All true that footwork and movement to shift the centerline is key but still traditional practice was not the traditional lead foot forward starting off and gladly that has morphed over time (as I said Lee did not invent this, he just did a great job writing and breaking it down in his Tao). I sadly only have one Wing Chun place near me and it looks too much like a strip mall place....not as authentic. For my own purposes I am working on Sil Lum Tao on my own (lonely to do Wing Chun aloen haha).
Fred it is a drill to develop sensitivity, reaction and positioning against attacks. Wing Chun focuses on trapping hands and using the power of the attack to deflect (remember it was started to match up against any opponent). So this is not a sparring or fighting set up. It is a drill to develop a specific technique that is then advanced in further training into actual combat. Most Wing Chun books even show application in real world situations which is quite useful.
I'm giving you my opinion based on the little I know. When I was a kid I bought this book: I don't remember any of it presently, but I do recall being underwhelmed. Yeah, I know, I was just a kid. I vaguely recall awkward stuff. As for the fine-motor movement, that's not up for debate. It goes out the window in a real fight. Even Bruce Lee, who was the exemplar in his day, resorted to gross-motor movement in actual fighting competition.
You mentioned it was developed by a woman. It looks a bit like someone trying not to get groped. Okay, guys, no disrespect. I'm just throwing out a few under-informed opinions, here.
Fred, if you would care to know about the essence which I doubt, I can recommend the book by my teacher Michael Herrera which contains no bullshit, war stories or hyperbole. It's on Amazon.
Yeah but Chi Sau was a foundational element of his training, you cannot discount it. Watch the video of Bruce sparring in gloves, he is using these techniques when he engages the block and senses the attack to counter. Ci Sau is not a technique you learn to block a punch or attack. It is the close in combat elements. Again it is like Sil Lum Tao, it is done to master foundation elements to build up.
The legend is it was developed by a Buddhist nun by the name of Mui Ng who taught it to a woman by the name of Kim Wing Chun. The story is highly likely to be apocryphal and was likely developed over time by various martial artists and can be traced back to the Red Boat Opera where martial types could practice under the guise of theater as fighting was banned at the time.
I watched the video I posted a few times. Some of the key moves were repeated in slow motion. They were all gross-motor movements deftly executed.