Wing Chun is known for having very fast and direct hand techniques that are often showcased in movies such as those starring our cover boy here Mr Yen.

On screen these techniques appear explosive and devastating leaving a bewildered opponent completely overwhelmed without even a chance to escape. We have seen Ip Man, Jason Bourne and Sherlock Holmes, among many others, display this kind of destructive application of the techniques of close quarter fighting.

The problem is that the dramatic effectiveness of these attacks has led to many practitioners of Wing Chun believing that the techniques themselves are magical, Wing Chun secret weapons!

The truth about techniques in Wing Chun is that they eventually become the LEAST important aspect of practice, even though they must be practiced and practiced until they are perfected in the beginning.

Bruce Lee said that initially a punch is just a punch and a kick is just a kick. Then, when you set about developing the application you discover...