This list came about when I was invited to give a workshop to the North East Wing Chun Student Association, run by my classmates Kathy Jo Connors (Rochester, NY) and Mark Stoddard (Buffalo, NY). I wanted to create some content relevant to their study, which we could use as discussion points for the workshop. These points are based on my observations and experiences with fellow practitioners. 

20 Tips for better Wing Chun
  1. Reduce all extraneous movement. More than needed is waste.
  2. Power comes from the ground, press the heels and feel how the pressure moves between the feet.
  3. Strength comes from stretching. Stretching should happen regardless of shape or distance.
  4. Depth of your stance is more importance than height of your stance.
  5. Structure is meant to receive, not to impose.
  6. The heavier the elbows are the lighter the hands become.
  7. Move into positions, don’t hold positions. The hands are verbs, not nouns.
  8. Train to sensitize your body, not desensitize it.
  9. Don’t be concerned with esoteric concepts such as Qi, Meridians or Dantian. Not because they do not exist, rather because they require tangible experience to comprehend. Follow the method diligently and a clearer understanding will naturally arise.
  10. Create the most direct possible path for your force to the opponent.
  11. Use true rotation (not movement) of the centerlines of the body to neutralize incoming force off the center.
  12. When entering the opponent, challenge their root. If the root is strong, attack their body. If it is out of reach, take their limbs. 
  13. In long-range, use peripheral vision and eye-ruler to measure distance. Address the nearest target. 
  14. Do not show your breathing or your effort to the opponent.
  15. Decide if the goal of the encounter is to learn, to teach, or to fight. Do not play in between.
  16. If you must fight then you must end it quickly. Consider it a life or death moment.
  17. Control will improve with experience.
  18. The conflict begins well before the hands engage. Use your sensitivity to notice and monitor the threat. If you can do this well you will avoid many confrontations.
  19. Don’t compare your progress with others. Don’t compare the standards of Wing Chun with other styles. It is only natural for there to be similarities and differences. Some we can learn from, others we cannot. 
  20. I’m often asked, “What other things can I do to improve my Wing Chun?”. This is the wrong question to ask. There are many things to work on within Wing Chun already. A better question is “Based on my current level/understanding/challenge, where should I focus my attention?”. Better quality of practice = better skill.

Wing Chun is fractal. What happens in the macro happens in the micro. What happens above happens below. What happens inside happens outside. The consistency of the Principle of the Center is what makes Wing Chun a system and not just a collection of ideas.

David Davila
​May 2018