How the mind, heart, and body work

Martial arts is a way to understand how the mind, the heart, and the body work together in unity.

Wing Chun Kung Fu is brought by Ip Man to Hong Kong in the early 1900s.

There are many forms of Martial Arts and the form I learned is called Wing Chun . Folklore has it that it originated from a nun in the Shaolin temple. She invented Wing Chun Kung Fu, a form of Martial Arts populated by Ip Man and Bruce Lee later on, originally for a woman called Yim Wing Chun. Wing Chun was a street vendor who was often harassed by bullies in the streets. So the Shaolin nun designed a set of Kung Fu for her to defend herself.

Wing Chun Kung Fu focuses on power efficiency and maximising strength by leveraging the opponent's strength. It emphasizes the importance of defending your center line while offending your opponents. Energy is saved by making use of natural weight and gravity and the best angles. Movements of hands, arms, legs and feet are always connected to each other and the Dan Tien, where from the core of the body near the pelvis generates the most power.

Besides gaining more confidence in self-defence, I also enjoy the benefit of applying the principle of Wing Chun in my daily life. For example, I power-washed a decking a few days ago and ensure I didn't strain my body by following the principles below. As a result, I did 3 hours of power washing without any strain.

Drop the shoulders, hold the water gun with both hands close to my Dan Tien, and inch my legs slowly and steadily instead of swinging my arms.

If you would like to learn more about Wing Chun or another kind of Kung Fu, I would recommend you to start with a teacher or a group who can show you the principles behind the shapes of the form, this will help you understand a new way of living and being. There are many Kung Fu centers around the world and let me highlight a center near me in Manchester below.

Click here to find Classes near Manchester– Ip Man Wing Chun Kung Fu (wingchunkuen.org)