The Foundations of Wing Chun Kung Fu, Vol. 1 [Paperback]

John R. Wahnish (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0974182001 | ISBN-13: 978-0974182001 | Publication Date: June 2003

THE FIRST COMPREHENSIVE BOOK ON THE FOUNDATIONS OF WING CHUN KUNG FU. 220 pages of thorough text. Loaded with detailed photos. Absolutely educational. A clear layout of this amazing art. Precise instruction and explanations. Great for all levels and all stylists. Soon to set the standard for instructional martial arts books. Learn the foundations and philosophy of this amazing art! Wing Chun is a scientific yet theoretically based martial arts form. The specialty of a Wing Chun practitioner is close-range combat. Wing Chun utilizes well-coordinated angular deflections with simultaneous attacks. A Wing Chun practitioner is agile yet powerful, delivering quick, close-range punches and kicks rather than locks and grabs. Wing Chun is based on the concepts and principles of simplicity, economy of movement, and economy of energy.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Wing Chun is a scientific yet theoretically based martial arts form. The specialty of a Wing Chun practitioner is close-range combat. Wing Chun utilizes well-coordinated angular deflections with simultaneous attacks. A Wing Chun practitioner is agile yet powerful, delivering quick, close-range punches and kicks rather than locks and grabs. Wing Chun is based on the concepts and principles of simplicity, economy of movement, and economy of energy.

From the Author

I know you will find this detailed volume to be an extremely useful tool. I sincerely wish you the very best on your journey to a better path.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 220 pages
• Publisher: Energetics (June 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0974182001
• ISBN-13: 978-0974182001
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #512,687 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A superior work, June 22, 2005

By 

Quack - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Foundations of Wing Chun Kung Fu, Vol. 1 (Paperback)

The two most highly rated books on Wing Chun are this one and The Wing Chun Compendium by Belonoha. I have both, and for anyone new to Wing Chun, this is by far a more rewarding book.
No doubt Belonoha's book contains more material...it reminds me of a reference source.

But Sifu Wahnish's effort is far more useful. For example, Chapter 3 covers stances and footwork. In 12 pages, the stances are clearly defined, and more importantly, he gives simple drills for movement between the stances and how they apply to positioning against your opponent. After reading the material, you 'get it', so to speak. I find in the other work, you don't.

Everything here seems to be geared at one goal...proper formation of the elemental techniques of Wing Chun. Nothing fancy. Like building a house with a rock solid foundation. Simplicity and economy....the essence of Wing Chun.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars if it only allowed me to underscore not recommended, August 1, 2009

By 

Calvin (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Foundations of Wing Chun Kung Fu (Paperback)

As a student and critic of Wing Chun martial arts, I would absolutely not recommend this book. In fact; this book is poisonous to any students of Wing Chun and will hinder the development of your Wing Chun. As I read through the book; the amount of errors are astronomical; furthermore: by tracing the multitude of lineages in Wing Chun, none will affirm GM Philip Holder's Wing Chun training. There are accounts he trained under Moy Yat system in NYC and the William Cheung (explains why Wahnish front kick knee is so high(trademark of William Cheung)) but none will affirm authorizing teaching credentials to the Holder/ John Ryan Wahnish lineage of Wing Chun.

I do not know if the previous people who posted reviews practice Wing Chun martial arts but from my account: clearly this is not Wing Chun martial arts. Lesson to learn for readers; check the lineage of authors because that will assure correct foundations and solid Wing Chun. If you're interested in Foundational Wing Chun in NYC, look elsewhere, take an introductory class: there are plenty of distinguished Wing Chun martial artists in Chinatown. This book is for people who know no martial arts but believe they are getting the real deal.

Translations of some hand positions are incorrect, it appears forcebly Ching'lish, Mandarin and Cantonese were utilized to describe some hand positions. What happened to the Gan Sau or Gan Da? That is a crucial hand position for applied CQB when stepping into opponents waist and above kicks. Gan Sau is an absolute BASIC of Wing Chun which unfortunately is not included inside this text. The theory of Center Line Theory is another crucial dogma of Wing Chun; repeatedly in the book the demonstrators violated the Center Line Theory.

Wing Chun practitioners must spend crucial time to develop the Yee Jee Kim Yeung Ma especially when learning the Sil Lum Tao. Without a solid foundation; there is no future for Wing Chun. As I gracefully read through the book with my red pen; I have listed approximately 40 errors to the demonstrators feet, especially in the application of foundational Wing Chun hand techniques. The kicks on this book belongs in a separate paragraph.

Because there is long list of criticisms for this text, I will only list a few. The author has no idea of what Shaolin is; it appears as if the research was simply wikipedia. Nor does the author understand the courtesy bows of Shaolin monks. Major criticism of the demonstrator's Siu Lum Tao, the demonstrators hands are too high; blocking the practitioner's line of sight, too tense (unable to fluidly flow), not correctly cultivating the posture to understand the techniques. If you're in a confrontation; it is irrational to block your own line of sight. Moreover; the demonstrator does not understand "clean" Sil Lum Tao. The training of Sil Lum Tao is to practice and reinforce the Center Line Theory; there are sections I do not understand why the demonstrator repeatedly fails to utilize the Center Line Theory.

The Punching and Kicks section are not Wing Chun. No solid foundations are no solid martial arts. Never in Wing Chun history is there a side or round kick. Not even for Modified Wing Chun. Not even for Southern Chinese Kung Fu. The use of the Side and Round kick is a direct contradiction to the Center Line Theory, and the failure to use the proper Yee Jee Kim Yeund Ma stance.

The exercises in the later half of the book completely violate the basics of Wing Chun. The demonstrator over shifted and failed to target the Center Line of the opponent. Many times the pictures depict the demonstrator chasing the arm and not correctly cultivating timing and judgment of delivering the correct technique. As for all Chinese Martial Arts; the foundations are learning to move in horse stances and the Yee Jee Kim Yeung Ma, this book fails to underscore the importance of proper footwork. There is a Chinese saying "Hands chase your body falls, but if legs guide, body and hands follow."

Lastly; the Training Notes of each Section, for myself, appears to be a book filler of empty pages.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Strongly recommend!, August 25, 2003

By 

Harry J. Segal "no name" (new york, new york United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Foundations of Wing Chun Kung Fu, Vol. 1 (Paperback)

This book is extremely clear and well done. It lays out the basics of this intricate style in a way I was able to understand and absorb. The pictures are great and combine with the text to make it a clear and easy read.

I finished the book feeling I had received a comprehensive and accurate understanding of Wing-Chun basics. I look forward to more books in the series.