Does Wing Chun Have Ground Fighting?

There have been many discussions around Wing Chun

- Shaun Rawcliffe

There have been many discussions around Wing Chun and defence techniques from the ground; some will state that Wing Chun has no ground selfdefence capability and that you should learn Ju-Jitsu or MMA in order to “complement” Wing Chun, whilst others insist that Wing Chun has ground self-defence and grappling built into the system.

However, when this is investigated, it is apparent that what they show is impractical and ineffective in practice. First of all, the key is to understand the difference between ground fighting and ground self-defence: Ground fighting is an art, it is dictated by rules, limited in what attacks/counter-attacks are allowed and there are arts that specialise and excel at that. Ground self-defence, however, is the survival of an onslaught attack if/ when you are knocked or fall over and are being kicked, stamped on and/or punched. It is rarely one-on-one, there are no rules, and it is rarely a fair fight!

Wing Chun is not, as sometimes stated, the ultimate fighting system, in truth that doesn’t exist; Wing Chun is a collection of tools refined and developed on the streets of Urban Hong Kong for self-protection in streets, alleyways and enclosed areas against individuals and gangs trying to damage, hurt or oppress others. This set of tools that has been tried, tested and refined over time (to be made to work efficiently and effectively) relies upon the individual to understand them and make them work.

I cannot tell you how many times I have seen at seminars, in discussion with others or on the dreaded YouTube, instructors lie their partner on the floor and get on top of them and then either teach a particular hold, evasion, or ask, “How would you get out of this lock, then?”