AWCA Notebook

Regardless of the medium, a successful course of instruction has a structure to it. Without that, it is nothing more than a hodge podge of lessons that eventually breaks down and gets confusing along the way.

In the case of many Wing Chun schools, that is clearly evident. In this article, I would like to discuss the AWCA’s program and why we teach in the manner that we do.

The structured program of the AWCA follows suit to what we were taught from Master Leung Ting’s WingTsun style. Unlike many WC/VT styles that follow a basic pattern but have no clear method for determining your progress outside of their own teachings, Master Leung’s ingenious program took the entire system and broke it down into a progressive learning method that allows the practitioner to continue moving forward on a logical path.

Not only does it pit Wing Chun vs. Wing Chun, but it also takes the path that our normal opponent will not be a Wing Chun practitioner. Therefore, we train to use Wing Chun against non-Wing Chun fighters. In order to do that, a clear and logical program needs to be used so that we understand the concepts vs. merely just going through the motions of learning the movements and applications themselves.

While the program’s stages have changed over the years, the main intent is still evident. A structured program teaches the art at progressive levels and allows the practitioner to know immediately where they are, how far they have come, and how far they have to go. With this knowledge, we stay motivated to learn, especially when it comes to real fighting.

One of the key benefits of a program such as this is that as we progress, we find that what we once learned takes a new meaning as we move to the next stage. For example, some will learn the Siu-Nim-Tau form, drills, applications, and theories to a great extent. They will complete this level and then move to the Chum-Kiu, and it is there that something extraordinary occurs.

As the Chum-Kiu is learned, our view of the Siu-Nim-Tau changes. What used to be looked at with a beginner’s eye is seen in a completely different light. Because the Chum-Kiu requires competence in the Siu-Nim-Tau, the new skills attained during Chum-Kiu training actually changes how we see the “beginner” qualities of the Siu-Nim-Tau.

In essence, the Siu-Nim-Tau becomes brand new again because of the Chum-Kiu. And because the entire system is driven like this, we experience this phenomenon throughout each stage of the curriculum.

After the Chum-Kiu is learned and we begin Biu-Tze training, both the Siu-Nim-Tau and Chum-Kiu take on a new light. What used to be thought of as mundane or basic in nature will now be viewed as more complex and engaging. The same holds true for the Muk-Yan-Chong, as well as the weapons.

Some will spend a year or two learning Wing Chun and, naturally, want to learn the more advanced stages. That is natural and we all have that “I can’t wait to learn THAT!” outlook. The problem, however, stems from embarking on training that we are not ready for. When that happens, we set ourselves up for failure because we did not spend the time necessary to actually train the skill sets necessary to be ready for that level.

Anyone can pick up a book or video and learn the form, as well as a few drills and applications. After all, a motor skill can be learned any number of ways, regardless of whether it was from a book, a video, or from being personally taught by an instructor.

The real issue is, did you spend enough time doing it in order to actually learn it? Did you train it long enough to have actual competence in it, or did you merely work it a few weeks and moved on? Did you comprehend the subtleties of how the body moves, of where the weight goes, both solo and when engaged with an opponent?

A structured program takes these things into account and has checkpoints along the way to ensure that the stage of learning has been properly reached before progression to the next is recommended. Skip anything along the way and you are only cheating yourself.

I have encountered a variety of practitioners over the years, but some of the more curious ones are those that take the approach of wanting to skip the basics in favor of the advanced levels. I even met a fellow who had no Siu-Nim-Tau, Chum-Kiu or Biu-Tze training; instead, he got a wooden dummy book, purchased a wooden dummy, and spent however much time learning the form and some of the drills. After a challenge, he assumed that because he had “mastered” the dummy form, he could defeat anyone who had not yet learned the dummy.

He was wrong.

One of my students who had barely learned the second section of Siu-Nim-Tau dropped him. Repeatedly. He did this because he was competent in the basics of centerline, straightline, and weight distribution. He knew how to control his actions and drive his force into the opponent while simultaneously keeping his guard up. Those basic elements are the foundation of Wing Chun fighting, and he understood that. Pitted against someone who skipped over the basics and/or did not understand them to true competence meant for an easy time.

What this particular individual did not realize is that the end result is not how we learn; instead, it is the journey to that end result that makes it work. The dummy is only for those that have completed the Biu-Tze, who in turn completed the Chum-Kiu, who in turn completed the Siu-Nim-Tau. It is not a timed race but it does require years of training in order to become competent.

It is also not about amassing a storehouse of movements, either. Instead, it is about learning each element to competence in order to make it useful. After all, what good is it to know a bunch of forms if you do not know how to use them for real fighting?

Where I come from, we call that a false sense of security, as well as feeding your ego.

Anyone can learn the Wing Chun forms. I could teach someone all the forms – including the weapons – within just a few months. And more than likely they would look pretty good doing them. The real question is, what will it do for you?

Forms training is most certainly important for it holds the key to properly enacting the physical actions we will take. A form will teach the motor skills necessary for placing the body in any given position as needed. After all, that is what a form does.

However, knowing a form is not the same as fighting skill. There are three main stages to learning effective Wing Chun, with the physical stage being the first. Following this is the tactical side which teaches us how to respond to multiple threats in a clear, concise, explosive, and relaxed nature. Without this second stage, the first will do little for you (I will discuss the third stage in a later article).

It takes a great deal of training to understand the nature of Wing Chun, and it can be as basic or complex as you want it to be. You will hear all kinds of traditional vs. modified vs. modern rubbish, but in the end it comes down to a simple premise: Do you understand what you have learned, and can you usewhat you have learned? Can you hold your own with a boxer, a Muay Thai fighter, or a wrestler? What about multiple opponents? What about armed opponents?

I live in the real world, not a watered-down glass-eyed environment where so-called worst-case scenarios are nothing more than rehashed themes from those that have no clue what real fights are about. Real fights are dirty, they are fast, they come out of nowhere, and many times they involve more than one attacker. They are frightening, your heart pounds, and you feel yourself sweating pounds away within a split second.

In the real world, you want the training that accounts for that. You want the training that accounts for what you will actually encounter vs. what some will say you will encounter. Traditional, modified, etc., means nothing to the guy with a stiletto who wants your wallet or to take your wife/girlfriend from you.

My students have the benefit of knowing that I do not set them up with a false sense of security by teaching them something they are not ready for. “Time in service” means nothing to me. They learn in stages and progress when they have competently demonstrated that they know what they are doing vs. solely from how long they have been doing it.

And our structured program, which is again from the brilliant mind of Grandmaster Leung Ting, is the most useful, real-world way of ensuring that Wing Chun continues to remain the most effective method of self-defense currently in existence. I am not a member of Master Leung’s organization, but I most certainly respect and pay homage to the man, his system, and his insight into reality. What I learned from his program in four years changed my outlook on reality, and if your current course of study does not have one, I fully recommend checking into a school that does.

When it comes to real encounters, one of the things that surprises most fighters is that they are usually limited with kicks. While a gym offers a lot of room for almost any kind of movement, most environments we generally frequent see a more confined space. Because of this, a great deal of what someone works in a gym will differ significantly in real life.

Wing Chun is geared for this due to its urban origins, but this is even more evident in how the art approaches kicking. In fact, the Wing Chun addage of “Kicks fail nine times out of ten” directly reflects our ancestor’s views of how effective (or ineffective) kicks really are.

The exception to this, however, is by way of jamming.

Known as Jeet-gerk or Jamming-kick/Stop-kick, it is essentially a fast, powerful but low kick with the full flat of the foot into the knee or shin of an incoming leg. The leg could be stepping in or attempting a kick, and executing any kind of jam takes a bit of focused training in order to create a precision-type of delivery. It is quite easy to become frustrated for a while since your weight and movement will change as you deliver the kick, but like all things practiced over time, it will start to improve the more you work it.

One of the best ways to work Jeet-gerk is on a dummy. First, stand at a range where you can reach the dummy’s leg with your own jamming kick without having to move forward. Work the kick head-on until competent, and then work it from both sides.

Once the kick is competent at all angles but at a range where movement is not required, step back a bit so that you are out of range and at a distance where you have to take one step forward in order to reach the target. Repeat the same exercises to the front and to the side to competence, then increase the range even more in order to work closing the gap.

Finally, change it all up so that rather than in range or needing to close the gap, you are extremely close and need to create distance. This will mimic or pattern the event of getting pushed back or the attacker suddenly lunging back out of the way. In this way, even though he is moving backwards, you are learning to attack during his retreat. Remember that even during a withdrawal, a skilled fighter will sometimes cover his retreat with an attack via a kick.

In confined spaces such as pubs, restaurants, grocery stores, convenience stores, the post office, and even where you work, take a moment to examine where you generally frequent and see it with a very critical eye. How much space do you actually have to work in? What barriers or hindrances would you encounter if you had to protect yourself? And now being aware of this, is your gym or home training meeting the need by addressing this space (or the lack thereof)?

Sometimes this is an eye-opening experience, and not just to kicks. Grappling, ground fighting, and all other ranges of fighting are worked a specific way in the gym. Can it be applied to where you actually frequent? That is a question each of us must answer for ourselves.

Most martial arts focus on a primary point in which the rest of their system revolves around. For example, taekwondo is known for powerful kicks, jiu-jitsu for its grappling, locks, and ground fighting, boxing for lightning-fast jabs, crosses, uppercuts, footwork, etc.

While the Wing Chun system encompasses multiple ranges and tactics, its preferred focus is to remain standing and in punching range. Over 75% of all Wing Chun actions are driven by fist actions, so we can deduce that the art itself favors the punching range as having more opportunities for attack and defense.

But what about ground fighting? Is it really as necessary as some say it is? If so, when did ground fighting suddenly become so important? If not, why do so many arts have a ground fighting curriculum?

To answer this question, we should first examine what real life is all about vs. what is sometimes the mainstay in classroom teaching.

No one can say with certainty that all fights will go to the ground. I have had over 20 fights since opening the AWCA and not one has ever gone to the ground. Some have tried take downs, but Wing Chun’s anti-ground fighting and anti-grappling tactics prevented it.

But just as no one can say with certainty that all fights will go to the ground, we also cannot say that they will not go to the ground. All fighters have a preferred range but that does not mean that that range will be successful.

The truth of the matter is that you will never know what will happen until it does happen. And with the ever-changing world within the martial arts circles, our art must be constantly examined to ensure that it can respond to elements as they arise.

That being said, the curriculum I was taught does have a full ground fighting program. With grappling, anti-grappling, ground fighting, and anti-ground fighting tactics, the program begins at Student Grade 2 (section 2 of the Siu-Nim-Tau) and culminates at Student Grade 8 (after completing the Chum-Kiu and first 2 sections of the Chi-gerk curriculum).

These programs are nothing new to the Wing Chun environment, though. The concepts themselves are completely Wing Chun in every way, just applied from the ground. There are no jiu-jitsu, karate, or judo movements as some might claim, and nothing is “stolen” from any art that was not already there to begin with.

The concept of Wing Chun ground fighting focuses not on being tied up, but instead how to get back on our feet as quickly as possible. Wing Chun does not include all of the locks and pinning actions that arts such as judo or jiu-jitsu employ, so we do not train in that manner.

If we find ourselves on the ground, we will work to keep both hands in Man-sau so as to protect the upper body. Our legs will see one foot on the ground while the other is up for defense or attack. The feet can change positions as needed in order to drive into the attacker’s shin or knees, as well as switch positions for pivoting the body on the back in order to keep Man-sau pointed towards the attacker.

As the attacker comes in, we would drive a leg into their leg and, via Chi-sau, engage the upper body so as to explosively roll back over, putting us on top. From this point, elbows and punches would rain down on the attacker, or we could even step out of the position and resume standing in order to get back to our preferred range. After all, I would not want to grapple with a grappler. That is his range, not mine, and I want to fight my fight vs. his fight.

Is grappling and ground fighting as necessary as some claim it to be? Yes, it is. It is a valid range that we might find ourselves in, even if unintentional or by accident. And if you are in this range, the same concepts that serve us when standing are suited equally well when on the ground.