Master Tse’s Wing Chun Notes #74

Luk Dim Bun Gwan 六點半棍

Note 74How about the Luk Dim Bun Gwan 六點半棍 – Six and a Half Point Pole? The Luk dim Bun Gwan was not originally part of the Wing Chun System. It was added when Wong Wah Bo黄華寶and Leung Yee Tai梁二娣 exchanged skill. Wing Wah Bo was one of the Wing Chun ancestors who had learnt all the Wing Chun skill, including the Wing Chun Knives Baat Cham Dao八斬刀. Leung Yee Tai knew the Luk Dim Bun Gwan skill from Shaolin Temple少林寺. Wong Wah Bo and Leung Yee Tai were friends in the Cantonese Opera who travelled across the country by boat, called the Red Boat, and this is why some Wing Chun Styles call themselves Red Boat Wing Chun紅船. Wong Wah Bo taught Leung Yee Tai the Baat Cham Do and Leung Yee Tai Taught Wong Wah Bo the Luk Dim Bun Gwan. Since then, Wing Chun practitioners learn the Luk Dim Bun Gwan. This pole is a very long from 8ft to 12ft various length and it is not so suitable for ladies to train as it is so heavy. However it is fine for men, and as most people who train today are men, this is not a problem. Of course, women can still practise the Luk Dim Bun Gwan, but in general they will have to train even more for their skill to be as good as a man as it requires a lot of strength.

In terms of when we can learn it, anyone can learn it and there is no need to wait for the end of the Wing Chun syllabus and finished all the bare hand forms. However, my suggestion is to wait until we have become good at Siu Lim Tao 小念頭. When we are leaning Wing Chun we need to learn the correct attitude and principles of the skill and so we need to learn how to use less strength and energy. Learning the Luk Dim Bun Gwan first may make us forget this as the training requires a lot of strength.

Michael Tse

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