Siu Nim Tao is the open door to the Wing Tsun system and is taught to beginning students. The Chinese name “Siu Nim Tao” translates to English as “Little Idea”.
It is so named because the Siu Nim Tao form provides the beginning student with a “little idea” of what the Wing Tsun system is about. It is a very accessible and compact introduction to many of the important concepts and is the foundation of the Wing Tsun system.
The entire form is performed in the “character two” adduction stance, while the upper body
performs various hand and arm techniques. Such as pak sau, fook sau, bong sau, tan sau, jut sau and others. This makes the form accessible to the beginning student because he or she is not trying to learn and coordinate unfamiliar arm and leg movements simultaneously. It lets the student concentrate on learning the proper positions for each of the movements.
As the student progresses in their training and learns applications of the arm movements through various other drills and exercises, the movements in the Siu Nim Tao form begin to have meaning and purpose to the student.
In the beginning phase of Wing Tsun training, the student must take special care that Siu Nim Tau is practised properly and understands the principles. For, without the foundation that Siu Nim Tau provides, the student will be unable to apply his or her Wing Tsun and will be unable to advance.