Kung Fu & self-defence in Bedford
Yuen Feng Shu
- EvasionMove out of the way of an attack rather than meet it head on.
- BalanceStay rooted and upright while upsetting an opponent’s balance.
- TechniqueSkill and leverage instead of size and strength, so it suits anyone.
Kung Fu & self-defence
Systems trained together as one martial art
Yuen Feng Shu, the “combined soft arts”, brings six Chinese internal systems together into one martial art.
Fung Sau
“Hand of the Wind”, the soft Kung Fu style at the heart of the system.
Chi Kung
Breathing and energy exercises that underpin every other art.
Wing Chun
Close-range techniques, famous for fast hand work.
Hsing Yi
The most direct of the internal arts, built on the Five Elements.
Pa Kua
Circular footwork and palm techniques that turn force aside.
Tai Chi Chuan
The “supreme ultimate”, bringing all the principles together.
Soft, not hard
Hard styles meet force with force: strength, high kicks and hardened blocks. The soft styles do the opposite. They use evasion, parries, throws and leverage to turn an attacker’s own force and imbalance against them, with the least effort possible.
Because size and strength matter so little, the soft arts suit men and women of any age. They are also about more than fighting: a steady process of developing body and mind together.
Sunday self-defence
Sunday’s 4.30–6pm class at Fitness First brings Kung Fu, Tai Chi and practical self-defence together. It is Chris’s most demanding class, physically, mentally and emotionally, and everyone is welcome.
Sundays 4.30–6pm · Fitness First · £8
The club’s rule for any real confrontation: avoid rather than defend, defend rather than hurt.
Inside the system
Wing Chun
Wing Chun is the close-range part of the system: fast, direct hand work built on a few simple principles that students learn from the start.
Basic principles
- Centreline theory. Picture a line running down the middle of the body. Most vital targets sit on it, so you guard your own centreline and attack your opponent’s.
- The shortest path. Straight-line strikes travel the shortest distance to the target, so they arrive first.
- Attack and defend together. One hand deflects while the other strikes, rather than block first and hit second.
- Economy of motion. No wasted movement: relaxed, compact and always ready for what comes next.
Belts and gradings
Students grade through eight belts, from white to 1st degree black belt (1st Tengchi). Each belt has a minimum training time before you can grade, so reaching black belt takes at least four years.
Minimum training time before each grading. Gradings follow the syllabus of the Bedford Amateur Martial Arts Academy (BAMAA), founded in 1986.
One-to-one
Private Kung Fu lessons
As well as the group classes, Chris teaches Kung Fu one-to-one, at a time that suits you. It’s a good way to get a head start before joining a class, work on a particular form or technique, or keep training when classes don’t fit around work. Lessons can cover the Yuen Feng Shu syllabus, preparing for a grading, or practical self-defence.
In the training hall
- Bow when you enter and leave the training hall (the “kwoon”), and to the instructor if you arrive late.
- Train in bare feet or martial arts slippers, with nails short and no jewellery.
- Every session starts with a warm-up; all strikes and kicks are pulled short of contact.
- Tell Chris about any injury or health condition before you start.