THE ORIGIN

Wing Chun is among the most popular and most practiced styles of Kung Fu in the world. It is known to be a discipline of extremely simple and effective combat, ideal for self-defense and accessible to all. Its characteristics of elegance, precision, fluidity and explosiveness make it without doubt unique in its kind. That’s why it can be widely recognized as a huge practical value system, simple and elaborate at the same time, designed to be used in every situation and context. This "fine art of self-defense", inspired by the movement of the crane and the snake, is composing as a real practical and evolutionary synthesis of the main traditional Kung Fu trend, and it is a perfect meeting point between different ways of seeing and understanding the combat. The peculiarity of the style definitely resides in the principles that govern the movement, each of which has a specific applicative functionality conferring to the style, as a whole, an extraordinary versatility and completeness.

THE HISTORY

In the absence of some historical sources, the majority of schools relates its origine to a legendary character: the warrior monk Ng Mui. According to this legend, the beginning of 700 the famous Shaolin monastery - birthplace of kung fu - was teared down to the ground by the new emperor of the Qing Dynasty. The destruction of the Shaolin Temple left only five monks surviving in the art of kung fu masters. Among them was the nun Ng Mui, an expert in Shaolin styles of the crane and the snake. The legend tells that, Ng Mui, found as refuge in a distant village, he invented a new fighting style to help a girl to defend herself against a criminal who wanted to marry her. The girl's name was Yim Wing Chun, "Radiant Spring" was the first student of the warrior monk and from her the style was named. For a slender and petite girl, Ng Mui created a fighting method that was not based on physical strength but on speed, fluidity and above all on the principle of using the force of the opponent. Inspired by always the movement of the crane and the snake, Ng Mui was able to teach practical and essential techniques to the girl where defense and attack were often together and where the close distance allowed, even those who were not strong and robust could deprive the opponent of his power, using punctual punches. Thus the young Wing Chun fought the criminal and won.
There is also another version to the birth of the Wing Chun style, this time attested by historical sources about the Beijing Opera. It is the story of the singer and actor Cheung Ng and as a Beijing opera artist traveled around the country with the theater group “the Red Boats” in which other famous masters of Wing Chun as Wong Wa Boh and Leung Yee Tai have been part of. It is said that Cheung Ng was a skilled practitioner of kung fu and he had developed a fighting system that used higher positions than those of Shaolin, favored the short distance and used weapons as knives and long stick. These features can be traced back to the life led by the actors of the group by the name "red boats", lived on boats and so did not have much space (short distance), their balance was challenged by the current (high positions) and also they used the long oars to move the boat (long stick). Among other things it is said that Cheung Ng was also nicknamed Tan Sao Ng for his skill in Tan Sao fundamental technique of Wing Chun.
The program is divided into different sectors in order for students to acquire specific skills and abilities. The course consists of both practical and theoretical elements needed for a deep and comprehensive understanding of the discipline.

The course of Wing Chun has six levels. Each of these levels corresponds to a program of knowledge of the style. To pass each level you have to pass one exam. The exams are divided into 1st and 2nd base level, 1st and 2nd intermediate level, 1st and 2nd advanced level. Per maggiori dettagli

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The school provides this system to ensure the homogeneity of the study of each level group. Moreover, from the point of view of the kung fu practice, the exam function is also to set up a deadline to create training goals. Being an integral part of the course, exams are free and are held regularly three times a year, usually a session in the fall, one in winter and one in spring. Learned and studied all the program of his level, the student can decide when to take the exam to advance to the next level. If he does not want to pass any exam, he will remain in the study of the 1st-level group.

During the first year of practice students will be demonstrated all the program of the 1st level. Then the program will be expanded and explained in detail. Each student can practice until they reach the point suitable for the exam. The next level program will be taught after passing the exam.

The annual course of Wing Chun is held twice a week, throughout the year are planned seminars, theory lessons, specific meetings to study in depth the style, at the end of the season an intensive seminar is organized nearby the national headquarter.