Legendary Origin - Shaolin (Sil Lum) Temple
The Wing Chun style originated 250 years ago. Wing Chun was created in the Sil Lum Shaolin Buddhist Monastery of Mt. Sung, in Hunan Province in China as a reaction to the repressive Manchu government during the Ching Dynasty. Opinions differ on the actual individuals involved in the lineage from origin to today. Our best source for the origin of Wing Chun is late Grand Master Yip Man. According to Yip Man, it was created by 5 Shaolin Grand Masters at Sil Lum as a new fighting style that would dominate other fighting arts and require much less training time to master. The 5 masters were Abbot Chi Shin, Abbot Pak Mei, Master Fung To Tak, Master Miu Hin & aged Buddhist nun Ng Mui. Kung Fu became very strong at Sil Lum, arousing the fear of the Manchu government [a non-Chinese people from Manchuria in the North, who ruled China at that time], which attacked the Monastery. Although they were unsuccessful, a civil servant seeking government favour named Chan Man Wai, devised a treacherous plan to burn the Sil Lum temple to the ground.
After Sil Lum was burned down, the monks and disciples scattered. The 5 masters escaped and went their separate ways. Ng Mui took refuge in the White Crane Temple on Mt. Tai Leung. Ng Mui met Yim Yee and his daughter Wing Chun from whom she often bought bean curd from. Miss Yim Wing Chun was a native of Canton Province in China. She was an intelligent and athletic young girl, upstanding and forthright. At fifteen, Wing Chun's beauty attracted the attention of a local bully who tried to force Wing Chun to marry him. Ng Mui learned of this and agreed to teach Wing Chun fighting techniques for self defense. Wing Chun trained night and day until she mastered the techniques. Then she challenged the bully to a fight and beat him. Ng Mui charged Wing Chun to develop and honour the kung fu after she married.
Yim Wing Chun - Yip Man
Wing Chun translates as "hope for the future". She taught her husband Leung Bok Chau who taught Leung Lan Kwai. Leung Lan Kwai passed it on to Wong Wah Bo, a member of an opera troupe on board a junk, known as the Red Junk. Wong worked on the Red Junk with Leung Yee Tei. Abbot Chi Shin, who fled from Sil Lum was in hiding as a cook working on the Red Junk. Chi Shin taught the Six-and-a-half-point Long Pole to Leung Yee Tei. Wong Wah Bo & Leung Yee Tei shared & improved their techniques. Thus the Six-and-a-half-point Long Pole was incorporated into Wing Chun Kung Fu. Leung Yee Tei taught Leung Jan, an herbal Doctor in Fat Shan who attained the highest level of proficiency. Leung Jan became very famous. Later he passed his Kung Fu on to Chan Wah Soon, who took Yip Man as his student. It can thus be said that the Wing Chun System was passed on to Yip Man in a direct line of succession from its origin. Although the details of Ng Mui and Yim Wing Chun are debatable, the direct lineage is unquestionable.
William Cheung, Bruce Lee & Brian Lewadny
Yip Man taught current world Grand Master William Cheung in Hong Kong. After Yip Man passed away, William Cheung opened Traditional Wing Chun to the world, teaching the once-private style widely across the world. William Cheung's two most exceptional students were Bruce Lee and Brian Lewadny. Brian Lewadny is Chief Instructor of The Canadian Wing Chun Association and pioneered the diverse Wing Chun Curriculum complete with traditional and non traditional weapons and all ranges of combat from standing to ground. This exceptional curriculum is taught only by the Instructors of The Canadian Wing Chun Academies.
James Heinrich
James Heinrich was born and raised in Penticton, BC and started his martial arts training here in 1980. James was the first to achieve the title of Sifu, Level 10 with Instructor Certification under the Instruction of Sigung Brian Lewadny and Sifu Brenda Lewadny in Calgary AB. Sifu James Heinrich was the first student to complete a level 10 grading by the current high standards and content of the exceptional curriculum mentioned above. Returning to the Okanagan in 1993 with his partner and wife Esmeralda, Level 6, they opened Great Way Martial Arts. Their passion for the martial arts continues to grow year after year.
"I believe that the benefits from martial arts training are so vast and powerful that everyone can benefit. My personal mission is to positively touch as many lives as possible through the martial arts!"
Sifu James Heinrich
The Principles of Wing Chun
Wing Chun is a scientific and pragmatic system of self defense. All angles and positioning are specifically designed for maximum speed, control and simplicity in defense or counter attack. Unlike other martial arts, Wing Chun was specifically designed by Shaolin kung fu masters to dominate all other fighting styles and is the most efficient self defense system for men or women against any size of attacker.
Centerline
The centerline runs down the center of your body. Your balance and strength flow up from the ground out through your centerline and most attacks are directed at your center. Therefore, we move away from the attack line, using our centerline to counterattack on an angle where we are strong and the opponent is weak, an angle where an opponent can not easily defend or counter.
Forward Intention
Maintaining forward intention, a dynamic forward energy even when still, allows you to sense and counter an opponent more easily with less energy and allow you to maximize economy of motion.
Economy of Motion
Wing Chun is not interested in beating around the bush, it goes directly to the point, ending a conflict quickly with minimal effort. The ideal defense is to end the conflict before a full attack can even be launched.
Face the Point of Contact
Our strength flows from the centerline, so we always face the point of contact to maximize our energy and simplify the technique. Our defense and counter attack will then maximize our strength and speed. This also helps build confidence that we can dissolve attacks from any size of attacker.
Simplicity
Simplicity is the overarching principle of Wing Chun. No flowery but impractical moves are part of the system. Maintaining forward intention and keeping it simple will allow you to maximize speed and end conflicts with the least effort possible. As students progress from beginners to advanced, they learn a lot of techniques but also learn the art of doing less for maximized speed, power and self control.