Loads of graphics so please be patient.........

Welcome Beginners

 After numerous requests from  new students to answer some very similar questions, it seemed wise  to  post a page dedicated to the most common points of interest for the new or potential student.  

Paul Grey

Club Instructor

When, where and how much ?

We train in Worle, (near Sainsbury's) on Wednesday evenings from 9 pm on and Sunday evenings from 7 pm on. We charge £5 a session with discounted rates for multiple family members. Those paying  monthly in advance also qualify for a  reduction.  Those regularly paying monthly also get reduced  club seminars and goods.

We also train at Churchill Sports Centre on wednesday evenings from 6.45pm until 8.30pm.

 "THE MOST IMPORTANT CURRENCY HERE IS STUDENT MOTIVATION "

What happens on an "average"  lesson ?

We start with a vigorous warm up for around 15 minutes followed by some gentle stretching and technique practice.  We then break into pairs practicing drills and techniques  taking them apart to make sure we all understand applications and weaknesses of a given drill or set of techniques. We then start to apply these techniques in a more fluid relaxed manner through dan chi or chi sau. These are 2 relaxed methods for "training in" techniques that are painless and quite good fun to practice.

Can I just turn up and watch

You can come and watch but you must make an appointment with the club instructor prior to your visit. 

The reason for this is quite simple, the students find it distracting to have people walking in and out of the session. Many of them like the club as it is, small and private,  I  must therefore respect their wishes.

In addition if  an appointment is made in advance I will spend time with that person discussing their needs and answering any questions they may have.

Photo's taken from actual sessions

(Techniques are broken down and explained, the students then apply the techniques in an increasingly fluid and realistic manner until they have developed skill and proficiency enough to apply them at will)

(Initially the techniques can seem difficult for the beginner to grasp but within months.........)

(A much more fluid use of technique can be mastered and applied !) 

Can I be graded at the club ?

All students grade at the club usually around every 3 months. Grading and teaching standards are formally checked to ensure that the grade you earn is at a nationally recognized standard. All gradings here are recognized by The British National Martial Arts Association. 

I am old, unfit, I have an injury etc, can I still train ?

YES.  We emphasize safety and non competitive training. Injuries or disabilities are sympathetically worked round and worked on. You decide what and how hard to train. The warm ups are an outline for students to work round. All individual abilities are respected and encouraged. You can be very fit, very unfit or disabled in some area, wing chun can work for you.

G.M Ip Chun practising with Master Kwok

Age need not be a barrier to good Wing Chun

What is wing chun, what is it like to practice?

Wing Chun is a southern style of Kung Fu using fast hands, rapid low kicks along with hand traps, arm and wrist locks and takedowns. It is performed in a very relaxed manner with great emphasis being placed on relaxation, using of angles to deflect or redirect an attack and a number of principles such as economy of motion, non telegraphing of movement and the centerline. Many other arts have attempted to use these principles but they originated with wing chun and wing chun is the art they are best suited to .

Bruce Lee, Wing Chun's most famous student

The main thrust of the Wing Chun fighting philosophy is efficiency and simplicity in everything. Hence no high kicks or spectacular techniques. They are just not efficient. Wing Chun remains a fighting martial art, it is not a sport it has no sporting pretensions, however if you need a realistic and reliable method of self defence that you can use throughout your life there are few alternatives. 

Wing Chun was extensively "field tested" on the back streets of Hong Kong by a variety of famous fighters including Bruce Lee, William Cheung and Wong Sheung Long to name but a few.   In short it works, and does so very efficiently indeed.

Bruce Lee practicing with the late Grand Master Yip Man

How long does it take to learn, when will I be competent ?

It all comes down to your ability and effort. 3 months regular training will make a dramatic difference to your ability to protect yourself. A year and you will be quite proficient . 

"Unlike many arts, Wing Chun offers a system of self defence that can be learned very quickly  and most techniques can be almost applied immediately".

But Wing Chun is a life time of study, the longer you study and practice the more you realize you need to do. To watch a dedicated student of several years is to watch efficiency in motion, but this is only the beginning and it is at this point that the real skills start to develop.

Members of

The British National Martial Arts Association

Combat Sports Worldwide

Send mail to wingchun@i12.com with questions or comments about this web site.
Copyright © 2000 Weston Wing Chun
Last modified: October 03, 2001