The Wing Chun Martial Arts system has only three 'empty hand' forms while other martial arts have dozens of forms. Coming from a Tae Kwon Do/Kenpo Karate background I found this amazing.
How could
they teach everything you needed to know about empty hand combat in
just three forms?
As I practice Wing Chun, I'm finding that everything you really need to know is in the Sil Lim Tao (or Little Idea) form.When I teach, it's interesting to watch people doing the Sil Lim Tao (SLT) translated 'little idea' , especially those that don't understand what is really being taught. It's almost like pulling teeth.
They have the look of, 'Man, this is so beginner stuff. Let's do the Chum Kil (searching the Bridge) or Bil Jee (Thrusting Fingers).' And if you ask what principles or concepts that are taught in this form, many can only name one or two.
If you do not learn the principles and concepts in the SLT you will never be able to truly master this form or any of the others. While doing Chum Kil, I discovered this first hand when Sifu corrected one of my positions.Looking at the finished position I found that what I was doing before broke a principle found in SLT. The principles and concepts in the SLT are 'instant checks' when you are doing your forms.
When you do chi sau (sticky hands) the SLT has all the hand positions you'll ever need, (because the remaining hand positions for the most part are only variations on the SLT ones). If you stick to the principles and concepts taught in the SLT you'll have everything you need for effective chi sau.
What are the principles and concepts in Wing Chun's SLT? Here are a couple: (you'll have to do some research to find others and their explanations.)
1) Centerline
Theory
2) Elbow Theory
3) Gates theory
4) Unification/Structure Principle
5) Angling Principles
By mastering the principles and concepts you can discover the keys to the Wing Chun Martial Arts System.
Keep Training, Keep Learning!
