Baat Cham Dao

Quick Facts

About the kata

Baat Cham Dao is a Wing Chun form with a pair of short single-edged knives called butterfly knives. The English Wikipedia says knives in Wing Chun got their name from this form. The most widespread Wing Chun system has two weapon forms, this one and the long-pole form; per kwokwingchun.com, students usually learn Baat Cham Dao last. Per kwokwingchun.com the form has eight parts and cuts predominate. Thrusts appear only at the start of the second part, making up about 6 to 10 percent of the form. In the final part the practitioner switches grip so the blade's spine lies along the forearm. This works fast only thanks to a hook on the spine, so the article's author rejects the idea that the form arose from ordinary kitchen cleavers. The English Wikipedia says the form and its training teach advanced footwork, add power to stance and technique, and build fighting spirit. Kwokwingchun.com adds a new step type, a stronger wrist, and reinforcement of principles known from the empty-hand forms, such as economy of movement and deflecting an attack. As the knives are small, per the same source the techniques can transfer to improvised weapons too.

Meaning of the name

The English Wikipedia translates 八斬刀 (Jyutping baat3 zaam2 dou1) as "eight cutting blades", and in the Wing Chun article as "knives that cut in eight directions". Kwokwingchun.com breaks the name down: baat is eight, cham means to cut, dao a single-edged blade, knife or sword. Per the same source, many think the eight means the form's eight parts; it actually means the eight angles at which the blade cuts. Wikipedia also gives another name, Yee Jee Seung Do (二字雙刀), "twin knives of parallel shape". That the knives were once called Dit Ming Do, "knives that take life", is stated by Wikipedia with no source, and we have not been able to confirm it elsewhere.

Creator and history

According to the English Wikipedia, Leung Bik, son of Leung Jan, mastered Wing Chun in its most complete form, which alongside the wooden dummy and the pole also included the "eight-cut knives". In 1909 he began teaching young Yip Man and taught him until his death in 1911. According to kwokwingchun.com, Yip Man learned the form precisely from Leung Bik and over his whole life passed it on to only seven students. On the form's origin kwokwingchun.com gives three explanations. The most widespread derives it from Shaolin monks who supposedly carried knives in their boots; the author considers this the least likely, because the same bladework was not found in Shaolin sets. The second sees it as an adaptation of southern Chinese styles, for instance White Crane from Fujian, which also trains with two knives and spins them. The third links it to kitchen cleavers. Wingchunorigins.org repeats the Shaolin explanation and adds that during the Red Boat era these knives were a weapon that was easy to hide.

Differences between styles

According to Ben Devries (sifuochwingchun.com), even the form of Wong Shun Leung, one of Yip Man's leading students, and the form of Yip Man's son already differ: in which movements carry more weight, and in their order. Some lineages, he says, order the eight parts differently. They also disagree on thrusting: per Devries the first two parts require a thrust, kwokwingchun.com sees it only at the start of the second part, and Alan Gibson in the book Wing Chun: The Works claims the form has no thrust at all and does not switch the grip to reversed either. Outside the Yip Man lineage, the English Wikipedia lists, for the Ku Choi Wah branch, a weapon set called Yan Jee Dao (人字刀), and for Snake Wing Chun, twin broad swords that look more like machetes.

Prerequisites

Kwokwingchun.com advises starting the form only once the practitioner has mastered all the empty-hand forms. It says Baat Cham Dao's footwork needs the steps from Chum Kiu and Biu Jee, and the system should grow from Siu Nim Tau to Baat Cham Dao without skipping or rushing. Wingchunorigins.org notes training with the knives quickly reveals weaknesses in empty-hand work, most likely footwork.