I usually start my reviews with a brief introduction about the Sifu who is presenting their material to us. However, with Grandmaster Ip Chun this would be a waste of time because if you haven’t heard of Ip Chun, then you must have been living on a different Wing Chun planet!
First up we get a typical introduction to the Wing Chun history and legend, complete with the obligatory Bruce Lee connection. However, things improve in the following sections with a complete demonstration of the Wooden Dummy form from different angles, which was a great way to open the learning part of the programme.
The next section focuses on the application of techniques learnt from the Dummy form. This is a good section with each fighting application being demoed three or four times. However, this format does get a little bit repetitive and there is a lack of details and guidance, which could easily lead to misinterpretation. Even so, the skill and power of Ip Chun is a joy to watch, and there is plenty for the Ip Chun fan on this DVD with the Siu Nim Tau, Chum Kiu and Biu Ji forms all being shown in full, so you are definitely getting your money’s worth.
The final section is a long session of Chi Sau with Ip Chun taking on various students, which, to be honest, I found a bit boring but, again, I am sure the Ip Chun enthusiast will enjoy it.
Wrapping up the DVD is the old 8mm B/W footage of Grandmaster Ip Man performing the Wing Chun forms.
The DVD is rather old, with the footage being panned and scanned from the VHS version, but the sound and video quality is still better than some I have seen recently. In conclusion, I believe for the Ip Chun fan there is a lot to offer here, but the DVD falls a little short as an instructional piece of work.
Buy Ip Chun’s Wooden Dummy Techniques and Applications DVD at:
Everything Wing Chun or Download it Digitally
Language: English
Running Time: Approx. 39 min.
Format: NTSC
Region: 0
Number of Discs: 1
Availability: DVD or EWC Instant Access Download
Review by: James Woodcock
