Books will not teach you to touch hands. What they do well is give you the map: the names of the techniques, the order of the forms, the principles behind them and the story of how the art reached you. Read the right book at the right stage and your training makes more sense. Read the wrong one and you can end up arguing with your own sifu about where your feet should point.
This guide groups the books we think are most useful, says who each one suits, and flags where a book reflects one lineage's way of doing things. We have kept to titles and authors we could confirm. Apart from my own books, there are no buy links on this page.
A word on lineage: Wing Chun is taught differently in different lines. A book is one teacher's view. That is a strength, not a weakness, but read with your own lineage in mind. Our guide to Wing Chun lineages explains the main branches.
Beginner and overview books
Wing Chun Kung Fu: Traditional Chinese Kung Fu for Self-Defense and Health
Author: Ip Chun, Ip Man's elder son, with Michael Tse.
Who it suits: Beginners who want a calm, readable introduction from inside the Ip family.
What it's good for: The principles of the system, the first form and the health side of training. It reads as a teacher explaining why, not just what.
Caution: Like any book, it shows one line's details. If you train in another line, expect small differences.
Wing Chun Martial Arts: Principles & Techniques
Authors: Yip Chun and Danny Connor (first published 1993).
Who it suits: Readers who want a bit more technical depth than a pure introduction.
What it's good for: Principles, forms and how the ideas connect. A good second read once the basic vocabulary is familiar.
Wing Chun Kung-Fu
Author: James Yimm Lee (Ohara Publications, 1972).
Who it suits: Collectors and anyone curious about how Wing Chun was first presented to English-language readers. Lee was a friend of Bruce Lee and helped him publish his first book.
What it's good for: Historical interest. It is an early snapshot, not a modern curriculum.
Forms and technique
Leung Ting's form series: Siu-Nim-Tau, Chum Kiu and Biu-Tze
Author: Leung Ting, founder of the International WingTsun Association. The three volumes appeared in English in 2002 and 2003.
Who it suits: Students who want one volume per empty-hand form, with photographs.
What it's good for: Following a form section by section. He also wrote a Chi-Sau series and 116 Wing Tsun Dummy Techniques (1981, co-authored with Yip Chun).
Caution: These books use the WingTsun spelling and teach that organisation's version of the forms. If you train in another line, use them for principle and comparison, not as a correction to your own form.
Mastering Wing Chun Kung Fu
Authors: Samuel Kwok and Tony Massengill (Empire Books, 2007).
Who it suits: Beginner to intermediate students looking for a single-volume technical overview.
What it's good for: Forms, concepts and drills in one place.
For our own plain-language walk-throughs of the three hand forms, see Kendra's articles on Sil Lim Tao, Chum Kiu and Biu Jee, and the Wing Chun glossary.
History and lineage
The Creation of Wing Chun: A Social History of the Southern Chinese Martial Arts
Authors: Benjamin Judkins and Jon Nielson (SUNY Press, 2015).
Who it suits: Anyone who wants the history from scholars rather than from legend.
What it's good for: Placing Wing Chun in the social history of southern China. It is not a training manual.
Complete Wing Chun
Authors: Robert Chu, Rene Ritchie and Y. Wu.
Who it suits: Readers who want to see that Wing Chun is wider than one family tree.
What it's good for: A survey of Wing Chun's history and traditions across several branches, including ones outside the Ip Man line.
Roots and Branches of Wing Tsun
Author: Leung Ting (English edition 2000).
What it's good for: A lineage history told from the WingTsun perspective. Read it as one organisation's account, alongside others.
Wing Chun Warrior
Author: Ken Ing (Blacksmith Books).
What it's good for: A readable biography of Duncan Leung, who trained under Ip Man from the age of 13 and was a childhood friend of Bruce Lee. Good for motivation and for a feel of the era. Treat the fight stories as stories.
Books by lineage teachers
Grandmaster William Cheung
Grandmaster William Cheung began training under Ip Man as a teenager in the 1950s. He is the grandmaster of the Traditional Wing Chun lineage and founded the Global Traditional Wing Chun Kung Fu Federation. He has published widely. His books include:
- Wing Chun Bil Jee: The Deadly Art of Thrusting Fingers (Unique Publications, 1983): the third hand form.
- Kung Fu: Butterfly Swords (Ohara Publications, 1986): the double-knife form. See our butterfly sword gear guide.
- Advanced Wing Chun (with Mike Lee, 1988).
- Kung Fu Dragon Pole (with Mike Lee, 1989): the long pole. See our long pole guide.
- My Life with Wing Chun: his own story of training and teaching.
- Wing Chun Kung Fu/Jeet Kune Do: A Comparison, Volume 1 (with Ted Wong, 1990).
- Wing Chun: Advanced Training and Applications (Black Belt, 2007).
Who they suit: Students of Traditional Wing Chun first, and anyone who wants to see how this line approaches the weapons and the advanced forms.
Caution: These books present Traditional Wing Chun. Its stance, footwork and some hand positions differ from what many mainstream schools teach, so if you train in another line, read them as a different approach rather than a correction. This site's owner trains in this line; see the lineages guide for that disclosure.
Ip Chun
Beyond the overview books above, Ip Chun co-authored 116 Wing Tsun Dummy Techniques with Leung Ting. His books are a natural fit for students in lines that come through the Ip family.
Moy Yat
Moy Yat, a student of Ip Man who later taught in New York, wrote several books, including Wing Chun Kuen Kuit (the sayings of the system, with his stone carvings) and 108 Muk Yan Jong on the wooden dummy. They suit readers who enjoy the art and philosophy side of training. For dummy work, also see our wooden dummy guide.
Bruce Lee's Tao of Jeet Kune Do
Published by Ohara in 1975, after Lee's death, this is about Jeet Kune Do, not Wing Chun. It is worth reading for how Lee built on his Wing Chun roots, but it will not teach you the forms.
The Way of Wing Chun series by Kendra Mahon
Sifu Kendra Mahon's The Way of Wing Chun is a ten-book series on the ideas behind each stage of the system, written from the Traditional Wing Chun line as it was passed down to her by Master Brian Lewadny, who learned it from Grandmaster William Cheung. Each title is available on Kindle and in paperback, and you can see them all on Kendra's Amazon author page.
- The Philosophy of Wing Chun: Simplicity, Balance, and the Straight Path. The principles behind the whole system. A good first book in the series.
- The History of Wing Chun: Legend, Lineage, and the Journey to the World. From the legends of the art's origins to its spread around the world.
- The Life of Ip Man: The Quiet Master Who Gave Wing Chun to the World. The life of the grandmaster at the root of most modern Wing Chun lineages.
- The Philosophy of Siu Lim Tao: Stillness, Beginnings, and the Little Idea. The first form, and what it teaches about stillness, patience and beginner's mind.
- The Philosophy of Chum Kiu: Connection, Movement, and Meeting the World. The ideas behind the second form.
- The Philosophy of Biu Jee: Crisis, Recovery, and the Weight of Dangerous Knowledge. The ideas behind the third form.
- The Philosophy of the Muk Yan Jong: The Honest Partner and the Art of Self-Correction. The wooden dummy, and what it teaches about correcting yourself.
- The Philosophy of the Luk Dim Boon Kwan: Extension, Rootedness, and the Unfinished Half Point. The long pole and its lessons.
- The Philosophy of the Baat Jaam Dao: Completion, Legacy, and the Art of Letting Go. The butterfly swords, the final stage of the system.
- Chi Sau: The Art of Sensitivity. Sticking hands and the sensitivity it develops.
Kendra's earlier book, Push Your Way Through: How You Can Use the Ancient Principles of Kung Fu to Get What You Want, is about using kung fu principles in everyday life rather than training technique.
DVDs
Most instructional video has moved online, but older DVD sets still turn up. One example is William Cheung's five-volume Wing Chun Kung Fu DVD set. Volume one introduces the first form, the second form, basic blocks and footwork. The value of a DVD like this is watching a senior teacher perform the forms at normal and slow speed. Its limit is that it cannot see you.
If you want structured video with feedback, read our guide to learning Wing Chun online and the checklist on what makes a good Wing Chun course.
How to use books alongside real training
- Read one level ahead, not five. Reading about the form you are learning, or the next one, helps. Reading about the third form in week two mostly creates bad habits.
- Start with your own lineage. If your school teaches Traditional Wing Chun, start with Grandmaster Cheung's books. If it comes through the Ip family or WingTsun, start there.
- Bring questions, not corrections. When a book disagrees with your class, ask your teacher why. There is usually a reason inside that line's system.
- Use history to stay motivated. A biography or history book is a good thing to read on rest days.
- Get feedback. Whether you train in a club or online, someone qualified needs to see your form. Our learning guides and course checklist can help you choose.
For the screen version of the story, see Wing Chun in film and our Ip Man movies ranked.
Frequently asked questions
Can I learn Wing Chun from a book?
You can learn a lot about Wing Chun from a book: the vocabulary, the order of the forms, the principles and the history. You cannot learn the feel of contact from a book. Structure, relaxation and sensitivity need a teacher who can see you and, ideally, touch hands with you. Use books to support training, not to replace it.
What is the best first Wing Chun book for a beginner?
Pick a clear overview written by a senior teacher, such as the Ip Chun and Michael Tse book or the Yip Chun and Danny Connor book. Both explain principles in plain language. If you already train, the best first book is usually one from your own lineage, because the details will match what you are taught.
Why do Wing Chun books disagree with each other?
Wing Chun spread through many teachers, and each line kept its own details: stance, footwork, hand shapes, even the spelling of the art. A book shows one teacher's way. That is not a flaw, but it does mean you should read with your own lineage in mind and ask your sifu when something conflicts.
Are Wing Chun DVDs still worth buying?
Older DVD sets can be useful because you can watch a senior teacher perform the forms at full and slow speed. Their limit is the same as any video: they cannot correct you. Treat them as reference material alongside a course or class that gives feedback.
Is the Tao of Jeet Kune Do a Wing Chun book?
No. It is Bruce Lee's material on Jeet Kune Do, the approach he developed after his Wing Chun training under Ip Man. It is worth reading for context on Lee's thinking, but it will not teach you Wing Chun forms or drills.