Forms

Wing Chun Forms

Wing Chun has a focus on economy; as a result it has relatively few forms, which are choreographed sets of movements designed to help people learn the art.

Wing Chun consists of only six forms in total.

Siu Lim Tao

Siu Lim Tao, which means "small thought", or "little idea" is Wing Chun’s foundational form.

It is done stationary with no movement through the body and with the arms either moving individually or with both arms doing exactly the same movement at the same time. The purpose behind this kind of training is to build the basic foundation of the Wing Chun stance (Yi Ji Kim Yeung Ma) and to ensure all arm movements, punches, blocks etc., are done in their correct position in relation to the body. This builds good structure through the stance (which includes the whole body, not just the legs) and good structure through the arms.

Siu Lim Tao also builds strength, develops relaxation and allows the student to isolate techniques to fully develop them at their most basic level before adding in other, more complicated, components. It is also in the Siu Lim Tao that students learn to cultivate “forward Force” a key component of Wing Chun that comes into play at much higher levels of training.

Chum Kiu

Chum Kiu means “Seeking the Bridge” and is Wing Chun’s second form.

Chum Kiu introduces the power basis of Wing Chun, a technique called Jun Ma, “Turning Stance”. Jun Ma teaches students not only to make their stance mobile but also teaches them how to draw power from their hips.

Additionally, Chum Kiu introduces Wing Chun’s system of stepping which is combined with the Jun Ma and adds the next level of mobility to the system.

During Chum Kiu students begin to learn to move their arms in more complex ways than they did in Siu Lim Tao, usually doing two different things at the same time with each arm, all while trying to coordinate the arm movements with the movements of their body.

Finally, the overall onus of Chum Kiu is to teach students to move from long range to short and establish contact with the arms and legs of an attacker.

Chum Kiu also introduces some very basic movements where the arms move with differential timing, a theme built on in the third form.

Biu Ji

Biu Ji means “Thrusting Fingers” and is the third form.

Biu Ji introduces the more complicated aspects of the Wing Chun stance building on Jun Ma learned in Chum Kiu and also introduces many of the very close range techniques found in the system. The arm techniques in many of Biu Ji’s movements are differentially timed, in relation to one another, but timed in coordination with the entire body.

The overall aim of Biu Ji is to train range in an opposite manner to that in Chum Kiu, Biu Ji’s focus is going from close range to long.

It is also in Biu Ji that students learn the final aspects of the Wing Chun stance, Huen Bo, or circling leg and so gain all aspects required to apply Wing Chun's full mobility.

Mook Yan Jong (Wooden Dummy)

Up to this point all techniques are trained in isolation or in combinations that make them easier to learn and refine, not in ways that enable them to be effectively applied. In the Wooden Dummy Form techniques are applied in much more functional ways, however, that is not to say that all techniques in the Wooden Dummy Form can be pieced together as they are found in the Form.

The Wooden Dummy teaches students how to combine all aspects of the first three forms in relation to an attacker (the Wooden Dummy) and how to move around and to position themselves correctly in terms of range.

While, when one watches the performance of the Wooden Dummy Form, it may appear that what the student’s hands are doing is the main focus; this is incorrect; the real key to understanding the Wooden Dummy Form is to realise that it is primarily about learning how to unify and apply Wing Chun footwork.

Luk Dim Boon Kwan (Six and a half point Pole)

The pole Form is done with a long, reasonably heavy, wooden pole. Keeping with the principal of over-training, the pole we use to train with is longer, stiffer and heavier than the one used in actual fighting and so when training with this pole one gets more stability and strength than what would be needed for the “real” pole.

Technically the pole is not a Wing Chun weapon, however it was incorporated into the system as a long range weapon; it originates from Shaolin Kung Fu. The pole form, on the face of it does not conform to many of the key principals of Wing Chun (in its finer details it does though) and though apparently not of much practical application it does train strength and stability both of which are crucial to good Wing Chun.

In terms of real self defence applications the pole may yet have some functionality. One may not carry around a long pole in their day to day lives, however the techniques learned with the pole can be applied to many things that may come to hand, an umbrella for example.

Bat Chum Dao (Eight Chopping Knives)

The Bat Chum Dao, sometimes also called the Butterfly Knife Form is the final form in Wing Chun. The butterfly knives, have a blade about the length of a person’s forearm and have a handle with a one handed grip, a knuckle bow and a hook at the top. Once again, in line with Wing Chun’s Principle of over-training, the knives used in training (and so the vast majority of knives available on the market) tend to be broader, especially at the tip, and so heavier, than those that are intended for actual combat use.

Like the pole, in this day and age it would be highly unusual for a person to walk around armed with the knives, and probably illegal; and the chances of actually ever needing to use them in self-defence are remote to non-existent. However they are still a crucial aspect of the Wing Chun system.

Unlike the pole form, the knives are an integral part of Wing Chun and the Knife Form has many similarities to the Biu Ji Form. If a student has trained properly throughout their time learning Wing Chun, learning, and becoming proficient in, the Knife Form will re-enforce everything they have done before it. It will give them a lot more speed (if you can move your hand fast with a heavy knife in it you will move much faster if it is just your fist) and the same principal applies for the amount of power a student will be able to generate in their strikes. It will also strengthen a student’s stance and provide much more stability.

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