Meta-Analysis: Ving Tsun (wing chun) Kung Fu Reduces Fear of Falling in Elders

Falling increases mortality risk in older people, and balance is a predictor of health & longevity. So, it’d be unsurprising if exercise that improves balance and skill in staying on the feet both increases longevity, and also reduces the fear of falling (FoF). That Ving Tsun Kung Fu training can improve balance has previously been established. Reduction in fear of falling is what a 2020 literature meta-analysis literature review found, published in the journal The Gerontologist.

Ving Tsun (wing chun) Kung Fu is one of the training methods surveyed that led to increased balance confidence, and reduced fear of falling, in the older generations. “Only holistic exercise (i.e., tai chi, yoga, ving tsun, or Pilates) yielded a significant association with [reductions in fear of falling]. This indicates holistic exercise interventions were more effective in reducing FoF than all other interventions combined.”

Not mentioned in the study is grip strength, another reliable predictor of longevity, health & general fitness. In addition to developing strong legs that keep practitioners on the feet, even when knocked off-balance, Ving Tsun training also improves grip strength. We practice holding the fists strong and tight, which increases muscle mass and bone density, while also improving blood and energy circulation.

If you slip or fall, or get knocked over and lose your balance, with the exercise science of Ving Tsun (wing chun) Kung Fu, you'll be more likely to recover your footing. You’ll also be better prepared to grab and hold on to something, if need be. And if a loved one slips near you, you’ll be more able to catch and keep them upright, too.

Scroll down for excerpts from the literature review (emphasis added). Or watch this video of a man in his sixties standing strong on one foot, as a strong young man tries to push him over: One-Leg Pushing Defense - Kung Fu Fxbg.

Ving Tsun (wing chun) Kung Fu Horse Stance training for good balance on one leg

Ving Tsun (wing chun) Kung Fu training develops strong legs so you can keep your balance on one leg.

Journal article excerpts:

Only holistic exercise (i.e., tai chi, yoga, ving tsun, or Pilates) yielded a significant association with the SMD of −0.823 (95% CI: −1.255; −0.392, p < .001). This indicates holistic exercise interventions were more effective in reducing FoF than all other interventions combined.

Sixty-two studies described 79 interventions. … Most interventions were exercise interventions (n = 61).

Fifty study arms were pooled in a meta-analysis (Figure 2). The number of participants included in the studies at the first available follow-up after the intervention ranged from 7 to 634 in the intervention groups and from 5 to 600 in the control groups.

“Intervention Characteristics Associated With a Reduction in Fear of Falling Among Community-Dwelling Older People: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.” Marlot Kruisbrink, MSc, Kim Delbaere, PhD, Gertrudis I J M Kempen, PhD, Rik Crutzen, PhD, Ton Ambergen, PhD, Kei-Long Cheung, PhD, Denise Kendrick, DM, Steve Iliffe, FRCGP, G A Rixt Zijlstra, PhD, The Gerontologist, Volume 61, Issue 6, September 2021, Pages e269–e282, https://academic.oup.com/gerontologist/article/61/6/e269/5817811, 08 April 2020 https://doi.org/10.1093/geront/gnaa021