With gliding feet, lightning fast punches and a disciplined form, the members of St. Edward’s Ving Tsun club practice twice a week to perfect their self-defense techniques.

Invented by a nun more than 200 years ago, Ving Tsun—pronounced wing chun—was created to help smaller people defend themselves against bigger, stronger opponents by turning their strength against them. Wing Chun is also an alternate way to spell ‘Ving Tsun.’

The president of the school’s Ving Tsun club is Abe Clabby, a fifth year Environmental Science and Policy major. Clabby got involved in the organization through a friend who was already a member.

The club had very few members last year, all of whom graduated. Clabby said that he didn’t want to let Ving Tsun fail at St. Edward’s after all the money and work put into starting the organization by his successors.

“It’s more like I inherited the club,” said Clabby. “When the other members graduated I became president by fun.”

Self defense skills are also useful, Robledo said.

“People should join because the self defense skills are going to be something really useful that you’ll be able to learn, and if you get into a fight or if you happen to be in a situation like that, at least you’ll know how to defend yourself,” Robledo said.

The Ving Tsun club meets on Mondays at the racquetball courts inside the RCC and on Wednesdays at the Alumni Gym. Practices run from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m. on both days.