Ip Man (1893-1972) possessed rare martial arts skills, developed across 5-decades of learning, built from the perspectives of his two masters. But whilst he taught many students in his latter years, their interpretations of his kung fu vary…
Today many martial artists seek to practice what they believe is a pure and therefore better style. But history tells us that masters of the 20th century had a far more flexible point of view. Three legends of…
The first section of Chum Kil introduces the pivot and a rigid Bong Sau movement. The second takes it further, teaching kicks, stepping and sophisticated hand-feet coordination. Sifu Barry Pang explains that what comes first in Wing Chun…
Wing Chun’s most advanced form starts with a widely misunderstood grabbing technique. This underscores the importance of layered learning where it comes to developing skill in a sophisticated martial art. The Wooden Dummy Form (Muk Yan Jong 木人樁)…
Chum Kil is critical to Wing Chun practice as it introduces movement and coordination. It teaches mobility, after having learnt the basic hand techniques from the first form’s static position. A key Wing Chun principle is to contact,…
Wing Chun’s Wooden Dummy is iconic in martial arts. Unfortunately, the rush toward something exciting and the urge to modify undermine its potential. Here are the three essential principles for better practice. Sifu Barry Pang explains and demonstrates…
Developing a strong centreline and quick, powerful chain punching is not enough. To overwhelm in this way may work on opponents of equivalent size. Against larger, skilled opponents, the path to success is not to meet their force…
The term Kung Fu is generally defined as “skill achieved through hard work and practice”. However, all too often theory arguments and the desire to learn “advanced” techniques get in the way. Rather than talking about theories, we…