'internal' Wing Chun - some advice for beginners

Learn the entire CST Wing Chun method Online: www.mindfulwin...
Here we discuss some points that Wing Chun practitioners who interested in the internal method may find useful and interesting.
*A note about this channel the lineage:
Sifu Nima King is the owner and team leader of Mindful Wing Chun, a CST Wing Chun school in Hong Kong with affiliations around the world. Mindful Wing Chun is wholeheartedly dedicated to passing on the internal wing chun method as passed down by Grandmaster Chu Shong Tin who was the longest serving student of Grandmaster Ip Man. Chu Shong Tin lived with Ip Man for 5 years (1950-1955) and was coined the title ' the king of siu nim tao' by his master Ip Man.
He was a legend in the world of Wing Chun (in particular the internal method of wing chun) and spent 64years passing it on full-time before he passed away in 2014. Nim King practiced under hin in Hong Kong for 9 years and established Mindful Wing Chun under CST's guidance. Nima is also on the board of Directors for the 'Chu Shong Tin Alumni' which is a group of senior students of CST that were hand picked by him to establish the Alumni and to uphold and continue his teachings and Wing Chun legacy after he passed away.
Grandmaster Chu Shong Tin was a very humble and low-key Wing Chun Master therefore its only after we began putting his videos online, that people started to hear about him. In fact, majority of the main Wing CHun teachers (of the Ip Man lineage) who began practice in the 50s and early 60s (apart of Leung Sheung and Lok Yiu) were trained by CST even-though they were Ip Man's students. This is due to CST being the most snr and main teacher of Ip Man's school in those days.
Nima was lucky to start his practice under CST in 2005 because that's when CST decided to change his teaching to all internal practice so that he can pass on "Nim Tao' and 'Nim Lik' (the mind power/energy cultivated through internal Wing Chun practice) to his students.
Nima, even though a non-chinese and much younger than the other students of CST, attained a high level of these final teachings. He now mainly teaches the seniors within this lineage and also travels around giving workshops and is working on an online program so that master CST's teaching can have a greater reach.
You may contact Nima/Mindful Wing Chun through:
website: www.mindfulwin...
facebook: / mindfulwingchun
facebook 2: / sifunimaking
fecebook (personal): / nima.khezrnejat
Instagram: / mindful_wingchun
Instagram (personal) : / nima_king1
Long live the genuine and internal art of Wing Chun / Ving Tsun!
Mindful Wing Chun - Chu Shong Tin (Ip Man) Wing Chun / Ving Tsun - Hong Kong

[@agianpiano7221]

Thank you Nima for your advice. I started wing chun like half a year ago. Your videos gave a lot of idea of wing chun and how to practice siu lim tao. Hope both your wing chun and school flourish endlessly.

[@MindfulWingChun]

Many thanks for the kind wishes and I'm very happy that you got something out of my videos

[@nicokik3438]

Sincerity and no ego! This is you and this the path to follow! Tks nima🤝🙏🤩

[@MindfulWingChun]

Put very simple and well! Nice one Nico 🙏

[@BingCherry11]

Thank your for posting this. Ever since my Sifu move away I lost the assistance of his inspiration and encouragement! Thanks again a little encouragement goes a long way!!!!

[@MindfulWingChun]

It's my pleasure, and am very happy to hear you could gain some inspiration from it. CST was a pretty special human being 😊🙏🏼

[@KingDariusMartial-dc2nr]

Awesome advice, your videos is always informative.

[@MindfulWingChun]

👍🙏

[@michaelreadnower4424]

thanks nima =D Much love from Cincinnati, Ohio =P really enjoyed the video and your clarification at the end was very helpful. keep on keepin' on!

[@MindfulWingChun]

Cheers for that my friend!

[@PassportG]

Awesome. May he rest in peace.

[@MindfulWingChun]

Thank you!

[@perrypelican9476]

As far as the breathing, everyone is different. Some of us have good relaxed breathing and others not. CST obviously had good breathing naturally but I suggest that everyone make sure about their natural breathing habits. Breathing is so important as far as EFFICIENTLY getting oxygen to our muscles, ligaments, and tendons.

[@MindfulWingChun]

CST's breathing was developed naturally through correct SNT, yes. And I agree with you re breathing practices. I personally do Pranayama as a separate practice to my Wing Chun

[@charlesviolin]

These internal VT videos are fascinating. My sigung is GM Moy Yat, who advocated a 45-min Siu Nim Tau totally relaxed. Moy Yat said when doing the 1 taan 3 fuks, the other fist (at your side) you squeeze very tight. Did GM Chu Shong-tin teach that, too?

[@MindfulWingChun]

Hi Charles. Not in the CST method. there is absolutely no tension or squeezing anywhere in the body. For us, tensing anywhere results in a blockage and we wont be able to utilize the body in the same way. Having said this, I have much respect for the WSL, Lok Yiu, Leung Sheung and Moy Yat lineages but they all use completely different methods. Amazing how they all had the same teacher but the result was so different

[@Far7anR]

@@MindfulWingChun You've met Lok Yiu lineage wing chun folks? Anyone on KZbin? They are such an elusive bunch! The only people I have heard of are those who studied under Allen Lee in New York City. He had begun with Lok Yiu but later studied under Duncan Leung, whose method became his principal one, I believe.

[@MindfulWingChun]

@@Far7anR Yeah I touched hands with one of Lok Yiu's son's student many years ago in HK. was quite aggressive in style but not too difficult to manage. But yeah they really do stick to themselves in HK

[@willtherealrustyschacklefo3812]

I honestly believe that is mostly to help one train to engage the core more for grappling situations, although it is used for striking too. But no CST wing Chun is a vastly different method of applying "wing Chun" concepts than any other. Nothing wrong with the others , but just imo the other linages are extremely similar to one another as far as methodology and primary focuses of the art. Lots of physical (muscular) effort and structure and highly offensive. While pretty much only cst and Samuel kwok had a very high focus on defense, and applying these "internal" concepts.

[@ronanshiroshi6920]

I'm studying Wing Chun online for free recently. I studied Siu Lim Tao already and still practicing it. I would like to ask for a suggestion on what should I study next after Siu Lim Tao?

[@MindfulWingChun]

so many different exercises to work on man so its very hard to say what to work on next as I dont know what level you are up to. I'm working on an online school which will be ready before the end of the year so that'll have 100s of instructional vids to guide you through the CST method of Wing Chun step by step...

[@DiegoLinde]

@@MindfulWingChun I'm curious how learning on one's own through videos works? It looks to me like wing chun is a lot about pairing up to do exercises. Another question. as I'm now at my age and circumstance interested in recovery and health (had knee surgery) can internal wing chun be practised like Qi-Gong? or is Wing chun ultimately a martial art and if purely interested in health better to look for a Qi Gong that focuses just on health?

[@MindfulWingChun]

@@DiegoLinde Hey Diego, In this method around 70% of the practice is solo. Mainly Forms, joint opening exercises, bag work and other solo practices. The rest is with a partner and partner work is a must if you are looking for gaining good ability in the martial aspect. And yes, this method is absolutely for improving physical, mental and emotional health. Opening up the physical body will lead to clearing up the energy center. I can't recommend it enough when it come to health 👌🏽

[@patarikisoterion9899]

So you can train in the gym and still relax the muscles. You don’t have to abandon that kind of training to be successful in CST Wing Chun? Is that right?

[@MindfulWingChun]

Yep, You dont need a abandon physical training (as long as you can still relax the joints).

[@patarikisoterion9899]

Mindful Wing Chun Awesome! 😊👍🏽

[@Gieszkanne]

Nima do you know what Chu Shong Tin thought about Taiji. In one Video you mentioned that he sometimes also exchange and practice with Taiji masters.

[@MindfulWingChun]

Hey mate. He said that Taiji's power development is very different to the way he did it. He touched hands with a handful of Taiji masters in his time and he said that on all occasions, he asked them to choose any movements they want and he could stop them from performing it and they couldn't stop him from doing the same movement. However, he did always say that he though Taiji's Sword Form was very good...

[@brianleong1427]

Great video Mr Nima! I have viewed your video on Centre of Mass ("COM") and would appreciate very much if you could help me with my question on COM. Is the COM the same as the center of gravity? does it moves/changes location with our movements i.e. it goes down when we go into a low stance and moves forward when we move forward? It is always inside the body or is located outside the body when we bend over (which moves the center of gravity outside the body). Do we imagine it like a straight line from the middle of our stance on the floor to the top of our head? Or imagine that it is like a little ball spinning inside our body? Many thanks.

[@MindfulWingChun]

Thanks for your kind message Brian, The Center of Mass and Gravity and Balance 2 points that are very close to each other (but not the same). We sometimes use both words interchangeably but they aren't the same thing. Now I may sound like I know what Im talking about but its not because I took up physics class :) I just googled it and watched this 4 minute video that explains the difference very nicely: study.com/academy/lesson/understanding-the-center-of-mass-center-of-gravity.html But knowing that they are the same or different things wont help us much in being able to use the COM as the engine for all movements in the same way that studying on all the physics of riding a bike wont help up ride the bike. So it's something that must be experienced... Having said that, yes, the center of mass would change as we move i.e. down or up or change our posture from upright to banding forward etc. However when you feel the entire body through holistically, you'll be able to always feel and utilize the body in the most efficient way to produce and receive force. And when we can do this, we say that we are always using our COM and are in control of our Center of Balance because that it the most efficient way of utilizing the body. Again, I'm not very well educated in physics and am going off my feelings... In terms of practice, I think initially when you start to practice moving the body (i.e. chum kiu form) think about turning around a line of axis and make that your spine. so thinki of a straight line from the tailbone to the crown of the head and use that as the axis. now because the body is not a uniform object and has many joints, spine will naturally shift laterally as you are pivoting and the weight will naturally begin to shift to the back leg. having said this, you are still feeling that you are turning around the axis line (but the line moves laterally slightly as its rotating). You can use this line also for stepping. with the above practice you'll begin to feel unity in the body and then later on (in Biu Jee) you can start thinking about turning from a point (nucleus) rather than an axis line. this will then enable you to be able to move the body in any way (i.e. banding etc) and you wont feel restricted to moving upright and locked to the axis line that's perpendicular to the floor. hope this helps Brian cheers, Nima

[@brianleong1427]

Thank you Sifu Nima for your clear and informative reply. Plenty of food for me to think through!

[@brianleong1427]

Dear Sifu Nima, one more question please. Does the COM spins all the time or does it only spins when necessary i.e. when we are pivoting when doing chium kiu? Thank you.

[@MindfulWingChun]

Not all the time. in SNT for example it doesn't turn but we are aware of it and therefore have spontaneous access to it.

[@mrmelanson34]

thank you, nima.

[@MindfulWingChun]

Most welcome Ryan

[@kofiperry19]

If Chu Shong Tin never practiced chi sau with others, would he not have discovered his power? If you don't test your force in any way, could you still have power while assuming you're just doing relaxed exercise?

[@MindfulWingChun]

He did say that Chi Sau is a must for application of the power. he said that even if someone echieves the highest levelof Siu Nim Tao, they would still need to learn how to use it dynamically to be able to utilize it... My guess is that he would have found out eventually that he had something other didn't even without chisau. I think since he was only 20 yrs old at the time that he started to get 'it' and didn't have much experience in Kung Fu he couldn't really feel whats going on but further down the line he would have known even from his punching, kicking, being able to do remarkable stuff with his body like the human flag, lifting his whole body up by pressing down at the knees while in a lotus sitting pose etc...

[@bretthumphries4125]

Thankyou Nima

[@MindfulWingChun]

always a pleasure Brett :)

[@dimineatatehnologiei7511]

great advice

[@MindfulWingChun]

Glad you think so. tnx

[@bhaskarrao3832]

which exercises u used to do to loosen stiffness when u joined wing chun classes, pl

[@MindfulWingChun]

We use a lot of stretching and mobilization exercises to loosen and awaken the joints before training. I also practice Yoga separately (Hatha and Yin)

[@ORUCOYUNDA]

Nice video thank

[@MindfulWingChun]

my pleasure

[@abikelly9043]

one very enjoyable video

[@MindfulWingChun]

Glad you liked it Abi :)

[@sumanranalife3830]

gr8 one.

[@MindfulWingChun]

cheers

[@slabu3523]

Bravoo!

[@MindfulWingChun]

Thank you :)

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[@MindfulWingChun]

tnx

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[@MindfulWingChun]

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[@MindfulWingChun]

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[@MindfulWingChun]

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[@MindfulWingChun]

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[@MindfulWingChun]

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[@MindfulWingChun]

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[@MindfulWingChun]

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[@MindfulWingChun]

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[@MindfulWingChun]

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[@lynx4686]

Wing chun is great but people with no form are slapping people and calling it wing chun chain fist So it would ruin the true image of wing chun

[@MindfulWingChun]

sadly what you said is very true...

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[@MindfulWingChun]

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[@MindfulWingChun]

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[@MindfulWingChun]

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[@MindfulWingChun]

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[@MindfulWingChun]

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[@blankinblack13]

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[@MindfulWingChun]

sorry not sure what that means. could you pls write it in English and Ill be happy to help if I can :)

[@Linanjaya]

It s a javanese language.. one of indonesian tribe language.. lol

[@blankinblack13]

@Mindful Wing Chun dang, i don’t even knew that my comment got your attention. My deepest apologies. I’m just messing up with my comment. I don’t even remember what am I thinking when i wrote that comment years ago

[@burgerbrot2183]

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[@MindfulWingChun]

tnx