What is Wing Tsun?

Wing Tsun (abbreviation: W T) was derived from the traditional martial art techniques of Shaolin Kung Fu and developed into a modern form of learning self-defence skills.

 

W T does not promote the idea of fighting- „techniques“, but relies on essential fight- and movement-principles, which grant orientation and safety, in combat and during the learning process.

 

The (training) techniques and skills are learnt, so the principles can be reflected in the practitioners actions, it is in equal measure the way and the result of Wing Tsun practice at the same time.

 

Its not about attacking, but to deal with an attack, so the fight will end as son as possible. The attitude, that is expressed in Wing Tsun is not aggressive combative, but actively peaceful. One learns to deal with aggression and to handle an attack in an adequate way.

 

The Wing Tsun principles lead to dynamic movement and are very effective when incorporated clearly. That’s why it is important to quarrel with movement in detail, to make good progress. The Six Point Pole and the Butterfly Knives are also used for training. Practice with weapons improves posture, enhances attention and timing.

 

Wing Tsun enables you to move feely, more natural and without fear, because you learn to act spontaneously and adequate in case of an emergency. Control of fear is achieved by being able to fall properly and by controlling the breath in situations of stress . In foreseeable time you can defend yourself or help others to do so.

 

The predominant full-body-movements improve the quality and coordination of your actions, letting you dicover dynamic balance. You do something good for yourself and begin to learn more easily again. No additional fitness-training is necessary to progress.

 

What is the training like?

 Most of all you will learn W T by partner-practice with other students or in intensive private lessons, tailored to your needs. The training-climate is relaxed, vigilant and characterized by constructive cooperation. Wing Tsun is learned similar to a (foreign) language: The six main forms contain an expanding alphabet of movements, which are combined in partner-practice to whole words. By training a method called Chi-Saoor “sticking hands”, you learn to react to movement-impulses in a reflexive way, this sensomotoric training works as the grammar of the language you are learning. The relevant applications enable you to react adequate in standard situations. In the language-learning metaphor, these would be the most common standard every-day situations (shopping, hotel reservation, respectively nudging, punches, kicks…). After all you like to communicate spontaneously and absolutely free (like an attacker would do), you will learn to try that out in free sparring situations (Lat Sao).

 

To provide power and accuracy for the movements, regular work with hand-pads is done; wall-bags and the punch bag are used to find the most simple and effective movement-rhythm.

 

Wing Tsun for everybody

There are no special physical requirements to learn Wing Tsun, because there are no acrobatic movements.

 

You don’t have to be a classic sports person to start.

 

Desk-criminals are also absolutely right here, because every human learns in a different way and starts with varying preconditions and assumptions. Everybody gets picked up, where he is right now!

 

Wing Tsun is suitable for women and men of every age, there are special training-opportunities for children and juveniles. Experiences in other martial arts or fighting-styles usually do not form an insuperable obstacle. Contrary to the common myth, it is not necessary to start an education in martial arts as a child to get to a remarkable skill, human beings stays capable of learning throughout their whole lifetime.

 

Graduation System

Wing Tsuns first part of its graduation system is divided into Student-Grades (SG) and Technician-grades (TG). The graduation system is getting started with the first Student-Grade you have to pass 12 Student-Grades to do the exam for the first Technician-Grade. Its often assumed that the first (of four) Technician-Grade is equal to mastership, but it only means, that the student has completed the learning of the pure techniques and is now proceeding to a deeper understanding and incorporation of the principles. The Technician-Grades are wearing the typical black suit with a red seamed rim. With two times of practice a week it takes about four years to complete the full 12 Student Grades.

 

There is no obligation to attest skills in examinations. Whoever decides to document his development by passing graduation-exams, will realize that he is encouraged to gain a deeper understanding of the basic techniques of Wing Tsun and has a functional structure for his own future teaching.

 

The seemingly endless “material” of exercises and techniques is at once getting structured; the coherences and recurring movement-principles are becoming obvious.

 

Even being so helpful for the understanding of the System, the exams and the accomplishment of the next grade should not be the only motivation for training. It is senseless to train for the completion of exams. With every exam, you only prove your understanding on your level and not an objective combat strength.

 

The teacher is able to asses the development of the student and decide if it is in accordance with the educational way of Wing Tsun. The exams up to the 12 SG are done within the school, the exams for Technician-Grades are approved by Sifu Hartmut Gebelein.

 

The Graduations are recognizable by coloured patches on the training-shirts. 

 

What is special about Wing Tsun ?

Wing Tsun teaches you a technique to learn as well as the ability to be totally dedicated to a task, in equal measure. Herein lays the true value for everyday-life. The increased attentiveness and the flowing movements are automatically transferred to the daily life little by little. The Training is like a   research laboratory, making personal development possible by providing sooth conditions.

 

The heart or the glue that links together the exercises and distinguishes Wing Tsun from other martial Arts and fighting-styles, is the ingenious training-method Chi Sao (“sticking arms”), by means of the tactile sense one finds access to an area of human capabilities that is usually uncultivated.

 

Another aspect, that makes Wing Tsun special, is the backup (redundant) learning-structure that means, the learning-steps are building up on each other in a way which allows a better understanding in a shorter time. Every step has applicable skills as a result. The ability to self-defence generally rises significantly after the completion of only a few training-lessons. It is not necessary to train for years and years, to attain useful skills, while at the same time refinement has virtually no limits.

 

One other extraordinary circumstance is, that the effectiveness of the movements does not mainly depend on the diameter of the muscles but they derive their effect from a smartly coordinated assignment of all present structures, this versatility makes training-injuries very seldom.

 

There is so much interesting stuff to see, to read and to hear about Wing Tsun, but one thing is unbeatable reet: to try it out yourself.

 

Take a trial-lesson and decide. I’m looking forward to welcome you.

 

What makes private lessons so attractive?

Private lessons are 45min training-sets, the teacher’s attention is exclusively with one (or up to three) students, which allows for comprehensive progress in a short period of time.

 

In a calm and relaxed atmosphere, the teacher aligns the subject matter according to the individual possibilities, the learning speed and the goals of the student. By patient suggestions and the furtherance of individual strengths oftentimes an exciting dialog between student and teacher emerges and brings forth good training-results.

 

Experience has shown that students wish to use most of the private lessons to improve their “Chi-Sao” (tactile training)-skills, which at the same time improves speed, suppleness, timing and the feeling for distance. On the other hand, it is no problem to focus on the combative abilities or to find solutions for special situations of self-assertion.

 

It is worth to take private-lessons right from the start. The appointments are arranged via phone, E-mail or personally.

 

Workshops

The term „workshop“ defines two- to three hours of intensive group-lessons, apart from the regular   practice and usually takes place on the weekend, during morning-hours. Workshops are not included in the normal training-contribution and are open for interested students of other schools or martial arts.

 

The workshops are always about a special topic, for example a Chi-Sao-section, which is the basic entity of the tactile training or the possible answers to a special form of attacks (Judo, Wrestling, Weapons…)

 

Workshops offer enough time to tie relations and experience has shown that morning hours are very convenient to work together in relaxed and concentrated mode. Frequently new contacts are revealed and the normal training is enriched exceptionally.

 

Workshops require minimum three participants and no registration is needed, they are open to students of all graduations but have to be paid prior to start. Dates can be found in the training-schedule.