What is Wing Chun?
  Wing Chun was created over 200 years ago in China when the country was being invaded from the north. The masters of the Shaolin temples gathered together to develop a martial arts system that could be taught to the people so they could defend themselves against their attackers. They needed something that would be quick and easy to learn, but be as effective as the arts they had spent many years mastering in the temples. They conceived Wing Chun, a system based on martial principles, using the least amount of energy to gain the highest amount of results; the system uses the simplest and most effective techniques without having to rely on large amounts strength or acrobatic ability, with no compromises in effectiveness. It instead uses its principles to deal with an aggressor’s energy in the most scientific way possible, often times by using their own force against them.

Self-Defense
   Wing Chun is a self-defense oriented martial art. The first step in winning a fight is avoiding it. We teach how to better avoid situations that may result in a conflict, and how to diffuse those situations without first resorting to violence. We then teach to use only “necessary force” or using only what force is necessary to defend oneself and return to safety.

Economy of Motion
   Wing Chun is conceived in such a way that one can manage a fight effectively with just a few movements. The best self-defense is one that can fend off the most attacks with the least amount of movements! WC does not rely on highly acrobatic or strength demanding movements and techniques; it instead uses the most simple and direct techniques using the least amount of energy, to gain the highest amount of results.

"Sightless" Fighting
  Wing Chun relies on a tactile sense  as opposed to the sense of sight. Sight, although not invaluable, can be affected by certain variables such as darkness, various obstructions of sight (natural or otherwise) and tunnel vision and can cause it to be unreliable. When a WC pugilist gains contact with an opponent they can "feel" what the opponent intends to do, be it by judging tension, a shift in balance, or feeling the movement of the arms, through training they can determine "where" their opponent is and deduce their intent. This sensitivity is gained through training drills such as Lat Sau, Pun Sau and Chi Sau - which at advanced levels is practiced blindfolded to make the student rely wholly on their sense of touch!

Muscle Memory
  Muscle Memory takes the concept  "sightless fighting" one step further. In a fighting situation, as opposed to see, stop,  think, react, muscle memory allows one to simply react. Through training drills such as Lat Sau and Chi Sau the body develops second nature reflexes that allow the body to react on its own when a fighter "feels" or sees an attack coming. This allows for lightening fast reaction times.

Chain Punches
   Once a WC-fighter has gained his/her advantage by a punch he/she doesn't just give it up but lets other punches immediately follow the first. The quick sequence of punches overwhelms the capacities of the opponent to process information as he is driven into a helpless defense. This is one of the most effective techniques of all. Traditional martial arts know of virtually no means to counter them.

The Four Ways Of "Force"
   In dealing with "force", there are four key principles in Wing Chun:

1.  Be free from your own "force".
   Wing Chun is a soft style; you must not rely on brute force to manipulate the enemy. You must learn to relax, as there is always somebody that can use your own force against you!

2.  Free yourself from the "force" of your opponent.
   Don’t allow yourself to get into a strongman competition with your opponent; there is always somebody stronger then you.

3.  Use the "force" of the opponent.
   Learn to take advantage of tension and misplaced force in your opponent by redirecting it to work for you.

4.  Add your own "force" to the "force" of the opponent.
   Use your own force to supplement your actions when using your opponents force against them.

Principles
Wing Chun is based and taught on principles. In martial arts, principles are laws governing the philosophy on which a technique is based.

These are the four fundamental principles that apply to WC at any level:

1.  If the way is clear, move forward!
   Wing Chun follows “aggressive defense” (From the Latin “aggrediš” – to come close to somebody). As soon as an attacker moves close enough to potentially strike, the WC pugilist immediately moves forward, forcing the attacker to the defensive.

2.  If there is contact keep stick to it!
   If for any reason contact with the opponent’s limbs is made, the WC pugilist does not withdraw, but maintains a steady forward pressure towards the opponent’s core. This allows for the pugilist to “feel” or use tactile sense as opposed to sight, which can be slow and deceiving. This also prevents an opponent from having the opening and opportunity to offer a successful counter-attack.

3.  If your opponent is stronger, yield!
   Wing Chun does not rely on brute force. If an opponent offers an attack with a greater force than can be handled, instead of fighting it with an equal force, the WC pugilist yields. Yielding is a controlled way of “giving in” which allows for our pugilist to exploit the strength and force of his or her opponent and us it against him to remove them self from the course of an attack and successful initiate a counter-attack.

4.  If your opponent retreats, follow!
   Should an opponent withdraw an arm or a leg from contact, the WC pugilist follows the retreat, and immediately drives forward into an opponent’s core presenting an opening for attack.  

Ranges of a Fight
   Wing Chun teaches the student how to react to and defend them self in any range of combat. This is important as in real-life self-defense situation, where the rules of fairness do not apply, one never knows from what range or how they will be attacked.

The five ranges of combat are:

1. Far Combat Range
     Utilizing kicking.
2. Middle Combat Range
     Utilizing punches and other hand strikes
3. Close Combat Range
     Utilizing knees and elbows.
4. Grappling Combat Range
     Utilizing grabs, chokes, holds, locks and throws.
5. Ground Combat Range
     Utilizing ground-grappling techniques.
 

   The principles of Wing Chun are the same at any range of fighting. Because of this, the student need not change their technique or style as the range of the fight changes.