How to Do Wing Chun Entrance Techniques

Wing chun, or "beautiful springtime", is one of the major Chinese martial arts. It is also one of the most difficult to master. Yet its basic principles are quite simple. Wing Chun doesn't depend on brute force or acrobatics, but is rather a close-range style that emphasizes stability and efficient body mechanics. The fighting stance is compact and stable, yet fluid and relaxed.

Instructions

    • 1

      Begin with one of the three empty-hand forms known as Siu Lim Tao. Empty-hand simply means no weapons are used. This form develops the key element of Wing Chun, which is the stance. While maintaining your stance, you practice sets of arm movements to learn how to strike efficiently.

    • 2

      Learn abdominal breathing and relaxation. In Wing Chun, every movement flows from the previous one. Your body must be relaxed to achieve these swift, fluid motions. Learn how to breathe properly while practicing to avoid panicking in a real life situation.

    • 3

      Learn the straight punch. In Wing Chun, the strength of one's punches comes from the elbow. There is no winding up to gather momentum. Instead the punch is launched straight out from the body in a quick, explosive movement. Repeat this multiple times to create a chain of rapid punches.

    • 4

      Master the basic stance called "Yee Gee Kim Yeung Ma". One of the proverbs of Wing Chun is that "strength originates from the heels". This explains why the stance is so vital. You remain rooted to the ground, using it as the starting point of every strike so that your limbs become extensions of the ground itself. Footwork is best attempted only after mastering this stance.

    • 5

      Learn the lifting punch. Similar in appearance to an uppercut, the lifting punch is actually much different in technique. Rather than bringing your fist up from a very low position to strike an upper part of your opponent by moving through a long arc, the lifting punch begins at mid-level and travels up and forward along a smaller arc toward the opponent's lower jaw. The torso pivots and lifts up, adding to the punch's strength.

    • 6

      Move on to Chi Sao, or "sticking hands" technique. This teaches you how to keep your hands and arms in contact with your opponent at close range in order to sense and anticipate his next move. Remember, Wing Chun is all about staying so close to your opponent that you disrupt his movements and attacks. Being smaller, weaker or even outnumbered is no disadvantage