Wing Chun, Re-reduced

 

Why add on?

Keep it simple.

 

It is the easiest thing to add on to a style, to try to give it your take, or your twist, but often in doing so we lose out.

We lose out because we begin trying to fix what is not actually broken, by making things far more complicated than they need to be.

 

We see so many different types of NEW Punches, Forms, Kicks, Elbows and so on.

 

Ip Man said,

“Anyone can add onto a system, the secret is to try and take away but still keep it pure”.

The idea here is that we should not be trying to see how MANY techniques there are, but how FEW there can be.

 

An example of this could be the elbows used in Wing Chun there are four elbows, but really only two, as Chair Pie is not a strike, and Kup Jarn & Gwoi Jarn are the same thing.

 

This can be studied in video through our blog titled:

‘HOW MANY MOVES ARE IN WING CHUN?’

 

We also hear lots of names for kicks;

Stopping

Lifting

Double

Aggressive

Passive

Pushing

Snapping

And so on…

Let’s just keep it simple there are only two kicks we need in Wing Chun:

A Front kick and a Side kick

What you choose to do with them is up to you.

 

This idea continues yet again, through into our stances.

 

There are just five types of footwork available in Wing Chun,

 

Yee Gee Kim Yuen Mar (Character two adduction stance) ‘Basic stance’

Chuen Mar (Turning stance)

Biu Mar (Arrow stepping)

Sarm Bok Mar (Three point stepping)

Huen Mar (Circular stepping)

 

But even then, two of these stances are the same, as the video below will hopefully help to explain.

 

So do not try to expand your knowledge by adding on to your techniques, but by your ability to reduce the techniques while creating a deeper understanding of how to use them.

 

Thank you.