is difficult to verify the legends of Wingchun. Its origin has been attributed to Yim Wing Chun, Ng Mui and even to a committee of Shaolin monks looking for a quicker way to develop advanced Kung Fu skills in order to overthrow the Ch’ing government. It is generally believed that Wingchun is more than 200 years old.
Over time various branches of Wingchun have arisen. The best known today is referred to as the “Yip Man Style” or “Hong Kong Style” of Wing Chun. However, even under Yip Man, many differences have been introduced by his students. Yip Man himself changed his teachings during the course of his lifetime. Some students preferred his early teachings and stayed with these, while others have done their own research and thinking and prefer what they themselves have discovered. Thus today there are many styles of Wing Chun. Other non-Yip Man branches also exist with quite different lineages. Some of these other known branches are Yuen Kay Shan Wing Chun, Red Boat Wing Chun, Po Lai Fa(?) Wing Chun, Pan Nam Wing Chun several others in the Fatsan region of China, as well as some in other parts of China.
According to master Wang Kiu, an early first generation student of the late Grandmaster Yip Man, Wing Chun is called “Orthodox Shaolin” in Northern China and “Wing Chun” in the South because Yim Wing Chun introduced it there. “Orthodox Shaolin” means that Wingchun is basically the good movements from various Shaolin arts. Master Wang Kiu also believes that Preying Mantis and Hsing I are related arts of Wingchun, since many of their principles are quite similar.
Grandmaster Yip Man taught several groups of students and various private students. Recognized seniors from the first lot of students he taught are Leung Sheung, the first student, Lok Yiu, the second student, and Tsui Shan Tin, the third student. Leung Sheung, Lok Yiu and Tsui Shan Tin helped teach many others. Yip Man’s most famous students were Wong Shun Leung in Hong Kong and the legendary Bruce Lee, who moved to North America in 1959. Bruce Lee was influenced the most by two senior students of Yip Man whom he admired. One was Wong Shun Leung, and the other was William Cheung. Both still teach around the world. Wong Shun Leung was perhaps the most influential student of Wingchun because of the many challenge matches he engaged in against many popular Kung Fu styles.
When Yip Man died, there was no logical successor named to head up the art. Many of his students had made great achievements in the art so, for political reasons, a committee was formed to oversee its future development. Some people split and formed their own organizations. The Leung Ting Wing Tsun organization is probably the largest separate Kung Fu organization, while William Cheung’s traditional Wingchun organization is close behind. After much political rivalry between various Wing Chun students during the late 1960′s, 1970′s and 1980′s the Hong Kong Wing Chun committee and a few Sifu around the world are again trying to unite the Wingchun family.
About the Art of Wingchun
On the surface, Wing Chun is one of the simplest looking systems of Chinese Kung Fu. Three empty hand forms cover the complete essence of this art. Wing Chun also uses the long pole (some use a spear), and the popular Southern Chinese Butterfly Knives. Training consists of forms, sticking hands, the wooden dummy, sand bag training and finally freestyle sparring.
Behind the deceptively simple look to the Wingchun forms is a vast amount of knowledge. The first form is called the “Little Idea Form.” This form includes almost the entire theoretical basis for the art. Later forms enhance or add to the concepts of the first form. However, the first form contains the roots for all later techniques. The meaning of “Little Idea Form” is that it is like a seed which contains all the knowledge to make your Kung Fu good. When a seed is properly nourished it should grow into a healthy plant. Likewise when the first form is nourished by means of plenty of thought and hard work, your Kung Fu will be strong.
Why the Popularity of Wingchun?
According to master Wang Kiu, Wingchun is a jewel among the martial arts. There are other good martial arts but among these Wing Chun stands out. It is both simple, elegant, effective and enjoyable to practice.
Wing Chun’s appeal is due both to its simplicity and to its depth. The Chinese game of Go, chess, music and math enthusiasts are all aware of how a few well chosen concepts can produce a wealth of expression which can take a lifetime to explore. Such is the case in Wing Chun. Some dismiss it as too simplistic while others find enough depth for a lifetime of study.
Economy of action implemented through the centerline theory, is a key idea in Wing Chun. If it is simple and effective, then it is good Wing Chun. Flowery, showy actions are not part of Wingchun. However, the one-inch punch, blindfolded sticking hands, and the wooden dummy are impressive enough to influence many to join the art.
Wing Chun literature stresses that Wing Chun is a woman’s art. This idea emphasizes that brute strength should not be used. Correct positioning, feeling, timing and strategy are relied on instead. There are women today who are 5′ 2″ and weigh 105-115 pounds who can best stronger men 6′ 2″ tall weighing upwards of 200 pounds. This demonstrates that a difference in skill can make up for a difference in size. This was the original intention of the art.
Many innovative training ideas help make the Wing Chun practitioner effective in a relatively short period of time. These include wooden dummy training and Chi Sau or “sticking hands” training. Today many martial arts have incorporated some of these ideas within their own styles.
What is Wingchun Chi Sau?
Chi Sau is the trademark of Wing Chun, which literally means “sticking hands” or “clinging arms.” In a way this is a misnomer since Wing Chun practitioners don’t try to chase or stick to arms. Instead Chi Sau gives a heightened sense of awareness which makes contact reflexes better and sharper than those of people unfamiliar with such practice. Many arts opt instead for a sort of hit and run practice. The idea in Wing Chun is to maneuver into close range and handle whatever, once there, might come. Wing Chun nicely fills the gap between hit and run and grappling tactics.
Other arts try to incorporate a sort of Chi Sau into their training. However, from a Wing Chun point of view they often miss the purpose of the exercise. Just having two arms in contact with a partner, and to stick no matter where their arms go, is not a good idea. This loose kind of hand play does not lead to correct results. The purpose is rather to sense for centerline mistakes which are then met with short abrupt shocking counters.
Wingchun Training
Training in Wing Chun proceeds in a logical step by step way. The first form of Wing Chun gives all the fundamentals for the art. The second form teaches how to bridge the gap between you and your opponent. The Wooden dummy teaches how to proceed the instant contact is made. Sticking hands training teaches what to do if contact remains or comes apart.
People often ask, “Does Wingchun have this or that movement?” Wing Chun practitioners are not artificially restricted to only use certain movements. The achievement of an effective result is what matters most. Wing Chun uses punches, palms, pokes, chops, kicks, elbows, shoulder attacks, head butts, knees and hips. Sweeping, and other forms of off-balancing are also a part of the art. Short range non-telegraphed hits provide the arsenal of Wing Chun. Wing Chun is characterized by short explosive hand attacks, low kicks and simultaneous attack and defense.
What is not apparent from this description is the ease with which it is possible to apply control techniques rather than hurting and hitting techniques. Sticking, trapping, smothering, deflecting and evading are all products of Chi sau practice.
About the Different Branches of Wingchun
All branches of Wingchun have in general the same type of forms and the same tactical and strategic principles. Differences occur in the applications of these forms and principles, in the angles of the techniques and in the type of feeling and power used. Some schools believe a rough and tough approach at the start, and a refined softer approach later, is the way to go. Others disagree and prefer the soft approach right from the start. Kenneth Chung has written a good article for the Internet regarding this soft approach. In a way, “soft” is also a misnomer because Wingchun actions are not just powerless and limp. The Wing Chun touch can be soft or firm but is always sticky, sensitive and connected. Arm actions are minimal though short range power is quite substantial. All branches stress these latter ideas.
What is Wooden Dummy Training For?
The wooden dummy represents a person to train with. The design of the wooden dummy is such that nearly all Wing Chun techniques can be drilled on it. First and foremost, the dummy is a positioning tool. Because the wooden arms are at fixed angles to the dummy body, the practitioner’s movements become quite exacting and precise. All the ways of making contact with an opponent and the follow-up movements can be practiced. A formal set of wooden dummy techniques is taught by most Wing Chun schools. After this, a student is free to improvise. While wooden dummy techniques can be practiced with a partner, the usefulness of the dummy is for training when you have no partner. Chi Sau and sparring are also needed to develop sensitivity and timing.
The dummy is also used as a conditioning device to supplement the sand bag for training short range punches, palms, chops and kicks. The dummy’s advantage over the sandbag is that the deflecting movements of the system can also be practiced on it. Ideally, the dummy is constructed according to the dimensions of the user. A proper dummy reinforces correct stance, correct arm angle, correct stepping and correct power generation. Other martial arts cannot get maximum benefit from the Wingchun wooden dummy design without an understanding of these concepts.
FEAR: Your Worst Enemy
by Philip Holder, Ph.D. Grandmaster: North American Wing Chun Association Copyright by Philip Holder
THE SOURCE OF FEAR
Fear is defined in Webster’s dictionary as, ‘an unpleasant, sometimes strong emotion caused by an anticipation or awareness of danger’ or ‘anxious concern’. That may be true but from my experience in my therapy practice I would modify that slightly. I think it more accurate to say that fear is an unpleasant, sometimes strong emotion caused by the anticipation of ‘loss’. It may be a loss of health (disease or damage to the body) or it may be loss of face (damage to the ego, pride, or image). It stands to reason then, that fear increases with an increased attachment to the physical world. It increases as well with a dependence on the approval of others. Fear is also more pervasive when there is a lack of faith that we have greater significance in the universe than what we own, or how others perceive us.
SIGNS OF FEAR
Fear is shown in many ways. Some show fear by withdrawing or by cowering (if you never take a chance there is no risk of loss). The most profound examples of fear are anger and hate.
Some people think that hate is the opposite of love. I disagree. Indifference is the opposite of love. Hate and love are often closely knit. Someone who can deeply affect your life can bring you loss therefore hate and love are often intertwined.
Anger is the primary sign of fear. Those who act out their insecurities as anger are the most fearful of all people. Often those who act “macho” or “bad” are perceived as brave. Look past the facade. Those who act with anger are deeply immersed in fear. When two kids get in a fight, it is fear that spurs them on. It may be fear of looking like a chicken to friends, or loosing their girlfriend (or boyfriend), or it may be fear of physical harm. It is rare that fights occur over reasonable issues. Fear is the catalyst that fuels anger.
THE EFFECTS OF FEAR
There are two areas to consider when contemplating the effects of fear on your life. The first is the physical short term effect and the second is in how fear effects your life in general.
Fear is more than a simply a mental state. If effects both the physiology of the body and the chemical balance of the brain as well. When people are afraid it generates stress. Extreme stress can manifest itself physically in a number of ways. In extreme cases it can cause tunnel vision, loss of color perception (color blindness), it can cause a distortion of both time and of depth perception.
Want a good example of this· Often when someone is involved in a serious auto accident they will describe these effects. They may say, ‘It was like everything was in slow motion’, or, ‘Everything was in black and white’. What they are describing is the effect of stress generated by fear. Fear (and the stress generated by it) will raise blood pressure. It will also deplete the immune system. Fear causes errors in judgment and prevents us from taking the most reasonable course of action.
The long-term effect of fear can be more devastating than the short term. We are all what we practice to be. If you practice baseball every day you will become a good baseball player. If you practice carpentry every day you will become a good carpenter. If you practice being happy every day, you will become happy. If you practice fear (anger) every day, you will become a fearful and angry person. People often train themselves to perpetuate these negative behaviors. There are times when this behavior has been practiced for so long that the person is unaware that they have a problem with fear and anger. It becomes their practiced behavior for dealing with any challenge.
CASTING OUT FEAR
To cast out fear one must first get past the ego. More fear has been created as a result of perceived or anticipated loss of face (ego) than was ever created out of anticipation of loss of physical well being. A great deal of this fear is a result of people as inability to prioritize. I always suggest that when someone feels himself or herself getting angry that they ask ‘is this situation really going to have any effect on the overall outcome of my life’. In most cases, the answer is no. Place you attention on what is truly valuable. Look at the bigger picture. In this life we own nothing and no one belongs to us. I don’t know who first said it but I truly believe in the old saying, ‘let go of everything and what remains is what is truly yours’. When you are angry, stop and ask yourself what you are afraid of. Only by being honest with yourself about what is causing anger can you take back control of your life from fear and anger.
When I see the mindless things that we adults often argue over, I wonder who the kids really are. Winning a meaningless and petty battle or point can cause you to lose the war. Remember never argue with an idiot. People watching can’t tell who is the idiot’. In an argument or confrontation people often lose sight of what the original disagreement was even about. Fear of loosing (or being outdone) takes total precedent over the importance or lack of importance of the original issue. People argue about whose religion is best, what martial arts style is best, who’s the toughest guy or the cutest woman. These arguments are all rooted in fear. Those who are condescending to others, or boastful, exhibit a state of perpetual fear. Someone who is truly centered, confident, and focused has no need for boasting or for petty squabbles. They are too busy doing things that are positive and constructive. The next time that you hear a person degrade or belittle another person, or criticize another martial arts style or instructor, or say destructive things about a colleague, know that it is the person doing the criticizing who is full of fear and insecurity. Anger is born out of fear. Fear is born out of a sense of inadequacy and/or the anticipation of loss. Fearful people are those who take themselves and the material things of the world far too seriously. Life is to be enjoyed by raising ourselves up to meet our personal potential. It has nothing to do with anyone else.
If you cultivate a sense of your spiritual worth, if you understand that there are greater things in this world than what we have or what others perceive us to be, then there is no reason to fear. When fear vanishes, so does anger. When anger is gone, your thoughts become clear. When your thoughts are clear, you function at your best.
Only lazy people attempt to make themselves look better by degrading others. You can practice being brave by being kind. You can practice courage by being tolerant of the beliefs of others. Accept that there is more than one way to accomplish any goal. What is the right way for one may not be the right way for others. Those who think that theirs is the only way, or that they know all of the answers have condemned themselves to ignorance. When you keep an open mind your potential for growth is unlimited. When you are free from fear, you can experience each moment to the fullest. This focused and centered state of mind will help you to excel in anything you undertake. Only by letting go of fear and casting out anger can one truly experience the joys of life.
Courtesy of Grandmaster Holder (WingChunCenter.com)
Are You a Coward?
by Philip Holder, Ph.D. Grandmaster: North American Wing Chun Association Copyright by Philip Holder
FROM CHILDHOOD TO ADULTHOOD
In the course of development as martial artists, we will pass through many stages of growth. Our lives in general are very similar to our maturing in martial arts. We all go through many changes in our martial arts development between novice and instructor levels. Similarly, we all go through many changes from the time we are young children until we reach adulthood. Even after reaching physical maturity, it is hopeful that we will all aspire to higher levels of character and virtue throughout our lives. This is the higher goal in martial arts. It is significantly more important than the fighting.
GROWING UP
Some people actively pursue becoming better people. Others never learn from their mistakes and are therefore doomed to repeat them. Which group do you fall under? The martial arts need to be utilized as more than a means of fighting to realize their full benefit. They should be utilized to enhance the overall quality ones life. Let’s say that you have trained diligently for years. One day, you are attacked on the street. You fight like a champ, trashing your attackers. In those few critical seconds or minutes your training has saved your life. All of the years of training, sweat and practice would certainly have proven worth the effort in this situation, but is that all we train and study for. Isn’t it a waste of all the potential benefit of the martial arts if we can’t use this great knowledge to make our lives and the lives of those around us better in all respects.
STAGES
At one time or another every student is going to hear his or her instructor speak about the need for courage. What I rarely hear is an instructor defining courage for his or her students in an all-encompassing way. In order to have or display courage we first must define what it is. At different times in our lives, courage may take on totally different meaning for us. One thing for sure…it means more than merely standing up to the neighborhood bully.
Young children watch the ‘Power Rangers’ or ‘Batman’ and associate their actions with bravery and courage. At that young stage of maturity, if you are willing to run into a burning building to rescue a helpless alien, no doubt about it, you have courage.
As a teenager, you may perceive the toughest guy on the football squad to have courage, or the person who is not afraid to take on the badest dude in the school. You may be considered to have courage if you are always willing to take on a dare, skip school or badmouth your teacher. These are all juvenile and superficial interpretations of courage.
As an adult you may feel a sense of courage by going skydiving or by fighting in that full contact, no holds bared tournament. Again, this is a superficial type of courage. Don’t get me wrong. I think that skydiving (for those who don’t mind jumping from a perfectly good working aircraft), and fighting in contact tournaments is great. My students and I do a great deal of full contact fighting. Any constructive activity that you enjoy is a positive thing. The key to whether something represents courage or not, and whether it is a positive and constructive activity, lays in your motivation for doing so.
COVERING UP INSECURITIES
Acts of courage do not of themselves make a courageous person. Often times the person who has to be the toughest guy in town, or who is always the first to take on a dangerous dare, is in fact the most insecure. He or she constantly tries to prove to themselves and to others that he or she is not a coward. Often, the person who places a disproportionate value on winning that match or doing the most death defying dare has a core of insecurity. Their life is a constant battle in which they attempt to prove to themselves and others that they are not cowards.
BRAGGERS AND BLOWHARDS
Some people never learn. Even as adults (physically in any event), their primary concern is convincing others that they are the toughest or the smartest. Through convincing others, they hope to convince themselves. There are always that insecure few that insist that they have all of the answers and that everyone else is either incompetent or incorrect. You don’t have to look far to find this insecure behavior in the martial arts community. You would think and hope that martial arts would be the last place that you would find this behavior, but unfortunately, it is frequently found. Ultimately, however, people like this are usually viewed as troublemakers in the end. As well the ones that make claims about being the toughest guy in town, eventually come across someone who cleans their clock.
Those who constantly put others down do so out of an internal insecurity too. A person of true courage is too busy creating and building to take time out to be critical of others. A person of courage is content to be judged by his or her accomplishments. He or she does not attempt to condemn and judge others. An insecure, paranoid, and basically scared person will attempt to belittle others in an attempt to make themselves look bigger (If they are lower, I will look higher, mentality). They will always attack others in anticipation that they will soon be attacked. In actuality, this behavior will only serve to show such a person as the petty and paranoid individual they are.
In projecting the overall outcome of your life ask this…is who you can beat up, or who you can belittle going to help anyone, or uplift the quality of your own life? I don’t think so. Negativity breads negativity. Positive acts result in growth.
WHAT IS COURAGE
In youth, we tend to equate courage with daring and/or with violence and aggression. Some people grow up and pass through that stage. Others do not. They remain juvenile delinquents throughout their lives. They are consumed by the need to prove that they have worth through besting others. This is because they simply don’t feel, inside, that they have any value.
None of us are perfect. All of us have things in our past that we are proud of and things that we are not so proud of. I certainly have things in my past that I would have handled differently given the opportunity to do them over… Don’t you? The truth is that we cannot go back in time and do them over. But we can start each day by trying to be the best person that we can, in all that we do. We can each be a glowing example of, and demonstrate the honor and integrity often talked about but sometimes not evident in martial arts. I’m not talking about besting others. I’m talking about using each problem we encounter in our daily lives as a challenge to do better. I’m talking about using each challenge as an opportunity to develop our personal level of character and integrity. This is where true courage is shown.
Our goal should not be to convince others about how great we have been or how great we are now. We all have things of which we are proud. All of us, at times in our lives, have fallen far short of perfection. Being perfect is something none of us will achieve. Our goal should be to aspire towards perfection of character. The martial arts can be a great tool for this if not tainted by ego, selfish goals or self righteous pride.
True courage surfaces when you abandon the easy road and brave the more difficult path, when you know it is the honorable way to go. It surfaces when you are more interested in helping others than in having them think that you are a big-shot. It shows when you are able to do the right thing, even if your peers think you are a coward for it, or when there may be a cost to you for doing the right thing. It is easy to do the right thing when there is no risk. What separates the men from the boys (and ladies from the girls) is when you do the right thing despite the risk.
It takes much more courage to brave the ridicule of your friends and acquaintances than it does to fight the local bully. It is far better to look like a mouse to others and feel like a full grown lion inside, than to look like a lion to others and feel like a little mouse inside. Our pride is often more fragile than our flesh. It takes greater courage and character to help others along than it does to point out what another person is doing wrong. It takes greater courage to accept your faults and try to do better next time than it does to deny your shortcomings and blame someone else for your problems.
A person of true courage doesn’t where it like a neon sign. It is seen in his or her compassion and understanding. It is seen in a willingness to help others. It is evident in a persons ability to make decisions that show character rather than those that are easy or expedient. Courage resides subtly in those that aspire to higher levels of consciousness and understanding rather than in those with a quest for glory.
Gaining courage is not something that happens in a day, a week, or a year. It is an ongoing process throughout our lives. It is found not by looking for it, but instead through a constant effort to learn from the philosophy(s) of our martial arts, by a willingness to admit our mistakes and shortcomings, and by using adversity as a way to “exercise” our character. It is no different than how we use diet and exercise to enrich our bodies. The ability to show kindness, a willingness to be tolerant of those who disagree with you, and the ability to ignore those who try to insult you and distract you from your goals, takes far more courage than punching someone in the mouth.
GENTLE CONFIDENCE
Most of us, during our lifetime, have placed our values in areas that are less than what we should expect from ourselves. I am not pointing a finger at anyone. I am no different than you. There were times when being a great fighter was more important than being a helpful teacher. When being right was more important than facilitating growth. It is human to error. It is a shame not to learn from our errors.
You can use the great power of our martial arts philosophy(s) to grow and develop through these many stages of consciousness if you chose to do so. It is all a matter of having the “courage” to take the right path. You can aspire to higher levels of awareness. You will then be abler to say, “I am happier with myself today and for tomorrow than I was yesterday”.
Even if you are the best fighter in the galaxy, you will be forgotten when the day comes that you are defeated, or someone else replaces you. If you are viewed as a contributor, builder, and as a good person you will always have the support of others. This support contains far greater power than your fists. A person of true courage chooses his battles wisely and for the right reasons. It is never from ego, anger, fear, or pride. To gain anything, something positive must result from your actions. Hurting, or belittling others for anything other than your safety or the safety of another is not courage, it is cowardice and insecurity. As Teddy Roosevelt said, “Speak softly and carry a big stick”. Notice, he did not say beat them with a big stick. Powerful martial arts skills are your big stick. Having the powers acquired through martial arts training is only a small part of the battle though. Using those powers responsibly takes far greater courage.
Aspire to be a representative of the martial arts that will bring honor to the arts . Petty fighting, one-ups-men-ship, or trying to support your art by belittling the arts of others shows cowardice and insecurity, regardless of your fighting prowess. When you are tempted to say “Our art has “X” and theirs doesn’t”, or “our art is better than theirs because etc., etc.”, stop and think about your statement before your mouth makes you look foolish. Remember the old saying “It is better to be quiet and be thought a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt”. Why not just say… “Our art has ‘X’. Let me show you how that might benefit you.”, or “There are many good arts. I feel that the one I study is best for me. Maybe this approach will work for you too.”
In doing this, you show character, security, intelligence and courage. You will bring honor the your art and the martial arts in general. You will show that you have overcome insecurities and fears. You will show that you are a person of both character and courage.
Sincerely,
Grandmaster Philip Holder
Courtesy of Grandmaster Holder (WingChunCenter.com)