China Wing Chun

Wing Chun is a system of martial arts developed in South China around 300 years ago.
A Buddhist nun named Ng Mui (a master of Shaolin Kung Fu) used this knowlege to create an art that takes advantage of the weakness inherent in the shaolin systems, and uses the power of an opponent against them.
Myth has it that the Abbot of the temple had Ng Mui incharge of looking after the goats and other animals for the temple. Included in this was the sheering of the goats coats for which the goat would have to be held securely between the sheerers legs. Thus developing a strong and stable stance which she used in her system, named "Yee Jee Keem Yeung Ma" literally transalted as "Goat clamping stance" this is used in the first form of Wing Chun - "Si Lum Tao" meaning "little idea".
The system is designed so that weaker fighters to defeat the strong. The more power an opponent puts into an attack, the more they will be harmed.
She passed on her skills to only a few very dedicated students. Her first student was named Yim Wing Chun who further developed the art.

In 1949 Yip Man who was considered the Grand Master of modern Wing Chun, brought the style out of China and into Hong Kong. This is where Yip Man passed on his Skills to Bruce Lee, Yip Chun and other famous Wing Chun Masters who have spread this amazing martial art all over the globe. It is today considered the most effective and practical form of martial arts, and practiced by thousands of schools all over the world.

(Click on the images for Bruce Lee interview)

Techniques

Wing Chun uses a vast range of close combat techniques. They are designed to be short, fast, and devastating. The emphasis is on relaxation for speed, fluidity, and sensitivity to anticipate an oponants attack. There are many 'drills' practiced in Wing Chun to help develop techniques, feel energy, and also to help a practioner's 'automatic reflexes' allowing you to react to an attack as soon as it happens, thus borrowing an oponents energy and turning it into a simultaneous attack.

One of the main drills used in Wing Chun is called "Chi Sao" (known as sticky hands - can be seen above, Yip Man with Bruce Lee), students practice upper and lower structured arm movements in the art of 'rolling' hands with each other. Between positions 'Bong sao', Tan Sao' and 'Fuk Sao', students will attempt simultaneous attacks on each other and learn to feel the energy of an oponant. As soon as an oponant breaks contact, or gives energy in a particular direction, this is used to leek through the opponants guard with a combination of attacks.
Wing Chun uses low kicks designed to take away an opponants stance or severly injure them, going for knees, hips, the lower abdomen and the groin.

A very useful tool in Wing Chun is the 'Wooden Dummy' which is used for range practice, kicks, strikes, and most of all power development.