Grandmaster Jim Fung should need no introduction to the Wing Chun enthusiast. He is renowned worldwide as having been one of the most skilled and knowledgeable practitioners of Wing Chun Gung Fu. Grandmaster Fung was a top student of Chu Shong Tin and, until he passed away in March 2007, the Principal Instructor of the International Wing Chun Academy in Australia.
During the bulk of this film we are shown the Sil Lim Tao form, broken down into sections with applications to each movement given first in slow motion, then in real time. This is standard fair for most instructional DVDs, but a highlight was the short scenarios after each section where we see Grandmaster Fung performing some set pieces with his students.
The rest of this 57-minute title is taken up with a very brief overview of the Chum Kiu, Bil Jee, Wooden Dummy and weapons forms.
The only problem I found (apart from some of the suspect applications) was the loud oriental music, which runs throughout the whole programme. This music becomes annoying when you are trying to concentrate on what you are being taught. Why does it need to be so loud?
At the end of the film, we are given some hints and tips from Grandmaster Fung himself, which is a nice touch, but does leave me questioning why Fung didn’t do the narration himself, which would have made for a more authentic feel.
All in all this is a good DVD for the beginner, but if you are searching some new insights into the system or you are already well versed in Wing Chun, then there will be nothing new here.
Buy at EverythingWingChun.com
Language: English
Running Time: Approx. 57 min.
Format: NTSC
Region: 0
Number of Discs: 1
Review by: James Woodcock
