Traditional Wing Chun Kung Fu
Encyclopedia
Traditional Wing Chun Kung Fu (TWC) is a style of the Chinese martial art Wing Chun
. It is claimed to be the authentic, more effective version of Wing Chun
taught exclusively to William Cheung
by Yip Man
. Cheung claims it is superior to the conventional Wing Chun system, referred to by William Cheung as "modified Wing Chun".
who lived two generations before Yip Man. Leung Jan taught Wing Chun to his two sons and also his neighbour Chan Wah Shun. Leung feared that the bigger and stronger Chan would try to claim the Wing Chun lineage after Leung's death. Thus, Leung taught him a modified, less effective version while reserving the pure, traditional form for his sons. Sure enough, after Leung and one of his sons died, Chan drove the remaining son away and assumed Grand-Mastership of the Wing Chun lineage.
Yip Man eventually became Chan's student. Yip Man learned from Chan for four years before moving to Hong Kong
to study at college. There he encountered a kung fu practitioner who revealed his identity as Leung Jan's surviving son, Leung Bik. Leung Bik claimed there had been a divergence in Wing Chun teachings and he then taught Yip Man what he called the traditional Wing Chun system.
Yip Man would eventually open his own Wing Chun school. As Cheung insists, Yip Man decided to follow the traditions of wing chun, passing on the system to one student only. Yip Man taught the claimed "modified" version to his students and chose to teach the traditional version to Cheung.
The sideways stance has two advantages: increased mobility and a protected groin. "Modified" Wing Chun, it is claimed, emphasizes structural stability. Bridging the gap to the opponent is achieved by "shuffling" forward. The soles of the feet are in constant contact with the ground so that balance is not compromised. In contrast, Traditional Wing Chun compromises stability for interruptibility of the footwork, and the feet are picked up and placed down ball of the foot first, allowing for change of direction at any point during the step. Also, in the Traditional Wing Chun stance, the groin is protected by the lead leg, making it less vulnerable to a centrally-rising kick.
Traditional Wing Chun's "central line" is slightly different. The central line is any area in front of the torso where both hands may be crossed. It is within this area (or "gate") that attacks are greeted and counter-attacks launched. The proposed advantage of the central line is that the practitioner's vital centre line is pointed away from incoming attacks whilst retaining the ambidextrous use of both hands. Footwork is of paramount importance as the Traditional Wing Chun fighter will stay out of line of the opponents force but keep the opponent within this functional central line area where both hands can still be used for simultaneous attack and defense. The diagonal stance also allows the rear leg to be used for additional structural support against particularly forceful attacks.
Four American Traditional Wing Chun Masters (ranked above the standard Sifu) under William Cheung are Jerry Bolding - Kansas, Keith Mazza - New Jersey, Phillip Redmond - New Jersey, and William Beck - Pennsylvania. Several other Sifus (teachers) teach in locations around the world. Some practitioners of the claimed "modified" Wing Chun systems who have studied under Cheung and currently teach this version of wing chun include Brian Lewadny, and Phillip Redmond. As of November 25, 2007, the only two closed-door students of William Cheung are Keith Mazza and Phillip Redmond.
The ontological controversy between traditional and conventional Wing Chun will thus likely continue.
Wing Chun
Wing Chun , also romanised as Ving Tsun or Wing Tsun, ; ; is a concept-based Chinese martial art and form of self-defense utilizing both striking and grappling while specializing in close-range combat.The alternative characters 永春 "eternal spring" are also...
. It is claimed to be the authentic, more effective version of Wing Chun
Wing Chun
Wing Chun , also romanised as Ving Tsun or Wing Tsun, ; ; is a concept-based Chinese martial art and form of self-defense utilizing both striking and grappling while specializing in close-range combat.The alternative characters 永春 "eternal spring" are also...
taught exclusively to William Cheung
William Cheung
William Cheung or Cheung Cheuk Hing , born ? October, 1940, is a Chinese Wing Chun kung fu practitioner and currently the Grandmaster of his lineage of Wing Chun, entitled Traditional Wing Chun...
by Yip Man
Yip Man
Yip Man , also spelled as Ip Man, and also known as Yip Kai-Man, was a Chinese martial artist. He had several students who later became martial arts teachers in their own right, including Bruce Lee.-Early life:...
. Cheung claims it is superior to the conventional Wing Chun system, referred to by William Cheung as "modified Wing Chun".
History
According to William Cheung (Cheung Cheuk Hing), the person responsible for the divergence between traditional and modified Wing Chun was grandmaster Leung JanLeung Jan
Leung Jan was a Wing Chun practitioner. Leung was a Chinese herbal doctor in Foshan. His name became well-known due to his wins in competitive bouts. He was called Mr...
who lived two generations before Yip Man. Leung Jan taught Wing Chun to his two sons and also his neighbour Chan Wah Shun. Leung feared that the bigger and stronger Chan would try to claim the Wing Chun lineage after Leung's death. Thus, Leung taught him a modified, less effective version while reserving the pure, traditional form for his sons. Sure enough, after Leung and one of his sons died, Chan drove the remaining son away and assumed Grand-Mastership of the Wing Chun lineage.
Yip Man eventually became Chan's student. Yip Man learned from Chan for four years before moving to Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
to study at college. There he encountered a kung fu practitioner who revealed his identity as Leung Jan's surviving son, Leung Bik. Leung Bik claimed there had been a divergence in Wing Chun teachings and he then taught Yip Man what he called the traditional Wing Chun system.
Yip Man would eventually open his own Wing Chun school. As Cheung insists, Yip Man decided to follow the traditions of wing chun, passing on the system to one student only. Yip Man taught the claimed "modified" version to his students and chose to teach the traditional version to Cheung.
Stance
The difference of Traditional Wing Chun to the claimed "modified" Wing Chun is its fighting stance. According to Cheung, a fighter from the Modified Wing Chun system faces his opponent fully with his toes pointed inwards and fights square on, attacking straight forward down the opponents middle or centre line. Traditional Wing Chun adopts a sideways stance with a lead leg and a rear leg. However, both hands remain ambidextrous and equidistant from the opponent, and a position is taken up to the outside of the opponent's leading elbow referred to as the blind side to aid in controlling the opponents balance while at the same time allowing for counterattacking.The sideways stance has two advantages: increased mobility and a protected groin. "Modified" Wing Chun, it is claimed, emphasizes structural stability. Bridging the gap to the opponent is achieved by "shuffling" forward. The soles of the feet are in constant contact with the ground so that balance is not compromised. In contrast, Traditional Wing Chun compromises stability for interruptibility of the footwork, and the feet are picked up and placed down ball of the foot first, allowing for change of direction at any point during the step. Also, in the Traditional Wing Chun stance, the groin is protected by the lead leg, making it less vulnerable to a centrally-rising kick.
"Central line" theory
Traditional Wing Chun includes an additional line of reference besides the conventional Wing Chun "center line", entitled the "central line". In the claimed "modified" Wing Chun, the center line is an imaginary line that bisects the human body lengthwise, cutting through vital areas such as the heart, groin, solar plexus, nose and face. Protecting and attacking from the centre line becomes the imperative on which Modified Wing Chun's offensive/defensive techniques are derived.Traditional Wing Chun's "central line" is slightly different. The central line is any area in front of the torso where both hands may be crossed. It is within this area (or "gate") that attacks are greeted and counter-attacks launched. The proposed advantage of the central line is that the practitioner's vital centre line is pointed away from incoming attacks whilst retaining the ambidextrous use of both hands. Footwork is of paramount importance as the Traditional Wing Chun fighter will stay out of line of the opponents force but keep the opponent within this functional central line area where both hands can still be used for simultaneous attack and defense. The diagonal stance also allows the rear leg to be used for additional structural support against particularly forceful attacks.
Current practitioners
William Cheung's base has been located in Melbourne Australia for several decades. Many of his most notable students are no longer affiliated and left prior to the creation of a master rank within his organization.Four American Traditional Wing Chun Masters (ranked above the standard Sifu) under William Cheung are Jerry Bolding - Kansas, Keith Mazza - New Jersey, Phillip Redmond - New Jersey, and William Beck - Pennsylvania. Several other Sifus (teachers) teach in locations around the world. Some practitioners of the claimed "modified" Wing Chun systems who have studied under Cheung and currently teach this version of wing chun include Brian Lewadny, and Phillip Redmond. As of November 25, 2007, the only two closed-door students of William Cheung are Keith Mazza and Phillip Redmond.
Controversy
It is claimed that Yip Man's considerable skill increase after training with Leung Bik validates both the existence of the Traditional Wing Chun system and its superiority to the claimed "modified" Wing Chun. However, Yip Man family Wing Chun practitioners have accused William Cheung of inventing this historical divergence in order to legitimize his own modifications as "secret" elements of Wing Chun. Since the only other possible source of corroboration of Cheung's claims would have been Yip Man himself, it will never be known whether or not Cheung's version of events is true or not.The ontological controversy between traditional and conventional Wing Chun will thus likely continue.
Further reading
- Thomas, B. (1994) "Appendix II: Wing Chun - And Beyond" from Bruce Lee: Fighting Spirit. London: Pan Macmillan, pp. 341-343
- Chu, R. (no date) "Traditional" and "Modified" http://www.chusaulei.com/martial/columns/columns_traditionalmodified.html from ChuSauLei.Com Martial Arts (website), accessed August 17, 2005