Lineages . . .

[Reeksta]

I've been reading some of the other wing chun threads and there's a lot of reference to different lineages of the art. As someone who's very new to WC none of it means much to me. Can anyone explain what the main lineages are and the differences between them?
Thanks

 

[geezer]

I've been reading some of the other wing chun threads and there's a lot of reference to different lineages of the art. As someone who's very new to WC none of it means much to me. Can anyone explain what the main lineages are and the differences between them?
Thanks

Boy that's a pretty tall order. Not only is the subject complicated but most places that question would start a huge argument and the thread would go down the tubes pretty quickly.

Personally I come mainly from Leung Ting's WT (Hong Kong branch) with some influence from his European branch, the EWTO. LT"s WT is Yip Man lineage with a distinct flavor. It's very yielding and "soft" ...yet very combative. Like every group, it has it's share of obnoxious "true believers". Get away from them and it has some really good traits. But it's just one facet of the WC gem.

 

[Takai]

Geezer has stated it as eloquently as always. Lineage discussions tend to degenerate quickly. While I have seen various lineages teaching things that I would never do it seems to work for them. I wouldn't claim my lineage to be the end all be all because I feel that no one lineage can (or should) lay claim to that.

I would encourage you to continue to research the history of our art but, don't get tangled up in the lineage battles they certainly won't help you with your training.

Enjoy your journey.

 

[Xue Sheng]

YEAH!!!! Well my lineage is better than ALL of your lineages.....said the taiji guy who only dabbled in Wing Chun

The only real use I see from lineage is it shows "possible" legitimacy and it shows reasons differences in forms.

 

[Brummie]

I think with most of the 'mainstream' styles of WC, a lot of the differences are subtle but noticeable. Some more smaller clubs might offer a modified version, for example adding or changing things within the forms.

A good example is watching both Ip Ching and Ip Chun do the forms on youtube, both similar but there are differences between the two. And they are both teaching traditional WC

 

[Vajramusti]

I've been reading some of the other wing chun threads and there's a lot of reference to different lineages of the art. As someone who's very new to WC none of it means much to me. Can anyone explain what the main lineages are and the differences between them?
Thanks

-----------------------------------
Geezer got it basically right- too complicated and often controversial to do justice to the term "lineage". People often just drop names
superficially and not always accurately. IMO the important questions for students are 1. to do the homework on 2. is the sifu good 3. who did he or she learn from and was that person good 4. how long and how often did the person learn from the teacher 4 develop a sense- is the person teaching wing chun?
I went through that kind of clarification myself back in 1976. I was lucky and I have stuck with evolving with wing chun since 1976. My sifu is Augustine Fong in Tucson and he has been doing wing chun since 1960. His teacher was Ho Kam Ming who has been doing Ip Man original
wing chun since the middle fifties and spent more quality time with Ip Man himself than anyone.
The style or the sifu wont do the work for you.
It's better to have a superb teacher from some other style than a bad wing chun teacher.

 

[J W]

I asked a similar question here when I first started training Wing Chun a few years ago. Here are the answers I got.

Varieties of Wing Chun MartialTalk.Com - Friendly Martial Arts Forum Community

Ip Man had many students who went on to teach, and for the most part the Ip Man lineages to me seem more similar than different. There are also several lineages of WC that don't come from Ip Man; their forms and applications might look a bit different than the Ip Man families but the core principles always seem to remain constant, from what I have seen.

There are many different lineages and variations of Wing Chun out there, which makes it all quite fascinating, as long as you appreciate the variety as the natural result of so many diverse people propagating the art, and don't get hung up on which one is "better" than the rest. Stick around long enough and you'll start to get familiar with the different lineages.

 

[Marnetmar]

Some of the more popular "brands" of Yip Man W.C, among others:

1. Wing Tsun (Leung Ting)
Very soft and springy, has a bit of a "when in doubt, chainpunch" mentality.

2. Ving Tsun (Wong Shun-Leung)
Very straightforward and aggressive with emphasis on practical application.

3. Traditional Wing Chun (William Cheung)
More complex movements and a more in-depth centerline theory among other things.

Non Yip Man styles:

1. Foshan Wing Chun
Includes Yuen Kay San, Pan Nam, Yiu Choi, Chan Wah-shun, etc. etc. etc. This is a can of worms that I'm not gonna bother opening.

2. Gulo Village Wing Chun
San Sik based system supposedly created by Leung Jan when he moved away from Foshan. Don't know much about it.

3. "Weng" Chun
Tang Family, Lo Family, etc. This is a can of worms I REALLY don't want to open.

4. Others
More controversial branches like Hung Fa Yi, Pao Fa Lien, Fut Sau, etc.

 

[kung fu fighter]

This is a list of all the major and minor lineages of Wing Chun and everything we know about them.

• Chan family Lineage
• Cheung Bo Lineage
• Cheng Kwong Lineage
• Cho Family Lineage / Poon Yu Village
• Dong and Chu Chong Man Family Lineage
• Fukian Lineage Weng Chun
• Fut Sao Lineage
• Jiu Wan Lineage
• Kulo Village Fung Family Lineage / Sup Yee San Sik
• Lee Shing Lineage
• Lo Family Lineage
• Hung Fa Yi Lineage
• Mai Gai Wong Lineage
• Pan Nam Lineage
• Pao Fa Lien Lineage
• Sum Num Lineage
• Tang Family Lineage
• Wong Jing Family Lineage
• Wudang Lineage Weng Shun
• Yip Kin Lineage Malasian Wing Chun
• Yip Man - Fatshan Lineage
• Yip Man - Hong Kong
  • Wong Shun Leung Lineage
  • William Cheung TWC Lineage
  • Hawkins Cheung Lineage
    • Robert Chu
• Yiu Kay Lineage
• Yuen Chai Wan Lineage Vietnamese Wing Chun
• Yuen Kay Shan Lineage

For more info check out this website WingChunPedia - The One and Only Wing Chun Encylopedia WCP Lineages browse

 

[Reeksta]

Thanks for your answers everyone. The last thing I want is to start an argument between people; just trying to get a handle on what the practical differences are and learn more about the art's history

 

[yak sao]

Thanks for your answers everyone. The last thing I want is to start an argument between people;

It's WC...we're known for our in-fighting.

 

[kung fu fighter]

It's WC...we're known for our in-fighting.

lol, that's funny but true