Introduction to Wing Chun "Gong Sau" Competition.

The following contest rules are designed to allow the competitors to be familiar with the type of psychological and physical pressures, which may occur in a real situation. Although it is impossible to re-create a real situation for obvious safety reasons, it is important that participants have an opportunity to practice Wing Chun theory and technique and know what it feels like to get hit and learn to keep punching after they have been hit.

By introducing formal contest rules it is hoped that via intense competition which resembles as near as possible the conditions of a real fight (hence the proposed short time periods and the controlled contact elements of the rules) the feedback from these contests will enable the development of the skills associated with a high standard of Wing Chun. That is, the ability to stick, deflect, redirect, control, attack and counter attack. And, furthermore to provide motivation to achieve these skills which if the situation dictates can be used for self-protection.

It may be argued that by having a formal contest with rules it makes Wing Chun a sport and although this may be the case, the late and great Sifu Wong Shun Leung participated in numerous illegal bare-knuckle contests with fighters from other systems by pitting himself against others. These contests were sometimes referred to as " Biemo" or " Gong sau "these contests had very informal rules. The feedback from these contests provided him with the motivation to train his Wing Chun to a very high standard and thus helped popularise the Wing Chun style.

Formal contest rules will enable students to resemble as close as possible in a legal and relatively safe manner the intense competition that Sifu Wong Shun Leung experienced and used as feedback to develop Wing Chun to a very high technical standard. Thus, articulating Wing Chun from a relatively subjective art into a skilful scientific method.

In conclusion, the most popular fighting systems world wide tend to be systems which have some form of full contact or intense form of competition enabling participants to compete against each other and provide motivation towards better development of their own skills in order to achieve better performance.

Although Wing Chun is a popular and respected system in its own right, some current Wing Chun practitioners have lost touch with the realities that people like Sifu Wong Shun Leung came to understand and know.

It is my hope and intension that by adopting formal contest rules and engaging others in competition, current practitioners of Wing Chun will achieve a better working knowledge and understanding of the system and will help further popularise the high regard for Wing Chun.

CONTEST AREA

CONTEST DURATION

CONTEST RULES

Contestants may attack the body with controlled contact employing punches and palm strikes, kicks, knee strikes, leg sweeps.

Contestant may only make controlled contact with an opponent's head with hand techniques only.

A contestant will incur disqualification if any head contact with hand techniques results in a knock out or results in an injury whereby a contestant is unable to continue competition.

If a contestant knocks down their opponent twice with in a 30-second time period or once in a 15-second time extension with a legal technique to the body or by way of leg sweep that contestant will be declared the winner.

I f a contestant steps out, backs out or is forced out of the contest area twice within a 30 second time period or once with in a 15 second time on extension period that contestant will be disqualified.

The goal of the contestants is to demonstrate to the judges the ability to attack and counter at will redirect, deflecting and controlling an opponent's attacks and counter attacks via the use of the afore mentioned legal techniques and with in the rules of the contest.

Where a contestant has been knock out or is injured the contestant will not be allowed to continue to the next round of competition.

REFEREE (JUDGE)

JUDGES

TIME KEEPER

DECLARING THE WINNER

WHAT THE JUDGES ARE LOOKING FOR?

The judges and referee while observing the contest at close quarters must determine and declare the contestant who most successfully attacked at will and who was most able to 'stick', control, deflect, redirect, and successfully counter attack and dominate the contest.

Judges will be equipped with a blue flag left hand and red flag right hand. Contestants will be assigned a colour prior to the start of contest.

At the end of the 30-second time period the contestants will remain inside the contest area. The judges on the command of the referee will face away from the centre of the contest area. On the command the judges will raise the flag corresponding to the contestant they wish to nominate as winner. On the command judges will then face the centre of the contest area and the winner will be declared. For a contestant to be declared the winner he ort she must be nominated by at least two judges. If a judge is unable to nominate a winner both flags must be raised.

IN THE CASE OF A DRAW

CONTEST EQUIPMENT