Tag: 2026
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Why Stretching and Strength Are the Secret to Better Wing Chun
Most people treat stretching as an afterthought. However, combining it with strength training transforms how your body moves and how well you practise Wing Chun. Range of motion is more than just flexibility Stretching does far more than make you supple. Above all, it improves a vital health marker called Range of Motion. Range of…
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How Controlled Breathing Reduces Stress and Improves Your Wing Chun
Stress shows up in the body first. Tight shoulders, clenched jaws, and shallow breathing often appear before you even notice the pressure. However, most people ignore these early signals. Learning to control your breathing changes that. More importantly, it gives you a reliable way to reduce stress, regain focus, and improve performance. This applies to…
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Skeletal Muscle Types and Wing Chun: What Every Serious Practitioner Must Know
Understanding your muscles transforms your Wing Chun. Moreover, it gives you the knowledge to train smarter, not just harder. This guide breaks down the science and connects it directly to your practice. Why Skeletal Muscle Matters to Your Wing Chun Your body contains three types of muscle: cardiac, smooth, and skeletal. However, only skeletal muscle…
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The Sixth Sense: How Proprioception Improves Your Wing Chun
Most people know the five senses: sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch. We rely on them daily. Losing one makes life considerably harder. However, there is another vital sense that many people have never heard of. It is called proprioception (pro-pree-oh-SEP-shun) — your internal awareness of balance, position, and movement. Think of it as the…
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Understanding Mai Jiang: Essential Principles of Siu Nim Tao
To understand Mai Jiang, study the first section of Siu Nim Tao, the Wing Chun form meaning “Little Idea.” In this section of the form, we repeatedly practise a movement based on Fuk Sau (the controlling or bridging hand). Together, these three movements form Saam Pai Fut, meaning “praying three times to Buddha”. Although the…
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Happy Chinese New Year – Welcome to the Year of the Fire Horse (2026)
Today, 17th February 2026, we welcome the Chinese New Year and the beginning of the Year of the Fire Horse in the traditional Chinese calendar. For those of us who practise Wing Chun Kung Fu here in the Cotswolds, Chinese New Year isn’t just another date; it marks the cultural and philosophical roots of our…
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Lai See: Red Envelopes, Chinese New Year, and Wing Chun Tradition
As the Chinese New Year approaches, you may notice small red envelopes being exchanged between people or hanging above shop entrances in Chinese communities. These are called Lai See (also known as red packets), and they carry deep cultural meaning connected to luck, respect, and prosperity. Traditionally, Lai See are given from elders to juniors…
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Wing Chun Poem – written by Master Ip Chun (July 1999)
In July 1999, Master Ip Chun travelled to the UK to deliver a series of seminars alongside his senior Western student, Sifu Shaun Rawcliffe. These events gave dedicated practitioners a rare opportunity to experience instruction directly from a leading figure of the Ip Man Wing Chun tradition. At that time, The Wing Chun Collective —…