Wing Chun - Martial Art in Labastide Saint-Pierre

Wing Chun is a traditional Chinese martial art originating from Southern China, designed for close combat, including bare-hand techniques and weapon handling. This art is taught in Labastide Saint-Pierre, near Montauban and Toulouse, at our school Tai Yin Wing Chun.

Highly developed in Hong Kong and Taiwan, Wing Chun saw rapid expansion in Europe and the USA in the 20th century, notably thanks to the popularity of actor Bruce Lee, who was a student of the famous master Yip Man. Today, Wing Chun is accessible at our school in Labastide Saint-Pierre, where we offer teaching based on modern methods, adapted for self-defense and traditional martial practice.

Why Choose Wing Chun in Labastide Saint-Pierre?

Our Wing Chun school, located in Labastide Saint-Pierre, is ideally positioned for residents of Montauban and Toulouse who wish to learn an effective martial art. We teach the traditional techniques of Wing Chun, emphasizing practical application in real self-defense situations. Classes are suitable for beginners as well as advanced practitioners, offering personalized support for each student.

Summary of Wing Chun Sections

• 1 Names and Transcriptions
• 2 History and Legends
• 3 Branches of Wing Chun
• 4 Principles and Techniques
• 5 Weapons and Equipment
• 6 Forms
  • 6.1 Bare-Hand Forms
  • 6.2 Wooden Dummy Form
  • 6.3 Long Pole Form
  • 6.4 Butterfly Knives Form
• 7 Nian shou
• 8 In Europe
• 9 Notes and References
• 10 Bibliography
• 11 Cinematic References
• 12 Related Articles

Learn Wing Chun in Labastide Saint-Pierre

By joining our Tai Yin Wing Chun school, you will learn the authentic techniques of Wing Chun in a friendly and respectful environment. Our classes are suitable for all levels and aim to improve your physical fitness, self-confidence, and develop self-defense skills. We offer group classes as well as individualized training to best meet the expectations of each student.

The history of Wing Chun is rich in legends and anecdotes. Since its creation in the Fujian province over three centuries ago, this martial art has evolved to meet the needs of modern practitioners. Masters such as Yip Man and Bruce Lee played a key role in spreading this art around the world, making Wing Chun accessible to everyone.

The Benefits of Practicing Wing Chun

Wing Chun is known for its simple and direct techniques, suitable for close combat. Regular training helps develop speed, strength, and responsiveness. Additionally, practicing Wing Chun in Labastide Saint-Pierre offers you the opportunity to join a passionate martial arts community, where every student is encouraged to progress at their own pace.

Beyond physical training, our school emphasizes mental development and personal discipline, allowing you to improve both martial and personal skills. Our experienced instructors are here to guide you through every step of your learning journey, ensuring that you achieve your goals.

#Wing Chun, Tai Yin Wing Chun, martial art Labastide Saint-Pierre, Wing Chun Montauban, self-defense Toulouse

• Pan Nam Branch: Originating from Foshan, founded by Pan Nam. This style is said to be one of the most practiced in mainland China8.
• Nanyang Branch: Encompasses branches from South Asia (Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore…)
• Pao Fa Lien Branch
• Hung Suen Branch
• Jim Shim Branch

Other minor schools exist in Vietnam and Cambodia, as well as in North Korea.

Principles and Techniques

Wing Chun Dummy

Some fundamental principles of wing chun:

• Always protect your center, whether in attack or defense.
  • Use the opponent's strength against them.
  • Use force deflection principles for defense and the straight line for attack.
  • Once the bridge has been established, stick to the opponent's forearms, as information travels faster through contact than through the eye.
  • If the opponent's strength is too great, yield and use your footwork to restructure yourself.
  • If the opponent retreats, follow them and maintain pressure; do not let them rebuild new strategies.
  • Do not use your striking force but rather the speed and mass of your body.

Its hand techniques are particularly effective for close combat, up to body contact without going to the ground. This is 黐手 Chī shǒu, the sticky hands. The arms remain as relaxed as possible while maintaining constant pressure towards the opponent, whatever they attempt, which allows for easy deflection and control of strikes to protect the center (the 陰 meridian, renmai precisely) and to land your own strikes whenever there is an opening in the opponent's guard.

• The basic hand reactions are:
  • Tan sao: reaction on the arm to an impulse not crossing the renmai meridian
  • Bong sao: reaction on the arm to an impulse crossing the renmai meridian
  • Kao sao: reaction under the arm to an impulse not crossing renmai
  • Jam sao: reaction under the arm to an impulse crossing renmai

The strikes, delivered at close range, do not need to be accelerated by internal Qi Gong practice. This internal practice involves delivering an explosion of internal force (發勁, fājìn) with a reduced amplitude after hitting the target at low speed. The entire body produces this shockwave, using body weight, overall relaxation of the body used like a whip, and the addition of forces from all joints. These qualities are worked on in all forms, gradually, until realizing the foundation of Qi Gong and its circulation through the meridians. "Internal" means mastering oneself, not mastering the opponent first.

This wushu involves few leg techniques. All parts of the body are to be struck with double hits, starting with "the two heads", that is, the eyes and the genitals.

Similar techniques exist for the legs, called "sticky legs", which help avoid the opponent's sweeps and throws; they also help control the opponent through pressure on their feet and knees. Note the forward-facing guard, legs bent inward: it was used to hold a sheep between the legs while shearing it so it couldn't escape. The modern Western guard with a forward lunge, for example, is a mistake that distorts tradition and transmission. In the passage on the flower junks of the canals, fighting on a boat requires stronger balance and only close combat strikes, which was not and is still not Wing Chun in Chinese tradition—more internal in the rootedness of the guard, more flexible, more linking. The traditional Shaolin 氣功 Qi Gong is lost in modern Western schools[citation needed].

• The basic leg reactions are:
  • Tan gerk: reaction to an impulse coming from the outside
  • Bong gerk: reaction to an impulse coming from the inside
  • Yap gerk: reaction to an impulse coming from the outside
  • Pak gerk: reaction to an impulse coming from the inside

Weapons and Equipment

A sailing junk

This martial art comes from the Hakka people, who lived by lakes and seas in southern China, known for their river and sea junks. Besides trade, "flower boats" or "red lantern boats" allowed clients to indulge in pleasures out of sight. According to a theory based on this legend, wing chun used weapons found on these boats: the "plum blossom pole", a long pole (over four meters) used to propel these junks, and the pair of butterfly knives. This is a pair of boarding sabers used to cut a mooring rope in an emergency or open sacks of goods.

Practitioners also train on a wooden dummy9. This "wooden man" is about the height of a person; it is made of a post with varying section and dimension depending on the lineage, on which three arms and usually a leg in a fixed forward stance have been added. There are several ways to keep the dummy in place, such as attaching it to sliding brackets fixed to a wall, mounting it on a pivot, using tripods, anchoring it to the ground, or embedding its foot in a counterweight. Some shīfù 師父 even prefer not to fix the dummy at all, forcing their students to better control their movements10. The wooden dummy is bulky and expensive, sometimes replaced by pieces of wood fixed to the wall.

The Forms

The martial forms of wing chun (套路, tàolù) are demonstrative techniques meant to develop qi gong (氣功 qìgōng), proper circulation of qi (氣 qì), postural reflexes, understanding of the style, and to constantly identify mistakes during the practice of combinations.

All wing chun techniques are included in these forms. Depending on the lineage, the goals and movements of each form can differ, leading to a variety of different techniques. The same is true regarding the progression of practitioners learning these forms across lineages.

In most branches of wing chun, there are seven forms, like the petals of the plum blossom, which is the traditional symbol of this martial art (武術 wǔshù): four empty-hand forms, one wooden dummy form, and two forms with weapons (one with a long staff and the other with a pair of Chinese short swords). Some schools teach different or additional forms. For example, there are 8 empty-hand forms and 2 wooden dummy forms in the Vietnamese lineage11.

Empty-Hand Forms

• Siu lim tao (小練頭, xiǎoliàntóu, "little practice") in literal translation: it is the first form, taolu, basic practice of fundamental movements and rooting.

In some branches (Yip Man), this form is mistakenly called xiǎoniàntóu (小念頭), "small idea," as it is confused with the "small practice." Xiǎoliàntóu involves body geometry and alignment, which must be maintained as much as possible during the learning of the next two empty-hand forms. In lineages that emphasize 氣功 Qi gong, Xiao Liantou has many practical uses.

• Chum kiu, xún qiáo in Mandarin pinyin, chum kiu in Cantonese Yale, 尋橋 in traditional Chinese: "seeking the bridge," literally.

The second form focuses on total body movement techniques, synchronization of movements and strikes, and entry techniques to "bridge the gap" between the practitioner and the opponent, as well as disrupting their structure and balance. This form helps learn fundamental counter-attack techniques with simultaneous strikes.

Short-distance attacks with elbows and knees are also worked on at this stage.

• Biu gee, biāo zhǐ in Mandarin pinyin, biu gee in Cantonese Yale, 鏢指 in traditional Chinese: "thrusting fingers." Literal translation by automatic translators often loses the contextual meaning.

The third form, biāo zhǐ, is composed of very short and very long techniques, low kicks aimed at countering effectively in this wushu. The aim is to overturn a fight against an opponent with maximum speed and precision, staying out of danger, and targeting a precise point on the opponent’s body, 點穴法, diǎn xué fǎ, to neutralize them.

• Siu nim tao (小念頭, xiǎoniàntóu, "small idea"), literally translated. It is the last form, similar in appearance to the first, which many false lineages confuse. It is the most important form, 套路 Tàolù, in wing chun. It embodies the 氣功 qi gong of the Small Heavenly Circulation, 小週天循環, xiǎo zhōu tiān xúnhuán. Essentially, it involves circulating Qi in the two meridians 督脈 dū mài and 任脈 rèn mài (Governor and Conception Meridians in 針灸, zhēnjiǔ, acupuncture). In Chinese traditional branches, the two founding disciples of this style, Huang Bao Hwa (黃華寶) and Liang Er Di (梁二娣), passed it on to physician Liang Zhan (梁贊), who compiled the forms in their current complete state12. Thus, he remained the greatest master of this Chinese wushu. The study of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 中國傳統醫學 Zhōngguó chuántǒng yīxué, has always been linked to practicing 詠春拳, Yǒngchūn quán, commonly called Wing Chun in the West. The historian and great master 彭南, Péng Nán, made a complete study8, and the form xiǎoniàntóu is based on three practices (Small Idea 小念頭, Small Circulation 小週天, and Small Practice 小練頭), centered on three acupuncture points named accordingly.

Wooden Dummy Form

Representation of training with the dummy

• The 木人樁, mù rén zhuāng of wing chun is a wooden dummy the size of a man or larger, equipped with three arms and, in most cases, a leg. It is used by practitioners to improve movement, speed, and precision of techniques, harden the limbs, and especially to develop the sensation and reflexes of the arms and legs.

Depending on the wing chun lineage, the form performed on the dummy comprises 196, 116, 108, or even 88 movements. In several lineages, this form is practiced in pairs: one practitioner performs the form while the other plays the role of the dummy by chaining attacks. The sequence can be done while stationary or moving.

Long Pole Form

• 六點半棍, liùdiǎnbàn gùn in Mandarin pinyin: the 6.5-foot pole, which was a push pole for advancing junks. It is considered a shorter version of the original qī diǎn bàn gùn (七點半棍).
• 七點半棍, qī diǎn bàn gùn in Mandarin pinyin: the 7.5-foot pole, which corresponds to the stick used by monks cultivating the land of the Shaolin Monastery in the Henan province.

Butterfly Knives Form

A pair of wing chun butterfly knives

The butterfly knives (蝴蝶雙刀 húdié shuāng dāo in Mandarin pinyin, literally "pair of butterfly knives"), bart cham dao in Cantonese, bat tram dao in Vietnamese, are a pair of short sabers that became docking knives for the boatmen of Hong Kong after the fall of the Ming dynasty, notably used by the Hakka's famous red junks13. The knife form is generally considered an advanced practice.

Nian shou

Nian shou (黏手, pinyin: Niǎnshǒu) or "sticky hands" refers to a fundamental principle of Yǒngchūn quán and a set of techniques.

The goal of Niǎn shǒu is to develop sensorimotor reflexes to react to the pressure applied by an opponent, to "stick" to them, and create an opening for an attack. In the form of Yǒngchūn quán taught in the West, Niǎn shǒu is generally practiced as a reflex game. In other branches of Yǒngchūn quán, Niǎn shǒu is a form made up of precise sequences. The error introduced in the West was writing 黐手 instead of 黏手12, Chī Sáo instead of Niǎn shǒu, which is incorrect in both character and pinyin14.

Niǎn shǒu is practiced between two partners who maintain contact of their forearms, wrists, or hands, performing various techniques and training each other to perceive changes in pressure, intention, and possible angles of attack in the opponent. Developing sensitivity in this manner helps the practitioner attack and counter more quickly and accurately with the most appropriate techniques.

Beginners first discover 黏手 Niǎn shǒu with single-arm sequences, called 單黏手 dān niǎn shǒu. Full use of Nian shou with both hands involves pairing both arms, 双黏手 shuāng niǎn shǒu.

In Europe

Representation of Bruce Lee.

Wing chun is taught across all European countries. Various branches are represented today, though most schools follow the Yip Man lineage; partly due to strong presence in Germany since the 1990s by Leung Ting schools, which later expanded to neighboring countries15.

The success and promotion of wing chun in Europe is mainly due to the fame of actor Bruce Lee, who was also a practitioner of wing chun16. Yip Man was his teacher at the request of his father, a famous artist and a friend of Yip Man, but only for a few lessons. Bruce Lee preferred to return to street fighting, found his basic knowledge effective, and Yip Man, feeling offended, never took him back, delegating his training to one of his students, Wong Shun Leung.

Bruce Lee, for his part, continued his personal evolution, keeping the essence of wing chun but modifying it, as he was never able to complete his training with Yip Man, even when he offered him a large sum of money. He initially called it Jun Fan Gung Fu (which was essentially a private wing chun school for Americans) and later filled in the gaps in his wing chun training with elements from other martial arts (French boxing, English boxing, taekwondo) to create an eclectic martial art that he defined not as a style, but as the experience of his complementary self-training towards a concept: jeet kune do17. The actor's death in 1973 launched the "kung-fu" trend in the West, and the hope of practicing his style contributed to the success of wing chun schools.

Over the past decade, the growing interest in Chinese culture and Chinese martial arts18 has increased the number of practitioners. The opening towards China also offers Western practitioners the opportunity to interact with lesser-known branches of wing chun.

(source: Wikipedia)

Branches of Wing Chun Kung Fu