Ranking System

In C.R.C.A. Wing Chun we have a ranking system as follows:

• Blue Belt
• Yellow Belt
• Red Belt
• Green Belt
• Brown Belt
• Black Belt I
• Black Belt II
• Black Belt III

C.R.C.A members will get instruction by lesson, docs and clips to get ready for these tests. You can get more details from your Instructor.

Blue Belt

You may wonder why we start with the blue belt and not white or yellow like in other Martial Arts. When the founder of C.R.C.A. “Seef” Randy Williams created the belt system in the 80’s, there were only C.R.C.A branches in the USA. Today we have branches around the world. The blue belt meant “You have all basics mastered – you can visit other countries, visit other C.R.C.A branches, and train with them without slowing down the class.”

Today it means something else – “The basics, that are included in this first test, are the foundation of all your future Wing Chun”. If you really master this test, your Wing Chun will be sharp – it will work for you in situations of Self-defense and when teaching your younger “Brothers and Sisters”.

Yellow Belt
This test is all about our first Form, Siu Leem Tau (SLT) – “The Little Idea”. So called because it includes 108 moves – 108 “little ideas”, the seeds from which the rest of your Wing Chun will grow. The Siu Leem Tau Form includes ideas such as Hay Goang – Chi Breathing, Borrowing Power, Facing, Reference, Yin/Yang Power, Timing, Shock/Jerking Power, Multidirectional Movement and Centerline Theory. The trainee will also learn terminology and hundreds of combat applications.
The test is divided into 3 parts, each with 36 questions.

Red Belt
This test is all about our second Form, Chum Kiu (CK) – “Seeking the Bridge”. So called because the trainee is now looking for “Bridge” contact to get advantage over the opponent. When we in C.R.C.A. Wing Chun talk about the “Bridge”, we mean the forearm. The Chum Kiu Form includes ideas like Stance Mobility, Body Unity, Eye Focusing Power, Sinking Bridge and Horizontal Centerline Theory. The trainee will also learn terminology and hundreds of combat applications.
The test is divided in 3 parts, each with 36 questions.

Green Belt
This test is all about the first 60 moves of our Dummy Form – Mook Yan Joang (MYJ) Fot Yut Ling Bot. Mook means “Wood”, Yan means “Man” or “Person”, Joang means “Post”, Fot means “Technique”, Ling means “Hundred” and Bot means “Eight”. So we translate as “The 108 techniques of the Wooden Man Post”. The first 60 moves in the MYJ Form include a lot of techniques from SLT and CK.  This is the first time the trainee has applied his techniques in a Form – in SLT and CK all the moves have no contact. In the MYJ Form every move has contact. The trainee will note that the applied structure of techniques like Pock Sau (Slapping Hand), Kau Sau (Finger Hooking Hand), Huen Sau (Circling Hand) and many more are different to that of SLT and CK. This is due to the fact that in the first two forms there is no “Bridge Contact”.

The trainee will test for questions like “Why are the holes square?” and will work on Teet Kiu Sau – “Iron Bridge Hand”. With time the arms of the trainee will get harder and harder.
The test is divided in 3 parts to each 36 questions.

Brown Belt
This test is all about our third empty-handed Form, Biu Jee (BJ) – “Shooting/Thrusting Fingers”. The trainee will learn how to apply flesh grabs and chokes. He will learn techniques for ground fighting, emergency defenses, thrusting fingers (Biu Jee Sau) and additional strikes like Foong Ngon Kuen – “Phoenix Eye Punch” and Gyeung Jee Kuen – “Ginger Fist”. He will learn hundreds of combat applications. The trainee will learn the Chinese terminology and its translation.
The test is divided in 3 parts to each 36 questions.

Black Belt I
This test is all about the last 48 moves of our Dummy Form, which include a lot of techniques from BJ. The trainee will learn how to build a wooden dummy. The trainee will also learn how to apply different drills on the dummy like Chee Sau – Sticky Hands, Gahng Gyeuk – the leg toughening drill, Lop Sau – the trapping and timing drill, and more. The test will have 108 questions. The trainee will learn the Chinese terminology and its translation as well as the “Iron Palm” exercise.

Black Belt II
This test is all about the Look Deem Boon Gwun (LDBG) – “The 6 ½ Point Pole” Form. The trainee will learn to perform the LDBG Form – 72 moves in both directions (starting with the long end of the pole on the right hand and after finishing the form, switching the hands and going through the whole form again but this time with the long end on the left side). He will also learn the lineage of the Pole Form.

The trainee will learn to fight with the pole and also the pole “translation” – how to use the ideas and techniques from the pole empty-handed. One of the advantages of training with the pole is the additional weight the trainee has to handle. It gives the trainee more power and speed in his hand techniques.

Black Belt III

This test is all about Bot Jom Doh (BJD) – the “8 Slashing Knives” Form. The trainee will learn to perform the 108 moves of the Form – including their Chinese terminology and application. The trainee will learn where the Form name come from and how to use each of the “8 points” of the knife. He will also learn the lineage of the knives.

Like the pole, the advantage of training with the knife is the additional weight the trainee has to handle. It gives the trainee more power and speed in his empty-handed techniques.

The trainee will learn to paint Chinese characters, such as the names of all forms.
There is also a physical part to the Black Belt III test. Exercises like the Form 108s and 1024 kicks will make sure the trainee is in good shape.

Note: After you “finished” the system you can become Black Belt IV and higher if you make someone else a Black Belt III, IV etc.