S88 Wing Chun

Explorations of the Practice & Craft through the lens of Wing Chun YouTube, TikTok, IG: @s88WingChun

[s88wingchun]

You are not being punished. Whatever you're living through right now — the caregiving that drains you, the financial pressure that never fully lifts, the relationship that broke, the grief that won't schedule itself conveniently — none of it is evidence that you did something wrong or that life has singled you out. Hard things happen to people who are doing everything right. That includes you.

What is true is that difficulty has a way of burning away what isn't essential. Not cruelly — more like the way a long winter clears the ground so that what grows in spring is new and clean and uncluttered. You are being clarified. The parts of you that are emerging through this hardship — the patience you didn't know you had, the boundaries you finally found, the compassion that deepened because you yourself needed it — those are not small things. Those are the most important things. Be tender with yourself as they surface.

[s88wingchun]

There is a deeper order to your life than the chaos currently visible on the surface. You may not be able to see it from where you're standing — that's okay. The roots of a tree aren't visible either, but they are what allow it to stand in the storm. You have roots. You have a history of surviving things that once seemed unsurvivable. That is not nothing. That is everything.

The traditions that have guided human beings through darkness for thousands of years are unanimous on this: the universe is not indifferent to you. There is a structure beneath the disorder, a current running underneath the confusion, a moral gravity that tends — slowly, stubbornly — toward restoration. You don't have to manufacture hope right now. You just have to stay upright long enough for what is already moving toward you to arrive.

[florial]

[loubis-and-champagne]

X

[s88wingchun]

In this short video I explore a question I’ve been wondering about: why can traditional kung fu sometimes feel difficult to understand from the outside?

Part of the answer may lie in history.

After the Boxer Rebellion (1899–1901), martial arts groups in China became closely associated with secret societies and anti-government movements. Because of this, martial training may have increasingly moved into more private settings, with knowledge passed carefully between trusted teachers and students.

Later, during the Cultural Revolution (1966–1976) under Mao Zedong, many elements of traditional Chinese culture were suppressed as part of the campaign against the “Four Olds.” Martial arts lineages, manuals, and family records were sometimes destroyed or hidden for safety. In response, practitioners may have adapted how knowledge was transmitted — teaching movements publicly while explaining deeper applications privately to trusted students.

At the same time, the Chinese government began developing and promoting a modern, state-sponsored system of Wushu, which emphasized athletic performance, health, and public demonstration. While this preserved many movements and helped popularize Chinese martial arts worldwide, it also changed how the arts appeared to the public.

Interestingly, history provides examples of similar adaptations elsewhere. Brazilian Capoeira, for example, is often described as a martial art whose techniques were hidden inside dance-like movements during periods when enslaved Africans and their descendants were forbidden from openly practicing combat training.

None of this means traditional kung fu techniques were intentionally “mysterious” or ineffective. But it does raise an interesting possibility: that some movements we see today may have survived through periods of cultural pressure by appearing harmless on the surface while deeper meanings were transmitted quietly within lineages.

Of course, Chinese martial arts history is vast and complex, and I approach this topic with curiosity and respect rather than certainty. If you study kung fu or Chinese martial arts history and have thoughts on this topic, I’d love to hear your perspective.

[hersacreddivinity]

[deadlynightshade26]

[s88wingchun]

Chain punches get a bad reputation in Wing Chun. But like many drills and techniques, they’re developmental tools meant to build a core mechanic and lay the neuromuscular foundation for everything that follows.

One reason they’re misunderstood is because they’re first practiced from a square stance, where power generation is intentionally limited. When people feel that lack of power, they often start adding shoulders and waist to force it — but in doing so they may actually be cheating the reps and short-circuiting the skill the drill is meant to develop.

Wing Chun often removes power early on so the structure and mechanics can be built first. This video highlights a few key things worth focusing on when developing the chain punch mechanic.

[s88wingchun]

In this series I’m stepping a little outside my comfort zone. I generally try to avoid speaking about other cultures, but many beginning and intermediate students experience a very specific kind of frustration when learning Wing Chun and other kung fu systems. My hope is that, if we communicate this idea well, it can help both students and instructors find more clarity — and ultimately more joy and fulfillment — in training and in shaping the future of Wing Chun practice. Traditional kung fu developed much more like an apprenticeship in a mature, centuries-old trade than like a modern class. Knowledge was revealed gradually through relationship and trust. And with good instruction — I would argue especially in Wing Chun — the emphasis is not only on skill acquisition and technical knowledge, but also on who the student is becoming during the process. That’s one of the things I most admire about it. Of course, there are schools and instructors who hide behind “secrecy” without having much depth to share — whether from lack of understanding, desire for control, or financial incentives. But those cases can’t explain the broader pattern seen across lineages and generations. Even combat sports reflect a similar structure: boxing and MMA gyms typically give fundamentals to everyone, while deeper coaching is naturally focused on the students who dedicate themselves, train consistently, and choose to compete. In this episode we explore the cultural and relational teaching model that helps explain why kung fu can feel confusing from the outside — and why something may look incomplete to a viewer while still making perfect sense inside the training relationship.

[s88wingchun]

There’s a lot of confusion around Wing Chun — and really traditional Kung Fu in general. People question the forms, critique the drills, and wonder how any of it is meant to apply. From the outside, those reactions make sense.

But over time I started to realize the difficulty isn’t just about fighting or technique. The art is coming from a very different way of teaching, learning, and even looking at practice than many of us are used to. Without that context, what you see can feel incomplete, symbolic, or even unrealistic.

I’ve always been hesitant to try to “explain” Wing Chun. I don’t think it was built to persuade everyone, and the people it resonates with tend to find their way to it. But I’ve also met many practitioners who care deeply about it and still feel like they’re missing something — often assuming the problem is themselves.

So in this short series I want to share a perspective that helped things make sense for me. Not just what the movements are doing, but why the art often appears the way it does, and why so many people struggle to interpret it.

If you’ve ever felt like you’re looking at the same material as everyone else but seeing something different — or nothing at all — this series is for you.

I’ll be sharing the ideas across the next few short videos. Follow along, and I’d genuinely like to hear your thoughts and experiences too.

[s88wingchun]

You may have heard this before — Kon (Gon) Sao and Kwon Sao were classically described as the Golden and Silver (or Iron) Scissors.

I’ve always loved that image because it tells us more than “hand positions.”

They aren’t just blocks.

Sometimes we use them that way — and honestly, life gives brutish problems, so a brutish answer can work. But the scissors idea points to something more refined.

Instead of stopping the attack, they can cut the structure.

One closes. One opens. Yet both separate the incoming force from its ability to affect us. That’s the interesting part — not just for training.

In life, pressure shows up and our instinct is to block. Sometimes that’s all we have. But other times, if we see clearly, we don’t have to fight the pressure at all… we can cut the structure creating it and step into an opening.

Wing Chun just gives us a physical way to practice that lesson.

[s88wingchun]

This clip revisits a partner technique from a previous video and maps it onto the wooden dummy. Part of my practice is taking anything learned in live work back to the dummy to refine it. That process naturally produces variations—I don’t chase them yet, I just note them, often by recording myself. Staying with one variation at a time and refining it fully is what turns practice from simply sharpening a technique into integrating self.

[s88wingchun]

Here’s a fun boxing combination to play with using Wing Chun. Because Wing Chun is principle-based, there are countless ways to solve this—made even richer by the many lineages, schools, and interpretations that exist. That means even more valid responses. One thing I like about this combo is that it forces us, as traditional martial artists, to fit insidethe opponent’s rhythm rather than disrupt it outright. There’s no guarantee your strike lands or stops the next shot—especially against bigger, well-conditioned, or chemically motivated attackers—so learning to stay functional inside the attack can be critical. In this version, I focus on driving efficiency down: using simple tools like pak, biu, and gon, turning only as much as needed to stay supported, and fitting shots in along the way. Curious how you’d handle it—drop your thoughts below.

[sifu-kisu]

[s88wingchun]

Yip’s arrow punching stance … primo

[s88wingchun]

We get a lot of questions about the fighting effectiveness of Wing Chun.

The honest answer is a little more complex—because fighting is complex, and Wing Chun is a deep system. I want to unpack that more later. For now, here’s a concrete example.

This clip shows a response to a boxing combination, using Wing Chun techniques, but more importantly Wing Chun ideas—concepts, principles, and Kuen Kuit. I’m a bit rusty, but I made a conscious effort not to violate either.

I also thought this could be a useful challenge for other Wing Chun practitioners:

The order of priority

Wing Chun techniques

Adherence to Wing Chun ideas (concepts, principles, Kuen Kuit)

The combination below

The combination Jab → Jab → Cross → Rear Uppercut → Lead High Hook → Shoulder Roll → Cross → Lead Body Hook → Lead High Hook

If you want to try it, post your response and use #s88boxingchallenge

Feel free to comment here with your thoughts—or reach out on Youtube, X, IG, Threads, or Tumblr.

[s88wingchun]

Throwback clip from early 2017—filmed at home to track my progress, and now shared as a snapshot in time. I’ve always had a deep appreciation for the Baat Cham Do, especially how it extends Wing Chun’s ideas into longer ranges. The wider, deeper stances build mechanics, strength, and conditioning for dynamic footwork—closing distance, exiting range, sticking with, and hunting a moving partner. I’ve also found these stances surprisingly useful against shoots and single or double leg takedowns. Hope you enjoy the throwback, and I’d love to hear your thoughts on the knives.

[s88wingchun]

The Luk Dim Boon Kwun—the six-and-a-half point pole—is an essential part of Wing Chun practice. It offers many benefits, but one that’s rarely discussed is how it introduces wider stances and full blading of the body. As I understand it, this full blading sets a clear precedent: at longer ranges, rotation isn’t just allowed—it’s built in. This is a throwback home practice clip from years ago that highlights exactly that. Hope you enjoy it, and I’d love to hear your thoughts on the long pole.

[s88wingchun]

New, full video now out on YouTube. Check it out