Tao Chan Wing Chun Ranking System

In traditional Hong Kong Wing Chun Kung Fu Schools and for the most part in the history of Kung Fu, there was no ranking or belt system. There was no need, for the way schools worked was very different, than it is nowadays. A Sifu had select few students, and for the most part, these students lived together with him at that school, that can be best described as a type of boarding school.

Nowadays, it makes sense that many Kung Fu Schools use ranking systems. Not for reasons of having a “higher” rank than others, “making money” or imagining to be someone better, but simply to support the way of teaching martial arts in modern times and improving the structure of the classes. It helps to prevent misunderstandings and inform about the level of knowledge of an individual student.

For this purpose, our ranking system is inspired by the generic ranking system of the Budō martial arts, which offer

The means to differentiate regarding the experience, especially for new students
A goal-oriented training program, depending on the education level

What actually matters for the family hierarchy of Wing Chun is not the rank, but the duration of being a member of the Kung Fu School. An older student is a “Si-Hing” or “Si-Mui”, meaning older Kung Fu Brother or Sister, and the teacher is a “Sifu”, meaning Expert Instructor or Father-Teacher, not to be misunderstood as a trainer of a fitness club or gym.