Systems:
Wing Chun kuen's origins come from the legendary Buddhist nun Ng Mui, who went into hiding at the Siu Lam (Shaolin) temple, after avenging the death of her father.
During the Qing dynasty, the Manchurians, who represented 90% of the population, came to power.
The Ming patriots (10%) were training in the Shaolin temple for the day they would be able to fight back the Qing dynasty.
In order for the few revolutionary troops to cope against the numerous Manchurians, the five elder monks of the temple created a new style of kung fu, who's main characteristic was direct straight line attacks and efficient effortless movements and the minimum time to master it. Ng Mui was one of the five ancestors and when the Kanxi emperor (1662-1722) ordered his troops to burn down the temple, the nun fled away and found new shelter at the Tai Leong Mountain, between Yunnan and Sichuan, at the White Crane temple.
During her time at the White Crane temple, Ng Mui heard a rumour of a poor girl, whose beauty attracted the attention of a local bully who
was asking her persistently to marry him. The nun decided to take the fifteen years old girl under her protection.
Her name was Yim Wing Chun, meaning "eternal spring".
Ng Mui taught the girl the new style of kung fu, that Yim Wing Chun could learn easily without requiring much strength.
After mastering the movements, Yim Wing Chun challenged the landlord to a fight, beat him with ease, and earned both freedom and respect.
After years Yim Wing Chun married a man called Leong Bok Chow and passed the system on to him. It was her husband who named the system after
his wife's name, in order to honour her. From that time Ng Mui's kung fu style is known to us as Wing Chun kuen.
In 1949 the late Grandmaster of Wing Chun, Yip Man, left China for Hong Kong, where in 1950 he started teaching and developing Wing Chun. During that time he developed the wooden dummy form with its 116 movements and he refined the art of Wing Chun into the form that is well known all over the world until today.
Grandmaster Yip Man died in 1972 having succeeded in making Wing Chun one of the most recognizable styles of kung fu.
Chi Sao is a unique training method specifically found in Wing Chun kuen.
The drill is used for the development of automatic reflexes upon contact and the idea of "sticking" to the opponent.
The purpose is to sense changes in body mechanics, pressure, momentum and "feel".
The practitioners perform the drill with their forearms attached, trying to remain relaxed and their aim is to feel forces, test resistances
and find defensive gaps.
In the highest level practitioners perform blindfold and in a limited moving area (ex. a table).
