Grandmaster Tse’s Wing Chun Note 519

As I mentioned last time, when striking with Bīu Zī 標指 (Thrusting Fingers), we can use one, two, three, four and five fingers. The most common way is using four fingers, where we have the palm face down and horizontal, and quickly strike the eyes. We must remember to never use this technique on our training partners, and in fact, on anyone; we only use it in a life-or-death situation. We should not attack anyone’s eyes, but our Wing Chun ancestors developed this skill, and so we should know it.

When we use the four-fingered Bīu Zī, the four fingers are straight, and the thumb is closed (like most Wing Chun hands). The fingers should be soft and flick out quickly. If someone is wearing glasses, then we cannot strike their eyes, but our Bīu Zī will not break through their glasses. Because our fingers are soft, we can strike above their glasses, then grab the glasses off their face and quickly strike their eyes with the fingers. The fingers need to be soft and flexible; then the Bīu Zī can change to Laap Sáu 擸手 (Grasping Hand) to clear any obstacle.

One night I was working on Hong Kong MTR (mass transit railway). I was patrolling at the station keeping watch for any crime while waiting to receive a message from police control to help out with other problems, which could be things like disputes, pickpockets, assaults etc. During the shift there was always a scheduled break, and each station had a rest room where we would take our breaks. On my break I would usually have a cup of tea and read the newspaper. One day I saw an advertisement which said, “Ip Chun Wing Chun”, underneath it was a contact telephone number. On seeing this I was so excited! I was looking forward to carrying on my Wing Chun studies, and I had already checked out a few schools in the Kowloon area since my uncle, Tse Chui Hung 謝超鴻, how passed away. since then I had not had a chance to continue my studies And had not made-up my mind about joining under the school. now I had come across an advert in a newspaper for school where the Sīfú was Ip Chun, the eldest son of great grandmaster Ip Man 葉問! In traditional Chinese Kung Fu, the scale is always passed down inside the family and so Sīfú Ip Chun, in my mind, had to be the best!