Wing Chun - Can "Soft" Structure Really Stop Hard & Powerful Attacks?

Hi, thanks for watching our video - if you like our approach to Wing Chun and would like to see more, please join and support my own Sifu, Mr Derek Fung, direct student of Mr Yip Man himself. Now 80 years old, he is one of the last masters of his generation still teaching, and the only one that you can talk to and ask questions of directly.
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Thanks
Mox
The theory of "internal" Wing Chun Kung Fu makes sense to many - aiming for maximum efficiency in our body structure and movements, so as to be able to effortlessly deliver AND receive force.
But the latter part of this statement (receiving force) is what causes students starting their training to wonder - does this actually work? Can a "soft structure" really stop a determined, aggressive attacker who is throwing committed strikes with all his muscular force?
A theory that does not work in reality is a theory that is hardly worth considering, so in our training, demonstrations, and sparring, we continually test our "soft" structures against hard, muscular force. As we say in our school, "Theory without practice is dangerous, but practice without theory is effort lost".
Most people consider Wing Chun a "close in" fighting style, and many practice delivering force from very close range - the "one inch punch" and "no inch punch" being two examples of this.
But that is only half of the equation - in this video we look at RECEIVING force from as close in as possible. And we do so not just because it is good to practice "worst case scenarios", but also to try and load the dice against the Wing Chun person in the video as much as possible. By having to neutralise committed and hard attacks from a bigger, stronger, faster opponent from less than an inch away from your face, you are forced to find out if your structure is up to the task or not. Under such conditions, any failure to deal with the force or an attempt to resist the force with any muscles or stiffness becomes immediately (and painfully!) apparent.
This method of extremely close in fighting, of having no fear to move in on your opponent and be able to deliver AND receive force from anywhere is what my Sifu, Derek Fung Ping Bor is exceptional at.