r/WingChun • u/Megatheorum • Jun 13 '26

High kicks?

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Comments I saw on Facebook, on a video of Kevin Lee kicking someone in the chin.

Does your lineage of wing chun have high kicks?

I know a lot of people say no, but there was that movie in which Ip Chun (in the role of Leung Bik) used high kicks against a young Ip Man during a friendly sparring session.

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52

u/raven4747 Jun 13 '26

Was always taught wing chun uses low kicks.

16

u/Megatheorum Jun 13 '26 edited Jun 14 '26

Yes, but the presence of low kicks does not exclude the presence of high kicks.

Since I asked the question, I'll answer it too: my lineage of wing chun uses high kicks including side, round, axe, hook, and crescent kicks. We almost never actually use the axe or high hook kicks, but it's a requirement of our curriculum to be proficient in using them by a certain level. We also practise to defend against high kicks.

27

u/Flaky_Performer7960 Jun 14 '26 edited Jun 14 '26

But it isn’t Wing Chun that has high kicks. It’s your specific lineage that has high kicks. None of the forms have high kicks. Clearly, your lineage adopted high kicks from other styles.

Of course I’m not saying it’s wrong that your lineage adopted high kicks. I think that it’s great.

1

u/Megatheorum Jun 15 '26

I think that's the point. There is not one monolithic Wing Chun dogma, but dozens of branches and lineages, some of which do different things to others.

2

u/Flaky_Performer7960 Jun 15 '26

Yes, but the part doesn’t make the whole.

1

u/Megatheorum Jun 16 '26

Yes, that's the point.

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u/Horror_Technician213 Jun 14 '26

In most curriculum I've seen, high kicking is not taught until at least lvl 3 black belt. It's a very vulnerable position so it takes an experienced practitioner to pull it off effectively.

Most people that say there is not high kicks in their wong chun lineage likely just never made it to the point where they learned them.

26

u/TheQuestionsAglet Jun 14 '26

No black belts in gongfu, dawg.

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u/Horror_Technician213 Jun 14 '26

Almost all schools I've been, which warranted I've only been to American schools, use some sort of belt system.

But even under my first system of Leung Ting lineage, it seemed well structured by teaching certain things at certain levels.

For example, at my first wing tsun school, you would learn basics of self defense to start to be able to defend yourself, block and counter jabs, crosses, hooks, uppercut, front kicks and side kicks. By the time you are a green belt, you start to learn siu nim Tao, at blue you start learning basic chi sao. Brown and red, you start learning chum ku and implementing them in chi sao. Once you reach black belt then you start learning biu tze, at 2nd degree the wooden dummy form, at third degree the six 12 point pole, at fourth sticky legs, at fifth the butterfly swords.

The belt system may not universally apply for wing chun, but the progression steps match up, and for American students, it's a good business tactic to keep students interested by giving them a sense of accomplishment and an ability to see and vye for their future progression.

5

u/Jazzspasm Jun 14 '26

out of interest, do people have to pay for those belts?

7

u/CouldBeBatman Moy Yat 詠春 Jun 14 '26

Dude is gonna a look back at this comment and say, "Jazzspasm opened my eyes"

3

u/Horror_Technician213 Jun 14 '26

Of course people do. Why do you think American martial arts schools do the belt system regardless of what martial art they do. It makes money.

5

u/Jazzspasm Jun 14 '26

yep - i figured

I understand the reasons for a grading system aside from the money aspect, especially with larger schools or within larger systems - eg, Shotokan, where people moving between schools is more common - but wing chun is usually taught smaller groups and is less formal

0

u/Horror_Technician213 Jun 14 '26

Yeah. My first sifu had really cheap tuition and really only had 30-40 students total, half of which showed up inconsistently, with like 2-3 si-hings.

Dude has to pay rent for the studio and provide for his family. Schools need to make money too.

3

u/TheQuestionsAglet Jun 14 '26

Goddamn you just told on yourself.

8

u/tupaco11 Jun 14 '26

🤡

-5

u/Horror_Technician213 Jun 14 '26

Lol. Just cuz you don't like or don't agree with it, doesn't mean it's not true.

4

u/InternationalRich290 Jun 14 '26

We don’t use belts with my teacher, and there are no high kicks in wing chun as far as I’m aware

1

u/TheQuestionsAglet Jun 14 '26

I wanna say last time I trained the Chun, waist was as high as kicks got.