If you’re looking for martial arts for adults, Leeds Ip Man Wing Chun offers adult only martial arts classes in Leeds and Bradford. Wing Chun in particular is a beneficial martial art for adults for a number of reasons:
- Wing Chun offers a very practical martial art for close quarters self defence
- It also has many health benefits including beneficial elements for the mind and body
- You don’t need to be in a super fit physical condition
- its relaxed, low impact training methods are suitable for older adults
- You don’t have to be flexible – the highest kicks are to the waist level
Martial Arts For Adults – Adult Only Classes
We also offer adult only classes with a minimum age of 16. Wing Chun is a sophisticated martial art based on economy of motion and minimum movement. We practice a form of sparring known as chi sau. Chi sau is a “game” which emphasises close quarters defence against oncoming attacks, simultaneous attack and defence, hand sensitivity and trapping.
Wing Chun is also beneficial for your health for a number of reasons:
- Low intensity exercise – known for its number of health benefits. Physical activity is far more effective at reducing mild-to-moderate symptoms of depression, psychological stress, and anxiety than medication or cognitive behaviour therapy, according to multiple studies: https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/is-exercise-more-effective-than-medication-for-depression-and-anxiety
- Mind body connection – mindful exercises take you out of your thinking mind and connect you to the present moment. This has been shown to reduce stress and put you in an alpha state of relaxed alertness.
- Correct posture – correct spinal alignment is necessary to generate power and move efficient movements. Better posture has multiple health benefits including more energy and reduced pain (arising from bad posture and misalignments of the body).
Martial Arts For Adults – Self Defence
Wing Chun is known as one of the most practical martial arts for self defence situations. Based on economy of motion and minimum movement, Wing Chun aims to end a fight as quickly as possible through strikes to vulnerable parts of the body:
- Eyes
- Knees
- Groin
- Throat
Wing Chun was originally developed by a woman, as legend has it. It was taught to a woman named Yim Wing Chun by a woman named Ng Mui. Wing Chun originated from Shaolin Kung Fu. It was designed to be learned quickly and much of the longer term strength training routines were removed so the style could be learned in less time for practical fighting.
Eye strikes, knee kicks and groin strikes can end a fight very quickly and with the least effort.
Wing Chun’s main principles are:
- Economy of motion
- Minimum movement
- Minimum use of brute force
- Simplicity
Standing Fighting
Most actual situations you might encounter will be standing facing an opponent. So Wing Chun’s main focus is a standing situation. There is no ground fighting in the Wing Chun system, although principles can carry over. Wing Chun’s main training ground is through hand contact with partner training and gaining this contact. Once contact has been made with an opponent, Wing Chun’s techniques can be deployed very effectively through reactive training practices.
In chi sau, a fight is “played” like a game. Each person seeks to maintain their own defence while disrupting the balance of their partner’s or land a hit by breaking their defence.
Through hand contact, fast reflexes are developed to automatically striking forwards, towards an attacker instinctively.
