Traditional Wing Chun Kung Fu
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Traditional Wing Chun Kung Fu (TWC) is claimed to be the authentic, more effective version of Wing Chun taught exclusively to William Cheung by Yip Man. Cheung claims it is superior to the conventional Wing Chun system, referred to by William Cheung as "modified Wing Chun".
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[edit] History
According to William Cheung (Cheung Cheuk Hing), the person responsible for this divergence was grandmaster Leung Jan who existed two generations before Yip Man. Leung Jan taught Wing Chun to his two sons and also his neighbour Chan Wah Shun. Jan feared that the bigger and stronger Chan would try to claim mastership of the Wing Chun lineage after Jan's death. Thus, Jan taught him a modified, less effective version while reserving the pure, traditional form for his sons. Sure enough, after Jan and one of his sons died, Chan drove the remaining son away and assumed Grand-Mastership of the Wing Chun lineage.
Yip Man eventually became Chan's student. Yip Man learned from Chan for four years before moving to Hong Kong to study at college. There he encountered a kung fu practitioner who revealed his identity as Leung Jan's surviving son, Leung Bik. Leung Bik claimed there had been a divergence in Wing Chun teachings and he then taught Yip Man what he called the traditional Wing Chun system.
Yip Man would eventually open his own Wing Chun school. As Cheung insists, Yip Man decided that to make a living and follow the traditions of wing chun (passing on the system to one student only), Yip Man taught the claimed "modified" version to his students (among them Bruce Lee) and chose to teach the traditional version to Cheung.
[edit] Characteristics and Principles
Stance
The difference of Traditional Wing Chun to the claimed "modified" Wing Chun is its fighting stance. While the conventional Wing Chun fighter faces his opponent fully with his toes pointed inwards, Traditional Wing Chun adopts a sideways stance with a lead leg and a rear leg. However, both hands remain ambidextrous and equidistant from the opponent unlike the classic side stances found in Karate or other Kung Fu systems such as Choy Li Fut or Jeet Kune Do which emphasise a lead hand or strong side.
The sideways stance proposes two advantages: increased mobility and a protected groin. "Modified" Wing Chun, it's claimed, emphasises structural stability. Bringing the gap to the opponent is achieved by "shuffling" forward. The soles of the feet are in constant contact with the ground so that structure is not compromised. In contrast, Traditional Wing Chun compromises stability for more fluid footwork. Also, in the Traditional Wing Chun stance, the groin is overshadowed by the lead leg, making it less vulnerable to a centrally-rising kick.
"Central line" theory
Traditional Wing Chun replaces the claimed "modified" "center line" construct of conventional Wing Chun with a slightly different "central line". In the claimed "modified" Wing Chun, the center line is an imaginary line that bisects the human body lengthwise, cutting through vital areas such as the heart, groin, solar plexus, nose and face. Protecting and attacking from the centre line becomes the imperative on which Modified Wing Chun's offensive/defensive techniques are derived.
Traditional Wing Chun's "central line" is slightly different. The central line is any area in front of the torso where both hands may be crossed. It is within this area (or "gate") that attacks are greeted and counter-attacks launched. The proposed advantage of the central line is that the practitioner's vital centre line is pointed away from incoming attacks whilst retaining the ambidextrous use of both hands. The diagonal stance also allows the rear leg to be used for additional structural support against particularly forceful attacks.
[edit] Current Practitioners
- See also: Branches of Wing Chun
Grandmaster William Cheung's base has been located in Melbourne Australia for several decades. His most notable students include Sifu Rick Spain, Sifu Joe Sayah, Sifu Joe Moahengi, Sifu Alfredo Del-Brocco, Sifu Dana Wong, Sifu Del Fisher, and Sifu Bruce Corles. Several of these practitioners are no longer affiliated with the Grandmaster William Cheung, and left prior to the creation of a master rank within his organisation.
Three American Traditional Wing Chun Masters (ranked above the standard Sifu) under Grandmaster William Cheung are Jerry Bolding - Kansas, Keith Mazza - New Jersey, and Phillip Redmond - Michigan. Several other Masters teach in locations around the world with many other standard Sifus. Some practitioners of the "modified" Wing Chun systems who have studied under Cheung and currently teach the "traditional" version of wing chun include Brian Lewadny - Canada, Phillip Redmond - America (who was previously an instructor of the claimed modified wing chun), and Dana Wong - Australia.
[edit] Controversy
It is claimed that Yip Man's considerable skill increase (under Chan Wah Shun) after training with Leung Bik validates both the existence of the Traditional Wing Chun system and its superiority to the claimed "modified" Wing Chun. However, most Wing Chun practitioners, have accused William Cheung of inventing this historical divergence. The reason being to legitimise his own modifications that he claims are "secret" elements of Wing Chun. Most practitioners reject the traditional/modified dichotomy because most martial arts systems encourage modification depending on application in different situations and that modification can only occur if one possesses a strong, traditional foundation. Therefore, tradition and modification are complementary ingredients in becoming a strong martial artist. No one knows for sure what William Cheung learned from Yip Man during the 3 1/2 years they lived under the same roof.
Likewise, other Yip students claim there was never a special version taught to William Cheung by Yip Man. [1]
The ontological controversy between traditional and conventional Wing Chun continues.
[edit] References
- ^ In reply of the William Cheung Interview Feb 1986 Mitcham Kwoon. (1986). Retrieved on 2006-11-30.
[edit] See also
- William Cheung - The Wikipedia entry on William Cheung.
- Yip Man - The Wikipedia entry on Yip Man.
- Leung Jan - The Wikipedia entry on Leung Jan (with references to Leung Bik).
- Thomas, B. (1994) "Appendix II: Wing Chun - And Beyond" from Bruce Lee: Fighting Spirit. London: Pan Macmillan, pp. 341-343
- Chu, R. (no date) "Traditional" and "Modified" [1] from ChuSauLei.Com Martial Arts (website), accessed August 17, 2005
