Styles of Kung Fu in this course
In this course, I am teaching my own style of Kung Fu. You could simply call it Kung Fu. It’s the accumulation of everything I’ve learnt.
In terms of classical styles, it’s primarily based on Wing Chun for practicality, then cleansed with Tai Chi for balance. It’s also influenced by – and has a lot in common with – many other martial arts including Jeet Kune Do, Xing Yi, Aikido, Boxing, Judo, Ninjutsu, Fencing, Capoeira and more.
Having said that, practically every move I am teaching on this course was also taught very well by Bruce Lee, so I’ll be using plenty of his pictures, videos and words to supplement my own.
Namedropping aside, I mainly focus on Balance and Practicality.
- I always aim for optimally balanced and natural movement. With attention to technical detail, I treat Kung Fu like a fine art.
- I always come back to practicality, for real self-defence scenarios. I consider threats of all kinds – especially those most common and those most dangerous.
Wu Wei
I teach The Way Of Fighting Without Fighting. We have Bruce Lee to thank for popularising this style, or at least this name for it. This is actually the greatest martial art of them all. It’s a form of Wu Wei (doing without doing). No physical kung fu needed. But knowing you can get physical if you need to – this may give you the confidence required to clear your mind and find a better way. To avoid the fight before it starts, and to de-escalate anything that may have started. Creativity welcomed – feel free to think outside the box, just as Bruce did in Enter The Dragon.
Tai Chi
I teach Tai Chi core principles & mechanics. Tai Chi is the glue that sticks everything together and fills in the gaps from other martial arts, especially Wing Chun. Because Wing Chun is a simplified system that focuses on the main things, so Tai Chi is added to smooth it over, plug in its gaps, extend its remit, and generally make it a more cohesive & comprehensive system, without undermining anything important to Wing Chun, because they are still fundamentally very similar artforms. Tai Chi alone is a comprehensive system, but lacks practical focus and training habits for self defence (in most schools). So Wing Chun and Tai Chi make a great combination – like Yin & Yang, they are each other’s missing link. Many of the top Wing Chun teachers around the world today combine Wing Chun with Tai Chi – there are even many doing this in the UK – this is testament to how well these two styles of Kung Fu complement each other.
Wing Chun
I teach Wing Chun empty handed fundamentals. Wing Chun is easily the best style of kung fu for learning practical blocking and counter-striking skills for one-on-one empty-handed combat. There’s an argument to say Tai Chi or JKD are better, but I’m talking about the skills acquired by the average student, not the uppermost percentile. Personally, I believe Wing Chun is the best mainstream martial art for practical self defence altogether (from conventional threats). There’s an argument to say that could be Judo or Boxing, and I recommend you learn these too, but they have massive limitations where Wing Chun does not. Wing Chun is simple, it’s quick to learn, and it focuses on the most important aspects of empty-handed one-to-one combat. This is the base style I’ll be teaching on this course. Most of the core techniques I teach here are commonly taught in Wing Chun schools around the world today, albeit often slightly differently because they tend to be not so concerned with Wu Wei, Tai Chi and JKD principles as we will be on this course.
JKD
I teach some Jeet Kune Do core techniques & principles.
Since Tai Chi emphasises the graceful side of Wing Chun, which is ideal for a pacifist approach, for avoiding & de-escalating conflicts and maintaining composure; it’s good to also explore the sharper, more reactive side of Wing Chun, which is emphasised by Jeet Kune Do (JKD) – the style of Bruce Lee’s own creation, which was originally based on classical Wing Chun, but became increasingly divergent as he matured.
Compared to Wing Chun, JKD is more suited to assassination and battlefield tactics, as well as sporting competition.
JKD restores the potency of the coiling & darting Snake side of Wing Chun, considering Wing Chun is said to have once been a combination of Snake and Crane systems from Shaolin. JKD makes Wing Chun footwork more agile, freeing the feet from the defensive back-foot Crane-style stance, taking example from Boxing, Fencing and other martial arts.
Bruce was heavily helped on his way to doing this, when he learnt Red Boat Wing Chun from his father’s friend, Fook Yeung (from 1959 till the mid 60s), considering the Red Boat Opera was a cover for the Red Flower Society (Hung Faa Wui 紅花會) which was a group of assassins loyal to the Ming dynasty long after its collapse.
Bear in mind, Bruce was one of the greatest ever exponents of classical Wing Chun, which he learnt from many teachers – initially from Ip Man and his main student Wong Shun Leung for 1.5 years in Hong Kong, then from Fook Yeung in Seattle from the age of 18 onwards. Bruce was also well versed in Tai Chi principles, which he learnt initially from his father from a very young age.
But he didn’t just learn these arts, he mastered their fundamentals and took ownership, not replicating the mistakes he saw his teachers making. Practically every demonstration Bruce Lee made, especially towards the end of his life, is a near perfect example of how a technique can be executed, so if you spot any differences between my style and his, I have no problem with you following his – both ways should work fine.
Bruce also did Fencing as a child, Western Boxing in High School, and Judo at Uni. He continued to practise all these arts until the year he died. So this course is packed with demonstrations and words of wisdom from Bruce himself – every style of Kung Fu taught in this course is supplemented with examples from Bruce Lee.
Bruce Lee’s skill dramatically improved, continuously from his mid teens when he began learning Wing Chun in Hong Kong, until the age of 32 when he was eventually murdered back in Hong Kong. Since his 20s he was never prone to making serious technical mistakes on a move by move – he picked up individual techniques quite quickly and began teaching them in a very polished way in his early 20s. But his development massively affected his full-body balance and his choice of stances, as well as his move selection to optimise relaxation, power and inter-move fluidity. So it’s worth paying extra special attention to any demonstrations he made in his 30s, such as those behind the scenes of Enter The Dragon (1973) with John Saxon and Bolo Yeung. His movies themselves were also great examples of legitimate Kung Fu, especially the later ones where he had more control over script and fight choreography.
There are several prominent Kung Fu teachers around the world today who base their system on this great trio of styles – Tai Chi, Wing Chun & JKD – because they blend together so well, and the combined system covers all bases from tolerant pacifism to swift assassination.
Xing Yi
I teach the Five Elements (Wu Xing) theory of Xing Yi Quan, which is an ancient system of divination much older than Xing Yi Quan itself. I often refer to the classical techniques of the elemental & animal systems of Xing Yi Quan too.
Five Elements theory is not strictly a necessary ingredient of being a complete fighter – some would say it’s even a step too far – an unhealthy distraction – but it’s a fascinating brain teaser and an aid for reflecting to help you develop from another angle. This system of martial theory offers new insights into classic Wing Chun and Tai Chi moves and combinations, answering some otherwise unanswered questions, and opening up a whole new world of mechanical logic to explore. There are very few schools in the world today, applying Xing Yi theory to Wing Chun mechanics – even fewer doing it comprehensively the other way round – but it makes so much sense I can’t not acknowledge it. If nothing else, the Five Elements theory from Xing Yi Quan helps to validate or criticise your favourite technique combinations to a level of detail & certainty that seems almost supernatural.
On the directly practical side, there are many classic Xing Yi techniques found in Tai Chi, Wing Chun and JKD – often not recognised as such, like the Drilling Fist – the Water Fist technique (the corkscrew forward motion of the fist as the elbow sinks down) which is commonly trained in Lap Sau drills. I’m also particularly fond of the Horse Fist, which fits very naturally into dynamic chain-punching combination flows.
Five Styles
In summary, the five core styles of Kung Fu I teach, and the way I organise them collectively, are as follows:
- Style Zero – The Way of Fighting Without Fighting – Wu Wei as a martial art
- Style One – Tai Chi – The Way of Blending (yin & yang), incorporating Wu Wei. Aikido also fits nicely into this category.
- Style Two – Wing Chun – The Way of Conflict, incorporating Blending and Wu Wei
- Style Three – JKD – The Way Of Reaching (far & early, with lively lead hands & feet), incorporating Conflict, Blending and Wu Wei. Ninjutsu and Capoeira fall into this energetically assertive category too.
- Style Four – Xing Yi – The Unholy Way – The Unnecessary Extra Insight
Synthesising Style Zero with Style One, involves understanding the relationship between Wu Ji 無極 and Tai Ji 太極. It’s no different to the relationship between Dao 道 and De 德. Understanding when & why to relax – to be empty – and how & why to switch from empty to full, and vice versa.
Synthesis of Tai Chi with Wing Chun can be massively aided by understanding & respecting the concepts of Yiu Ma (腰馬) and Sau Tai Sun (手提身). Yiu Ma means Hip Stance, which means driving with your hip (and whole body) in every move you make, for stability and power. This is similar to the concept of Ashi Koshi Te (足腰手) in Japanese martial arts, which literally means “Foot, Hip, Hand” and refers to aligning your feet and driving your hips in the direction you want to strike with your hand. Sau Tai Sun, on the other hand, means Hand Moves Body, which means lead the way with your hands and let the body follow. Especially when rehearsing or drilling classical moves, Tai Chi teachers tend to neglect Yiu Ma – not putting their hip into their techniques for real power; while Ip Man lineage Wing Chun teachers tend to neglect Sau Tai Sun – they tend to shift their stance to face a different direction while leaving their hands behind and not even adjusting their foot placement to compensate (Red Boat Opera style Wing Chun is less prone to this mistake).
Other martial arts worth learning too
I encourage you to also train in the following martial arts, if you can. But take them with a pinch of salt in case anything they teach clashes with any of the vital Kung Fu principles we’re learning on this course.
- I recommend Boxing and Kickboxing for developing footwork and striking techniques – just be careful not to develop a ‘point-scoring mentality’ or a ‘sparring mentality’ which is the wrong mindset for genuine combat – inappropriate for everything from pacifism to assassination. Also beware of neglecting techniques that work much better without gloves on, such as those that depend on grip, or knuckle contact, or two hands working closely together.
Bruce Lee tried Boxing under Queensberry Rules when he was a teenager in Hong Kong (guided by Brother Edward Muss, at St Francis Xavier’s College – a Catholic highschool in Kowloon). Without training much boxing – using mostly Wing Chun and street fighting skills, Bruce won the local inter-school championship (between 12 schools), beating the reigning champion (a British boy called Gary Elms) who held the title for 3 years running. Wong Shun Leung (who spent about 18 months teaching Ip Man’s Wing Chun to a teenage Bruce Lee in Hong Kong) also had a background in Boxing himself prior to learning Wing Chun. Bruce’s first student Jesse Raymond Glover also boxed in the US Air Force, and Bruce’s second student Ed Hart was a professional boxer too.
- I recommend Judo and Shuai Jiao for footsweeps, throw-type takedowns, and chokeholds & submissions from stand-up positions – just be mindful of striking range boundaries & protocols that are forgotten by purely grappling systems – also be careful not to develop an overly sporty mindset here – on concrete streets against multiple attackers, it’s advisable to avoid ‘falling down with them for half a point’. Traditional Judo included striking and stay-standing principles that the modern Olympic sport neglects.
Bruce Lee began learning Japanese Judo from Fred Sato, at Washington Uni in Seattle in his early 20s, and continued learning Judo through his 20s with the help of Gene LeBell and Wally Jay, plus his first set of students, many of whom were Judo players, and a couple of whom were black belts, including his very first student Jesse Glover who was an accomplished Judo competitor, as well as Pat C Hooks.
- I recommend Aikido for multi-opponent footwork, takedowns (ultra sharp or ultra soft) and pacifist tactics – just be aware that there is a lack of pressure testing in this discipline (for safety reasons) compared to sportier styles (where wrist locks are usually banned for safety reasons), and this can breed over-confidence in your ability, while leaving gaping holes unexposed.
According to Dan Inosanto, Bruce Lee once saw a demonstration of Aikido and commented (paraphrasing) “that could be useful if someone is trying to grab you, but wouldn’t do well against punching & kicking”. And according to Peter Chin, one of Bruce’s last students, Bruce enjoyed training in Aikido – he took private lessons from Mitoshi Uyehara. Bruce Lee also did a couple of classical Aikido moves on Sammo Hung in the opening scene of his final completed movie Enter The Dragon (1973), followed by a classical Judo move, then a wrestling submission to finish the fight. Note also, the founder of Judo (Kano Jigoro) once saw a demonstration of pre-war Aikido by its founder Morihei Ueshiba (at Mejiro dojo, 1930) and said “this is ideal Budo – true Judo” but he was already 70 years old, so instead of learning Aikido himself, he sent two of his best students (Kenji Tomiki and Minoru Mochizukio) to train under Ueshiba and report back.
- I recommend Ninjutsu and Capoeira for broadening your range of techniques – there’s a lot of good stuff to find in these dynamic disciplines, just be mindful of anything that might contradict our vital Kung Fu principles. For example, rolling around on the ground contradicts the Kung Fu principle of staying on your feet, but still has relevance in certain contexts (there’s an exception to every rule) such as hyper humble conditions (major injury, slavery, etc) and super stealthy operations (military manoeuvres, etc) – plus it can be great for developing certain athletic attributes that benefit you in all scenarios.
- I recommend Arnis for working with short blades and short sticks. Just be careful not to over complicate things, because Arnis is full of fancy rhythm & sensitivity drills which, just like Sticky Hands in Wing Chun, can encourage a point-scoring mindset, but it’s important not to forget the potential potency, efficiency and humility-nurturing properties of singular isolated movements, especially when working with blades.
Bruce Lee learnt Arnis from Dan Inosanto in return for teaching him Kung Fu.
- I recommend Fencing for developing long-range footwork & principles.
Bruce Lee learnt fencing as a child, alongside his elder brother Peter who became a world-class competitor with foil and epee. In the same year that Bruce won his inter-school boxing tournament (1958), his brother Peter represented Hong Kong in the Commonwealth Games.
Does style even matter?
There are endless different styles of martial art out there. They all have their strengths and weaknesses. Some are more realistic than others. Some are more holistic. Some are better suited to certain mind or body types. Some are better suited to helping you develop further when you already have a background in certain martial arts. Because they all have their own strengths & weaknesses, and because every teacher is different too, it’s hard to make blanket recommendations of particular martial arts styles or schools, but I’ve done my best on this page.
Some people say it doesn’t matter what style someone does – it’s all about the quality of the martial artist, not his style. Some people say all styles are as good as each other – all can be good or bad depending on the teacher. People who say this, generally haven’t experienced the best and the worst of what’s out there. As someone who has, I can assure you, some styles will waste years of your life, even teaching you bad habits that take years to shed and make you a worse fighter than before you ever started. Other styles can have you doing cool things that you never imagined were possible, within just a few lessons, even in a below average school of that style. Indeed, there is a HUGE difference between the best and worst styles out there. So the recommendations on this page should point you in a very fruitful direction, but bear in mind, the quality of your teacher and the level of your own commitment are also massive factors in determining your rate of progression. Plus, people sometimes do one style and call it another, so don’t be too quick to jump to conclusions upon hearing the name of someone’s style.
Let’s get started
After this overview of the key styles of Kung Fu that I teach, as well as various other recommended martial arts to train, it may be a lot to digest and you may be wondering where best to begin. Well, let’s just dive straight in. You’ve got to start somewhere, and I believe there’s nothing better to start with, for practical self defence, than the Kung Fu in this course, so let’s get started.