"Chum Kiu" translated literally from Cantonese, means "Looking for Arms", or "Looking for the Bridge." The bridge is defined as the distance between your body and your boundaries. The legs and arms are this bridge. One's boundaries are marked by the greatest length which your body can reach.

The meaning of the words Chum Kiu is not supposed to be taken literally. It's simple a title for a group of movements which are used to develop a crucial attribute, balance. Without understanding this real purpose of Chum Kiu, many movements might seem technically or strategically illogical.

The point is that Chum Kiu, in itself, is not for fighting. Not a single movement can be extracted from it to block or attack with. One is looking, not for bridges (whether they be one's own or others) but for all the essential features of body balance , coordination of the hands and legs, smooth footwork and unified, as wel as broken actions.

In Chum Kiu, the centerline no longer appears to be a stationery entity. It varies according to how you are facing your opponent. "Doi Yeng", meaning facing, is a central reflex of the art of Ving Tsun fighting. It starts to develop through the exercise of Chum Kiu. One has to be able to face one's own centerline to the opponent wherever he is. Chum is a bridge, then, to advanced Ving Tsun training.

In the three pictures immediately above, Si Hing Rick Mitchell demonstrates selected movements from Chum Kiu.