About Wing Tsun

What is Wing Tsun?

Wing Tsun is an efficient concept-based Chinese martial art and form of self-defense utilizing both striking and grappling while specializing in close-range combat. Wing Tsun was developed to allow people to defend themselves even against bigger and stronger opponents and that prides itself in its practical nature, with no references to mythical creatures or animal movements. Its applications are often described as being simple, but not easy. Though seemingly soft, Wing Tsun attitude is aggressive in both defense and offense.

The principle focus of Wing Tsun is in defending against your attacker and in ending the confrontation as quickly as possible, while limiting the damage to any involved parties. The main objective of Wing Tsun is to be a realistic system of self-defense. Wing Tsun does not focus on fighting “techniques”, instead relying on fighting and energy principles to be followed at all times. The central idea is that, under pressure, it is impossible to visually recognize the precise direction and speed of an attack and make a conscious decision on an effective way in which to react, all within the very brief amount of time you have before your opponent’s attack lands. Rather, one must (counter) attack immediately in a very direct and protected manner and rely on reflexes to determine how to react if the opponent’s attack continues to pose a problem.

In practicing Wing Tsun, the focus is less on drilling powerful and quick techniques as in many martial arts such as Karate and Tae Kwon Do, but so called “sensitivity drills” where the student learns a softness in the limbs which prevents the restriction in movement created by being permanently tense. The system also stresses minimal movements to achieve the necessary effect so all movement is as efficient as possible.

Wing Tsun is uncompromising in effectiveness and is considered the best martial art for unarmed self-defense, taught in more than 60 countries all over the world.

History of Wing Tsun (Wing Chun)

Wing Tsun (or WT as it is commonly abbreviated) is a branch of Wing Chun, led by branch founder Leung Ting. The particular phonetic spelling of Wing Chun as “Wing Tsun” was picked by Leung Ting to differentiate his branch from the others. WingTsun™ (without a space) is the trademarked form used by the International WingTsun Association (IWTA), not the name of the style.

As a descendant of Wing Chun, Wing Tsun shares much of the same history. It only branches after the death of Yip Man, when student Leung Ting decided to take what he had learned from his master and teach it in a much more direct fashion than was traditionally taught in Wing Chun. The main difference between Wing Tsun and other Wing Chun styles is in the Wing Tsun teaching method. Leung Ting developed the Wing Tsun system to be easier to learn and teach compared to more traditional styles of Wing Chun. In comparison to other styles, Wing Tsun has a much more modern, school-like curriculum of teaching.

Wing Tsun Progressive Teaching System

One of the main differentiating characteristics of Wing Tsun is its development of a systematic, progressive system for transmitting the art. The Wing Tsun system provides for a set of levels of achievement, each of which must be mastered before moving to the next. The system contains 12 student grades. The earlier grades include the first two forms, Siu Nim Tau and Chum Kiu, and applications of the movements of the forms. As you progress through the later grades, the Chi Sau (or “sticking hands”) is introduced which trains students to respond reflexively to the speed, force, and direction of an attack, based on tactile information, which the human brain processes much faster than visual information.

The 12 student grades are represented by 12 plum-blossom colored emblems.

Following the 12 student grades are 12 master/instructor grades. At the master/instructor levels, the student begins training in the more advanced forms of Wing Tsun including Biu Tze, Muk Yan Chong Fa (Wooden Dummy), Bart Cham Dao (Butterfly Knives/ Eight Cutting Broadsword) and Luk Dim Boon Kwun Fa (Long Pole).

The master/instructor grades are themselves split into three sections, each of which with a particular focus in mind. From 1st to 4th Technician level, the student works on his technique, continuously improving and refining it as he learns Biu Tze and begins learning Wooden Dummy. Between 5th to 8th Practitioner level, the student learns the final parts of the system, and should have the whole of it, as well as be able to apply everything he’s learned fluently and effortlessly. From 9th to 12th Philosopher level, the student is expected to understand the mental, and spiritual, elements of the style, and should contribute back to the style by searching for weaknesses and suggesting improvements in teaching methods, techniques, and drills. The final, 12th grade is awarded only posthumously, as it presupposes that the one who achieved it, has achieved perfection – and as that is impossible as long as one remains human, it is forever out of reach.

The first twelve student levels take about four years to complete at average attendance twice weekly. The first technician level after that is another year of training; each subsequent grade takes an extra year - so, second technician is two years, third is three, fourth is four, and so on. Of course people can pass their grades faster if they attend class more frequently and train out of class, but generally this is the timeline that one can expect.