Wing Chun is a logical, scientific, yet simple martial art which provides both self-defence and fitness skills for people of all ages.

It was founded in China 300 years ago by a female martial artist, Ng Mei, who - legend has it - developed the style after watching a fight between a rodent and stork. The name, Wing Chun, means 'everlasting springtime' and was taken from one of Ng Mei's top students, Yim Wing Chun, who used the art to successfully defend herself against an unwanted suitor.

Wing Chun is completely different from other martial arts because it emphasises economy of movement, which eliminates the need for brute strength. All of Wing Chun's techniques are based on direct, practical, natural body movements which are easy to learn and can be applied immediately. As Wing Chun does not rely on one's physical strength to function, it is one of the few martial arts that a student will continue to be able to benefit from and apply even as their body gets older.

Wing Chun students develop skills in balance, speed and positioning through specific exercises (known as 'forms') to finetune movements and cultivate power, and in supervised combat or sparring scenarios which simulate real-life fighting situations. As in traditional boxing or street fighting, which the style closely represents, the focus is on protecting the body's centreline with short, sharp punches and kicks and following through with strikes to the opponent's vulnerable points.

There are no showy kicks, spins or splintering of blocks of wood. Indeed, the style's most impressive move, the one-inch punch, is over in the blink of an eye and needs to be witnessed at close range. The punch is delivered just one inch from its target which can then be sent 'flying' up to three metres away, evidence of the remarkable power of Wing Chun's determination force, or 'chi'.

See the video to the right for Grandmaster Fung's demonstration of a Chum Kiu movement and the one-inch punch at the IWCA's historic 30th Anniversary in Chinatown, Sydney, which was attended by several thousand people.