What is WingTsun (aka Wing Chun, Ving Tsun) Kung Fu? Kung Fu (or Gung Fu) can be translated to 'hard work' and refers to martial arts from China - of which there are an estimated 300 types or styles! Of these, only one is credited with having been started by a woman. Because it was founded to enable a smaller and weaker person to defeat larger and stronger opponents, this particular martial art has gained a huge following around the world.

What are the classes like? There are no high kicks, shouting out, or breaking things with your hands and feet. Classes normally begin with warm up rotations of important joints, and then progress to individual and partner training excercises. Learning to retain a solid base, practicing the best angles to 'bridge' or make contact with an opponent, and training moves until they become reflexive are the main components of class.

Is WingTsun a sport style martial art? Unlike Taewando and other similar martial arts, WingTsun is not at all suitable for sport competitions or 'Hollywood' type fighting. An accomplished WingTsun practioner will end a fight within seconds - not what we usually prefer to see in a movie or sporting event! This system is for real-world self defense or 'street fighting' situations, i.e. doing maximum damage in the shortest time with as much economy of motion as possible.

Is WingTsun a 'traditional' or 'modernized' Kung Fu? Many martial arts fans are aware that Bruce Lee began with 'traditional' Wing Chun as taught by Grand Master Yip Man. He then took the concepts and updated or customized them to create a hybrid system which he called 'Jeet Kune Do'. Here we practice much of Yip Man's 'traditional' kung fu, while at the same time evolving to use modern training methods and curriculum. So this system is perhaps best described as 'traditionally nontraditional'.

Are there forms to learn? In some martial arts forms mean endless memorizing of certain sets of moves for each and every way an opponent may approach. While there are forms to learn in WingTsun, only 3 will bring a student through most of the beginner to advanced levels. Grandmaster Leung Ting has commented "WingTsun kungfu is not just memorizing sets of movement patterns, but in the ways of using these movements."

How is chi sao used? Chi sao or 'sticking hands' is an exercise practiced with varied partners to learn about an opponent's pressure as they make contact or 'bridge'. Some Wing Chun schools teach quite a lot of forward pressure in this excercise, and students attempt to attack through one another's defenses, and/or dominate the centerline. Instead chi sao is used here largely to learn proficiency at detecting small indicators of an opponent's force and direction. Taking strength out of the equation, and learning to use an opponent's committed energy against him are the goals.

Additional information on WingTsun can be found on Wikipedia via this link: www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wing_Tsun