Best book on Wing Chun

[Hansson]

I've used the search function but couldn't find any satisfying answers.

I'm very curious about Wing Chun but don't have the option to start training right now (I'm training Jujutsu and don't want to split my attention between several arts, at least not now). What I would like though is a book that will give me an overview of the art and show me the basics. The most important things I want to get out of it is:
- the fundamental principals
- the basic techniques
- and, at least, the first form (all of them would be nice too)
- good pictures and descriptions for the above

I don't care much about which lineage as long as the author is well respected and the information in the book is correct.

How about Yuen Kay-san Wing Chun Kuen by Rene Ritchie? His name sounds familiar - he's a member of this forum, right?

Please no discontinued books... I doubt very much I'll be able to get hold of them.

Thanks in advance! :)

[hunt1]

Best books for what you are looking for without question Chao-Weakland (sp) series.Name is secret techniques of Wing Chun and they are still published.

[desertwingchun2]

Hanson - if you log onto www.vtmuseum.org they have a book review section where there are short reviews of wing chun books.
-David

[reneritchie]

Rene Ritchie? Never heard of him...

RR

[Hansson]

Right... I remember reading a thread about Rena something... :D

So Mr Ritchie, do you think your book would be good for me? I've looked into the excerpts on Amazon and the table of contents and it sounds fine.

I read somewhere about the basic forms on Wing Chun. Is the forms in your style of Wing Chun basically the same as William Cheungs and Leung Tings? I'm not talking details here of course as they wouldn't make any difference for me anyway.

[aelward]

IMHO, some of the best basics books out there are:

On Single Combat (Keith Kernspecht) -- talks about why Wing Tsun works.

Wing Chun (James Y. Lee)-- shows first form, theories, basic sticky hands.

Wing Tsun Kuen (By Leung Ting)-- demonstrates forms, applications, theories, and ideas.

Also, if you want to see it all in motion, "The Science of In-Fighting" is my all-time favorite WC instructional video.

If you want to see a movie, watch "Prodigal Son"-- if you want theory, just skip to the training sequences. But, if you like corny Cantonese slapstick humor, then watch the whole thing.

[reneritchie]

D@mn, this Rena chick just won't leave me alone! LOL!

Call me Rene. The YKS book introduces the basic concepts, forms (linked techniques) and first set (linked form) of Yuen Kay-San WCK. For raw/gross comparison sake, the material is closer to what Leung Ting sifu shows than what William Cheung sifu shows, but is of a different lineage than either (one that split off in the late 1800s).

What kind of Jujitsu are you training? If Japanese/standing, the basic structures might be of interest to you since one of the key elements of the art is counter-seizing-and-holding (making it difficult for someone to grab you and apply locks to you, and striking/counter locking those who try). And the sensitivity development can be invaluable for controlling a standing opponent. If BJJ/ground fighting, the the basic strategy of application (join with an opponent, cut off their offense, break down their defense, deliver your strikes, and keep in contact in case they try something else) is not incompatible with the clinch/ground/position/finalize strategy.

If you can go to a bookstore and look through some books, or if you can order them from a place that has a return policy, IMHO that's your best bet.

Please be aware, however, that WCK functions because its simple geometry/alignment, sensible strategy, and reflexive conditioning are driven into you, and this takes *time* and *effort*. Otherwise all you have are techniques which work like bad kick-boxing (which actually isn't that uncommon). Like anything, there's an investment required for a return.

RR

[Hansson]

All - thanks for the input! :)

Rene - I'm training in a growing Swedish system called Sport Jujutsu. It's derived from the old, traditional Jujutsu organization in Sweden and adapted to the JJIF international competetion rules. Traditional selfdefence techniques are removed and greater emphasis is put on randori and ne-waza. I enjoy it very much, especially the blend of standup fighting, throws, sweeps and grappling. It's not just the system but the atmosphere of the club which is great.

I'm aware I can't *learn* Wing Chun from books - it's just that that I'm very curious about WC and like the concepts of it. I'd like though to try to do a form or techniques behind closed curtains in my own privacy for my own enjoyment... :D

Things can change in the future and I may begin training in organized form!

I'll probably buy your book. I've heard good things about Leung Tings book too but I'm a little restricted by the store where I buy them (www.bokus.com , the Swedish equivalent of Amazon - great service, great prices - never go to the bookstore anymore). Your book is available there.

[yuanfen]

Agree with Hunt 1. The Chao and Weakland series on wing chun
should be a good start on a wing chun library. But one cannot learn wing chun froma book without some guidance-

((PS: Almost did it again- "good" start almost came out "hood"start"...influence of the triads?I dont have the keyboard memorized
and use a primitive two finger keying system- at times without too much light. Still a paper and pencil person-where spelling mistakes are practically nil)))

The Chao and Weakland series were out of print for a while but were reissued. The authors were not happy with the way the first edition came out. Its good that Weakland was able to persuade Chao to do the book in the first place.Chao was a private
student of Ip Man- independently wealthy and apparently not interested
in teaching wing chun as a profession.

[kj]

Originally posted by yuanfen
Agree with Hunt 1. The Chao and Weakland series on wing chun
should be a good start on a wing chun library. But one cannot learn wing chun froma book without some guidance-

I third it. For a technical "preview" of the Yip Man Wing Chun System, Chow and Weakland are the books I typically mention to newbies, though as with all books, accompanied by lots of caveats and disclaimers.

Other books for other interests and purposes of course. David Peterson's "Look Beyond the Pointing Finger" is my favorite "read" so far in the Wing Chun genre. Ritchie, Chu and Wu's "Complete Wing Chun" is a good general reference for gaining some insight or awareness of lineages other than your own.

Other Wing Chun books range from "okay" to "not totally worthless" to "egads - what does that have to with Wing Chun?!?" Books focusing on specific lineages probably appeal most strongly to those within that lineage or family-group (of course), and also range in quality. There are lots of non-Wing Chun books which offer more value than most Wing Chun books, IMHO.

Some of the best written works have never been formally published, but appear in various forms, often in old newsletters or on websites around the internet. On rare occasions a true gem is even revealed (and subsequently buried) in online discussion lists such as this and others, though a lot of sifting, sorting, and patience is generally required to benefit from them.

A good teacher is a far more efficient resource for learning than any of these, so I'm in agreement with others on this too.

Regards,
- Kathy Jo

[burnsypoo]

There Are No Secrets: Professor Cheng Man-Ch'ing and His TaiI Chi Chuan
by Wolfe Lowenthal

probably one of my favourites.

http://barnesandnoble.bfast.com/booklink/click?sourceid=287689&ISBN=1556431120

[YungChun]

Why not do some searches online? There are loads of video clips including forms and other info about the system right here on the WWW.

[wingchunalex]

the best book on wing chun I've found so far is rene richie's yuen kay san wing chun kuen. i absolutly love the book. it really shows a lot of good wing chun techniques. its the best overall book ive seen. that is one of the very few wing chun books i've gotten cause i've seen so many really poor ones. good luck with your search.

[Hansson]

Well, actually I ordered Yuen Kay-san Wing Chun Kuen last week. I'll probably get it this week! :)

It looked good as far as I could see and it's always great to be able to reach the author easily. The only negative thing would be that it's about a style which I'll probably never be able to study under a sifu (if I don't move across the great pond).

[gnugear]

I have Rene's book and like it as well. I'm from a different lineage but I still found it informative with good pictures and descriptions. Well done.

[David Jamieson]

So you guys haven't heard of Lam Wing Kit and Ying Fun Fong's Wing Chun books yet?

These are by far the best books ever written on the style in my opinion. No gloss, no mysticism, just the goods and the complete forms end to end, clearly and concisely laid out.

In English and Chinese. Good stuff, look for them!

peace

[yylee]

Neat little books, I wonder which lineage Lam and Ying are from.

[yuanfen]

kung lek- they are ok- not necessarily the best.
wing lam carries them- naturally.

[David Jamieson]

I did qualify that with an "in my opinion" yuan :D

I just don't care for a lot of the books on martial arts out there that have a tendency to ruminate and proselatyze about things that are better left just shown instead of spoken of.

There are afterall a whole lot of daydreamers out there writing martial arts stuff.

When someone just lays it out on the table, I have a much greater appreciation for that.

Regarding "lineage". In the west, It is my opiniong that martial lineage has very little meaning to it anymore. The whole lineage thing to me is much more a cultural idiom that has been adopted by a whole lot of people here in teh west to justify themselves and their political stance on the subject of martial arts.

It says little if anything of personal Kung Fu skill and should be the last thing on your mind when working your Kungfu.

You manifest the art, your teacher shows it to you. If you do not practice to make better, your teachers efforts are fruitless and your effort is worthless. That pretty much goes for anything.
Besides, if you are second rate, then you insult your teacher with your claims to his lineage and by showing your pitiful and highly lacking skills :D

peace

[canglong]

NEW! Das erste Weng Chun Kung Fu Buch ist erhältlich !

http://www.wingchunkuen.com/chisim/book_de.shtml

[Odie-wan]

The book by Yip Chun was a good read too. Alot of Q & A along with the forms done by YC. It differs slightly from the Ho Kam Ming WC but is essentially the same (according to Buddy Wu). At this point I don't know enough to know the differences but it is certainly an easy read with good pictures and a lot of Q & A with Yip Chun.

Sean

[yylee]

At least lineage provides background info to the auther. It is like knowing the auther's origin, be it Toronto Ont or Richmond BC, or does he/she have an eastern/western accent. Simple as that, no need to bring politics into the picture.;)

[Odie-wan]

yylee,
I assure you, the LAST thing I want to discuss is politics. That is the number one reason NOT to study WC. Some of the scraps you guys get into remind me more of grade school children than adults. I haven't seen the like on this scale in any other MA.

Sean

[yylee]

Originally posted by Odie-wan
yylee,
I assure you, the LAST thing I want to discuss is politics. That is the number one reason NOT to study WC. ... I haven't seen the like on this scale in any other MA.

Sean

Odie-Wan, I know how you feel about WC. I only like to look at the technical side of things, lineage information is useful when we want to look deeper at the practitioner's WC "engine", "structure", or simply "where they got this from?" kind of information. BTW, my previous post was just to say to Kung-Lek that lineage info is not always harmful in discussions. Sometimes subtle lineage differences are the things that make MA exciting.

[David Jamieson]

yylee- yes a solid lineage is indicative of where an art came from.

I agree 100%.

However, I have seen excellent martial skill in people with so called "questionable" lineages. They still got it, lineage or not and it can't be denied, especially not via crossing hands. :)

I have also seen terrible performances from people with so called "solid lineages". Go figure.

I think there is too much emphasis on it these days when the measure is truly in the hands.

peace

[yuanfen]

Good points Kung Lek. Good lineage can produce poor practitioners. Good "hands" can come from "bad" lineages.
But transmission of a well developed art does not always pass on from "good hands". BUT-Good understanding of transmission AND good hands are not necessarily mutually exclusive and can help with good transmission.... at least with several TCMAS that I know of where skill development in details benefit from careful
nurturing and practice- without mechanical imitation.

[Matrix]

Originally posted by YungChun
Why not do some searches online? There are loads of video clips including forms and other info about the system right here on the WWW. It looks like the URL is incomplete. Could you please fill in the blanks. That would be.....:cool:

Thanks,
Matrix