Economy of Movement- Center Line Theory
The shortest distance between two points is the line in the middle. Wing Chun Kung Fu is based on this theory to attack and defend for maximum effect and minimum effort. It is a theory because some situations do not apply.
Yip Man’s Four Principles
During Sifu Duncan Leung’s meeting with Director Wong Ka Wai for the production for the movie “The Grand Masters”, Director Wong asked, “Why would Yip Man qualify as The Legendary Grand Master of his generation?” Sifu Leung responded, “Because Yip Man was able to conceptualize and simplify very complicated matters into easy to understand statements,” answered Sifu Leung.
The following is the poetry sounding Four Principles of Wing Chung Kung Fu as created by Yip Man:
來留去送 (Loy Lau Hui Soong)
Do not argue force with force with your opponent who may be taller, bigger, and stronger than you. Redirect his force against himself. When he pushes, you pull. When he pulls, you push.
甩手直衝 (Lut Sau Jig Chun)
There are two situations when this principle is applied:
1) When the opponent is within striking distance – be the one who hits first.
2) When your arm is in contact with your opponent’s arm and you sense that his arm ‘running’ away, hit straight forward.
打手即消手 (Dar Sau Jig Siu Sau)
Attack is defense.
1) Attack your opponent directly before he hits you.
2) Initiate the attack, control the rhythm of the competition
追身莫追手(Jue Sun Mog Jue Sau)
Instead of blocking, cover the area your opponent is aiming. Blocking is always a step too late. By covering, you can anticipate your opponent’s next move, and therefore, become the aggressor rather than the defender.
In conclusion, the Applied Wing Chung program encourages student to take an active role in learning the core values of the art rather than just imitate every move of the teacher. For no two persons are built and react the same way, the effectiveness of learning by imitation diminishes after passing from one generation to another.
Applied Wing Chun 