Read Time: 6 mins 19 secs

Biu Jee (also known as Bil Jee, Biu Ji or Biu Gee) is the third and final hand form of the Wing Chun Kung Fu system.  Traditionally it was only taught to trusted students who had trained for an extended period, demonstrating the necessary understanding of the earlier forms.    

Biu Jee completes the hand forms of the Wing Chun system by finalising the use of footwork, along with power and energy in the techniques.  Although being named ‘Thrusting Fingers’ and teaching finger strikes, the focus of this form is beyond finger strikes alone.  It is about being able to generate whole-body force and apply this along any point, extending into the fingertips.  Having mastered Biu Jee the advanced student can deliver devastating power through extremely short distances with much greater accuracy.

Going outside of the boundaries of the first two hand forms, it teaches ‘emergency techniques’ to recover lost structure, escaping from being pinned, trapped or being knocked down.  The nature of this form is to train the hands to return to the centreline as soon as possible, seeking to return back to a position of structural advantage, the central tenet of the Wing-Chun system. 

By seeking to understand how to recover from compromised structural positions, the Biu Jee form actively encourages the student to scrutinise the source of each Wing-Chun technique.  In doing so, mastering Biu Jee enables the student to express Wing-Chun at a more personal level.  Biu Jee also teaches the student that being in a life-or-death situation there is no absolute right or wrong technique.  Instead of being bound by what has been previously learned, Wing Chun provides a simple, effective toolkit that can be applied more naturally to the complexity of possible fighting situations the student may be faced with.

Recovering the Centreline

The Sil Lim Tao form introduces the student to what the centreline is and how to calibrate body positioning and structure to control this in the stationary, basic stance. The Chum Kiu form extends this to be able to manage the centreline during movement – helping the student to maintain balance whilst stepping and kicking.  The Biu Jee form starts from a position whereby the student has lost control of the centreline and demonstrates how to regain control as quickly as possible.

A key focus within Biu Jee is therefore concerned with regaining the inside line from an outside position.   Biu Jee set introduces and short-range circular motions and extended hand movements to achieve this.   This is accomplished by cutting back to the centreline (Jaam Jone).  This ability completes an important cycle for a Wing Chun exponent. Circular methods and outside, long-hand techniques complement the straight, inside approach.

In doing so, Biu Jiu extends the fundamental principle of ‘the shortest distance between two points is a straight line’, something that is trained in with paramount importance in the earlier forms.   Biu Jee teaches that, at an advanced level, the shortest distance between two points can also be a circle.   At least, circular strikes are more appropriate and effective in some situations.

Beyond merely regaining the inside line from the outside line the student who has been compromised must regain their balance, posture, stance, and positioning.  Biu Jee allows the hands to find the centreline again not by artificially ‘placing’ the hands, but instead using the principles of relaxed structure, triangulation, footwork, and whole-body unity from Sil Lim Tao and Chum Kiu to regain control, without reverting to fighting from a position of using muscular strength or introducing tension.     

Focused, Short-range Power

The Sil Lim Tao form teaches the student how to build up energy and then release it.  In the Chum Kiu form it extends this in coordinating the stance and arms to further release energy.  Biu Jee teaches the student to generate power from a short distance, refining the techniques of the earlier forms using an efficiency of subtle, precise execution.  

Although Biu Jee may appear less mobile than Chum Kiu its concise body motions and techniques promote superior focus and explosiveness.  In this way Biu Jee training represents refinement and a return to simplicity.  The Biu Jee form teaches the student how to focus the energy into very specific parts of the body, such as the fingertips in order to both block and strike with them.

In addition, Biu Jee develops a focus on the areas targeted when executing technique.  Strikes are no longer aimed at the generic areas, such as head or body, but narrowed down to specific, more delicate areas like the throat, the eyes, or the nose.  This is because the purpose of the form is to cause harm and neutralise attackers in unfavourable situations – delivering the most devastating effect to the opponent in order to quickly salvage the best outcome in a life-or-death situation. This marks a step-change in the psychological mindset of the student from learning and understanding standard techniques in the earlier forms to the execution and application of these in Biu Jee to cause maximum injury.

Rotation and Two-way Energy

As part of the recovery to the centreline Biu Jee uses rotational mechanics to add to the penetrating power developed with the first and second forms.   Biu Jee builds on the two-way energy developed in Chum Kiu which develops strong vectors of rotating force, using the entire body mass, to the movements learned in Sil Lim Tao.

The Sil Lim Tao and and Chum Kiu Forms develop an understanding of the correct structure of the spine and the associated movement through the techniques from this.  Here the ‘core’ is visualised like a pole extended vertically through the middle of the body.  The Biu Jee form extends this to the horizontal centre of the body and derive all movements from here.  Here the ‘core’ is now a centre point which can be visualised like a ball or gyroscope allowing the body to apply force in any direction.

A key development in the Biu Jee form is the addition of spine rotation. This spinal rotation movement creates the vortex effect of the gyroscope. This vortex is able to direct external force to the centre either draw them in or expel them.  This can be understood from thinking about a whirlpool – where an object is on the outer edges it will be projected away.   However, if the object gets close to the centre it is further drawn in. This vortex type of energy from the Biu Jee movements therefore creates a three-dimensional ability in applying and overcoming force.

The use of two-way energy increases the power of this rotational energy, using the opposing arm movement to assist the rotation created in the waist through the legs.  An example can be seen in the Cup Jern movement, where focus should be given not only to the hand that is striking but also the withdrawing handing into Sout Kuen at the same speed.  When performed correctly this action compliments the rotational energy in the waist by adding in the additional muscle groupings used in the extension and retraction of the arms.  In this way, it incorporates whole-body application which increases the power to the striking hand.

Advanced Footwork

Huen Ma or ‘Circling Stance’ is the stance and associated footwork that is developed in the Biu Gee form.  This builds on the Chum Kiu thrusting stepping or Biu ma.  Huen Ma is used for a rapid, safe change of direction enabling the student to avoid an attack and quickly counterattack.

Huen Ma is extremely effective when combined with the footwork of Biu Ma.  In application the student is shifting the weight from the back leg to become the front leg.  In doing so, Huen Ma enables the student to shift weight and change position quickly and safely.   It also allows the student to step around any obstacles, get behind an opponent’s leading leg and gain control, or execute trips or takedowns.  It also allows the student you to fully change direction in the event of an unexpected attack or counter.

As a basic stance, Biu Jee Ma is often introduced in Sil Lim Tao level, for this stance promotes centering skills and improved balance as prerequisites to later general mobility developed in Chum Kiu.   In Biu Jee this mobility is further refined in order to be able to use the internal gyroscope or vortices energy to be able to apply energy and control incoming attacks from any incoming angle.

Emergency Escape Techniques

Biu Jee is unique in the Wing Chun 3 empty hand forms in that it allows the student to practice what to do when things go wrong.   It recognises that the correct positions cultivated through relaxed structure in the first two forms are not infallible.  Referred to as ‘emergency techniques’ they include how to recover from a fall, being trapped or pinned.  Importantly, rather than attempting to resist or fight the situation by using muscle force or tension, these techniques allow the student to recover the lost structural position.   

One example of these techniques in the Biu Jee form is Jaang Dai Biu Sau – roughly translated as ‘Spearing’ or ‘Thrusting hand from beneath the elbow’.   This technique occurs in multiple instances within the Biu Jee form and deliberately places one hand in compromised position below the opposite elbow.  The practice of crossing hands is specifically discouraged in the first two forms because it invites the opponent to press down both arms and trap these.  Practising this technique in the form allows the student to train in the feeling of being compromised and how to recover correct structure in a relaxed, efficient manner.

Biu Jee also introduces an additional elbow technique, known as Kop Jarn – roughly translated as ‘Downward Elbow’.  This can be used to attack at a close distance, where attacking with the hand is not an easy option.  It can also be used to block an incoming attack when the student has their hands trapped.   

The final part of the form shows the student an effective way to recover from a fall.   Sap Dai Seung, roughly translated as ‘Lifting from below to above’, involves bending the body forwards from the waist with the hands hanging down and then throwing the arms up above the head whilst returning to a standing position.  The Sap Dai Seung movement is to protect the head when getting back up, recognising that if a weapon is being used that you would likely sustain damage to the arms, but in doing so it could prevent a life-threatening injury. 

Copyright @ Craig Sands 2021