The History and Practice of Wing Chun and It’s Benefits

Wing Chun is the name of a system of martial arts developed in southern China approximately 300 years ago. Its originator, the Buddhist nun Ng Mui, was a master of Shaolin Kung Fu and used this knowledge to invent a way to take advantage of the weaknesses inherent in the other Shaolin systems. This new system was well-guarded and passed on to only a few, very dedicated students. Later, the style became known as Wing Chun, after Ng Mui’s first student, a woman named Yim Wing Chun.

Yip Man, in 1949 was considered to be the grandmaster of modern Wing Chun. He brought the style out of China into Hong Kong and eventually to the rest of the world.

The origin of Wing Chun Kung Fu as told by the late Grandmaster Yip Man was named before his death brought forth the modern Wing Chun practice.

Are there health benefits to practicing Wing Chun?

Yes, there are 7 Wing Chun Health Benefits. In Wing Chun, health is important. There are at least seven areas where Wing Chun has a positive effect on your mental, emotional or physical wellbeing. These benefits are:

1. Fitness: At our school one student quit smoking, another lost almost 100 pounds (45 kilos) in the year he trained with us, and I lost weight and lowered my blood pressure by practicing Wing Chun.

Naturally, the level of fitness you achieve depends on your motivation and goals. The student who lost almost 100 pounds (45 kilos) worked out after kung fu class and watched his diet carefully. All of this added together with Wing Chun led to his amazing results.

When asked about our transformation, each one of us admit that it's thanks to Wing Chun that we decided to take action and make positive changes to our health.

2. Better Coordination: One of the great things about Wing Chun is that we train both sides of our bodies (the left and right sides). Better still is the fact that Wing Chun, and kung fu in general, trains you to use fine motor skill to fight (this is especially true at the (advanced wing chun stages). For example, it takes a lot of coordination to attack using a finger jab or simultaneously block, strike and kick at the same time.

3. Builds Internal Energy and Wellness: Most people have heard how Tai Chi and its slow forms are good for your health and helps develop internal “Qi” power. There are dozens of medical studies that support this.

Well, if you do your Wing Chun forms slowly and deliberately, like Tai Chi forms, you’ll get many of the same benefits. I get a similar workout doing my Wing Chun forms, slowly, as I do when I practice Tai Chi. What’s nice about using Wing Chun forms is you can work out in a small area, like a corner of your bedroom or hotel room if you’re traveling.

4. Relieves Stress: Getting a good workout, especially a cardio workout helps purge the stress. And it’s good for the heart too. Plus, training Wing Chun forces you to focus on the here and now, not on your problems. For instance, if someone is throwing a kick or punch at you, you don’t have time to worry about the parking ticket you just got or the pile of paper work sitting on your desk at work. Getting rid of stress has really helped me clear my mind and allows me to do better work in my job. I’m not alone… the Oscar-nominated actor Robert Downey Jr. credits Wing Chun to helping him relaunch his career, break his drug habit and get his life back together.

5. Better Reflexes: In Wing Chun we train both contact (chi sau) reflexes and visual reflexes. This training also improves our muscle memory (which is when your body makes the right moves on its own). It’s almost like Spider-Man’s spider-sense.

I’ve had many experiences where I’ve caught something falling off a table or counter, in mid-fall, without even thinking about it. And on more than one occasion I’ve ducked my head just before smacking it on a low hanging ledge or shelf, you know, one of those low ledges that everyone else walks into. My body just “knew” it was there and “knew” what to do. 

6. Improves eye focusing: When you’re not in contact range you must rely on visual reflexes (your eyes) to keep you safe and a threat to your opponent. In the West we pay little attention to eye health. In Chinese schools, on the other hand, exercising the eyes during school is part of the daily routine. In my martial arts school we exercise the eyes during our warm up. I’ve noticed that the eye exercises are beneficial due to most people use computers on a daily basis.

7. Improves speed and power: Wing Chun is well known for its speed. And when you train correctly you learn to back up the speed with explosive power. This is good for your overall health because you want to have” reserves “available in an instant. In other words, you don’t want to be so well tuned that you’re always cruising around at maximum efficiency.

There are way too many stories where someone suffered a heart attack because of emotional or mental distress, not a physical one. 

That’s why it’s important to stay fit, both physically and mentally. Exercise both your body and your mind. Develop new skills, do yoga, meditate and try to keep your body and mind healthy. An important part of having extra capacity is keeping your stress levels in check. Stress can come from many places such as work, relationships, finances, or just simply being overwhelmed with life’s pressures. Learning how to manage stress is essential in order to have that extra capacity to deal with unexpected crashes. Exercise, meditate, talk to a friend, or get outside in nature are all good ways to reduce stress. So, when you’re cruising down the highway and a crash happens next to you, you don’t have to panic. You can hit the gas pedal, jump out of harm’s way, and be on your way. But if you don’t have that extra capacity, you’re going to sit there and get crushed. The same is true when it comes to your health. Having extra capacity gives you the power to deal with physical, emotional, and mental shocks with ease. It’s important to stay fit, both physically and mentally, and to keep your stress levels in check. If you do all of these things, you’ll be able to jump out of harm’s way when life throws you a curve ball.