Ip Man and the 4 bong sau's in Chum Kiu in the 8mm footage

I am going to open up the biggest can of worms the wing chun world has seen in a long time and people can cut me down whatever, everyone is entitled to there version, perspective and opinion, i am not here to say anyone is doing it right or wrong  it was purely an observation, this article is just something I’ve been pondering on for a while and I thought it would be nice to share it.

In the clip below you see Ip Man perform four bong sau’s but everyone I know of in the world including me only does three, the story is you only practice things three times as that was laid down by the ancestors so you knew what was important in the system.

Now this can’t be a mistake on behalf of Ip Man even if he was two weeks from death he knew what he was doing, he did the film so that it would not be forgotten; if it was an error he would not have done four one way and four the other way, he would have done four one way… released and then did three the other way, as you can see in the clip below he clearly knows his own intention, that says to me its not a mistake... conspiracy? lol just joking.

He does not do it on the outward journey but if you look at the return journey during the initial lop and kick and bong sau, his head is forward.

He then looks towards the camera and continues to do three bongs sau’s

Now that says to me that the lop sau to kick to bong sau is one concept/technique and performed accordingly maybe against multiple attackers, pulling the first across you as shield then kicking one attacking from the side, which as you have turned  now is the front and  finally using the bong sau to dissipate an attack from right fist coming from what now is the left of you.

The Technique/concept

and then the three bong sau's

Please do feel free to comment on what i have published, i just thought it was an interesting idea and wanted to share it with everyone.

Regards

Sifu Mark Beardsell