Syllabus
The System
The grading system which Advanced Fighting Systems uses is unique to the organisation, but should be recognisable to any student of Wing Chun as an efficient model in which to learn. The grading system itself is split into 8 stages, each taking a dedicated student about 6 months to complete. The method of teaching which AFS uses, and the necessary training skills it endorses, can be seen to stem from Yip Man himself, the late Grandmaster of modern day Wing Chun.
Yip Man recognised the 8 stages of development within Wing Chun, and AFS has incorporated these into their grading system. The organisation came up with the concept of a grading system mainly for the benefit of students going to Hong Kong. There they would train with Master Ip Ching, the son of Yip Man, and due to the students’ grades, he was able to instantly recognise what they had learned and what they needed to be taught. Another benefit of the grading system is that it seems to help people see the ‘whole picture’, i.e. they can see where their level of skill is at, and what skills they need to learn to progress to the next stage. Also, it helps when seminars are taking place, because in this way students are able to identify others who would be interesting to learn chi sau with.
It is extremely difficult to attempt to explain everything that is involved in each stage of the grading system. Wing chun is very much a system which requires a high level of concentration, after years of studies and practised relaxation. To explain exactly everything that is involved in each stage would be to miss the point - it can only be understood through constant training and practice.
The Stages - as shown to Master O'Neal by Grandmaster Yip Ching
In brief follows an explanation of the grading system. The first grade is , which anyone who has joined AFS is entitled to receive. No knowledge of wing chun is required at this stage. The second and third stages and require the student to have a good knowledge of the first and second form respectively. Basic punches, kicks and blocks must be demonstrated to have been mastered too. The fourth stage concentrates on chi sau. The student must be able to show some basic chi sau skills, as well as excellent first and second forms. The fifth stage concerns the third form. The student must be able to demonstrate a complete understanding of the third form, as well as some mastery of the horse stance. In the sixth stage , the student has to know the wooden dummy form. In the seventh stage , the student must know the pole form. The eighth stage requires a student to know the knife form, and all the other forms and skills to an exceptionally high standard.
Of course, the above description does little justice to the complexities of wing chun, nor to the grading system which has taken a long time to devise. This has been done in consultation with many people from different countries,who have kindly given their time to help agree on the particular details of each stage. The most important concept to understand in the grading system is that each stage requires a complete mastery of all the previous stages too. For example, in order to reach the BLUE grade, a student would have to be able to complete the third form, complete the first two forms to a very high degree of skill, exhibit horse stance-punching exercises, show a relative mastery of chi sau, be able to defeat a two person attack with third form techniques etc. etc.
It is said that the secret of wing chun is not in the destination, but in the journey itself. In this way, students are never encouraged in AFS to just ‘go for’ these grades in the hope of attaining a higher grade. The wing chun practitioner should be highly aware of his/her own personal skill development, so, in a way, a grade is only there sometimes to prove to themselves (not to others) how far they have come and how much they have learned.
