Complete Wing Chun. Robert Chu

nim tao (little idea), the first form, is meant to give beginners an idea of the scope of Wing Chun techniques. Broken down, siu refers to “small, efficient, without waste, or compact and economical.” Nim is “to immerse yourself in the study of a subject.” Finally, tao refers to the “head.” Together, siu nim tao can give the cryptic message of “put it in your head to study the concept of efficient, small, economical, compact motions.” It is a training form, rather than a fighting form, emphasizing awareness of the centerline and the development of stance, body structure, and hand structure. Economy of motion is stressed, no excessive movement is required to deliver power to any of the “weapons” (i.e., attacking limbs) and when striking, the limbs do not vibrate. Basic offensive and defensive movements, centerline facing, proper elbow positioning for power, forward “spring” power, hands in coordination and independent of the body, development of sensing mind intention, and hei (qi) flow are also trained through siu nim tao. During the set, breathing is natural and the eyes follow the hands while peripheral vision is used to see in all directions. The mind is calm and as the name of the set implies, “don’t have big ideas, just maintain a little idea.” Siu nim tao has different levels of training and seeks to instill in practitioners important movements that are crucial to mastering the art. It is for this reason that siu nim tao is at once regarded the most basic yet most advanced form in the system.

      Chum kiu (seeking bridge), the second form, refers to the timing of entry. Through the practice of the chum kiu set, practitioners learn to “seek when to bridge the gap between themselves and their opponents.” The form teaches to close the distance with a bent arm, then to straighten the arms (e.g., strike) after entering. It requires footwork movements in all directions, with the body facing the opponent’s centerline. The key idea of chum kiu is to break the opponent’s body and defensive structure. It exemplifies the control of the bridges of the opponent and the significance of the Wing Chun body structure in motion. It shows the importance of maintaining the shifting and the turning of the stance, and rooting into the ground, not just spinning on the surface like a top. Chum kiu also develops good grounding and side stepping to cut off an opponent’s circling movements. Through chum kiu, practitioners are trained in kicking, the high, middle, and low bong sao, the lan sao (obstructing arm), the chou chui (bouncing fist), and other tactics. The form teaches how to take and change the centerline and use it while moving; how to explode one’s power with coordination between torso, waist, and stance; how to step through an opponent; and how to come into proper fighting range. In some respects, chum kiu can be considered the most advanced form in Wing Chun kuen (Figs. 4–8).

      (Fig. 4) The opponent faces Master Hawkins Cheung. (Fig. 5) As the opponent begins a front kick, Cheung Sifu immediately moves in.

      (Figs. 6–8) Jamming the attack with a kick of his own, Cheung Sifu sends his opponent flying.

      Biu jee (darting fingers), the third form, refers to the darting or thrusting motions trained in this set. Biu jee is comprised of the words biu, to “dart in,” and jee, to “point at” (with a finger or compass needle). In essence, it means that a practitioner must “dart in at what they are facing.” Biu jee trains an exponent in adjustments of position in relation to an opponent (bien jung sien) and stance. It comprises ways to break through an opponent’s centerline, and emergency techniques which can be used to free a practitioner when they are trapped or their structure is broken. Biu jee also teaches to strike with the fingers at the body’s weak points and develops one’s bridges to become as hard as steel. In addition, the form includes hooking steps and shifting along three centerlines. As it was traditionally taught only to disciples, there is a saying that “biu jee but chut mun” (biu jee does not go out the door.) As Chinese characters have different meanings, this saying can have several interpretations: 1) Don’t teach outsiders this set; 2) Don’t use biu jee (darting fingers technique) outside of your gates; 3) Don’t go out the door using biu jee. The question is which gate/door? Biu jee is only a secret, however, if one is unaware of its inner workings and understands the techniques solely on a superficial level.

      Muk yan jong (wooden man dummy) is the only form in Wing Chun to be trained using an external aid. Contrary to its use in many styles of martial arts, the Wing Chun wooden dummy is not meant to be a device for toughening the arms. Rather, the dummy is used to help the practitioner to further understand concepts such as proper positioning and diffusion of force. Every section of the muk yan jong set is a means to check for proper body structure and stance. Bridges should stick to the dummy arms. The muk yan jong is taught in several stages. The first two sections of the set are the most important, with the remainder of the set being an artistic representation of the style. Typically, Yip Man would introduce the first two sections to a student, and the students would learn the rest of the set from their si hing (seniors). The muk yan jong has the most variation in the system, and may be due to this manner of teaching.

      Basics on the wooden man dummy allow a student to do repetitious excerpts from the forms and practice these movements by themselves. They can practice gaun sao (cultivating hand), kwun sao (rolling arm), huen sao (circling arm), seung fook (double subduing arm), and seung tok (double lifting arm), among others, as drills on the device (Figs. 9, 10).

      The muk yan jong set varies from 108 to 116 movements and from student to student. Typically, the sequence of the first sixty movements is performed virtually identically among each of Yip Man’s students, whilst the remaining motions vary among the disciples. With the set, practitioners learn how to adjust their steps, develop power and closing skills, take the “proper” line, and how to use hand/foot combinations.

      Practice of the da san jong (free-style dummy) encompasses breaking the set down into its applications in setting-up an opponent and the proper context in which to do so. Practitioners learn to juxtapose the sequence to develop their minds to vary and spontaneously change their tactics as needed.

      Hong jong (air dummy) practice involves doing the set in the air, without the physical dummy, and allows the practitioner to learn to combine techniques, flow freely, and later to “shadow box.”

      The use and applications of the movements or mai sang jong (making the dummy come to life), involves practicing the techniques of the dummy set against a live partner.

      Master Hawkins Cheung practices tan da and gaun sao on a muk yan jong.

      Luk dim boon gwun (six-and-a-half point pole) consists of the seven underlying conceptual principles tai (raise), lan (obstruct), dim (point), kit (deflect), got (cut down), wun (circle), and lao (receive). The last principle is considered a half-motion as it allows one to withdraw the pole and start a new movement.

      Many Yip Man Wing Chun practitioners prefer to explain the concepts in Wing Chun terminology using biu (dart), tan (spread-out), bong (wing), fook (subdue), jut (choke), gaun (cultivate), and huen (circle). Combined with stepping, angling, sensitivity, and interpreting energy, in addition to methods of issuing strength, these basic concepts may be combined to form innumerable permutations.

      Historically, the pole was the shaft of the spear typically used by Chinese foot soldiers during times of war. Measuring seven to nine feet in length, it is thicker at the butt and tapers down to one inch