Wing Chun Kung Fu System: What is Wing Chun Style

Wing Chun Kung Fu System: created by the great Chinese Kung Fu master named Yim Wing Chun. About Wing Chun Kung Fu introduction and definition. Wing Chun is an interesting and beautiful kung fu style. Wing Chun Kung Fu master Yip Man taught several groups of students and various private students.

Wing Chun is the name of a Kung Fu style passed on in southern China by a woman named Yim Wing Chun. According to legend, Yim Wing Chun learned this art of Chinese Kung Fu 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 Wing Chun. 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 Wing Chun is more than 200 years old.

Wing Kung history: Over time various branches of Wing Chun 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 Wing Chun is basically the good movements from various Shaolin arts. Master Wang Kiu also believes that Preying Mantis and Hsing I are related arts of Wing Chun, since many of their principles are quite similar.

Wing Chun Kung Fu 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 Wing Chun because of the many challenge matches he engaged in against many popular Chinese 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 Wing Chun 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 Wing Chun family.

Abstract: Wing Chun is a truly amazing and beautiful kung fu style. It is one of the most practical martial art systems you can study. Wing Chun is a perfect art for the uncertainties of actual self-defense and combat. The system relies on biomechanics, not brute force. Wing Chun is a scientific yet theoretically based martial arts form. The specialty of a Wing Chun practitioner is close-range combat.

Wing Chun Kung Fu Practitioners utilize well-coordinated angular deflections with simultaneous attacks. A Wing Chun practitioner is agile yet powerful, delivering quick, close-range punches and kicks rather than locks and grabs. Wing Chun is based on the concepts and principles of simplicity, economy of movement, and economy of energy. This art is a true internal and external system designed so you can learn the system in 3-5 years. It is a science in motion that is simple yet explosive. The links to the left briefly discuss several key aspects of Wing Chun training. Editing by Alice Claire