Martial Arts: Wing Chun

4 points

Wing Chun is a combative martial art native to southern China. According to legend, it was founded in the early 18th century. After the destruction of the Shaolin Temple, a nun named Ng Mui fled south. She met Yim Wing Chun, a shopkeeper's daughter, and taught her Shaolin boxing. Yim added techniques and went on to teach her style to her husband, who named it after her. Variations on this story have Yim learning the style to defeat a bullying general who wished to take her as his concubine.

Wing Chun's actual origins seem to be more prosaic. The style appears to have coalesced out of fighting techniques used in southern China – particularly by boatmen. References to fighters using forms and technique names unique to Wing Chun suggest that its history extends back more than a century before its legendary founding.

There are several schools of Wing Chun. The most common variation today is that of the Yip family, who have taught Wing Chun for centuries. The art's most famous student, Bruce Lee, was a student of Yip Man.

Wing Chun is notably short on ceremony and ritual. It traditionally lacks ranks and bowing, and has only three forms. The style focuses on a small set of widely applicable tools and stresses practicing these until they come naturally in combat. The emphasis is on close-range fighting – short punches, lowline defensive kicks, soft parries, and standing locks. Its characteristic stance is slightly backward-leaning, with the feet set side-by-side. Wing Chun includes two weapons: the butterfly sword, used in pairs, and the staff, used like a two-handed sword to make wide swinging attacks.

Fundamental to Wing Chun are the concepts of the centerline, an imaginary line drawn down the center of the practitioner's body, and the six "gates" (high, middle, and low, on either side of the centerline), which are openings to attack from or through. Stylists learn to keep their centerline pointed at the foe while staying off his, minimizing his ability to strike while maximizing their own effectiveness. Another key aspect of the art is chi sao, or "sticking hands": feeling an opponent's shifts of balance or focus in order to respond with a parry and counterattack, or to trap his limbs. Students sometimes practice chi sao blindfolded to increase sensitivity.

Wing Chun expects the practitioner to seize the initiative and steamroll his adversary with rapid attacks. The Wing Chun fighter uses "chain punches" – strings of Defensive Attacks, often thrown as Rapid Strikes – to keep the foe off-balance. Kicks frequently target the legs and tend to be Defensive Attacks as well. The stylist meets the enemy's kicks with a Jam. If using Combinations, Combination (Karate Punch/Torso + Karate Kick/Leg) is common among stylists. This sometimes follows a parry that drags down the opponent's guard to open him up for the combo; model this as a Counterattack. The fighter continues to attack like this until he stuns or weakens his victim, then uses strikes – likely in combination with a lock – to finish him.

Cinematic Wing Chun stylists are extremely powerful. They can sense enemy attacks using Sensitivity and use their chi to root themselves in place. Their unarmed strikes are especially lethal, aimed at pressure points or vital locations to paralyze or kill.

Wing Chun is widespread. Finding a teacher isn't difficult. Some schools use a formal ranking system of colored sashes; others have no ranking system at all.

Skills: Karate; Shortsword; Wrestling.
Techniques: Arm Lock; Axe Kick; Close Combat (Shortsword); Counterattack (Karate or Shortsword); Elbow Strike; Feint (Karate or Shortsword); Jam; Knee Strike; Stamp Kick; Targeted Attack (Karate Kick/Leg).
Cinematic Skills: Blind Fighting; Immovable Stance; Mental Strength; Power Blow; Pressure Points; Pressure Secrets, Sensitivity.
Cinematic Techniques: Dual-Weapon Attack (Shortsword); Dual-Weapon Defense (Shortsword); Lethal Eye-Poke; Lethal Strike; Pressure-Point Strike.
Perks: Off-Hand Weapon Training (Shortsword); Special Setup (Karate Parry > Arm Lock); Technique Adaptation (Counterattack); Unusual Training (Sensitivity, Only while at least one hand is in physical combat with the opponent).

Optional Traits

Advantages: Ambidexterity; Enhanced Parry (Bare Hands or All); Language (Cantonese).
Disadvantages: Overconfidence.
Skills: Knife; Savoir-Faire (Dojo); Staff; Two-Handed Sword.
Techniques: Leg Grapple.
Perks: Off-Hand Weapon Training (Knife).