Grandmaster Tse’s Wing Chun Note 462

Sīfú 師父 told me that even though he was not interested in Wing Chun, every day when he came home from work, there were people training and studying with his father, Ip Man 葉問. He had to wait until the class had finished before he could set up his bed in the living room. At that time it was very common for people to use folding beds that you set up when you wanted to sleep and then you fold it up when you were not using them. There is not much space in Hong Kong and so this saved space (I also used one when I was growing up in Hong Kong). There were no sofa beds back then. So having to watch the class Sīfú grew more interested and started to join in. Every night he watched and took part, he already knew so much about Wing Chun, having been around his father and this teaching for so long.

Sīfú told me that when he began to study the second form, Tsum Kìuh 尋橋 – Looking for the Bridge, he was practising Jyún Máh 轉馬 – Turning Stance a lot. One day his father was watching him and told him to stop in the Jyún Máh position with his arms in Wàahng Làahn Sáu 横欄手 – Horizontal Bar Hand. His father come over to him and said, “This is not good, keep practising.” He then pushed Sīfú’s elbow and Sīfú lost his balance!