Wing Chun Kung-Fu: A Complete Guide

by Joseph Wayne Smith

The essential guide to Wing Chun Kung-Fu—basic forms and principles, fighting and grappling, advanced techniques and weapons.

Featuring over 300 black and white photos and step-by-step illustrations, Wing Chun A Complete Guide offers clear, straightforward, and authoritative instruction to the Chinese martial art of Wing Chun Kung-Fu. This Wing Chun book introduces and demonstrates the three empty-hand wing chun kung fu forms, the combative building blocks of the system, including sticky-hand and sticky-leg fighting, chin-na , and the theory of vital strikes to the weak points of human anatomy ( dar mak ). This Wing Chun guide also introduces the wooden dummy form, the six-and-a-half pole form, and the use of butterfly knives.

In addition, this kung fu book provides detailed commentary on the theory behind each move so that you can develop an in-depth understanding of both the practical application of this fighting art and the meaning behind it. Other sections include specialized fighting and grappling techniques and instructions on using weapons. An additional section is devoted to conditioning, stretching, power training and weight training exercises that will be of particular benefit for serious students of Wing Chun and practitioners of any martial art.

Genres: Martial Arts

256 pages, Paperback

First published September 15, 2006

Reviews

[Steven · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an interesting book on the Wing Chun style of Kung Fu. It is mostly written for students of the style, to help them understand the science -- the physiology and anatomy, as it were -- behind the Wing Chun forms. Not being a Kung Fu artist, I mostly was interested in it for research purposes; I am planning to do some creative writing with a character who is a Kung Fu specialist, and I was trying to figure out which style or form of Kung Fu the character should use. This book helped with that, mainly in the sense that, as described (and with the pictures), I do not think Wing Chun is "flashy" enough for what I have in mind.

I suspect that as a practical matter, Wing Chun is probably a very good form of self defense, and this book explains verbally and with pictures how to do most of the moves. The author takes a modern, scientific approach, which is to say that he disregards the mystical side of martial arts. Reports of people being able to kill without touching you, via their willpower, Smith dismisses as ridiculous (and I agree with him).

One thing I was hoping for more of with this book, however, was the history behind Wing Chun. Smith really doesn't tell us where the art came from or how it has changed over the years -- he only concentrates on the moves as they are practiced right now, and when you should use each one. I can't knock him too much for this, however, since he wasn't really writing a history book, but a practical guide to which Wing Chun moves one should use and under what conditions. On the other hand, with something like Kung Fu, the history is not irrelevant, and this book could use a chapter about it to put things into context.

Overall, this was an interesting read, despite my ignorance of martial arts when I started, and I feel like I understand the logic behind various moves (such as when to punch, when to kick, etc) more than I did before. So that part will no doubt help me when I go to do my creative writing.

[Baylor Cook · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wing Chun Kung-FU by Dr. Joseph Wayne Smith is a book on one of the most unique martial arts created. The only martial art in the world that was created by a female. This book explains the secret techniques of Sil Lum Tao, Chum Kil, Bil Jee, and the overall system of Wing Chun. That have been preserved for centuries all the way back to 1815 in Foshan, China. Wing Chun is known for having the fastest speed in fighting from their close range style. This book is also to be taken very seriously from it’s deadly content. In one of the chapters named Dar Mak ( death touch ) is specifically used for life or death situations. Describing all of the human body’s weak points that usually cause death. If you don’t feel safe at any point of time then please read this. Wing Chun and every other martial arts have one goal, and that goal is safety because safety is the number one thing in the world. Yes this martial art is built for a woman, but millions of men practice this deadly art as well. So if you want to know how a woman can really fight, then pick up Wing Chun Kung-Fu by Dr. Joseph Wayne Smith. Then you will probably never say “you fight like a girl”, and if you still believe a woman’s style is not affective watch Ip Man! (The true story based on one of the best fighters of Wing Chun. ( Who is a man))

[Omer Nuñez]

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[Nate · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is a very interesting book on one of the best self defense martial art system out there, and it gives you a better understanding of the art of wing chun

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's pretty good if you don't know anything about the art. Otherwise it's repetitive.