AN EXPOSÉ on WING CHUN KUNG FU

Wing Chun is a very popular martial art around the world, especially in China, its concepts and principles remain the same wherever the art is taught and practiced.

However the way in that one person imparts their knowledge, compared to another can be quite different. Wing Chun is a conceptual art, and how a person perceives the information, will depend on how they will teach or pass on their information.

This makes Wing Chun a very versatile art, as everyone sees things in their own way, even when sticking to the same principles and concepts.

This book was written on the basis of the Jee Shin Wing Chun’s concepts and principles of the art. Some systems may not use all of the principles and concepts used in the Jee Shin System of Wing Chun and some systems may have other concepts and principles, or even other ideas on the concepts and principles used in this book.

This is the versatility of Wing Chun.

My passion for this great art was my inspiration for writing this expose’.

This is my interpretation, of my understanding of the system and I hope all who read it find it stimulating and rewarding and that it may encourage many more people, especially women to take up this wonderful martial art.

Chapter One

The Sil Lim Tao Form

We will begin our journey into this mysterious system of Wing Chun with the first of the four forms, Sil Lim Tao, translated as ‘The Shaolin Way’ or ‘Little Idea Form’.

Sil Lim Tao is the first open-hand form in the Wing Chun system. The form may also be called Sil Nim Tao or Sil Lum Tao.

Sil Lim Tao is also a form of moving and breathing meditation. In addition, it increases student concentration and focus on the whole body.

When a person observes someone practicing Sil Lim Tao, it truly looks as though it is a very basic form with not much to offer in the way of development or ideas, maybe this is why they gave it the name Little Idea Form.

This could not be further from the truth. Hidden within this humble form are all the elements to begin the development of the whole body in a very unique way, as well as training all the basic theories, principles, concepts and techniques of the Wing Chun system.

All great achievements start from a small idea.

The concepts and principles that are trained in this form include central line theory, centre line theory, economy of movement, focus, forward intention, independent movement of the limbs, perception of distance in relation to our opponent, and an introduction to simultaneous movement of arms and legs.

The training of Sil Lim Tao also aids in developing other principles of the art, which include internal Chi development and flow, correct breathing, balance, coordination of the mind and body, posture, stamina, concentration and focus, independent and simultaneous movement of the limbs, 50/50 weight distribution, flexibility of the arms and wrists, the training of each individual hand technique, the neutral stance and side neutral stance.

The correct knowledge of Wing Chun follows the theory of the science of the human body and the science of energy, (Bio mechanics and the laws of physics), one must understand this technical knowledge to fully comprehend the Wing Chun system. The practitioners mind and body really need to come together, coordinate themselves and become one, for this empty hand system to become one’s own.

Whilst training the Sil Lim Tao the mind must continuously and consciously guide and direct ones intention and energy (Qi) over the entire body, teaching it how to conserve energy by minimizing movements for efficiency in hand to hand combat.