Wing Chun (Chinese: 詠春; Hanyu Pinyin: yǒng chūn; Yale Cantonese: wing2 cheun1), also romanized Ving Tsun, is a system of Chinese martial arts with an emphasis on unarmed close-range fighting, although its curriculum includes weapons and techniques suitable for various ranges. It has many similarities with the internal martial arts; indeed some have said that a Wing Chun practitioner must know the precise moment to switch from softness to hardness.

History
The history of most martial arts, including Wing Chun, has historically been passed from teacher to student verbally rather than by text, making it difficult to confirm or clarify the differing accounts of Wing Chun's creation, which has long been a subject of debate. Since students are usually more focused on learning the art itself rather than its history, historical fact easily becomes lost as these stories become romanticised and mythologized. Additionally, it is difficult to pinpoint the lineage and history because the art was not fully formed in an instant; practitioners developed and refined the system as time went on, thus clouding its exact origins. Such legends nevertheless shape every practitioner's idea of what the art is and are therefore worth studying in their own right; for example, the traditions of many of its branches maintain that Wing Chun was designed for women and fighters of lighter build in general.

Theories have been proposed that apply the methods of higher criticism to the oral histories of Wing Chun and other Chinese martial arts or discern the origins of Wing Chun by determining the specific purpose of its techniques. Wing Chun starts to appear in independent third-party documentation during the era of the Wing Chun master Dr. Leung Jan, making the subsequent history of Wing Chun more amenable to documentary verification.


Oral histories
Note that oral histories are naturally subject to much dispute. Yip Man's students, for example, have varying ideas as to the history of Wing Chun...


Yip Man Wing Chun
The oral history of the Yip Man branch of Wing Chun dates its creation to the reign of the Emperor Kangxi (1662–1722). After escaping the destruction of the Fujian Shaolin Monastery by Qing forces, the Abbess Ng Mui fled to the distant Daliang mountains (大涼山) on the border between Yunnan and Sichuan. One day, she came upon a fight between a snake and a crane. She took the lessons she learned from observing the fight between the two animals and combined them with her own knowledge of Shaolin kung fu to create a new style. Ng Mui often bought her bean curd at the tofu shop of Yim Yee (嚴二). Yim Yee had a daughter named Yim Wing-Chun (嚴詠春)[1] whom a local warlord was trying to force into marriage. Ng Mui taught her new fighting style to Wing-Chun, which the girl used to fend off the warlord once and for all. Wing-Chun eventually married a man she loved, Leung Bok-Chao (梁博儔), to whom she taught the fighting techniques that Ng Mui had passed on to her. Husband and wife in turn passed the new style on to others.


Yiu Kai Wing Chun
The oral history of the Yiu Kai lineage dates the creation of Wing Chun roughly a century later, to the early 19th century, and names Wing-Chun's father as Yim Sei (嚴四), a disciple at the Fujian Shaolin Temple who avoids persecution by fleeing with his daughter to Guangxi. Wing-Chun learned the Fujian Shaolin arts from her father and, from their raw material, created a new style after being inspired by a fight between a snake and a crane. She eventually married Leung Bok-Chao (梁博儔)—a Shaolin disciple just like Wing-Chun's father—and taught her fighting style to her new husband. The young couple began teaching Wing Chun's fighting style to others after moving to Guangdong Province in 1815, settling in the city of Zhaoqing.

Numerous variations on this story abound.


Theories
Other origins for Wing Chun have been suggested, typically involving connections to the Triads, revolutionary groups (often anti-Qing), or the Hakka people of southern China. Almost all extant lineages of Wing Chun, with the exception of the Pao Fa Lien (刨花蓮) branch, claim descent from the members of the mid-19th century cohort of the Red Boat Opera Company (紅船戲班).


Espionage and assassination
According to one proposed explanation, opponents of the Qing Dynasty used the Red Boat Opera Company as a cover to disguise themselves as a troupe of travelling entertainers. Their identities as Chinese opera performers provided a cover for martial arts training; however, the flashy moves of opera style martial arts were not suited to the activities of espionage and assassination, which required specialized skills. Even though assassinations themselves would be carried out using poison or knives, their targets were usually protected by bodyguards who, on discovery of an intruder, would seize the person, call for help, and disable the person to be held for interrogation. Therefore, according to this hypothesis, Wing Chun was designed to deal with an opponent who seized rather than struck and to silence that opponent immediately. This would explain certain technical aspects of Wing Chun, such as its emphasis on close-range combat and its many strikes to the throat and diaphragm.


Wing Chun City
Also of note is the existence of a city called Yongchun (永春)[2] in Fujian Province, China. In Mandarin, the pronunciation of the martial art and the pronunciation of the town are identical: Yǒngchūn. In Cantonese, the pronunciations are not identical, but nonetheless similar: wing2 cheun1 (martial art) vs wing5 cheun1 (municipality). The name of the town is written with the character yǒng/wing "永" meaning "always," whereas the lineages of Wing Chun that descend from Yip Man, Yiu Kai, Yuen Kay-San, the Cho family, Tam Yeung, Fung Sang, Yeung Fook, and Leung Kwok-Keung write the name of their martial art using the character yǒng/wing "詠" meaning "sing." However, the lineages of Wing Chun that descend from Pan Nam, Nguyễn Tế-Công, Way Yan, the Wang family of Saiquan, and Pao Fa Lien use the yǒng/wing "永" character, making the name of their martial art identical with the name of the town.

Several other Chinese martial arts come from Yongchun and the surrounding area, most notably the Fujianese style of White Crane, one branch of which is even called Wing Chun Bak Hok Kuen (永春白鶴拳),[3] or Wing Chun White Crane boxing. Li Wenmao (李文茂), a historically verifiable opera performer and leader in the 1854–1855 Red Turban Rebellion in Foshan, is said to have been a Wing Chun White Crane practitioner.

There is a story that White Crane was created by Ng Mui after she was inspired by a fight between a snake and a crane, as in the Yip Man oral history of Wing Chun. Another White Crane legend states that the art was created by a young woman who combined her observation of cranes with the martial arts she learned from her father—in some versions a refugee from the destruction of the Fujian Shaolin Temple—and later taught her art to her husband, as in the Yiu Kai oral history of Wing Chun. Most stories name this young woman as Fong Chut-Neung (方七娘),[4] to use the Cantonese pronunciation, but other stories name her Fong Wing-Chun (方詠春)[5] and the Shaolin disciple she marries as Hung Hei-Gun (洪熙官), to whom she teaches her Crane style which he combines with his Tiger style to create the famous Hung Family Tiger Crane style.

Oral history aside, the technical similarities of Wing Chun and Fujian White Crane suggest that the two are related. As Yip Man's student Leung Ting put it, "Wing Tsun System is derived from the Fukien System of kung-fu, which is related to the Hakka System. Their common features are that during fights, pugilists of these systems prefer short steps and close fighting, with their arms placed close to the chest, their elbows lowered and kept close to the flanks to offer it protection. Another characteristic of these two systems of kung-fu is, unlike those of Kwangtung Province and Northern China, their boxing forms are rather simple" (Leung, 1978, p. 30). Fujian White Crane and Okinawan Karate are indisputably related and Guangdong is much closer to Fujian than Okinawa.


The origins of Wing Chun's branches
Leung Jan (梁贊)[6] is as far back as the lineages that descend from him—Yip Man, Yiu Kai, Pan Nam, Tam Yeung, Fung Sing—can reliably verify their genealogy. He was a practitioner of traditional Chinese medicine in the city of Foshan in the 19th century. Leung Jan is said to have learned from Wong Wah-Bo (黃華寶)[7] and Leung Yee-Tai (梁二娣),[8] respectively the male and "female" martial leads of the Red Boat Opera Company, each of whom is said to have been an expert on different aspects of Wing Chun. According to legends from the Yip Man lineage, Leung Yee-Tai was a poler, that is, he used a pole to steer the Red Boat away from rocks and shoals, and was therefore chosen by the legendary Shaolin master Jee Shim himself to learn the six-and-a-half point pole. Leung Jan's students included his sons Leung Chun (梁春)[9] and Leung Bik (梁壁)[10] as well as "Wooden Man" Wah (木人華) and Chan Wah-Shun (陳華順)[11] nicknamed "Moneychanger Wah" (找錢華), from whom the Yip Man, Yiu Kai, and Pan Nam lineages descend.

However, the Leung Jan lineage is not the only branch of the art. According to the traditions of the Cho family, Wong Wah-Bo and Leung Yee-Tai had as many as 11 peers in Wing Chun among their colleagues at the Red Boat Opera Company. For example, "Dai Fa Min" Kam (大花面錦),[12] who played the role of the martial painted face, is the ancestor of the Way Yan lineage. The Yuen Kay-San and Pan Nam branches claim descent from both Wong Wah-Bo and "Dai Fa Min" Kam. Gao Lo Chung ("Tall" Chung) and "Hung Gun" Biu (紅巾彪),[13] also of the Red Boat Opera Company, both passed the art on to relatives, respectively, his son-in-law Yin Lee-Chung and the Wang (王) family. Outside the Red Boat Opera Company, a monk who had taken the name "Dai Dong Fung" (大東風)[14] is named as its ancestor by the Pao Fa Lien (刨花蓮)[15] lineage of Wing Chun.

In this cohort of the Red Boat Opera Company, the role of the virtuous "female" was played by Yik Kam[16] (翼金), better known as "Ching-Deng" Kam because of the role he played. Cho Shun (曹順),[17] who played the "Little Martial" (小武) role, was a student of Yik Kam. By passing the art on to his son Cho Dak-Sang (曹德生),[18] Cho Shun established the Wing Chun lineage of the Cho family of Panyu village.


Recent History
Events within living memory can be pinned down with a little more certainty. Nonetheless, conflicting accounts remain.

Yip Man was the first Wing Chun master to teach the art openly in Hong Kong on a school fee basis. His students and their students therefore make up the majority of the practitioners of Wing Chun today (see his article for the outline of a family tree). Yip Man died in 1972.

One great-grandstudent of Yip Man (Yip Man's student's student's student), Leung Ting, formed a branch called WingTsun (rather than his Great-Grandmaster's Wing Chun). His international organization is called IWTA. This organization has spread to Europe and spawned several offshoots.

More recently, beginning in 1970, Bruce Lee, who trained primarily in Wing Chun but also some other arts, incorporated some of its techniques and ideas into his own Jeet Kune Do. His fame led to international interest in Wing Chun.

Though he never started a school himself, Yuen Kay-San's lineage of Wing Chun was continued by his student Sum Nung and the subsequent generations of students that descend from him.

Curriculum
Note that curriculum varies between lineages and individual groups.


Forms
Forms are a meditative, solitary exercise which develop self-awareness, balance and sensitivity. Forms also train the practitioner in the fundamental movements of Wing Chun. It is from the forms that all Wing Chun techniques are derived.

Conventional Wing Chun comprises six forms: three empty hand forms, two weapons forms and one "wooden dummy" form.


Empty Hand

Siu Nim Tao (小念頭; pinyin: xiǎo niàn tóu; Yale Cantonese: siu2 nim6 tau4; "little idea" or "little imagination") 
The first and most important form in Wing Chun. Siu Nim Tao is the foundation or "seed" of the art from which all succeeding forms and techniques depend. Fundamental rules of balance and body structure are developed here.

Chum Kiu (尋橋; pinyin: xún qiáo; Yale Cantonese: cham4 kiu4; "seeking the bridge" or "sinking bridge") 
The second form Chum Kiu focuses on advanced footwork and entry techniques to "bridge the gap" between practitioner and opponent and disrupt their structure and balance. Close-range attacks using the elbows and knees are also developed here.

Biu Jee (鏢指; pinyin: biāo zhǐ; Yale Cantonese: biu1 ji2; "darting fingers") 
The third form Biu Jee is comprised of extreme short-range and extreme long-range techniques, low kicks and sweeps, and "emergency techniques" to counter-attack when structure and centreline have been compromised, such as when the practitioner is seriously injured.

Note: Both the Way Yan and Nguyễn Tế-Công branches use different curricula of empty hand forms. The Tam Yeung and Fung Sang lineages both trace their origins to Leung Jan's retirement to his native village of Gu Lao, where he taught a curriculum consisting of dozens of short drills rather than conventional long routines. The Siu Nim Tao of Cho Ga Wing Chun includes the movements that, in other branches, comprise Chum Kiu and Biu Jee. The other 2 major forms of the style are Sui Da ("Random Hitting") and Jui Da ("Chase Hitting").


Weapons

"Six-and-a-half Point Pole" or "Dragon Pole" - an eight-foot wooden pole 
"Butterfly Swords" - small double Chinese broadswords (Dao) 
Although initially developed as an unarmed form of combat, the Wing Chun system incorporated the use of the pole and the butterfly swords during its evolution. Such training is considered advanced and only taught at that level. Because it develops physical conditioning and precision, weapons training has a beneficial effect on the performance of empty-hand techniques.

The weapons curriculum of the Vietnamese style includes the jian and the Pao Fa Lien lineage trains more weapons still.


"Wooden dummy"

Muk Yan Jong (木人樁; pinyin: mùrénzhuāng; Yale Cantonese: muk6 yan4 jong1; "wooden dummy") 
The Muk Yan Jong form is performed with a "wooden dummy", a contraption made from several wooden posts, representing a human opponent. The wooden dummy is used to refine angle, position, and footwork.


Chi Sao, "sticking hands"
Central to Wing Chun training is the chi sao or "sticking hands" drill. During chi sao, two participants face each other with their forearms touching. The participants then "roll" and push their forearms against each other, the aim being to probe and test for gaps in each other's defense. Chi sao develops contact sensitivity and trapping skill, crucial elements to Wing Chun. Chi sao is often compared with the pushing hands drills of Taijiquan in terms of appearance and principles. There are also pre-arranged chi sao and "chi gerk" (sticking legs) drills used to practise basic techniques. In training Chi Sao can be executed blindfolded to develop sensitivity of the forearms.


Wing Chun Kuen Kuit
Some Wing Chun schools use wing chun kuen kuit in teaching the art. These are short, often sing-song, sayings or rhymes that encapsulate principles, strategies or combat responses. Their meanings are often derived from local slang. Some sayings may appear simple but gain greater lucidity and meaning during training.


Principles
The tenets of Wing Chun are practicality, efficiency and economy of movement. This core philosophy becomes a useful guide to practitioners when modifying or refining the art. New techniques which do not conform to these principles are often discouraged and discarded.


Practicality
Wing Chun was designed for fighting rather than for artistic value or sports. As such, its techniques emphasise practicality and effectiveness and tend to lack the aesthetic or athletic qualities often associated with martial arts. Most strikes are thus intentionally fatal and target vulnerable areas of the body such as the throat, groin, eyes and lower torso.

Following this utilitarian approach, the names of Wing Chun techniques are purely descriptive. For example - palm-up hand (tan sau), wing arm (bong sau), slapping hand (pak sau). Wing Chun terminology is traditionally rendered in the Cantonese dialect of Chinese.


Efficiency
Wing Chun believes in using the least amount of required force in any fighting situation because it is a more efficient use of the body's energy. Bouncing around while squaring up, for example, is deemed a waste of energy and discouraged.

Wing Chun believes that small movements, properly timed and correctly positioned, can and should be used to defeat large movements. This is achieved through balance, body structure and relaxation. The famous Chinese saying "8 taels to move 1000 catties" (referring to an old Chinese measurement system) is appropriate here in describing how a small amount of force, precisely applied, can neutralize large and powerful attacks.

There are no isolated blocks in Wing Chun because they are believed to be inefficient. Blocks are executed as a simultaneous deflection (as opposed to meeting it head-on) and counter-attack.


Economy of Movement
Wing Chun believes that the shortest path between two points is a straight line. Thus, most Wing Chun movements are linear and initiated along an imaginary line of attack, or the centerline. The Wing Chun punch, for example, is delivered centrally from the practitioner's chest rather than diagonally from the shoulders in the first two forms. This helps teach the centerline concept. In the later forms, the punch is delivered diagonally from the shoulder to the centerline. This is because the distance is shorter than bringing the hand from the shoulder, to the center of the chest, and then down the centerline at the opponent. Also, as an expression of one's skill and experience, the punch is delivered from any point in space, directly to the point where the practitioner's centerline meets with the opponent.


Characteristics

Balance and Structure
Wing Chun practitioners believe that the person with better balance and body structure will win. A correct Wing Chun stance is like a piece of bamboo, firm but flexible, rooted but yielding. This structure is used to either deflect external forces or redirect them into the ground.

Wing Chun favours a high, narrow stance with the elbows kept close to the body. This higher narrow stance is believed to provide for optimal mobility and stability. All attacks and counter-attacks are initiated from this firm, stable base. Structure is never compromised for more powerful attacks because this is believed to create defensive openings which may be exploited. For example, a traditional Wing Chun practitioner will not lean sideways to throw a high kick to an opponent's head. Moving your body's center of gravity in such a manner provides greater power but also results in speed penalties and potential openings. Some Wing Chun practitioners believe that such trade-offs are not advantageous to the overall combat situation, however, there are some practitioners who believe in the effectiveness of a high kick.

Balance is related to structure because a well-balanced body recovers quicker from stalled attacks and structure is maintained.

Proper positioning of the arms will close holes in one's defense, allowing less room for an opponent to strike. For example, the forearm in the bong sau should be kept high so as to deflect punches upwards and to the side. The bong sau forearm is also kept forward because having it too far back weakens the leverage of the triceps and allows the forearm to be pushed back.


Relaxation
Softness (via relaxation) is fundamental to Wing Chun and essential to defeating an opponent's power. Some say that while it is possible to use Wing Chun while tense, such an unsophisticated approach is easily defeated by a skilled Wing Chun practitioner. Wing Chun techniques are performed in a relaxed manner, during both training and in actual combat. Even chi sao training can be misused if too much force is used.

Muscles act in pairs in opposition to each other (e.g. biceps and triceps). If the arm is tensed, maximum punching speed cannot be achieved as the biceps will be opposing the extension of the arm. A tensed arm must first relax before beginning the punching motion. When relaxed at the onset, the punch may begin at any time. This saves time. 
Unnecessary tension wastes energy, causing fatigue. This can be critical in an extended engagement. 
Tension stiffens the arms, making them less sensitive in chi sao and reduces ability to sense and react to an opponent's intentions. 
A stiff limb provides an easy handle for an opponent to push or pull with, whereas a relaxed limb provides an opponent less to work with. 
Another component of effective relaxation is proper breathing. Without this, muscles remain tense, even if the practitioner is focusing on softness during drills, forms, or combat. Proper breathing (slower, relaxed breaths) results in faster strikes, prolonged energy in combat, and a better sense of the internal energy that is so effective in this fighting style. 

Centerline
The following should not be considered an authoritative work, Center Line Theory is not something that is found from reading about it, one should discover their own center line under the guidance of a qualified sifu.

Wing Chun emphasizes attack and defense along an imaginary horizontal line drawn from the center of the practitioner's chest to the center of the enemy's chest. The human body's prime striking targets are considered to be on or near this line.

A Wing Chun practitioner will strive to protect his centerline and attack his opponent's. Footwork is used to offset you from your enemy's centerline while keeping your enemy in yours. Most hand techniques place one hand close to the chest, to ward off punches that manage to get past the lead hand. The elbows are kept low, to protect your vulnerable spots on body, and keep your structure strong (elbows should be a fists distance from the body).

Wing Chun techniques are "closed", the limbs drawn in to protect the centerline and also to maintain balance. Generally, the hands do not move beyond the vertical circle that is described by swinging the arms in front, with the hands crossed at the wrists. To reach outside this area, footwork is used.

One subtle advantage of attacking the centerline is force redirection, or rather the lack of it. Hitting someone on the side (for example the shoulder) will cause the recipient's body to twist, harmlessly dissipating a portion of the attacking energy. Hitting someone in the center will cause more of the energy to be transmitted into the body proper. (The closer the line of force is to the center of mass, the less torque, and thus less rotation as a result.)


The Wing Chun punch
Traditionally all kicks are kept below the waist for speed and to avoid being grabbed by an opponent's faster hands.

Punches are thrown with the elbow down and in front of the body. The fist is held vertical and the contact points are the bottom three knuckles. In some lineages of Wing Chun, the fist is swiveled on point of impact so that the bottom three knuckles are thrust forward adding power to the punch while it is at maximum extension.

Wing Chun favors the vertical punch for the following reasons:

Speed. Because the fist is not loaded by first pulling the elbow behind the body, the vertical punch is faster than a conventional roundhouse punch. This sacrifices power for speed and directness. Wing Chun mitigates this disadvantage by training the practitioner to generate power with alternate methods. The resultant power developed without 'loading' the fist can be significant, as exemplified by Bruce Lee's "one inch punch". The body may or may not be turned to add power to the punch, but this is not an option when "chain punching" -- a flow of repeated punches that are directed over the wrist and back under -- as the constant back-and-forth turning would be considered slow and structurally unsound according to Wing Chun theory. However fast these chain punches are, they only have the limited power that the practitioner can generate with his arms. 
Protection. The elbow is kept low to protect the front midsection of the body. It is also more difficult for an opponent to execute an elbow lock/break when the elbow occupies this position. This also aids in generating power by use of the entire body structure rather than only the arm to strike. 
Alignment & Structure. The vertical punch allows a practitioner to absorb the rebound of the punch by directing it through the elbows and into the stance. In contrast, the rebound of the horizontal punch creates torque in the puncher's body. Like many Chinese martial arts, Wing Chun favors the usage of stances; the vertical punch is thus more suitable. As the vertical punch is believed to be structurally safer, practitioners feel no need to tape their wrists. 
The last item above can be easily tested. Hold your fist vertically, in front of you, your elbow pointing down, one foot behind the other. Make sure your elbow is in your centerline. Then ask a friend to push into your fist while you attempt to resist. You will feel the push pressuring your legs and stance. Repeat with a horizontal fist, elbow at shoulder height and to the side. You will feel the incoming push twisting you sideways.

The vertical punch is the basis for Wing Chun chain punching. Wing Chun students are often taught that when in doubt as to which technique to use, they should opt for the chain punch.


Uncommitted techniques
Wing Chun techniques are uncommitted. This means that if the technique fails to connect, the practitioner's position or balance is not compromised. If the attack fails, the practitioner should be able to "flow" easily into a following attack. All Wing Chun techniques permit this. Any punch or kick can be strung together to form a "chain" or combination attack.

Some Sifu's discourage the use of Feints and Fakes as these are seen as opening up your body to attack, with no possibility of hitting your opponent in return. Although some believe these fakes can create holes in an opponents guard giving the practisioner an opportunity for a strike.


Trapping Skills and Sensitivity
Wing Chun's close range means that there is little time to react to visual stimuli. The practitioner depends on reflexes, "feeling" force and probing for holes in the opponent's defense through touching.

Wing Chun is famous for its trapping hands. Control over an opponent is maintained by making contact, either through a block or a strike, and sticking to and sensing the opponent’s intentions. Whatever energy the opponent may supply at the moment of contact is sensed and controlled. At the moment a punch is deflected, rather than letting go, contact is maintained, so that when the opponent attempts to withdraw or redirect the hand, this is sensed and the motion is used to either facilitate a trap or a strike. If the opponent again reacts and is sensed, the energy is again used to facilitate another trap or strike. A good Wing Chun practitioner can trap a strong opponent and continue to use the opponent’s energetic attempts to defend or counter to add to the effectiveness of his own close range attacks.

A common Wing Chun saying is "greet what arrives, escort what leaves and rush upon loss of contact", regarding the importance of trapping incoming force and advancing quickly when an opening is sensed.


Close Range
Wing Chun is one of the few styles that emphasizes non-grappling close range fighting. Ideal Wing Chun fighting distance is fist range. "Emergency" techniques also permit Wing Chun practitioners to fight at closer ranges using elbows. While the Wing Chun forward kick can be considered a long range technique, Wing Chun practitioners concentrate on "entry techniques" - getting past an opponent's kicks and punches to bring him within range of Wing Chun's rich close range repertoire.

Other styles reason that you should aim to strike at maximum range - which means kicking. This is because if you do not, your opponent will be able to hit you before you can hit him.

Wing Chun teaches that it is desirable to get past an opponent's long range technique and close in to fight on Wing Chun's terms. A kick can be jammed before full extension, before it develops full power. A kick can also be jammed while it is being withdrawn. A Wing Chun practitioner will rush in during these times, using quick footwork to close the distance.

Wing Chun's reputation as a style suitable for smaller sized people arises partly from the advantages close range fighting gives to the smaller person. At close range, a smaller person will still be able to develop full power in punches and kicks, as long as there is sufficient space to fully extend his limbs. A longer-limbed opponent at the same distance may be crowded, unable to extend fully and develop full power, though techniques are available to overcome this difficulty.