Wing Chun Kung Fu

If it weren't for Bruce Lee, Wing Chun Kung Fu would not be as popular today. Studying in Hong Kong under Grandmaster Yip Man, Bruce Lee was pretty much responsible for bringing the word "Wing Chun" to martial arts in America. Prior to that, most martial arts in the states were Korean or Japanese systems such as Judo, Jujitsu, Karate or Tae Kwon Do. Kung Fu was a new and unique term back then, but it quickly hit the mainstream after Bruce Lee attacked the cinema with his speed, agility, and high flying kicks. Although there's a big difference between "reel fighting" and "real fighting", martial art movies nonetheless piqued the public's interest. Most of the new students that enter my school with illusions of throwing beautiful highflying kicks and doing "Matrix" like somersaults during fighting are quickly disappointed to find out that Wing Chun is more about what's practical and not concerned with looking pretty. In Wing Chun, we almost never kick above the waist and most the punches we throw a short and direct. It's far from acrobatic and flashy, but if your life were on the line, would you rather be effective or pretty?