Early Practice of the Martial Arts in Foshan

Jiu Wan Sifu is very humble and never talks about himself, therefore very few newspaper and magazine articles have been written about him. Who is Jiu Wan and what kind of person is he?

Jiu Wan, in his youth in Foshan, China, studied Wing Chun from his cousin [Editor’s note: literally his father’s elder brother’s son] Jiu Tong, who is in the same lineage as Wing Chun Master Yip Man. Later, because he was quick to understand the martial arts, Jiu Wan established his own Wing Chun school in Foshan. He developed a friendly relationship with Yip Man at this time became his personal student.

Yip Man & Jiu Wan

After the Communists took over China, Jiu Wan left Foshan for Hong Kong where he met with Master Yip for continued advanced study. Since, as it is said, “There can be no two teachers in the same style” or in other words no two teachers equal in skill, in his twenty years of following Yip Man Jiu Wan has always treated Yip Man as his master.

Jiu Wan Sifu never tires of improving his skill. Whenever he has time during the day he goes to learn about his Chi Sao techniques from Master Yip, sometimes practicing until very late at night. Therefore his skill is always improving, and his dedication should be a model for the younger generation.

Recently Jiu Wan established a school to teach Wing Chun and spends a lot of energy training new students. Very seldom does he openly demonstrate his Kung Fu techniques to the public. Only once, years ago at Master Yip’s birthday party, Master Yip asked him to demonstrate the Chum Kiu form of Wing Chun and everyone in the audience was very impressed.

Ti Lung Never Tires of Learning

Ti Lung [Tommy Tam Fu-Wing], a martial art movie actor, is the student of Jiu Wan Sifu, a respected elder of Wing Chun. Ti Lung has been popular for a long time and, like all movie stars, his story has created a lot of gossip. But there are few articles about how he learned Kung Fu. Readers may know that both Bruce Lee and Ti Lung practiced the Wing Chun style. In fact, before he entered the movie business, Ti Lung was already a favored student of Jiu Wan. Although now a celebrity, he still respects Jiu Wan as a teacher and continues to practice and visit with him.

Jiu Wan, when talking about his movie star student Ti Lung, says, “He is a very good student of the martial arts. He has the advantages of a strong body, intelligence, good footwork and he also practices diligently.” Although lately seldom able to attend the school, Ti Lung always strives to improve his martial arts skill and Jiu Wan has already given him his certification.

Jiu Wan Quotes

“Fighting is Not the Way to Solve Problems”

“Being a teacher is not that simple. Teaching should be like a parent and child relationship, with constant attention to the student’s conduct. When a mistake is made it should be corrected. That is the real meaning of teaching a martial art and is good for both teacher and student.”

“The young are always full of energy, and rebel against traditional thinking. I also had the same feelings, but young people often react emotionally and cause themselves problems.”

“I absolutely disapprove of fighting,” Jiu Wan Sifu also says, “because whatever method you try to find for a solution, fighting only makes things worse and is not the way to get results. But when a mistake is made, don’t blame yourself too harshly, just treat it as a learning experience and strive to do better in the future.”

“This is very easy to say, but hard to do – but being a teacher is a big responsibility.”

The Wing Chun Puzzle: Knowledge is the Main Solution

Jiu Wan Sifu thinks the Wing Chun style is like a puzzle – hard to understand even over a lifetime of study. No one should say they are successful, and he says, “As for myself, I only understand a little bit.”

When Jiu Wan teaches he emphasizes practice sparring. He explained that Wing Chun doesn’t have many forms and, in general, doesn’t take too long to finish learning the system. But when you study the martial arts, it should be practical, and young people in particular get easily bored. Sparring trains, the reactions, and Chi Sao too can help students understand the main points of the system. Diligently practicing these drills gets better results than any complicated explanation.

With sparring, a student can both increase their confidence to face an attack and give themselves a chance to use the offensive and defensive movements they have learned in order to protect themselves.

Master Yip Man, before he passed away, presented Jiu Wan with a plaque on which was written the four words “Wing Chun Jing Tung” which means “Wing Chun the Pure Tradition.” With his skills thus recognized, and teaching his students in a dignified manner, Jiu Wan Sifu has no regrets.

Though a teacher to the stars and a martial arts senior, Jiu Wan is humble and polite. He does not depend on his own high skills but joins with the young as both teacher and friend. His skill and thoughts should be a model for the modern martial art practitioner.

Random notes taken over several years
During classes taught by Sifu Chow Hung-Yuen
Compiled and edited by Dan Lucas

Other styles tell you what to think. In Wing Chun we teach you how to think. There’s a big difference.

Open your eyes and you can see further. I can’t see it for you. I can only open the window; you have to do the looking. I say one, you say one. I say two, and you say two. That’s not the way to learn. I give you the basics, you have to make three yourself. Nothing was explained to us when I learned, we just learned by doing. After a while we learned for ourselves what worked and what didn’t. I learned, for instance, after struggling to resist for so long, that it doesn’t work to resist. So I gave it up and tried to let go instead.

In the beginning don’t try to learn too much at one time. If you eat too much, its bad for your digestion.

Instead of trying to exploit your opponent’s mistakes, it’s better in the beginning to see you’re not making any of your own. If your foundation is not solid, the higher the building the more dangerous it becomes. The same is true with the martial arts. If your basics are not good, the higher your level of skill the more critical it becomes. The better your foundation, the stronger it is, the higher you can build on it.

For other styles, contact is the end. For Wing Chun, contact is just the beginning. Chi Sao is training for sensitivity. After class you can do the Bong Sao by yourself a hundred times, but if you can’t use it in the right way, what good is it? If you do it right, once is enough. If you do it wrong, a hundred times won’t help.

When styles rely on strength, there’s a limit to strength. As you get older your strength naturally declines. Wing Chun relies on letting go, and there’s no limit to letting go. As you get older you can also improve. It’s not whether or not to use power, but how to use it. It’s not whether or not to spend money, but how to spend it. Make every penny count.

Wing Chun isn’t a hard style or a soft style, it’s both. I don’t resist force, or meet force with force and so it’s a soft style. But when there’s an opening I use all the force I have, and so it’s a hard style too. Greater strength is a natural advantage. It’s also a disadvantage if you can’t let go of it when you need to. Strong people naturally rely on their strength and are unwilling to let it go, and so have a hard time learning Wing Chun. Are you more powerful than a car? If a car comes at you, you don’t try to hold it back–you get out of the way. Your real enemy isn’t your opponent; it’s you. Your natural reaction is to tense up when attacked, so train to replace this natural reaction with new ones. If you compare power with your opponent, you’ll eventually find someone stronger than you. I don’t care how big or how strong you are because I don’t resist you. It doesn’t matter if it’s a car or a train, I just get out of the way. How can you hit me if you can’t find my center? If you touch a spinning ball it sends you off in one direction or another.

When you aim at me I can’t move your aim, but I can move your target. When you change your aim I move the target again. But I always aim at you. If we run a race and you’re faster than me I don’t have much chance of beating you. But if I choose the direction I’ll always have a headstart.

Redirecting force is like opening a door. First I have to know which way the door opens. I don’t want to push sideways if the door opens up and down. I try one direction, if it doesn’t work I try another. Keep moving, like flowing water. If I stop, I give you the chance to use your strength against me. Instead I redirect any strength you have by moving with it. Don’t start something, then wait till tomorrow to come back and finish it. Keep moving; take action. Don’t stop to think about your next move; it may be too late.

The secret isn’t in the technique, but in the situation. More techniques don’t make you a master, it’s how you apply them. Each situation differs and nothing stays the same for long. Learn the principles and how they apply to one technique, rather than a new technique for every change or situation.

Wing Chun theory is firmly based in Yin and Yang. This can mean turning power on or off in one arm, but more usually means one arm is Yin while the other is Yang. It’s like breathing in and out, you can’t do both at once. Yin and Yang doesn’t mean I attack either hard or soft. It means that in any situation you or I will be stronger or weaker, changing with the situation. I constantly test you to find weaknesses to exploit or strengths to avoid. If one hand is heavy and the other light, don’t fight with the heavy hand. Attack the light one instead. If there are two doors, one hard to push and one easy to push, why not go through the one that’s easy to open? Chinese philosophy is based on harmony and balance. When you are positive I am negative. When you become negative I switch to positive. I don’t mean that I think about it. It has to come naturally through the movements.

Magic is only tricks, not really magic. There’s nothing secret, no magic, in Wing Chun. You only have to learn the tricks. Like the old Chinese saying about picking up a rock and hitting yourself with it: for instance, nobody traps your hands against each other, you allow them to be trapped. You offer them to be trapped.

I don’t know how dumb the fish is, or how strong; I just throw out the bait and see if it takes it. Of course I shouldn’t go fishing unless I know I’m skillful enough to reel one in.

I don’t move unless I have to. And if I move, I move as little as possible. For instance a punch on center defends as well as attacks. I keep my elbows on center and attack on center to make it difficult for you to take or use the center, and force you to go the long way around. A circular attack like a roundhouse punch is just an attack, but is in no way a defense. And I don’t have to get in on every opening. Sometimes it’s better to let one go by to set up for another. Put together the right ingredients and you’ll make a fine supper. In other words, if I set you up in the right way, it’ll be easy to finish you off.

Either make the right move, or make the move that’s right for you. Sometimes just being in the right position isn’t enough. What really matters is pressure: the pressure you apply and the pressure applied against you. When you’re in the right position but apply pressure in the wrong direction, I can take advantage of it and your position won’t matter. Good contact means the right amount of pressure at the right spot going in the right direction. Wing Chun is not for display or for competition. A bystander can’t see it, but you and I can feel it. That’s why we can practice blindfolded or in the dark, because it’s something you have to feel and not see. With your eyes open and in bright daylight, practice as though blindfolded and depend on what you feel rather than what you see.

The worst thing for you is if I know what your next move will be. In chess if I know your next move and the move after that, how can you win? So in fighting I put you into a position where you have to respond in a certain way. Then, by sticking with you, I know where you’re going and what you’re doing. When I’m dealt a hand in poker, of course I know what’s in my hand. If I know what’s in your hand too, I have a much better chance of winning. You may still have a better hand than me but at least I have more options. When I have contact with you I can sense your movement and so have a better chance.

And always remember that it doesn’t matter how good you are; what matters is how good you can become.

Let’s Learn and Do Wing Chun, the Easy Way.

By: Hung Y. Chow, (Wing Chun Society of Oregon) Beaverton, Oregon

This article is written for the people who have heard about Wing Chun, and are curious as to what Wing Chun is about. There are many books and articles in the martial arts magazines talking about the principles and techniques of how the Wing Chun system works. But I haven’t seen anyone who can learn the art successfully through books. It has to be taught personally and passed through hand-to-hand contact, from one generation to the next. For example, when an untrained person looks at the Wing Chun fist form (Siu-Lin-Tau), it would be extremely difficult to figure out how it works without step-by-step explanation, without interactive communication.

Whatever you do in Wing Chun, forms or sticky hand or working on the wooden dummy, if you do the movement right it should be easy. Once is enough and you should get results from the movement. Otherwise if you do it wrong it will be hard even if you do it a hundred times. It’s only wasting time and effort and won’t work very often. Certainly, it won’t get the results you expected. That is simple and everybody knows it. The real question is, how do I know I am doing it right or wrong before it’s too late. Different Sifus learn differently, so they teach differently, even if only the minor details.

Let’s start from when you decide what style of martial art you want to learn. Remember you are in a shopping mode. If you want to protect yourself, carrying a concealed weapon may do a better job. Maybe not. First ask yourself why you want to learn Kung-Fu, or Karate. You have to find out what you are looking for. There is some homework you have to do to help you make up your mind. Sometimes your choice is based on the name of the art, or a recommendation by a friend. Does the white uniform with black belt or fancy athletic movements attract you? Eventually, you may get some trophy from a tournament, or just real survival fighting skills. How much do you know about the principles and the philosophy? Are they something you can agree with, believe and follow through? Will it fit your personality? What is the strange culture you are going to get into? What is the background and quality of the instructor, etc? When you learn a martial art, you also learn its view of the principles of life, self-control, discipline, confidence, etc.

You have to make a decision, “Is Wing Chun the right style worth learning?” I assume you have made up your mind to learn and practice Wing Chun, because you continue to read this. Let’s understand it and find the easy way to do it. Practicing Wing Chun should be relaxing and fun, otherwise, you won’t fully enjoy and love it.

The Principle

We all should know that the Wing Chun system is based on the Yin-Yan theory, the permanent structure of the universe. The two extreme opposite elements coexist. Let’s make it simple to understand. In our daily lives, we know we have day and night, cold and hot, life and death, male and female, etc. If we draw a line we can make a comparison between positive and negative, major and minor, strong and weak. Without a middle line how strong is strong, how weak is weak? Does 10 lbs of weight belong to heavy or light. It seems a debatable question, but it’s not. If you look at it in another way, how much is 100 lbs or just 1 lb. the answer will be simple and quick. As another example; when we breathe, we inhale and exhale. If we only do it one way, how long will it last? If we understand from this point, we can concentrate on how to put the meaning of (Yin and Yan) into a practical way of doing positive and negative, major and minor, on and off, open and close, get in and get out, forward and backward, turning left and right, etc, and how it applies to the forms, the sticky hand, wooden dummy techniques, etc. There are many small details like balance, center line, sensitive feeling, movement, on and off power, relaxation and creating tension, etc. These are the main factors which make the system work well.

The Form

When we do any one of the Wing Chun forms, there are a few things we need to pay attention to. (I am not going to describe the form movements here, because it would take thousands of words to explain the action, and would only confuse you). The following suggestions are important and, I hope, will help the Wing Chun participant take maximum advantage.

Body and Position

The purpose of the stance is to protect our invisible centerline between left and right, upper and lower. We must remember to keep our body’s center of gravity low and within our body limit, and to keep our body weight supported by our feet, with the major portion on the heel. The heel is used primarily to turn. Focus on the centerline. Always occupy the centerline. Remember, a straight line is the shortest distance between two points.

Turning is very simple, but it is the most important thing in the system. Without the ability to turn naturally, you can’t even claim you know Wing Chun. We use turning as a basic movement, or use it to move forward or backward (Wing Chun movements does not go straight forward or backward). As a matter of fact, when we do sticky hands, we need the turning to do the Bong Sao or Tan Sao. There is an old saying: “Square body, no Bong Sao”. That means that, when the body is square to the opponent, you cannot roll your hand into the Bong or Tan position.

Power and Relaxation.

We have to know when and how to use the power. Most important is to try to create the power from our mind, not from our muscles. That means we control our muscles, not the other way around. When we generate power in live form, live power can change or disappear and adjust accordingly. Don’t get me wrong. I don’t mean how strong or weak the force is. I mean the power is alive or dead. Have sensitivity in the hands to determine whether the incoming force is alive or dead, and respond accordingly. That means power is concentrated and passed to the target in certain directions. So when the hand meets incoming force, it allows a certain amount of tension and should respond in a fraction of a second. That is the purpose of the sticky hand exercise. Try to relax at all times. Pass incoming force instead of resisting.