WingTsun & Escrima
About WingTsun
WingTsun distinguishes itself from other martial arts by focusing mainly on self-defence. Fitness, exercise, spiritual discipline and greater confidence are however welcome side
effects of regular practice. As such the emphasis is on defending oneself as quickly and efficiently as possible.
This is achieved by an offensive defence rather than waiting for an attack with the intention of blocking. “Attack is the best defence” the one of the initial concepts taught to students. The main technical trade mark of WingTsun are fast, powerful, short range strikes towards the vulnerable areas of an opponent’s body. All available weapons of the body are used: punches, open hand blows and elbows, towards the opponents head, knee strikes to the head/body and low kicks towards the opponent’s torso, knees, shins and ankles.
For more information, visit the homepage of the EWTO: http://www.wingtsunwelt.com/artikel.php?id=901
History of WingTsun
Legend has it that WingTsun which was founded over 250 years ago in southern China by the Buddhist nun Ng Mui who needed to devise a system to overcome the “hard” techniques of Shaolin Kung-Fu.
Her first student was a young girl called Yim WingTsun after whom this system is named. Wing Tsun was originally taught secretly to small groups until the late Great Grandmaster Yip Man arrived in
Hong Kong and popularised it. One of his students was the actor and martial artist Bruce Lee who began his WingTsun training at the age of 13.
In 1976 Great Grandmaster Leung Ting began his worldwide proliferation of WingTsun with a visit to Germany and while there adopted as his disciple the now Grandmaster Keith R. Kernspecht, founder and chief instructor of the European Wing Tsun Organisation. Since then the IWTA has gone on to be one of the largest martial art organisations in world with schools in over 63 countries. Leung Ting WingTsun has been taught in Ireland for nearly 20 years now with the IEWTO headed by Dai-Sifu Rainer Tausend (7 th Level Master).
For more information, visit the homepage of the EWTO: http://www.wingtsunwelt.com/artikel.php?id=907
Student Syllabus
The WingTsun student programme is divided into 12 modules, each of which takes on average 3-4 months to complete training if a students trains twice weekly. Students are examined on each module
by a instructor other than their own to ensure quality and consistence Dai-Sifu Rainer Tausend examins all students for advanced grades and supervises all gradings. Within the student syllabus
the following areas are covered.
Forms: Movements containing the key techniques and underlying principles of WingTsun. They also prepare the student physically for the practise of Wing Tsun as they convey the correct coordination due to the correct use of muscles and alignment of the skeleton.
Applications: Individual movements are taken from the forms and used as techniques in self-defence contexts (grabs, punches, kicks, grapples,locks, groundfighting). In the more advanced grades defences against weapons, multiple attackers and how to apply non-violent restraint are also taught.
Lat-Sau: While the forms and the applications will give the student the knowledge of how to defend oneself the student learns to apply the techniques in an less scripted situation against random attacks. This is achieved through the Lat-Sau exercise, a cycle of movements which allows techniques to be practised with high repetition and deveops the instinctive refles to apply the right technique at the right time.
Chi-Sau: Also known as clinging hands is a tactile exercise. It gives the trainee the ability to “instinctively“ place themselves in a
superior position to that of their opponent once contact with the hands has been made and let the opponent tell him by touch which technique to us. In way an attack can be launched while
placing onselve out of harms way.
Chi-Sau has been described as the soul of WingTsun which glues together all the movements in a synergistic way so that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. It is practiced in a relaxed
manner and facilitates the ultimate goal of WingTsun, to apply the correct techniques without conscious thought.
For information on individual student and technician as well as master grades, visit the homepage of the EWTO: http://www.wingtsunwelt.com/artikel.php?id=917