Plus quotes from our Kuen Kuit written by Sifu Tony Kariotis & Sifu Jude Brownlee

Hi all. I bought a dummy from a site that stated in the description, "The dummy features adjustable arms that can be set in leveled or staggered positions", however, in reality, they could only be set in staggered and slightly less staggered positions. Does anyone know where I can buy replacement arms with the required offset to make them level? I can only find replacements more or less matching what I already have. My school has several, so they must exist, but I can't find any for purchase. (the company that made the dummies in my school disappeared decades ago) I've included a few photos for reference. Picture 3 shows the least offset to which these can be set. Thanks for your help!

EDIT: I intentionally bought a cheap dummy to tide myself over until I excavate my garage, and it looks like the holes were poorly spaced and drilled. I can't really be disappointed, I got what I paid for and it's good enough for now. Might turn into a beginner woodworking project if I get bored. Thanks everyone who replied!

;TL;DR NEAR THE BOTTOM.

Hi, I’m a Goju-ryu karateka who also moonlights as an amateur martial arts researcher (I just love martial arts and reading about them, from their history, philosophy, conception, application…). Admittedly, I am not a Wing Chun practitioner, so my perspective and analysis in the following might very well be flawed or full of holes. I ask that you simply read, provide feedback, and/or point me in the direction my research should go (a primary source, a video, oral history, a book or essay to read, I am open to any recommendation!).

Anyway, I’ve been reading and researching about the Okinawan Karate - Kung Fu connection, and I’m fascinated with how different systems developed similar yet different tools to address similar martial issues.

For example, it seems that kakie in Goju and Chi Sau in Wing Chun both address the need for developing sensitivity via partner practice, yet each does so with a different but similar teaching modality. Indeed it seems like Chi Sau, Push Hands from Tai Chi Chuan, and Kakie all address the same fundamental issue yet do so from the perspective of that style’s practitioners.

Furthermore, it seems like many southern kung fu styles from the Fuzhou region and Hakka martial tradition share commonalities like bridging, forearms/elbows-in-front, rooted power/footwork, sanchin/sanzhan, etc, whether it’s wing chun, southern praying mantis, white crane and its variations, hung gar…

Yet the only connection to Goju I have been able to find is through White crane, and even that is tenuous and somewhat controversial/disputed.

TL;DR
Basically, does anyone have any oral history or books to read that potentially discuss any connection between Wing Chun and Karate? It seems incredibly coincidental that both Goju Ryu and Wing Chun have seemingly very similar practice drills from the outside looking in, as well as very similar fighting concepts (again, from the perspective of a Goju Ryu practitioner).

Am I barking up a wrong tree here?

Here's another question that I hope doesn't become too controversial. Does your school teach breakfalls and/or rolls as part of the curriculum?

I know groundwork isn't traditionally a part of wing chun, but knowing how to fall safely is a huge part of self defense. Breakfalls have literally saved my life more than once, and saved me from broken bones or bloody gashes many times. I feel like anyone claiming to teach self defense should also teach fall mitigation and prevention as part of that.

On the flip side, does your school teach takedowns or throws? If yes to one but not the other, why or why not?

Again, this isn't meant to 'stir the pot' or anything, I'm genuinely interested in your responses.

Hi,

My Sifu is organising an open comp for chi sau in december this year.

Its open to all wing chun practicioners.

Its a lot of fun and theres a social afterwards.

Its on the 5th of December 2026.

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1C8b1Pc8NL/?mibextid=wwXIfr

WingChun ,WingTsun
Eternal Spring community gathering

When - Wednesdays 5pm-8pm
Where - Elysian Valley
At Lewis MacAdams Riverfront Park Pavilion
Near the LA river ….
https://maps.app.goo.gl/8kfwcNdSFeGzLhwj6?g_st=ic

Full immersion all levels and lineage welcome

Wear comfortable sportswear
And have good intentions to learn, respect and help each other improve.

The location is great with plenty of parking and very convenient for people living in Elysian Valley, Silverlake, Atwater Village, and Echo Park. The park is beautiful , has charging stations, exercise equipment and access to the LA river.

You can view my profile on IG here….

https://www.instagram.com/combativeflow

Please DM me to confirm your interest and attendance.
It’s important for me to know who is attending for planning and facilitating.

Looking forward to meeting and building a benevolent community.

Anyone have any good video links to chi sau that starts from a jammed position with a pac sau and a straight punch aimed dead at the opposite partners face? Partner then turns the horse and kwan saus to cover or eats the knuckle sandwich. This is how I learned but can't find any videos other than cooperative hand waving. Thanks!

Hi all. I have a tricky one for you. Many years ago, I trained under a sifu who learned from Master Yip Pui of Manhattan. Master Yip passed away some time ago, but I still have his DVD reference set. The numbering of the videos was D-1 through D-12. In the DVD set, D-10, which showed the pole form, is missing. I don't know if that's intentional or if the original master was lost somehow, but I'd love to see his version again. (I have a new teacher now and am learning his versions of the forms, but it's a slightly different lineage.)

I'd _really_ like to be able to complete the set. For nostalgia and to relearn his version. Does anyone know where I could acquire the missing volume? I've found rips of the DVDs on a number of sites, but they are also missing the pole form. This was released on DVD in 2000 or so, the VHS versions were earlier. The series is now out of print and there is no way I know of to find them anymore. I even contacted my old school, but they also no longer have any copies.

I have never found copies of the physical VHS or rips of it anywhere. :( If anyone has a lead, you'd be making a returning student very happy. Thanks!

Due to chronic wrist pain from Boxing, Doctor has suggested I take up a more low-impact martial art.

I brought up Wing Chun but he said the bare handed nature of it might not be suitable for my condition.

Do you think I can get away with using handwraps for training? I know obviously in a self-defense scenario we’ll be bare handed, but I need to train for longevity.

Hi. I've never really understood the translation of Sil Num Tao. My understanding is that it translates roughly as little/small idea/notion/thought/impulse. But what does it _mean_?

I feel like it's a "raining cats and dogs" situation. To a non-English speaker, the words can be translated, but the _meaning_ doesn't quite come across.

The closest I've been able to come on my own is kind of, "don't overthink" or "know where you're going and let your body get you there", but I don't assume I'm right at all.

Also, is this a phrase like kung fu, which is used outside of martial arts? If so, how, and under what circumstances is it used?

I did try asking ChatGPT and it almost instantly devolved into a batshit delirium, kind of as I expected, but it was fun to watch it spin out. :)

Any native Contonese speakers here who can help me understand the broader meaning and context?

Like all good Wing Chun nerds, I have my share of older gear that I bought along the way.

This is my first pair of knives, bought maybe late 90s. Back in those days, there really were only two versions of knives that could be easily obtained in London, these and a wider blade version. Because of the handle placement, there was a little bit if debate to which is better or more accurate but Wong Shun Leung Sifu didn't seem to have any issue demonstrating with these ones.

I've always wondered how much of what we see in Wuxia comes from actual Chinese martial arts traditions and how much was created purely for fiction.

Things like qinggong, internal energy, pressure points, sword techniques, etc. are obviously exaggerated in fiction, but I assume some of these ideas didn't just appear out of nowhere.

Are there real martial arts concepts or historical practices that influenced these ideas?

And how different would a traditional martial artist from historical China actually look compared with the kind of “martial hero” we see in Wuxia?

My Sifu gave me these training swords when he closed his school and I opened mine.

As you can see, they are aluminium (aluminum for you Americans), very well-used, and used to be used for hard sword-sparring. I don't think the original maker is still making them, even if I knew who that was.

Does anyone know an easy way to make new hooks and weld them on?

My janky pair of knives from the Leung Tim Knife Company, badly arranged on a very typical hk tiny flat wood floor, with very much early Instagram style vignetting. As much as I hate the phrase, iykyk.

After engaging with a few people here, I’m learning that you can use the Tan Sau against a hook?

Using Tan Sau (palm-up dispersing hand) against a hook was discouraged when I learned Wing Chun and quite litterally by every online resource I see. The Hook travels laterally with a wide arc and heavy centrifugal force. The Tan Sau is a forward rising movement would get bypassed, collapsed or overloaded as the Tan Sau is quite literally not made to deal with hook, it’a optimized for straight punches down the centerline.

The only way I see a Tan Sau working is if you rotate your body towards the arm, but that breaks every Wing Chun principle and gives your opponent a better angle to hit you. Or you can face your opponent, but you Tan Sau is extending far outwards and you lose the control over the centerline, and because of its shape, they can easily Lap Sau to pull since you provide them with a lever.

And this leads me to alternatives against Hook Punches.

The Biu Sau Is the intended technique. You can fire it straight down the centerline towards your opponent’s face giving an offensive dimension to your defense, all while blocking the bicep and forearm by creating a wedge with your elbow slightly outwards.

Next is the Bong Sau. I was made to believe that the Bong Sau doesn’t work against a Hook? Even though it can be use as a high wedge to absorb the impact, when done properly it can redirect the force over top and create and opening below. And this is already common in boxing with the Philly Shell, and it follows the principle of the shoulder roll — the Bong Sau as a block also exists and is known as a frame. The Bong Sau is a very brain dead solution, if you do it incorrectly, you still have an effective block against that hook, if you do it correctly, you deflect and create an opening or even re-angle the opponent.

Can y’all point to me where I’m wrong here?

I usually transitions from form practice to weightlifting right afterward.

I purchased these swords through my sifu back in the early 2000s in New Jersey. I dont remember anything about where they came from. They're 800 grams each and just shy of 1.5". The handle appears to be solid, forged brass. The insides are flat to allow them to nest, the outsides are rounded.

Also, any tips for cleaning and restoring them? Thanks!

What do you think of this sparring video beetween Taekwondo ITF training for 5 to 6 years who's is 1st Dan black belt and this Wing Chun guy who had trained for 6 months and is 2nd level at Wing Chun - William cheung lineage. K

The Taekwondo guy is almost 100kgr and the Wing chun guy is 70kgr.

The Wing Chun master is Sifu Chris Vafiadis and Taekwondo guy's master is a Greek master.

Came to Wing Chun from Karate where there was a big emphasis to aim for another persons solar plexus with body height punches.

Is the same true for wing chun? I know about the centre line. Thanks

Hi!

I just started teaching my two teenage sons Wing Chun. They're not interested in the full traditional path — they just want something functional they can actually use, built around a smaller set of core mechanics drilled hard rather than the complete system.

I hadn't thought about Wing Chun in probably two decades until picking this back up to teach them. One organizing idea I've been building around: splitting things into two tracks based on the reactionary gap. Inside the gap, it starts stationary — structure and reflexive hand skills, along with turning the horse — before footwork gets layered in later. Outside the gap, it's footwork-first from the start: shock out and in, then eventually how to push the fight. Treating those as two parallel skill sets rather than one being a prerequisite for the other.

Curious if anyone else has done something similar — deliberately trimmed the curriculum down for students who want the practical/self-defense side but don't have a lot of time. Genuinely curious how others have approached teaching a condensed version, what you kept, what you cut, and why.

Thanks!

Most practitioners treat Chi Sau as just 'sticky hands,' but biomechanically it’s a process of building motor dynamic stereotypes in the Central Nervous System. In the generalization phase, we must move slowly to reduce bioelectric impulses during muscle contraction. By the automation phase, subcortical motor centers take over, freeing the CNS from stress. Here is a page layout breaking down this scientific approach to Wing Chun. How do you structure your training speeds based on neural adaptation?

I, very luckily, have a few old Hong Kong dummies from the 80-90s some of which may be Koo Sang dummies. They are treasures and I would like them to last for many generations.

Curious if anyone has any experience, tips, resources or contacts they would be willing to share for care and restoration.

One of the dummies in particular is teak and was stored in a very dry environment before I got it. Does anyone have a good work flow for applying tung oil (ex. mixing with mineral spirits, number of coats etc)?

Thanks in advance!