Massachusetts Wing Chun Kung Fu Council

NO WALK-INS ALLOWED.

What will you learn in Class?
People take up martial arts for many reasons. Some to improve their health & fitness, some to learn how to defend themselves, some for increased sense of confidence and others simply for a pastime to immerse themselves in. The Wing Chun class with its high level of teaching and the friendly relaxed atmosphere caters for all these differing needs.
Chi Sao – Sticking Hands
Chi Sao is the practical training of the applications found in the forms. Whilst training with a partner you will develop sensitivity, footwork and timing. Soon you will begin to understand how to use an opponent’s energy against himself (or herself). Regular practice develops instinctive reactions allowing you to adapt to change without thinking. For successful self-defense this is essential. Chi Sau is like a game and is not meant to be treated as fighting or sparring. It allows you to develop your skill in a safe environment because you can relax and let go.
Wing Chun Forms
Wing Chun has three boxing forms. They represent different stages in training and teach you a great many different elements. The forms are
Sil Lim Tao – Little idea -Reducing Thought
Its main purpose is to train stillness and Gong Lik – internal strength.
Chum Kiu – Looking for the Bridge
Its main purpose is for training our footwork and turning and also the Bong Sau.
Biu Ji – Thrusting Fingers
Its main purpose is the train long distance and short distance attacking techniques using the fingers and elbow.
Wooden Dummy – Mok Yan Jong
The Wooden Dummy training helps us to bring together all we have learnt in Chi Sau and forms to polish our ’fighting techniques’. It also allows us to practice Wing Chun kicks and train the accuracy of our stepping and body position.
Weapons
Wing Chun has two weapons: The Six and a Half Point Pole and the Baat Jam Dao (Wing Chun Knives). The more you train these weapons, the stronger your bones will become and so your Qi will develop to a very high level.
Self Defense
Wing Chun is an extremely practical system. Due to the structure of the training, self-defense ability begins to develop immediately. The more your skill develops the greater your awareness and confidence become, and these are some of the most important resources to have. Then you will be able to see any potential trouble coming before it arrives and can avoid it. However should a situation become unavoidable you will have the physical tools with you when you need them.
Good for Health
Not only is wing Chun a highly effective form of self-defense, it is also a very healthy pastime. It strengthens the body internally as well as externally, and it also helps to relax the mind and the body. Students find the more they train the more at ease with themselves and the world they become. This is one of the most beneficial aspects of good training; it develops you as a person. The best example of this is Great Grandmaster Ip Ching, who is very content with his life, is still healthy, strong and can still easily overcome any students even though he is in his late eighties!

The Training Format.

Wing Chun Concepts uses a very specific training format to predictively produce results. All of the core lessons will have three distinct phases: Absorb, Practice, and Evaluate
ABSORB: The Learning Phase

The first time that you are exposed to a new concept, you will need to fully understand both the mechanical actions as well as the underlying key concepts. All of the lessons that teach forms, drills, or tactics will follow a streamlined format containing five elements:

WHAT: The Lesson Intro
The first section gives a concise overview of the lesson so that you know exactly what will be covered.

REMEMBER: The Key Points
The main steps of each form, the important training points of each drill, or the key strategies of each tactical drill are listed here in bullet-list format. It is recommended that you copy these to your training journal as a way to reinforce memory and recall. By the time you mark the lesson “complete,” you should be able to easily recall from memory all of the key points listed here. If you cannot, this is a sure sign that you need to invest additional practice time before you advance to the next lesson.

SHOW ME: Visual Reference
Each form and drill will be illustrated with photographs, illustrations, a slideshow sequence, or video. The more complex the form or drill, the more detailed this visual reference section will be.

HOW: Step-by-Step Instruction
As the main content of the lesson, each section of the form or variation of the drill will be broken down into easy-to-follow steps. Each movement will be fully explained, along with specific safety notes and guidelines for self-evaluation.

WHY: Conceptual Understanding
The final section digs a little deeper for those who need to understand the meaning behind the movement. Be warned, this section may veer into topics as diverse as sports physiology, Asian symbolism, philosophy, physics, Qi energetics, Chinese medicine, and human anatomy.
PRACTICE: The Training Phase

After you have grasped the key points of the lesson, you will put them into practice by working on the forms, doing solo drills, training on the battle post, cooperatively working through partner drills, or testing your reactions through tactical drills. Follow the step-by-step instructions for each lesson, and repeatedly cycle through the form or drill until you master the skill. Note that there are relatively few skills that can be mastered in a single practice session. Like a musician who must practice a song over and over before they can play it effortlessly, expect to repeat individual lessons as many times as needed.
EVALUATE: The Feedback Phase

You will be checking and validating your progress throughout each lesson, but you should always conclude each training session with a brief self-evaluation. An objective way to do this is to maintain a Training Journal. This can simply be a notebook where you write down your observations from the current session, and/or make notes to yourself for the next session. This provides a feedback loop that allows you to course-correct or fine-tune as needed. Even if you know you’ll remember what you’ve learned, writing it down – being forced to articulate your thoughts – activates another region of your brain and helps reinforce the learning.

“Greet what arrives, escort what leaves and rush upon loss of contact” – Ip Man

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