Internal Wing Chun Training

So what does internal Wing Chun training involve? I first was introduced to a more internal aspect of training during a Ki-Aikido class several years ago. A whole hour was devoted to “testing” each class. This involved standing in a certain position while your partner applied pressure to various parts of your body. If you were tense, or misaligned, your body wobbled. If your position was well aligned, and your mind in the right state, it was solid.

At first I wasn’t too impressed with an hour of “testing”. I wanted the more combat oriented training. But over time I started to see the huge value in it and I started applying it to my Wing Chun classes.

It wasn’t until several years later that I attended Sifu Daniel Parr’s Wing Chun classes in Sheffield. His is the Chu Shong Tin lineage, and testing is part of their internal Wing Chun training regimen. While performing the movements of the first hand pattern (Siu Nim Tao), an instructor would make contact with your arm and give you resistance to your movement.

If you physically try and push against him, you lose power. But if you relax, and connect the inner tissues and fibres through relaxation, you can create a greater force, and with less effort.

Internal Wing Chun Training – Siu Nim Tao

Of course standing practice is another huge part of internal wing chun training. Chu Shong Tin encouraged his students to stand still, for hours. Only then would they gain the relaxation needed to fully understand and integrate internal wing chun into their movements. But this is also done mindfully, with an intention of relaxing the muscles as they naturally fire when you’re standing still for a long period.

In the testing exercises with a partner too, this is incredibly frustrating at first, especially when you don’t quite get it. I often went home from Dan’s classes in a state of utter confusion! But little by little I started to gain an understanding. Once the penny drops, it is easier to understand the benefit of these exercises. You can generate far more power than you could simply using muscular strength.

For example, when you pull your arm inwards using your bicep, you’re only using one muscle group. When someone offers a strong opposing force, this can difficult.It is far easier, and stronger, if you combine the use of multiple joints in the most efficient way. Testing allows you to find this power, through softening of the muscles which would usually fire, and connecting the body more holistically.

Mindfulness

There’s a certain mindfulness element to internal wing chun training. This is what makes it attractive to many people. While Wing Chun is a martial art which is designed for combat, it also offers a lot more than that. Learning how to deeply relax is great for your health. Both mentally and physically; switching off your constantly “chatty mind”, and going within. This allows you to notice what is happening inside your body. With testing, you can begin to understand the mind body connection directly, and how mental tension creates physical tension.

Through regular practice of these exercises, you can develop greater ability to deliver power and redirect force through the body.

Being relaxed and calm when facing adversity is one of the best skills you can get from a martial art, for life in general, not just for fighting.

A Typical Internal Exercise in Wing Chun

One of the first exercises we will teach is simply giving pressure on the chest while standing in a stance. Initially, the force is very weak. This is so the student can gain an understanding of how their body reacts to pressure. Over time, more force is added according to the ability of the student.

In this video you can see one of our testing exercises where force is added through a simulated punch.

When the body is relaxed and aligned, greater force can be generated because the reactive force is redirected to the floor. If any part of the body is tense, power is lost as the reactive force hits that tension.