Wing Chun has a long and rich history in Chinese culture and fits into the broader philosophy of Buddhism, and to some degree Taoism, which, in the past encompassed all aspects of life for many in China and beyond. 

The practice of martial arts, doing Kung Fu, historically, was seen as a way of unifying the mind and the body through physical activity and was an essential aspect of a rounded well-adjusted person. It was ranked along with philosophy, food, medicine and scholastic endeavour and was considered essential for health and wellbeing. 

In this context part of the function of Kung Fu (which literally means the expenditure of hard work, both mental and physical, through time to achieve a goal) was to cultivate concentration, knowledge, determination, mental and physical toughness, as well as good health and the ability for self-defence. 

Though the religious elements of the origins of Kung Fu have, over the centuries, receded for the overwhelming majority of people who practice it, the essential combination of mental, emotional and physical training survives and continues to be as beneficial for Kung Fu practitioners as it ever was.

Wing Chun is characterised by a number of strategies that make it unique among the martial arts from China. 

It does not rely on a great amount of strength to counter the attacks of an aggressor directly, rather Wing Chun utilises evasion and deflection to avoid oncoming attacks. 

Additionally Wing Chun utilises simultaneous attack and defence in order to counter attacks in the instant that an attack would be expected to be landing. The advantage of this is to neutralise an attacker as soon as is absolutely possible. 

One of Wing Chun’s signature tactics is to use sensitivity to stick to the arms and legs of an opponent and to use sensitivity in feeling the opponent’s “force”, that is the pressure they apply in trying to move their own body. Once a person can feel their opponent’s “force” and react to it appropriately, the person can use their opponent’s force against them, thus further neutralising disparities in strength and power. 

This concept is not unique to Wing Chun, it is shared by martial arts such as Tai Chi and Aikido. However, in the division between “soft” or “internal” martial arts, like Tai Chi or Aikido, and “hard” or “external” forms of martial arts, Wing Chun’s application of the principal is unique in its directness and unification of the principals of “soft/internal” and “hard/external” simultaneously combined in the same movements.

The best way to look at training in Wing Chun is: do any given technique as it is found in Siu Lim Tao, Chum Kiu or Biu Ji but one would generally apply the technique as it is found in the Wooden Dummy Form. 

To make understanding Wing Chun easier it is best to understand the focus of each form and then to understand how they all fit together. 

And, crucially, one must understand the principles behind Wing Chun.