Once students have a solid grounding in the first form, the next step in the Wing Chun system is Chum Kiu, the second form. If the first form teaches you how to stand and use your arms, Chum Kiu teaches you how to move. It’s an exciting stage for students, because it brings footwork, turning and kicks into the picture. This article explains what Chum Kiu adds and when students at our school begin to learn it.
What does Chum Kiu mean?
Chum Kiu is usually translated as “seeking the bridge” or “sinking the bridge”. Both translations say something useful. The “bridge” is the point of contact between your arms and a partner’s. “Seeking” suggests finding and making that contact; “sinking” suggests stabilising and controlling it. Chum Kiu trains both.
What Chum Kiu adds
Turning
In the first form, you stand still. In Chum Kiu, you learn to turn the stance, rotating on the heels while keeping your structure intact. Turning allows you to redirect force, change angle and generate power through the whole body.
Stepping
Chum Kiu introduces stepping: moving forward, sideways and at angles without losing balance or structure. Good footwork lets you close distance, create space and position yourself where your partner isn’t strong.
Bridging
Chum Kiu develops the skill of making and controlling contact. Techniques such as bong sau, lan sau and jum sau appear in new combinations, often while turning or stepping. You learn to use the bridge to feel, control and create openings.
Kicks
The first kicks in the Wing Chun system appear in Chum Kiu. They’re low, direct and delivered with a stable structure, often combined with hand movements.
Whole-body coordination
Above all, Chum Kiu teaches you to move as one unit. Hands, feet, hips and spine work together. It’s where Wing Chun starts to feel like a complete system rather than a set of separate movements.
Built on the first form
Chum Kiu depends entirely on the foundation laid by Siu Nim Tao, which is why nobody drops the first form once they move on.
What changes for the student
The move to the second form is often when training starts to feel like fighting skill rather than choreography. A few shifts are typical:
- Balance gets tested. Standing still, it’s easy to feel stable. Rotating and kicking expose every wobble.
- Legs start to matter. Students discover that power comes from the ground up, and that the arms are the last link in the chain.
- Angles open up. Instead of meeting force head-on, you learn to turn so it passes you by.
- Patience is needed again. After feeling confident in the first form, many people feel like beginners for a while. That’s normal and it passes.
When do students start Chum Kiu?
There’s no fixed date. Students begin Chum Kiu when they have a solid grasp of Siu Nim Tao and the basic hand techniques, and when their stance is stable enough to cope with turning and stepping. Our online syllabus describes the early stages as running “from White Sash to Chum Kiu”, which gives a sense of where it sits in the journey.
Instructors watch each student’s progress and introduce Chum Kiu when they’re ready, usually section by section.
How Chum Kiu shows up in partner work
Once students are learning Chum Kiu, their partner work changes. Adults begin to apply turning and stepping in applications, learning how to redirect a push by turning, how to step off the line of an attack or how to close distance while maintaining the bridge. Chi sau also develops, with more movement and footwork.
Tips for learning Chum Kiu
- Turn from the heels. Keep your knees and hips aligned as you rotate.
- Stay upright. Don’t lean when you step or kick.
- Film yourself from the side. Leaning and bobbing are much easier to spot on video.
- Feel the whole body. Notice how your hips and feet contribute to each movement.
Where to learn more
For a detailed look at the form’s movements, see our dedicated Chum Kiu page. This article is more about the big picture: what Chum Kiu adds and where it fits. Students who want extra support between classes can use our Halesowen Wing Chun Digital Academy, which covers the syllabus up to Chum Kiu with video lessons, including complete video guides for the Chum Kiu form. Find out more on our Learn Wing Chun Online page.
Begin at the beginning
Every journey to Chum Kiu starts with your first class and Siu Nim Tao. Adult classes run Monday to Thursday, 7:15 pm to 8:15 pm. Friday, 7:05 pm to 8:05 pm is Open Mat (members, no instruction). Book your free trial class, or read more on our Wing Chun classes in Halesowen page.
Sifu Alan Bagley, Wing Chun Halesowen
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