Part 1: Why Does Wing Tsun Start on the Left? (Practical & Philosophical)
Starting to learn Wing Tsun can be challenging. There’s a lot to take in and it can seem a little overwhelming if you not guided into the art – and especially if you’re not the most naturally talented (which I wasn’t). Indeed, so much so that it took me 6 months to realise that you started with the left hand on top in the first sequence and I had to spend quite a bit of time (and emotional pain!) retraining myself. So this then naturally led to the question ‘Why do we start with the left hand?’ of which my first instructor at the time didn’t really have an answer. This led me to two key drivers of my career: firstly, to ensure that students had the best possible guidance to learning the art and, secondly; to delve deeply into the art to understand its mysteries and share it (hence this blog).
When teaching Wing Tsun online recently and guiding students through Siu Nim Tau, the first form, this question resurfaced 25 years later, “Why do we always start on the left?” And it’s a fair question—after all, not only was it a source of my interest, but this pattern repeats throughout Wing Tsun. The left hand always leads, whether in Siu Nim Tau, Chum Kiu, Biu Jee, or the Wooden Dummy form.
Wing Tsun is an art refined over centuries. If something is repeated in Wing Tsun, there is always a reason. It is deliberate, there to emphasise a fundamental principle. But, although important, this reason is not always obvious – particular to practitioners in the West. To understand its design, one must look beyond the surface, including the context from which it emerged. As my teacher, Grandmaster Máday Norbert, once told me when I was 21, "If you want to understand Wing Tsun, you must understand the culture and philosophy behind it."
That advice has guided me ever since. So, I would now like to share with you what I have now know – 25 years and 40,000 hours later…
Influence of Shaolin and Southern Chinese Martial Arts
Wing Tsun’s origins trace back to the Southern Shaolin tradition, where balance and flow were key elements. Other Southern styles, like Hung Gar and Choy Li Fut, also emphasise balance between left and right hands. Indeed, in traditional Chinese martial arts, training often involved bilateral (two-sided) development to ensure flexibility and ambidexterity in combat, The idea of training the non-dominant side first can also be linked to this broader martial strategy. Combatants needed to be able to wield weapons and defend from all angles, and so the development of both sides was an essential part of martial conditioning. However, as you will find out, Wing Tsun uniquely systematises this principle (and specialises in both sides of the body working together but doing different movements).
The Practical Reason: The Right-Handed World
At its most immediate practical level, Wing Tsun starts on the left because most people are right-handed. Throughout history, right-handedness has been the dominant tendency, shaping combat, weaponry, and training methodologies.
Wing Tsun, however, is a system of defence that does not initiate conflict. We only ever use force when it is absolutely necessary for self-preservation. Given that an attacker is likely to use their right hand, defending with our left creates an immediate advantage: it frees our dominant right hand for counterattacks, ensuring efficiency and control in the engagement. This principle is one of Wing Tsun’s core tenets—minimum effort, maximum effect.
Practical Reason 2: The Principle of Balance
Beyond the tactical reasoning, Wing Tsun takes this a layer deeper. It emphasises balance, mastery and not having an over-reliance on one part or side of the body. Most martial artists unconsciously reinforce the dominance of a single hand, often the right. Indeed, when I first started training Wing Tsun in a Westernised format – the left side was humorously referred to as ‘The Dark Side’ as it was trained so little that it felt awful when you did train it. This over-reliance on one side creates a critical dependency, and single point of failure —what happens if your dominant hand is injured?
Wing Tsun trained deeply mitigates this by training both sides extensively. We always alternate between the left and right sides when training so that after a while that you can’t even tell what side you’re on. This is true for however long you train – when we did our 36 hours and 12 minutes continuously training world record, this was exactly what we did (and, actually, was a driver for us doing that length of training). While it is unrealistic to achieve absolute parity between the hands, the gap should be small. I often tell students that the difference between their dominant and non-dominant hand should ideally be no more than 20%. This balance ensures adaptability—because in a real confrontation, circumstances will never be perfect (in all likelihood far from it). So in training for combat in Wing Tsun we assume that the condition is the worst-case scenario and our preferred hand is not functioning.
This philosophy extends beyond hand techniques. In fact, there are 8 weapons of the arm (more to come about this another time) and it’s why Wing Tsun trains the whole body so that we never rely solely on punches or kicks. As a system, it is designed to function under any condition, regardless of limitations.
The Philosophical Depth: Yin and Yang
Now, we come to the deeper layer, explaining the whole philosophy behind the art. And it’s strongly influenced by both Buddhist and Daoist wisdom.
In Daoist philosophy, the left is associated with the feminine, the yin, the receptive. In contrast, the right represents the masculine, the yang, the active. This is not about gender (although it beautifully illustrated the principles of the female founders) but about energetic principles. Wing Tsun, at its core, is not about brute force or direct opposition. It’s about creating harmony and using the principles of adaptability, positivity, not forcing and using an opponent’s force against them.
This is why Wing Tsun begins with the left—it is not an act of aggression, but an act of receiving. It illustrates through physical movement the fundamental philosophy of winning, not fighting (as you can read about in our book). We accept situations as they are rather than trying to control the outside world buy our will alone. As you will see throughout Wing Tsun, the spiritual is taught through the physical. So instead of instantly perceiving situations as conflict, and the need to be in opposition – illustrated by squaring up and charging forward with the dominant right hand, we start by listening to the opponent’s energy. We do not meet force with force; we absorb, redirect, and flow with whatever comes our way.
This idea is found throughout Eastern philosophy. The Buddha is often depicted with his left hand extended, palm up, in a gesture of wisdom and receptivity. The traditional Kung Fu salute—the open palm meeting the fist—symbolises the balance between martial skill (yang) and wisdom (yin). Often Chinese Buddhist monks step with their left foot first after bowing and entering a temple.
Wing Tsun embodies this harmony and idea of the whole. We start with the yin, but we hold within us the yang. Softness leads, but the explosive power of the right hand is always there when needed.
The Old Saying: A Reframing
An old Wing Tsun saying encapsulates this philosophy: "Defend like a virgin, attack like a tiger." While the intent is clear—be soft and yielding in defence, yet dynamic in attack—the wording is outdated and, frankly, problematic. So, for a better and more appropriate description I prefer to reframe to a principle that is taught in the wooden dummy – ‘the ghost steps’:
"Defend like a ghost, attack like a tiger."
A ghost is intangible and untouchable. A tiger, however, is precise, explosive, and decisive. This perfectly reflects Wing Tsun’s strategy: never oppose strength directly, but when you do strike, do so with absolute commitment and efficiency.
The Meaning in the Physical
As you have seen, what makes Wing Tsun so fascinating is that its philosophy is built into its very structure. The way we stand, the way we move, and even the way we begin—every motion embodies the principles we train. Starting on the left is not arbitrary; it is an expression of who we are as Wing Tsun practitioners.
In the West, we often view martial arts as a collection of techniques. But in the East, especially in traditions like those of the Shaolin Temple, martial arts are inseparable from philosophy. Wing Tsun does not just teach us how to fight—it teaches us how to approach life itself. As the saying goes in Wing Tsun ‘when you train the hands, you train the brain’.
And it all starts with the left.
Sifu
Coming Up in Part 2
But there’s more—Wing Tsun is not just about philosophy or practicality. There’s an entire energetic dimension to it that few people discuss. I’ll explore this with you in Part 2, where we look at the flow of energy, scientific reasoning, and the hidden symbolism behind starting on the left.