Until the
beginning of the twentieth century, the form of martial art known as
Wing Chun was very obscure and not much known about it.
Back then, Wing Chun was
just getting started, and not practiced by a lot of martial
artists. Over the years, it became a very dominant force in
China, becoming one of the more prominent martial arts in
existence. Even today, hundreds of martial artists study Wing
Chun and everything else it can provide them with.
The first thing that students are taught when studying Wing Chun is
that they should always use force to counter force. By using
force against force, weaker and smaller fighters can easily and quickly
take out bigger and stronger opponents. Whenever they get in
a confrontation, Wing Chun stylists will use their brains - and use an
opponent's own strength and force against him.
Throughout training, a lot of emphasis is put into that very
concept. Students learn all about force and strength,
and how they can properly counter it. What many
don’t realize at first, however, is the fact that countering
force requires
very little strength from the stylist. Even the weakest, but
well-trained, Wing
Chun stylist can take down an opponent 3 - 4 times his or her size if
he or she uses
the proper technique and the opponent's own force against him.
Wing Chun teaches other techniques as well, such as punching, kicking,
and a few grappling holds. It does not teach much
grappling though, as most of the techniques use force against force
through throwing and striking. The strikes that are taught
with this martial art are very fast, and aimed at vital areas on the
body of the opponent. It can be an effective street fighting technique when
applied properly by a well-trained and experienced practitioner.
It is a truism in all martial arts that a majority of the most vital
areas on the human body are found along
the center line, the very area that Wing Chun teaches stylists to
protect as well as attack with their techniques. This line is
the most vital in battle, which is why martial artists should always
aim their attacks for any area that exists along this line.
Most of the vital points found in the center line could easily be the
end of the
encounter if the stylist is able to land one powerful blow.
As Wing Chun emphasizes time and time again, the shortest strech
between
the stylist and the opponent is the center line, which is where a
majority of movement takes place. Due to this linear factor of Wing
Chun, students will spend a lot of their training learning how to
direct attacks as well as opposing force towards the center line.
Wing Chun is an exceptional martial art, teaching students how to use
force against force in any type of encounter. There
aren’t that many grappling holds or weapons used with Wing
Chun, although the techniques and moves that are taught are tried,
proven, and above all - very effective for self defense.
