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Introduction

THE FIGHTING SKILLS OF WING CHUN KUNG-FU

This is the second volume in a three-volume treatise on the nature of Wing Chun kung-fu. The broad aim of these books is to present a concise, systematic, and scientific discussion of a somewhat controversial martial-art system. Chinese kung-fu, rightly or wrongly, has often been shrouded in secrecy and mysticism. There is often great vagueness about why skills are as they are, and why techniques work or do not work. Those who adopt a mystical approach to the martial arts are welcome to do so. But for those who do not accept that world view, these books may be what they are looking for. My approach to the martial arts is based upon common sense and an appreciation of biomechanical principles. However, this free thinking does not result in a freestyle approach where often incongruous techniques and approaches are thrown together in the hope of obtaining a coherent, complete, and unified combative art. What I have attempted to do here is to analyze a classical martial-arts system—Wing Chun kung-fu—using Western modes of thinking; namely, through examining it with logic, physics, and biomechanics, but without undue technicalities or the use of mathematics.

Volume one of this series gave a comprehensive analysis of the basic building blocks of the Wing Chun system, namely, the three forms—Sil Lum Tao, Chum Kil, and Bil Jee. The aim of that volume was to define terms, to outline the meaning of specific body movements, and to summarize the key principles of the Wing Chun system. That book was, to use a military metaphor, a study of martial-art ballistics, what the Wing Chun weapons are and how they work. This book is a study of martial-arts strategy, or logistics, or how to actually use the Wing Chun weapons in realistic combat situations. According to the scientific philosophy of the martial arts, the very point or reason for the existence of the martial arts is effective self-defense. Techniques must be judged by the criterion of whether they have worked or will work in a street situation for the average student, not whether the techniques are aesthetically elegant, beautiful, or graceful. There is a place for martial-arts aesthetics, but it is not in this system of Wing Chun kung-fu. Just as a scientist is concerned about whether or not a theory is predictively successful, I am concerned about whether or not a technique is combatively successful.

In volume one, an introduction to Wing Chun’s chi sao, or sticky-hands, was given. This volume attempts to explain how to fight using the sticky-hands method. Sticky-hands is in bad need of a critical deconstruction or demystification, and this book attempts to do just that. Likewise, the Wing Chun method of sticky-leg, or chi gerk, fighting has been described in some instances as a way of sticking with one’s legs to an opponent’s kick. This is practically impossible to do for the average martial artist. Rather, a realistic theory of sticky-leg fighting is outlined, in which low kicks and sweeps are used in combination with grappling hand moves to destroy an opponent’s equilibrium or to attack the joints. As far as this author is aware, this is the first time this type of chi-gerk fighting has been outlined in any detail in book form.

Attention is then given to the chin-na of Wing Chun. Chin-na means to seize (chin) and control (na). Wing Chun’s chin-na, then, is a system of techniques for grasping, clawing, and tearing the flesh, skin, and muscles; spraining or breaking joints; attacking vital points of the human anatomy; and choking, strangling, and killing by breaking the neck in life-or-death situations. A discussion and illustration of clawing techniques, locking and throwing techniques, grappling and disabling throws, and vital strikes to the weak points of human anatomy are given. This is a vast area to cover, and no attempt is made to illustrate all such techniques. Rather, the emphasis here is upon basic techniques that you will be able to depend upon in a realistic self-defense situation, and the general principles of combat.

Finally, a critical analysis is given of the weakness of the Wing Chun system. The principal weakness of Wing Chun kung-fu lies next to its strengths: it is preoccupied with linear attacks and combat in a straight line as well as with close-range combat. Opponents would be likely to deal with the Wing Chun fighter by using either circular attacks or linear attacks delivered at a longer range, keeping the Wing Chun fighter at bay. Moreover, because of Wing Chun’s preoccupation with both maintaining balance and close-range fighting, there is not enough emphasis placed upon fast footwork, relative to say Thai kick-boxing. The Wing Chun system is in need of enrichment. My proposal for Wing Chun’s enrichment is as follows:

First, long-arm circular attacks, such as those found in White Crane kung-fu (Pak Hok Kuen) and many systems of karate, need to be added.

Second, Wing Chun needs to be practiced as a form of boxing without gloves, incorporating not only all the punches of Western boxing, but also all the kicks, knee attacks, and elbow attacks of Thai kick-boxing (Muay Thai).

Third, Wing Chun proponents have never shown much interest in weight training. Contrary to the traditionalists, the author is a proponent of weight training in the martial arts, in particular, power training with heavy weights to maxime one’s strength potential.

This approach to the martial arts is called Sun Tzu Kuen, after the great Chinese military thinker Sun Tzu. It offers the reader an advanced form of Wing Chun that deals with all of the objections critics from other styles have made about the art.

The knowledge contained in this volume will present the Wing Chun student, as well as the interested student of the martial arts in general, with a comprehensive and unified theory of combat.