Wing Chun Kung-fu Volume 1: Basic Forms & Principles (Chinese Martial Arts Library) [Paperback]

Joseph Wayne Smith Dr. (Author)

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Dr. Joseph Wayne Smith is a Queen Elizabeth II Fellow in Philosophy at the Flinders University of South Australia and has trained in Western boxing, wrestling, and power lifting. A coach on the Australian Coaching Council’s National Coaching Accreditation Scheme, he studied Wing Chun kung-fu under Sifu Felix Leong and has contributed articles to martial arts journals in Austraila, America, and Europe.

Product Details

• Paperback: 104 pages
• Publisher: Tuttle Publishing (August 15, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0804817189
• ISBN-13: 978-0804817189
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #220,303 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A scientific perspective on a traditional martial art, August 22, 2000

By 

W. Edison "wfe579" (Des Plaines, Illinois United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Wing Chun Kung-fu Volume 1: Basic Forms & Principles (Chinese Martial Arts Library) (Paperback)

Smith does a fine job of explaining and analyzing the main principles of Wing Chun with an open mind, and then describes the 3 main forms of the Yip Man school with clear photos. He looks at Wing Chun as martial science, rather than simply "art", and I found it both refreshing and insightful. I'm always skeptical about what I read on the subject of the martial arts, so I compared his Sil Lum Tao form to the descriptions presented by several other qualified authors (Ip Chan, William Cheung, and James Yipp Lee, so far...) and it would seem to have been presented rather accurately, with only minor variations. The basic principles are all there and embodied in the form. Chum Kil and Bil Jee are also presented clearly, though I haven't cross-referenced their accuracy. Despite what others may say, I believe it is possible to learn the fundamentals, strategies, and katas or forms from books/videos, and therefore teach oneself the essence of a martial art style, an idea I credit this book with justifying. However, mastery, or even realistic applications of that knowledge require experimentation and human contact with an instructor or at least a knowledgable partner. In short, this is a useful edition to any martial artist's bookshelf, and is capable of taking you as far as the printed medium will allow (with dedicated practice, of course).

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Smith is the author but it's really all about Felix Leong, June 15, 2007

By 

NreeK el Bastardos (Melbourne Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Wing Chun Kung-fu Volume 1: Basic Forms & Principles (Chinese Martial Arts Library) (Paperback)

This series of books were put together by Smith as if he came up with this branch of thinking. He didn't but he puts forward the idea that he did. The pictures don't show Smith at all, they show Grandmaster "Felix Leong" who resides in Adelaide, who I don't think is ever mentioned in any of the books but deserves the credit. Basically what you get is Felix doing his thing and someone attempting to analyse it. Smith does a reasonable job but these books have major flaws in their sequencing of photo's. There are still many valuable tips contained within the pages and worth every cent. No book will ever replace going to a real master anyway especially Felix. If you're in Adelaide drop in to Sifu Felix's centre in Hinley Street. His linage is from three schools: Hong Kong- Grandmaster Yip Chun; Foshan- Grandmaster Pan Nam; Guongzhou: Grandmaster Sum Nung and Lei Chi Wah. He has a major focus on sticky hands (chi-sao) and free sparring and students can come in any time of the day and train. I once was his student until I moved away from Adelaide and have never found anyone adequate to replace him. I understand that this is typical of anyone blabbing about their first master but still, there are many students there who have blackbelts in other arts before doing WC and rave about Felix and WC.[..]

7 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Dr. Smiths books are thought provoking and controvercial., May 11, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Wing Chun Kung-fu Volume 1: Basic Forms & Principles (Chinese Martial Arts Library) (Paperback)

Dr. smith is a controvercial figure in the wing chun world. Nevertheless, his books bring up some interesting points. I would not rate this book high on the level of instruction however. He touches upon all three levels of wing chun in this book.