Unfortunately, the legendary history cannot be confirmed and has been the subject of debate for decades. The only historical figure generally agreed upon is Leung Jan (梁贊 liang2 zan4; loeng4 zaan3), an herbal doctor who lived in the Chinese city of Foshan in the 19th century. Among his handful of students were Leung Bik (梁碧 liang2 bi4; loeng4 bik1), Chan Wah-shun (陳華順 chen2 hua2 shun4; can4 waa4 seon6) (aka "Money-changer Wa"), and his son Leung Chun (梁? liang2 ?; loeng4 ?). Of these, Leung Bik and Chan Wa-shun were the primary teachers of Yip Man.
Leung Jan is said to have learned from two people, Wong Wah-bo (黃華寳 huang2 hua2 bao3; wong4 waa4 bou2) and Leung Yee-tai (梁二娣 liang2 er4 ti4; loeng4 ji6 tai5), both of whom are said to have been experts at different aspects of Wing Chun, and at least one of whom (Leung Yee-tai) was a traveling performer with a Chinese opera troupe which moved from place to place by boat.
Other alternative histories for Wing Chun typically involve connections to the Triads, revolutionary groups, or the Hakka people of southern China.
The central principle is developing a skill called "Chi Sao" (literally, "sticky arms") which comes from developing a sensitivity in the arms and legs (Chi Gerk, "sticky legs") to "stick" to an opponent's limbs, preventing them from penetrating your defense, and then using quick, direct attacks once the way forward becomes clear.
Although initially developed as an unarmed form of combat, the Wing Chun system also incorporated the use of the pole and butterfly swords during its evolution.
As the style is taught conceptually, rather than with emphasis on techniques, there have been several interpretations of the art over time. This is reflected in the separate schools established by in later years, as listed below.
There are 3 main empty hand forms typically found within the system, each of which imparts and builds on foundational concepts:
The "six and a half point" pole form and the "eight chopping" knives forms are primarily used to develop and condition the empty hand movements.
Since one of Wing Chun principles is simplicity, 'growth' should be understood as 'refinement'.
All Wing Chun techniques have a practical purpose. There are no flowery moves or graceful techniques that mimic animal movements. To the uninitiated, Wing Chun can appear less effective when compared with more dramatic styles. Like Hsing Yi, another linear style, Wing Chun practitioners pride themselves on plain-looking but effective techniques. The crowd-pleasing elaborate moves used by Bruce Lee in his movies are not real Wing Chun or Jeet Kune Do. Bruce Lee consciously choreographed more flamboyant moves to entertain his fans. His actual fighting style was simple, direct and effective.
Following this utilitarian approach, the names of Wing Chun techniques are purely descriptive. For example - bounce hand (tan sau), wing arm (bong sau), slapping hand (pak sau). Wing Chun terminology is traditionally rendered in the Cantonese dialect of Chinese.
Wing Chun is an external style (relies on body mechanics), not an internal style (nei chia) that makes use of Qi or internal energy.
While there have been claims to the contrary, any use of internal energy in Wing Chun is peripheral or supplemental at best.
This is not to say that Wing Chun relies on brute strength. On the contrary, softness (via relaxation) is fundamental to the style, and essential to deflect, negate, and use an opponent's power against him.
Classification as a "hard" style is therefore misleading. While some say that, even tense, it is possible to use Wing Chun, such an unsophisticated approach is easily defeated by a skilled Wing Chun practitioner.
Even Chi Sao can be misused if too much force is used. Yip Man did not lose to his young students in Chi Sao even during his later years, when he was weaker. He used his superior sensitivity and body structure to control their power.
Skill does not come automatically. The difference in the application of techniques can be subtle. Proper instruction is crucial.
Wing Chun's emphasis on speed arises naturally from its close range fighting focus. At close range, a punch has less distance to travel and so will arrive more quickly. At close range, hand positions can be difficult to see because of this heightened speed. This is why Chi Sao is used to train a Wing Chun practitioner to sense his opponent's hand position and probe for holes in his defense, from touch alone.
The Wing Chun stance is also designed for speed. The feet are kept about a shoulder's width apart, forming a good balance between speed and stability. A wider stance would be more stable but would slow down kicks and footwork.
A highly trained Wing Chun practitioner achieves maximum speed by acting reflexively and instinctively to his opponent's moves. Chi Sao training will help in this. He does not think "if my opponent does this I will counter with that". Instead, he just reacts.
The speed at which Bruce Lee fought in his later movies is not an accurate representation of the speed at which Wing Chun or Jeet Kune Do is conducted. Bruce Lee slowed down to make his movements easier to see. His earlier movies such as Chinese Connection http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0068767/ are more realistic in this regard.
The advantages of the vertical punch are speed, protection, hand strength and force redirection.
The vertical punch is so effective that Bruce Lee kept it unchanged, in Jeet Kune Do.
The vertical punch is the basis for the Wing Chun chain punch - alternate left and right vertical punches thrown in quick succession, resulting in a fast flurry of punches of a few punches per second. The chain punch is simple, effective and difficult to counter.
Wing Chun students are taught that when in doubt as to which technique to use, they should attack with the chain punch. This avoids the "analysis paralysis" that can occur when an overly-trained martial artist gets into an unstructured street fight.
Note that the vertical punch is linear - only straight line movements are used.
Even the arms are trained to move independently of each other. This is one of the purposes of the Siu Nim Tao.
Wing Chun practitioners believe that the person with the better body structure will win.
For example, the forearm in the bong sau should be kept high so as to deflect punches upwards. The bong sau forearm is also kept forward because having it too far back weakens the leverage of the triceps and allows the forearm to be pushed back.
Wing Chun students are taught how to test each technique against specific attacks so that they can assume the correct positions from actual feedback and not from blindly following their instructor. Proper stances are checked by having someone push against you to check your stability.
Chum Kiu, the second form, consists of techniques to destroy you opponent's structure and balance, leaving him open to attack.
Biu Tze, the third form, consists of techniques to counter attack when you are in a disadvantageous situation, when your structure and balance have been compromised.
Wing Chun techniques are performed in a relaxed manner, during both training and in actual combat.
This relaxed approach is extended into the training itself. It would be difficult to teach students to relax if the training atmosphere itself was tense. Wing Chun classes are commonly relaxed and light hearted affairs. Sifus are friendly and open, far from the Hollywood (and Hong Kong) caricature of sadistic inscrutable taskmasters.
The two weapons of Wing Chun are
Wing Chun students are taught the reasoning behind each technique that they learn. This avoids them going through the motions without knowing how to apply them. This theoretical grounding also allows them to analyze other styles for strengths and weaknesses.
Wing Chun as taught by Yip Man was in some ways a socially revolutionary art. There were no ranks or titles in the art. One's standing in the wing chun did not come from "time in grade" or "age"; instead, the "hands did the talking" and made clear who had superior skill. Indeed, one of the first things that one learned was to look straight at the instructor, which could be difficult as Chinese social mores placed emphasis on respect for elders, for example by avoiding direct gaze. A wing chun kwoon ("training hall") could be likened to a wolf pack rather than to a hierarchical military-style organization.
Wing Chun also makes use of a number of kuen kuit to teach the art. These are short, often sing-song, sayings or rhymes that indicate principles, or strategies, or even particular responses. Although these can be written in chinese characters, they are actually Cantonese (so have no real written equivalent). In many cases, their meaning rested on slang that was not necessarily widely known. In others, although the meaning might be "clear", the actual meaning for the art would require that you physically learn something.
Yip Man was the first person to teach Wing Chun to a wider public. After his death, many of his students formed separate schools. In some cases, instructors developed more systematic methodologies of teaching Wing Chun -- however, there is probably no substitute for direct hands-on transmission of the feel of the art. This has lead to varying interpretations of the art.
Yip Man was well-known for having a very quick wit and an acid tongue. His teaching style, along with the very direct nature of the art and its despising of superfluous talk, infuses the art with a certain edginess. This is probably why Wing Chun is well-known for being split into many factions, each of which feel that they are the holders of the true transmission of the art.
Bruce Lee trained in Wing Chun and later incorporated some of its moves and philosophy into the Jeet Kune Do style he later personally developed. Jeet Kune Do differs greatly from Wing Chun as taught by Yip Man.