A Little Background on Kung Fu

Kung fu is a popular term that is associated with Chinese Martial Arts

However, the Chinese terms Kung Fu or Gong Fu  can be any accomplishment of skill in any activity not just martial arts.

Wushu is also another common term used for Chinese martial arts. Wushu is more specific to martial arts although is often associated with more gymnastic, sport orientated martial arts. Probably due to the political situations in China 1969 – 1976 where martial arts and many aspects of Chinese life were subjected to major transformations under Mao. Unfortunately a lot of traditional Chinese martial arts knowledge was lost for ever.

Wing Chun Kung Fu can be traced back to The Shaolin Temple where the monks were taught Kung Fu so that they were physically and mentally able to study plus able to defend themselves against the bandits and outlaws that were common at the period. They trained in both unarmed and armed systems

By the mid-16th century, military experts from all over China were traveling to The Shaolin Temple to study its fighting techniques and strategies. The fighting styles that are practiced today were developed over the centuries, after having incorporated forms that came into existence later. Some of these include Wing Chun, Bagua, White Crane, Praying Mantis, Five Animals, Tai Chi Chuan, Drunken Boxing, Hung Gar, Lau Gar, Pak Mei and Monkey. Many other martial arts originated from Kung Fu such as Karate but developed with other influences.

As you can imagine there were none of today’s distractions so the monks attained incredible skill and knowledge, dedicating their whole time to study.

China has one of the longest histories of  martial arts tradition of any society in the world, and with hundreds of styles Over the past two to four thousand years, many distinctive styles of Kung Fu have been developed, each with its own set of martial techniques, ideas & strategies.

There are also common themes to the different Kung Fu styles, which are often classified by families or schools. There are Kung Fu styles that mimic movements from animals and others that gather inspiration from various Chinese philosophies. Some Kung Fu styles put most of their focus into the belief of the harnessing of chi / qi energy, while others concentrate solely on competition and exhibition. Each style of Kung Fu offers a different approach to the common problems of self-defence, health, fitness and self-development.

Listens to What You Want “I have found the Kung Fu Schools listens to what you want out of your training and does its utmost to make you achieve that on a very personal level.  Being that I come from another club, I find this the most important and has re-invigorated my training.” Keith Collier British Rail

Chinese martial arts are often split into various categories :

External, Internal or a combination of both. Chinese martial arts can also be categorized by location, as in northern and southern as well, referring to what part of China the styles originated from, separated by the Yangtze River.

The main perceived difference about northern and southern styles is that the northern styles tend to emphasize kicks, high jumps,  deep stances while the southern styles focus more on rapid fluid movements, many hand techniques, and stable, mobile stances with fast footwork.

Examples of the northern styles include Changquan and Xingyiquan. Examples of the southern styles include Wing Chun, and Preying Mantis.

Chinese martial arts training consists of the following components: basics, forms, chi sau (Wing Chun) applications and weapons. Each style has its own unique training system with varying emphasis on each of those components often including philosophy, ethics and strategy.

Fundamentals of Kung Fu

Fundamentals are a vital part of the training, as a student cannot progress to the more advanced stages without them. Basic Kung Fu training involves a series of less complex movements that are performed repeatedly in a variety of ways until you become more familiar with them.  Your basic training in Wing Chun Kung Fu will involve solo training, training with  partners and the use of specialised equipment such as the  punch bags, focus pads, Bob and the wooden dummy.

A common saying concerning basic training in Chinese martial arts is as follows:

Train both Internal Kung Fu and External Kung Fu

Internal Kung Fu training includes the heart, the mind, the spirit & strength

External kung Fu training includes training the hands, the eyes, the body and the legs

Stretching in Kung Fu

Chinese martial arts pay considerable attention to stretching. Speed, power, and the reduction of injuries may be achieved by increasing the range of motion. Common stretching exercises include specific joint rotations, static stretching, and dynamic stretching. These exercises are performed individually, but may also be practiced in pairs. Different styles have different approaches to increase the student's flexibility. During each class at the Kung Fu Schools you have specific stretches to increase your mobility and gain maximum use of your body. You will also use equipment to aid your mobility and flexibility. Most students notice immediate improvments in how their body feels - people with joint problems are usually blown away by how loose and mobile they feel after are very short time.

Kung Fu Stances and Footwork

Stances & footwork are special postures and steps employed in Chinese martial arts training. Each style has different names and variations for each stance. Stances may be differentiated by feet position, body weighting, body alignment, and other such factors. Stance training can be practiced statically, the goal of which is to maintain the structure of the stance through a set time period to develop power, concentration and focus. Stance training can also be practiced dynamically, in which case, a series of movements is performed repeatedly. The horse riding stance is a common stance in many Kung Fu styles, Wing Chun Kung Fu has the IRAS which is narrower and is specific for  rapid footwork and effective self defence strategy. You will also have the opportunity to use balance beams & balance balls.  The essence of Wing Chun footwork is to ensure that you are out of the way of teh attack yet in a suitable position to counter attack.

Meditation & Calming / Focusing Your Mind

In many styles, meditation is considered to be a component of  martial arts training. Meditation can be used to develop focus, clarity of thought and as a basis for chi gong, qigong training.  Meditation when practiced in this context does not require a religious component.  The solo exercises that you practice in Wing Chun Kung Fu are a method of moving meditation where you are very focused and all other thoughts are put to the side. Wing Chun’s first form Siu Nim Tao means little idea - one of the main ideas is that you have no other thoughts in your mind other than the perfection of the form you are practicing

Unique / Special techniques

Special techniques are basic exercises that are unique to a particular martial arts style. Special techniques are developed based on the experience and understanding of a particular style. For example, many styles have training to increase the ability to withstand a direct hit through methods such as Iron Shirt. In Wing Chun, basic training includes the ability to strike with great power over a short distance, the use of a wooden dummy Mook Jung in to develop striking power however Chi Sau is probably the training method the wing Chun is most famous for - this develops an unbelievable ability to feel what your opponent is going to do, this sets Wing Chun apart from most other martial arts. 

Kung Fu Forms

Forms are series of techniques defined by their stances combined so they can be practiced as one whole set of movements. Some say that forms resemble a choreographed dance, although this could not be further from the truth. Training your forms will teach you how to move your body correctly, improve your speed, power explosiveness plus focus your mind. All the movements can be used in confrontations. This confusion often results from modern practitioners not understanding the combat applications of such forms, however this is a key aspect to training and should never be ignored.   At the Kung Fu School you will train applications from the forms from your very first lesson. 

These forms sought to incorporate both the internal and external aspects of Chinese martial arts. A kung fu form needs to be both practical, usable, and applicable as well as promoting flow, meditation, flexibility, balance and coordination.

Many styles consider forms as one of the most important practices, as they gradually build up the practitioner's strength and flexibility, internal power, speed and stamina, and teach balance and coordination. They also function as a tool for both the students and the teacher to remember the many techniques taught by the style, and sort them into various groups.

A style can have many compartments, both empty-handed and with weapons. In most styles, empty-handed techniques are the most common, but many styles also contain forms using a wide range of weapons of various length and type, utilising one or two hands. There are also styles that only practice a certain weapon, containing only forms with the specific weapon.
Wing Chun Kung Fu has 2 specific weapons Bart Cham Do butterfly knives and Luk Dim Boon Kwan six and a half point pole. They are more senior aspects of your Kung Fu training however the foundations you lay in the beginning enable a much faster appreciation of the weapons.

Self Defence Applications

Fighting Application training refers to the training of putting the martial techniques to use. Chinese martial arts usually contain a large arsenal of techniques and make use of the whole body; efficiency and effectiveness is what the techniques are based on. However, many Chinese martial arts appear to be flowery and 'fancier' than other arts but the movements are very meaningful in terms of application. When and how applications are taught varies from style to style, but in the beginning, most styles focus on certain drills where each person knows what technique is being practiced and what attack to expect. Gradually, fewer and fewer rules are applied, and the students learn how to react and feel what technique to use, depending on the situation and the type of opponent.

Training Wing Chun Kung Fu at The Kung Fu Schools you will learn an application for every single movement you train. One of the beauties of Wing Chun Kung Fu is the effectiveness of every part of your training.

Weapons Training

Most Kung Fu styles also make use of training a number of Chinese Weapons for conditioning the body, and strategy. Weapons training are generally carried out after the student is proficient in the basics, forms and fighting applications training. The basic theory for weapons training is to consider the weapon as an extension of your body. The same requirements for footwork and body coordination is required. The process of weapon training proceed with forms, forms with partners and then applications.