Combat Chum Kiu: Seeking the Bridge

Combat Chum Kiu is about the second training set of Wing Chun Kung Fu. Chum Kiu means "Seeking The Bridge". The effectiveness of Wing Chun stems from correctly aligning one's bones against an opponent's force. The first Wing Chun set, Sil Lim Tao, teaches how to align your arm bones in relationship to a conceptual centerline that points where your chest is pointing. The second set, Chum Kiu moves that bone unit to point at a moving opponent.

Daily practice of this set prepares you for violent situations by training the mind to continually position the orientation of your aligned bone unit using stance work. Each stance, when properly aligned, provides a structural advantage along a direction to your opponent's center of gravity. As the opponent moves, your stance changes its center of gravity to maintain this structural advantage. This happens in known ways regardless of how the opponent moves. Only a few stances are required to cover all the possible angles an attack can come from.

The transitions required to move from one stance to another involve rotating your body, and moving your body. In other words, adapting to the changing position of an opponent's center of gravity involves two types of movement, shifting and stepping. Shifts between stances change where the centerline is pointing. In the Chum Kiu set you practice these shifts with appropriate hand movements without stepping. Then the set add stepping to the mix. Finally, the set adds transitions between larger than normal, and smaller than normal stances.

While all of this may seem complex, it is easy to learn because you only have to keep track of two things: 1) Which way are my chest and my hips pointing? 2) What direction points to my opponent? To this end Precision Wing Chun^TM provides you with a set of lines to enhance your awareness of how to remain aligned properly.

Using the Precision Wing Chun^TM system of reference lines, practicing the Chum Kiu set evolves from exercise to combat readiness. The hidden intelligence in this set covers all angles of attack.

We show also you a tree of knowledge that we have used as a training aid to help you see how the movements of this set are related. The leaves of the tree are the transitions between the positions of the set. The trunk of the tree is the gravity line. The main branches of the tree are subsets: Opening, Shifting, Stepping, Big Horse Little Horse, and Closing. Twelve secondary branches connect the main branches with the leaves. Each of these secondary branches reveal a different bridge strategy. This set is about "Seeking The Bridge."

About The Authors' Wing Chun Lineages

9th Generation from Ng Mui, the founder of Wing Chun

Yip Man->Wong Shun Leung->My Sifu-> Greg Tupper.

Yip Man->Wong Shun Leung->Chan Kim Man/Au Yeung Kim Man->Paul Chu