Ask anyone who has trained Wing Chun for a while what they remember from their first lesson, and most will mention the stance. It looks simple: feet a little apart, knees bent, toes turned slightly in. Then you hold it for a few minutes and discover how much is going on. This stance is called Yee Gee Kim Yeung Ma, and almost everything else in Wing Chun is built on top of it.
I have trained in martial arts since 1989 and founded Wing Chun Halesowen in 2013. In this post I want to explain what the stance is, why we spend time on it, and what you can expect if you come along to learn it with us in Halesowen.
What does Yee Gee Kim Yeung Ma mean?
The Cantonese name (二字拑羊馬) is usually translated along the lines of “the character two, goat-gripping stance”. The “two” refers to the Chinese character for two, which is drawn as two horizontal lines, a nod to the shape and balance of the position. The “goat-gripping” part describes the knees drawing gently inwards, as though you were holding something steady between them. You will also hear it called the basic stance, the training stance or simply “the Wing Chun stance”.
Whatever you call it, its job is the same: to give you a stable, relaxed and upright base, with your body facing forward and your centreline lined up.
How the stance is formed
Every instructor fine-tunes the details for each student, but the opening usually follows the same pattern:
- Stand with your feet together, body upright and relaxed.
- Bend your knees slightly, as if you were about to sit on a high stool.
- Turn your toes outwards, pivoting on your heels.
- Turn your heels outwards, pivoting on the balls of your feet, so your feet end up slightly turned in.
- Settle your weight evenly between both feet, with your knees drawing a little towards each other and your hips tucked gently under.
- Keep your back straight and your head up, shoulders down and relaxed.
Written down, it sounds like a lot. In practice it takes a few seconds and quickly becomes second nature. If you would like to see the opening rather than read about it, there is a short clip on our older post, Basic Stance: Yee Gee Kim Yeung Ma.
Why Wing Chun starts with the stance
New students sometimes wonder why we don’t go straight to punching. The honest answer is that a punch is only as good as what it is standing on. The stance teaches several things at once:
- Structure. When your joints are lined up, your skeleton does more of the work and your muscles can stay relaxed. We go deeper into this in building strength without tension.
- Balance. An even, settled base is harder to push off line, which matters once you start working with a partner.
- Centreline. Facing squarely forward keeps both hands available and your centre protected.
- Body awareness. Holding still and noticing where you are tense is a skill in itself, and one that carries into everything else.
It is also the stance in which you perform Siu Nim Tao, the first form. The arms do the moving while the legs stay put, which is exactly why the stance needs to be comfortable and stable. Our guide to Siu Nim Tao explains the form itself.
Common stance mistakes (and how we help)
Nobody gets the stance perfect straight away. These are the things instructors most often adjust:
- Knees collapsing or locking. The knees should be soft and slightly drawn in, never forced and never straight.
- Leaning back or forward. Stay upright, as though a string were lifting the top of your head.
- Weight on the toes or heels. Aim for the weight spread evenly across both feet.
- Tight shoulders. Concentrating often makes the shoulders creep up. Breathe out and let them drop.
- Feet too wide. A wider stance can feel stronger, but it usually makes you stiffer and slower.
If any of those sound familiar, you are in good company. We cover more of them in common beginner mistakes in Wing Chun. In class, an instructor will walk round, look at your stance and make small adjustments, often with a light touch on the knee or shoulder so you can feel the difference rather than just hear it.
One sensible note: if you have a knee, hip or back problem, tell us before your first session. The stance should never be painful, and we will help you find a version that suits you.
From standing still to moving
The basic stance is a training position, not a “fighting pose”. Once it feels natural, students begin to turn and step from it, and that footwork becomes much more important in the second form, Chum Kiu. The habits you build standing still, staying upright, relaxed and centred, are the same ones you take into movement and into partner work.
For adults, that partner work is what we call applications: applying techniques with a partner in a controlled way. In the children’s class, the same foundations feed into age-appropriate, supervised sparring.
Learn the stance with us in Halesowen
An adult’s first class with us includes basic stances and footwork, an introduction to Siu Nim Tao and simple partner drills, and questions are always welcome. You don’t need any equipment, just comfortable clothing such as tracksuit bottoms and a T-shirt or hoodie.
We train at Unit 1C, Eagle Trading Estate, Stourbridge Road, Halesowen B63 3UA:
- Children (5 to 11): Monday to Friday, 6:00pm to 6:55pm
- Adults: Monday to Thursday, 7:15pm to 8:15pm, and Friday, 7:05pm to 8:05pm
The trial class is free, and insurance is included in membership if you decide to join. Book your free trial class so we know to expect you, or call, text or WhatsApp me on 07821 126 685 if you’d like to ask something first.
A few minutes in Yee Gee Kim Yeung Ma might not look like much from the outside. From the inside, it is where your Wing Chun begins.
Sifu Alan Bagley, Wing Chun Halesowen
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