Wing Chun teaches balance, awareness... and a hint of Bruce Lee

Being the healthy state that we are, Colorado has its fair share of alternative forms of exercise. This includes numerous martial arts schools and dojos.

While many focus solely on fighting, the Colorado School of Wing Chun stays true to its traditional Chinese roots by teaching practitioners self awareness and balance along with a no-nonsense fighting style.

While there are many myths of the origin, it is believed that Wing Chun was created by a Chinese nun during the Shaolin and Ming resistance to the Qing Dynasty.

It was Grandmaster Ip Man, however, who popularized the martial art, teaching Bruce Lee- one of his most promising pupils.

After gaining immense popularity in Hong Kong, the art of Wing Chun quickly spread to the West.

The main principles of Wing Chun include relaxation, focusing on the centerline, footwork, and lightning fast hands.

As a martial art created by a woman for women, the main advantage of Wing Chun is learning to take down opponents much larger than yourself by intercepting their energy and redirecting it instead of trying to use force.

One of Wing Chun's main pieces of equipment is the iconic wooden dummy, which was mastered by Ip Man. It has three arms and a leg and resembles a stationary opponent, forcing you to learn angles and work on your footwork as you try to conquer it.

The Colorado School of Wing Chun is a non-profit that has been around for over 30 years and is part of the historical Leung lineage.

Sifu (master) Leung was a one of Ip Man's students and a childhood friend and sparring partner of Bruce Lee.

The studio is located on Industrial Lane in Broomfield, Colorado.

Those interested can go to coloradoschoolofwingchun.com for class times and more information.