Your wing chun should teach you to be as flexible as possible.  Throughout your wing chun training you would have learnt the basic movements of the forms. They are just a bunch of movements that are completely unknown.  It is only during your training class that you will learn to put these techniques into practice.  You learn how to block a punch.  Which move to use (bill Sao) also where to position your feet, where you should stand etc.  You are roped learned into executing these moves.  However with practice you not only learn how to do the moves, you begin to understand why they are done in a certain way.  You learn concepts such as facing the point of contact. Using your opponents force.

Wing chun was based on these principles and designed to grow from these building blocks.its no longer lnowing what to do or how and why.   The decision comes automatically.  Your understanding of the principles and your application of them is what will make your wing chun a success.

That is why when you see the masters in action they are formless, they move seamlessly and with elegance.The fact is they make it look effortless.  I just wonder how many hours and years it took to look so effortless and easy.

That is why I find it often amusing that people come to me and say…doesnt look like wing chun…they are not real Wing Chun masters.

Know yourself that is the real key. Study your art no only on how to do it, but why.The reason its effective?What doesnt work and what does.

Follow these guidelines and you will not only find your success you will also find a greater joy and understanding of wing chun training.

Above is an introductory video why Wing Chun is so awesome.  But I would also like to add some other benefits that wing chun training provide

The advantages of wing Chun is that its a subtle martial art that doesn’t rely on strength or hard physical conditioning.This is crucial as it means you can continue to training throughout your life, with no age limit. This is crtitical, as you get older. Depending on how old you are when starting your wing Chun training you are full of beans as you learn your craft.The beauty of wing chun is that you can start ant any age form 10- 60+.If you are a little bit more mature you will find Like i did your body may not have the give it once had.  That’s Ok.There is no need to be flying ninja to be effective. . Wing chin kicks are straight kicks and low and targeted.

This is mainly due to efficiency of movement.A face kick requires he fighter to make a huge twist to his body, telegraphing the move. To a trained fighter, does not matter how fast you are this can be picked up pretty easily.  That’s why training of the eye and understanding the principles of fighting and martial arts is more important than being able to execute a flamboyant move.

Think of it this way as you progress with Wing Chun you will learn to love it and you will actually get better with age.  Imagine being in your 30s- 40 ‘s 50s and beyond and really being proficient but also excelling at Wing Chun. .

This is the key to Wing Chun’s success and something to be mindful of when choosing any method ok kung fu training or any martial art.Whats its longevity? How sustainable is the training over time.  If it is too aggressive and physically demanding you may find it has a use by date.

As basic as it looks , once you master the wing chun dummy,  it can see your training and development go from strength to strength

The wing chun dummy or  Muk Yan Jong form, is an essential part of your wing chun training.

As there are many Chinese kung fu styles there are various kung fu wooden dummys

The Wing Chun wooden dummy is the most popular form of wooden dummy. The Wing Chun dummy uses an arm and leg configuration designed to cultivate fighting skill and chi simultaneously The form is performed against  a “wooden Dummy “, which is made ups of a thick wooden post with two upper  arms, a lower arms and a representing an opponents body in in various positions and the lines of force the body can give out.

Although representative of a human opponent, the dummy is not a physical representation of a human, but an energetic one. Wooden dummy training aims to refine a students understanding of angles, position footwork and develop full body power. The wing chun dummy is where the open hand forms are applied and understood as a whole.

The Hong Kong wooden dummy is a wall mounted version of the Wing Chun Wooden Dummy that hangs using two wooden slats through the body of the wooden dummy. Version of the wing chun chun dummy where placed in the ground. The modern design was created by Yip in Hong Kong to fit the needs of living in an apartment.

The wooden slats on which the muk yan jong is mounted has a springiness that is similar to a human opponent’s involuntary reaction and allows the user to practice absorbing energy into his/her stance. Because of the springiness the dummy is called an alive dummy. Without it being mounted, the older version it is called a dead dummy.

A lot of people  I meet interested in wing chun training or any  martial arts or even on taking a class.  However the number one thing that holds them back is that they think its too late, they say to themselves “I’m too old, I don’t want to make a fool of myself etc….

This is quite common and one of the reasons that hold people back from learning or expanding into the martial arts.When i started i thought i was too old at 22, my instructor was 31 when he started and he was amazing.  It was only until later that I found out that after spending many years of doing various martial arts it was only when he was in his early thirties that he started wing chun and devoted all his training around the art.

Soon he was training full time and dedicated his life to becoming an instructor and delve even deeper to become a very knowledgeable practitioner of Chinese medicine. All beginning with the basics of wing chun training

Looking back and I remember the classes had a wide range of ages. From guys in their late teems/early 20’s to guys in their 30’s 40’s even 50’s just starting out, trying to figure out the wing chun dummy.(frustrating everyone of all ages).

I suppose the beauty of wing chun is that it does not require any special skill prowess.you wont have to fly through the air or execute some extravagant kicks..you are literally grounded and stick to basics.The techniqies are easy to learn and low impact.  If anything wing Chun training will help your flexibility, helps with weight loss and improve confidence.Fitness is a main reason people begin wing chun. People see it as a way to get fit and make it fun.

One of the most important things people get wrong when performing chi sao is that they do not get their hands positioned correctly and this bad practice with a partner can cay se your skills to slip and erode what you have been taught.

A classic example of this is performing wing Chun chi sao and having sore shoulders.This becomes one of two things.  Your opponent is hanging on your hands and arms pushing you down or you are driving our hands by the shoulders and by the elbows. Your body will remind you if you are doing it wrong.

Remember everything in wing Chun training revolves around the shoulders. The elbows are not where you should be focussing yor energy.Contrary to popular belief.

We are use to our shoulders carrying the weight.

The key is to have fluidity.The elbows should drive the arms forward, not side to side with the shoulders relaxed.

This is where you should be practicing on sil lim tao…  The wing chun system was smart enough to teach you the basics early on so if you hit a stumbling block you just go back to basics. Driving forward from the elbow.

Have energy in your arms , but be loose you dont want to be too rigid.

The idea is to adapt your own style and adapt to your opponent. Mastering this helps you gauge the feel and energy of your opponent.  The idea is not to meet your opponents energy head on force on force you need to deflect it use it against him and find an opening.

This is similar an aikido technique -use opponents momentum against them. I am far from an aikido expert the principles are similar.

The best way to practice chi sao is with another student.

However if you are at home and no one to train with the best advice would be to proactive your wing chun training forms to get the positioning right and the movement. The wing Chun dummy is also an excellent training tool for chi sao.  You learn the feel, moves an correct position to help enhance your training.