The Importance of Form
By David Peterson In the last decade or two, there has been a big shift away from the practice of forms in the martial arts, with many believing that such traditional methods have little or no bearing on modern training. In some ways, this shift in attitude could be considered a legacy of Bruce Lee and the Jeet …
Personal Protection
Concepts for survival in the street by Andrew Williams, Rolf Clausnitzer and David Peterson *** Published Australasian Martial Arts’ magazine (NZ) Vol 6/issue 6, 1999/2000 and Vol 7/issue 1, Feb/March 2000 *** Personal Protection is a relatively new phenomenon in the field of self defence. In fact, it represents a radical departure from the somewhat limited vision presented …
Drilling the Basics
By David Peterson It never ceases to amaze me how people are always seeking some kind of “advanced” training, or “secret” skills in their quest for martial arts proficiency. Year after year, it’s the same story as students come and go in my school: “When do we learn the “advanced” stuff?” or “What are the …
Break it Down with David Peterson
Wing Chun’s ‘Soh Sau’ Technique David Peterson *** Published ‘Blitz Australasian Martial Arts Magazine’ (Aust) Vol.19/No.7, July 2005 *** ‘Melbourne Chinese Martial Arts Club’ principal instructor and author David Peterson demonstrates how to use one of Wing Chun’s lesser known defensive actions. Why should I use it? The ‘Soh Sau’ action (more commonly known in Wing Chun …
BIU JI: Ving Tsun’s Misunderstood Form
by David Peterson *** The following article was first written in 1989 and was previously published within the pages of ‘Combat’ magazine (Vol.15/No.5) in the April 1989 issue as ‘BIU JI: Wing Chun’s Misunderstood Form’. It is reproduced here in an updated and expanded format – the Author *** Of the three ving tsun “empty-hand” forms, the …
“Get Out Of The Way, …And Make Them Pay”
The Street-Effective Footwork Of Wing Chun by David Peterson *** Published ‘Fight Times’ magazine (NZ), December/January (2001/2002)issue *** Everyone knows how boring it is to practise footwork, but there isn’t a martial artist alive who could deny the importance of acquiring the skills involved. It doesn’t matter how fast or powerful your punches and kicks might be, …
‘Muk Yan Jong’ Wing Chun’s Wooden Warrior
By David Peterson *** This article was published in the USA-based ‘Masters’ magazine (Spring 2010 issue) *** Whilst not unique to the Wing Chun system, the ‘Muk Yan Jong’ or “wooden man pile” is an important component of this famous southern Chinese martial art. The construction of “wooden dummies” in other Chinese systems may vary in shape, number and length of …
‘Ip Man’ the movie
separating fact from fiction By David Peterson In December of 2008, Hong Kong actor, Donnie Yen (“Hero”, “Shanghai Knights”, “SPL”) mesmerised cinema goers in China, Hong Kong and throughout south-east Asia with his on-screen portrayal of legendary Wing Chun patriarch, Grandmaster Ip Man in the film of the same name. Smashing box office records everywhere (over $100 million in China, more …
Wing Chun (Ving Tsun) Counter for hook punches
Over the next few weeks I’ll extend the drills we’ve been working on to incorporate a wider variety of the most common types of attacks occurring in the streets of Melbourne. Your training to date has prepared you for what’s to come. Training will still be grouped into three distinct aspects of the WSLVT skill set with an emphasis …
Chi Sau (vi) Gaan Sau
Training sessions over the last few weeks have covered three distinct aspects of the WSLVT skill set with an emphasis on speed and power: Chi Sau (core chi sau skills) Striking and mobility (pad, mitt work, 50-50 drills and responses to out of range attacks etc) Regaining squareness (when pushed or grabbed) The common thread through …