Ving Tsun, Krav Maga & JKD – Similarities & Differences

Those interested in the martial arts of Krav Maga or Jeet Kune Do (JKD) for fitness or practical self-defense may like training Moy Tung Ving Tsun (wing chun) at Kung Fu Fxbg. There are certain principles and ideals taught in Krav Maga and JKD that are part of the Ving Tsun system, and there are important differences. These differences can make a difference in your martial arts training.

The ideal of all of these martial arts is to have a simple and effective way of training for fighting in self-defense, e.g. close-quarters combat in which an opponent, or multiple opponents, may attack by surprise, and may or may not be armed.

Ving Tsun (wing chun) Kung Fu fists

Ideas and principles shared by the martial arts of Ving Tsun Kung Fu, JKD and Krav Maga

• Develop situational awareness and useful reflexes to be natural and instinctive.

• If appropriate for the circumstances, attack preemptively, or immediately counter-attack, moving toward the attacker.

• Simultaneous attack & defense; block and hit at the same time.

• Strike hard and repeatedly to vulnerable areas; end the fight quickly by incapacitating or killing an attacker, or attackers.

Ving Tsun, JKD and Krav Maga are also all ‘mixed martial arts’, in the sense that they drew from other martial arts styles and proven knowledge & skill to create their own sets of information and training methods.

Unique aspects of the Ving Tsun (wing chun) Kung Fu System

Ving Tsun System and History

Yip Man (Ip Man) playing the Muk Yan Jong (Wooden Dummy)

The true origins of the Ving Tsun Kung Fu system are shrouded in mystery, but certain principles, training methods and techniques likely date back at least a few hundred years to feudal Southern China and a Southern Shaolin temple.

Per the origin legend from Yip Man (Ip Man), the Ving Tsun system was distilled from other martial arts, by five Kung Fu masters who shared their knowledge and training methods. One of the five, the Buddhist nun Ng Mui, taught her Kung Fu to a young woman, Yim Ving Tsun. She then defeated a larger man in unarmed combat, personifying the Kung Fu system which became known for her. A lesson from the legend is that Ving Tsun’s Centerline simplicity can overcome size, strength, speed and experience.

According to Grandmaster Moy Yat, “If you are training centerline, you are training Ving Tsun, no matter what you call it.” Ving Tsun (wing chun) is both martial art and combat science. The system is beautiful and practical. The truth and value of what’s taught and learned can be tested and proven in one’s own training.

The goal is simplicity, efficiency and effectiveness in exercise, fighting and life. The core Ving Tsun principles and training methods we teach – Centerline; Relax; Horse stance – are useful for developing fitness and fighting skills for effective self-defense in our modern world, as they were in ancient times.

Forms, Drills, Chi Sao and Practical Applications

Ving Tsun (wing chun) Kung Fu Tan Dar block+hit defense against roundhouse or hook punch

In the Moy Tung lineage, we practice a lot of forms. Playing Forms develops relaxed whole-body-mind Kung Fu energy; mental understanding; natural protective reflexes; and the physical ability to execute Wing Chun techniques efficiently and effectively, with power and force, as well as economy of energy and movement.

There are also myriad conditioning drills that come from the first three Ving Tsun forms: Siu Nim Tao, Chum Kiu and Bil Gee. The Wing Chun system offers students a variety of ways to study and build Kung Fu knowledge and skill by training on your own, even in very little space.

Ving Tsun also has a system of two-person exercises known as Chi Sao (Sticking Hands). In the beginning stages this is primarily about disciplined Kung Fu conditioning and technique-drilling, but as students become proficient and expert, a free-flow exchange of techniques can occur, with simultaneous attack-and-defense, striking to the chest, trapping-hands and pushing-horse.

Tan Dar, simultaneous attack & defense: Ving Tsun (wing chun)

In Chi Sao training, we generally hit to the chest. This is a safe, and practical way of training. The chest can absorb blows better than the neck, throat, head and face. Getting pounded in the chest also builds bone density and internal Kung Fu energy, while reducing sensitivity to the shock of being hit.

At the same time, Chi Sao training gives the hitting partner practical knowledge of what it takes to bridge-and-hit hard, with power and horse behind it, to the body-center of a person who also has Centerline-horse training, and is likewise trying to block and hit them at the same time. Also, training to hit to the chest while trapping hands makes hitting the head and neck simpler. Grandmaster Moy Yat put it simply as; ‘Chi Sao is the study of how the hands go in and out.’

In more advanced Ving Tsun training, students practice Mai San Jong. In this exercise, students stand apart, facing, and then go, with each round ending when the first technique gets in. The partners then continue the exercise.

Kung Fu students will also study practical applications of Ving Tsun techniques with training partners, and how to deal with different techniques and circumstances. There’s more to playing forms and Chi Sao than techniques, but self-defense applications may not always be obvious, so we have many ways of physically examining questions and proving reasonable answers.

Kung Fu Lineage, Kung Fu Family

Kung Fu Fxbg Moy Tung Clan 3rd anniversary, 2023

In the Moy Tung clan, we know our Sifus, we train with our Kung Fu brothers, as well as with our Kung Fu cousins, uncles and nephews, and we respect and value our Kung Fu lineage with its ancient and authentic Shaolin roots.

Over the previous century, Yip Man (Ip Man) mastered the Ving Tsun system and then taught Moy Yat, who taught Moy Tung, the grandmaster of our Kung Fu family. Relationships are how the complete Ving Tsun system has passed down authentically through the generations, from Kung Fu master to disciple.

Grandmaster Moy Tung founded the Richmond Moy Yat Kung Fu Academy in 1986, and today, three generations of Ving Tsun Sifus are teaching in the Moy Tung Kung Fu lineage. Most Sifus in the Moy Tung lineage have ten-plus years experience training, and many have a decade or more experience teaching. At Kung Fu Fxbg, we pass on the Ving Tsun system unchanged, as we learned it.

People are welcome to study Kung Fu for fitness and self-defense, or as an interesting and challenging hobby. People get great results from training Ving Tsun even for just a year or two. This is also good for the community; when more people have Kung Fu. At the same time, the opportunity is available in the Moy Tung Kung Fu clan to master the Wing Chun system, and to pass it on to others. There’s a saying; ‘Ving Tsun is for making the whole nation stronger.’

Conclusion

Whether or not you have experience with JKD, Krav Maga or other martial arts, if these concepts make sense to you and you’re in Fredericksburg, VA, click here to book an introductory Ving Tsun (wing chun) training session at Kung Fu Fxbg.

You can also find an authorized Moy Tung lineage Kung Fu school near you in the branch directory of the Moy Tung Athletic Association (MTAA).