Moy Tung Kung Fu - Brooklyn

Iowa City School to be Relocated The building that housed the Moy Yat Kung Fu family in Iowa City since 1993 was demolished today. The school was the training location for hundreds of students of the Ving Tsun system and the first authentic Ving Tsun (wing chun) school in the midwest.  I started my training under Sifu Robert Squatr…

River City will be putting these out from time to time in 2014. Hope you like it.

Due to super bowl complications, the hotel arrangements for the New Years seminar has been changed to the Sleep Inn in Sunset park: http://www.sleepinn.com/hotel-brooklyn-new_york-NY483

Brooklyn NY Hotels -- Sleep Inn hotel near Sunset Park Sleep Inn hotel Brooklyn NY is near Sunset Park with easy access to New York City. The hotel offers free breakfast and free Internet access in all rooms.

Join us in celebrating the 3rd anniversary of the kung fu school in Gaithersburg, MD.

Take a moment to check out the site we are organizing for the Maryland school. https://www.facebook.com/MontgomeryCountyKungFu

Montgomery County Kung Fu Our school provides authentic Moy Yat family Ving Tsun (wing chun) kung fu training.

Chinese New Years Seminar - Save the Date

Brooklyn Kung Fu visits the Iowa City School to help celebrate their 20th Anniversary

News and Events The 20th Anniversary Seminar in honor of Sigung Robert Squatrito's founding of the Iowa City school provided an opportunity for students of all levels to participate in this historic event with a long weekend of training and kung fu life. Practitioners pushed themselves through the summer heat and t...

Definitely worth checking out the latest Yip Man movie: http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=2Qyx0Wm90Qs&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3D2Qyx0Wm90Qs

"Boh Lay Tau, Meen Fah Toh, Teet Kiu Sau."

One of the most unusual description of Wing Chun combat strategy, "Boh Lay Tau, Meen Fah Toh, Teet Kiu Sau," refers to the visualization of the head, body and forearm as being made of glass, cotton and iron. This abstract concept is actually designed to inspire a certain 'idea' in the mind of the Wing Chun fighter, and helps him understand the overall
philosophy of the system.

Boh Lay Tau or "Glass Head," can be interpreted on three levels. The most obvious is that if a fighter regards his head
as being made of glass, he will be especially careful to maintain an airtight defense to prevent it from being touched in combat. On a deeper level, however, "Boh Lay Tau' can imply a transparent fight strategy that gives no clue to the opponent or simply acts as a mirror to reflect his own attacking motion. It can also be interpreted as a mind devoid of all thought- a mental state that turns the Wing Chun fighter into a fearless unpredictable reaction machine.

Meen Fa Toh, meaning "Cotton Belly," implies that a Wing Chun fighter remains relaxed to the core, and is able to absorb oncoming force by "going with the flow," receiving the opposing energy and then returning it to the opponent with a resilient counter-attack. Like a wad of cotton that springs back to shape when pressed, the body of the Wing Chun fighter 'sinks' when it is met with greater power,
then instantly expands outward to help the hands thrust forward as Bridge Contact is broken.

Teet Kiu Sau, or "Iron Bridge Hand," means a well-conditioned forearm that is able to strike a heavy blow through flexible strength. A toughened forearm can even withstand the impact of a solid strike from a club or tire iron, or potentially end a fight with a chopping block to the shin of a kicking opponent. Besides enabling the Wing Chun fighter to crash through his opponent's defense or
effectively protect himself from weapon attack, an "iron Bridge Hand" can shatter a "Glass Head" with the slightest impact.

-Sifu Randy Williams
from the book 'Close Range Combat Wing Chun' #2
copyright © 2006


*This book is available @ New Hope Martial Arts Supply in New York City, EverythingWingChun.com, Beckett Media, LLC .up-publications.com

Many of Sifu Randy Williams' earlier books are sold out, some revised editions will be made available end of this year 2012.

*We are reposting this article by request, initial posting was done in April 7th, 2012.

THE MYSTERIOUS CENTERLINES

Wing Chun system's most famous concept is derived from some basic, common sense thinking, anatomy and biomechanics.

First, when you are born, as a developing fetus your organs are all formed on your centerline, in the middle of the egg and as you develop in the womb, unfold outward into the body cavity. Second, since neurology tells us that we will have a reflexive relationship between the front of the body and the organ system, we will also have an energetic relationship in the acupuncture meridians. The Conception vessel, which runs up the front of the body is the centerline, and is responsible for our growth, development and organ system and functions.

We know from western medicine that any injury to the front of the body can immediately or long term create a devastating problem to our health. Therefore, defending your centerline, makes good sense. By occupying the centerline, having your hands on the center, forces the opponent to either attack around your hands, taking a longer period of time or by breaking your center by crashing through your bridge arms. By having your hands on the center, and attacking in a straight line, the opponent also has a harder time seeing the punch, due to problems with depth perception, timing and reaction speed.

From an attacking point of view, the centerline is the best target and the best path. If we use the centerline as the path, the attack arrives sooner than the opponent's attack, block or retreat. By attacking on the centerline with our own centerline as a reference point, we are able to use 2 hands at the same time 'lin siu, die dar' (link defense with attack). If the opponent was to turn his body away from our center trying to become a smaller target, that centerline will be harder to hit. TRUE, however, if his body is turned away from the front centerline, you use his side centerline as your path of attack 'Juck Sun Yee Wai Ng' (When facing the shoulder, the side becomes the center).

By turning the body, he is a smaller target, but he also has less weapons, and has a harder time generating force and power (lik and ging). This also hinders his ability to move easily in any direction without leaving himself open. He now has only one arm and one leg to immediately handle an offensive or defensive situation while the centerline fighter has 2 hands and 2 legs for immediate use. The ability to immediately defend and attack quickly and SAFELY makes you a good fighter.

The second centerline, which is the line of attack, this extends out toward your front (or toward the opponent). The front or shared centerline is where the battle takes place, it is the playing field while the vertical (or body) centerline is the goal area (the target). As the attacker, your job is to hit the target not just any way you can, but safely and on the most direct line. The easiest way to do the most damage quickly is to attack the opponent's center. The safest place to be is slightly off his front centerline. "But I thought you had to be center to center?" you might ask. You do, but which centerline?

In order to DEFEND yourself, you want to have as big a shield as possible, as well as try to be a small target, yet still not give up the attack advantage. Since the target is the front of our bodies (and later the side), we cannot shrink the target (our bodies). In order to have a bigger shield, and also to choose the best centerline for attack we can use our ability to move in any direction easily and quickly, our hands, footwork and horse to break, control, intercept or capture the centerline and our ability to always place ourselves in a superior position to face the opponent center to center. It also gives us more opportunities for a variety of counterattacks. As the attacker or counter attacker, the best place to be is outside the line of immediate fire and potential fire (the second attack or power attack), that means you have to be on the outside angle/gate attacking in (side centerline attack), or making the opponent cross his center, tying up his own hands and body position. When you are on the outside gate, you have two hands to attack and defend with. The opponent only has one, the second hand, the lead hand has been trapped, moved, deflected, blocked (or otherwise engaged). lt is two against one and the odds are on your side if you're doing things right. When facing someone who is sideways he has given you his side center, so that's where you attack.

The biggest problem you will face is the spin attack, backfist and some kind of side/roundhouse kick. How do you know? Because the stance is set up to only do those few things quickly. Everything else will take an extra fraction of a second or an extra step to accomplish.


CENTERLINE TARGETS

FRONT
forehead
eyes
nose
mouth
throat
sternum
solar plexus
stomach
bladder
groin
knee
shin \ foot

SIDE
temple
eye
ear
jaw
throat
shoulder
elbow
ribs
side organs
hip/hip joint
knee
shin/foot

These are not the only targets but they are the easiest to attack. Notice that the side centerline targets below the head are not life threatening yet if destroyed will hinder the attack and defending ability of the opponent. Remember that your hands must learn where the center is in relation to your own body and the opponent's.

-Dr. John Crescione