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ABOUT WING CHUN
Literally, "beautiful springtime," or "radiant
springtime." It is sometimes called "Wing Shun" or "Wing
Tsun." This style of Wushu was the first martial art learned
by Bruce Lee; his fame helped to increase its popularity and make
it the best known style of Wushu in other parts of the world. There
are actually three varieties: slant body, the type practiced by
Bruce Lee; side body; and the lesser known pao fa lein, which uses
many weapons including the sword, trident and staff. There are
five ways of defeating the enemy, according to Wing Chun: striking,
kicking, joint locking, throwing and weapons use. According to
legend, Wing Chun originated at the Shaolin temple, a place of
refuge for dissidents and rebels. Since the government wished to
subdue the temple, government soldiers knew the martial arts of
the Shaolin temple. As more and more people joined the temple,
the monks decided they needed a new fighting method, as the others
took many years to learn. The temple elders began to create a new
method, but before they could finalize their system and begin training,
government soldiers destroyed the temple, killing almost all the
residents. One exception was a nun named Ng Mu, who had been a
temple elder. In hiding, she completed work on the new fighting
art. The legend says she taught the art to a young girl, who she
renamed Yim Wing Chun. One story relates how the son of Yim Wing
Chun, Fong Sai Yu, was killed by Ng Mui when he disrespectfully
challenged her. For more than two centuries, the art was taught
privately, until Yip Man offered the first public classes in Hong
Kong.
The system emphasizes self-defense, focusing on
methods that allow a block and an attack in the same movement.
Flowing movements with the waist a the pivot point are taught.
It is characterized by aggressive action and the redirection of
the opponent's energy. The movements are not circular but rather
are direct and straight. More than half the techniques are hand
techniques and the style is best known for its quick punches. Only
low kicks arc used. Traps and other kinds of controls are important
as well. Trapping and speed are developed through the famous sticky
hands training, which also teaches balance. The Wing Chun dummy,
a wooden dummy used for repetitive striking drills, is also a famous
training method. There are three forms used in the style and all
Wing Chun techniques can be found it these: Sil Lum Tao, Chum Kil,
and Bil Jee. The concepts of the immovable elbow and the centerline
are stressed. (Taken from The Martial Arts Encyclopedia by Jennifer
Lawler)
The
Ving Tsun Museum
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