Read Time: 3 mins 21 secs

Although the history of Wing Chun is shrouded in mystery, it originated from the Shaolin Kung Fu according to the Ip Man account.  Shaolin martial arts is grounded in a mixture of Taoist and Ch’an Buddhist philosophy.  The internal and spiritual aspects that sit beneath the fighting application are a key part of the heritage of Wing Chun.  The application of Wing Chun as a fighting art used outside of the temples is often more akin to the self-defence style of teaching of Wing Chun taught in the West these days.  However, those who seek to understand and master their training in Wing Chun will understand that they must embrace this legacy and that the inner development and understanding goes hand in hand with the more advanced knowledge of the system.  This philosophy and spiritualism guide the martial artist to develop themselves both physically and mentally.   Although modern Wing Chun teaching outside of the East does not readily share this depth of knowledge, it is clear to long-term practitioners that the following Shaolin 5 levels of wisdom that are reflected in the modern Wing Chun journey:

Level 1 – Ying

This level  teaches the basic forms and shapes and is focused on the study of the different punching / kicking combat techniques.

At this level the Wing Chun student begins to understand the basic spatial positions – i.e. what the stances look like, where the arms and legs are located for each of the techniques (Bong Sau, Man Sau etc.).

The student also begins to understand how Wing Chun positions differ from other martial arts they may have studied along with the differences in how the body is held in normal posture.

Level 2 – Yi

This level focuses on understanding the principles, including ‘bridging’.  This level explores a deeper understanding of how to employ the combat techniques learned within Ying.

Having started to gain control over their own movements, the Wing Chun student must now apply that learning into the dynamic reality of a fighting situation – understanding how to apply the techniques and principles between themselves and the opponent.  This includes basic drills (such as Pak, Lop etc.) an introduction to ‘sticky hands’ (Dan Chi Sau, Poon Sau and Chi Sau) along with controlled sparring and attack / defend exercises.

Here the Wing Chun student starts to ‘feel’ (and therefore truly understand) when a particular technique works and, importantly, when it does not.

Level 3 – Lei

This level involves the internalisation of the shapes and forms within Ying and Yi.  This is developed into an instinctive system, mastering the forms through repetition.  The discipline and self control learned within the fighting system begin to be extended into ones philosophy of life.

Here the Wing Chun moves to a deeper level of working on Ying and Yi – training in a thorough understanding of the techniques and combining these a solid awareness of the principles behind them.   This is the first step for the student to control their Wing Chun skills rather than being controlled by them.   The student now responds using Wing Chun principles and solid techniques as a trained, automatic response.

The time and effort required to get to this point now sees the student embracing the wisdom inherent in the code of conduct and the wider Wing Chun system into their own philosophy.

Level 4 – Faat

Exploring our understanding of reality including space, time and gravity, including within the fighting system.

The advanced Wing Chun student now understands the ‘simple idea’ behind the Wing Chun system and comprehends the simplicity within the structure and fighting techniques.   In order to refine these skills they must begin to understand the level of understanding of the physical world around them and their own bodies to the same extent that those who created the system did.  This includes understanding the laws of physics in terms of how force, speed and power are generated along with an internal understanding of how the body and mind works through anatomy, physiology, biology, chemistry, psychology and neuroscience.

In doing so, the Wing Chun student deepens their understanding of how to use these principles to refine and hone their techniques and fighting skills to a high level.  This includes understanding such as interception and being able to apply these affectively, using gravity in the structure of the body and limbs to eliminate all waste use of energy thereby maximising speed and power, and developing a great spatial understanding to control multiple attackers using their environment to their advantage.

Level 5 – Seut

The expression of the understanding of levels 1-4 in everyday living through respect and discipline towards others.

Just as the Wing Chun student must learn Ying (the understanding of their own techniques) before they can apply this with others (Yi) so to the learning within the self in all the stages can now be freely expressed in relation to others.  Here the philosophy of life they began to develop in Lei and deeper in Faat can be freely applied – having mastered this inwardly it can be confidently expressed externally amongst friends, family and the wider community.

At this point the Wing Chun student has made considerable inroads into mastering both the Wing Chun system and themselves.  It is important to remember that there is no final ‘Black belt’ stage of mastery – instead, the level of training and understanding merely continues to new and deeper levels of refinement.

It is also important to remember that, just like everything in Wing Chun, that progress through these levels of wisdom in not linear – by this I mean you do not achieve level 1 as if it were a White belt in a martial art and them proceed to Yellow belt Level 2.  Instead, the later levels can be glimpsed as the student passes along the path and are built up over time.  Equally so, as level of wisdom increase the awareness of the need to further train and develop becomes more apparent.  In this way, many advanced practitioners of Wing Chun will often say, the further they come along the path it reveals how much further they have to travel.

Wishing you many blessings as you pass along the Wing Chun path on your own personal journey.

Copyright @ Craig Sands