Sifu Grados videos

[mortal]

Hey everyone. Have you seen the videos on this site www.sifugrados.com. I just started training with him and I wanted some opinions from people who know more about this than me. I look forward to yuor responses...

[red5angel]

Mortal, I have never met MR Grados but I came across his website and was fairly impressed. Most of the responses you wil get here usually refer to him as a good "fighter". Seems like he has enough skill and experience to do what he has to do.
There is a rumor floating around that he is not sanctioned by Augustine Fong in anyway, I would direct any questions on that at Yuanfen.

[Phenix_Eye]

He looks good from the videos even though hes a little short.

[Akuma]

I found some of his technique videos to be helpful but I don't know much coz I'm only new to wing chun as well.

[gnugear]

I like his hip-hop theme song:D

Cool looking web site too. But sorry, I don't anything else about him.

[gnugear]

Originally posted by Phenix_Eye
He looks good from the videos even though hes a little short.

LOL! Yeah, he's never going to be good unless he learns how to not be short;)

Seriously though, I think his video clips look well produced, and it's nice to see a "smaller" guy doing his thing against larger opponents. He obviously can't use excessive force in situations like that, exemplifying what WC is all about.

... but, I did noticed that he seems to lean his shoulders a bit when he's head hunting.

[edward]

first of all there is no rumor, but truth. Sifu fong does not sanction anyone or endorse anyone. It is clearly stated on Sifu's website

http://fongswingchun.com/message.html

2nd, being a good fighter isn't to hard with simple and basic wing chun knowledge. If you know how to throw a center line punch, you can win the majority of the fights out there. Go in, attack the center and you win... Most individuals are not capable of guarding there center line.

[red5angel]

Well, regardless, there is apparently some contention about him learning from Fong or his organization.
His root seems to be disconnected and his structure seems to lean forward, he leans into his opponent.

Edward, I beg to differ however on the idea of being a good fighter, it takes much more then basic wing chun to be a good fighter. Most individuals dont think about the center line when you are attacking, they have the advantage of thinking only of defending against the attack. A straight line punch will not always win you the fight, and unless executed with precise structure and good a good root, can get you in trouble.
You could of course practice the straight line piunch exclusivley and maybe get good at it, but then you arent practicing good wing chun.
Ultimately with a low level of wing hcun you might beat some poor sucker on the street but anyone with any training is going to give you some trouble. With good training and good Wing Chun, most people wont be a problem.

[mun hung]

I've met Grados before, know a few of his former/current students that have made their way over to our school, and seen some of his video tapes. Just touched hands with a friend of mine recently who I found out studies under him, and found the approach quite different.

I did'nt feel any forward energy in chi-sau from Grados' students, who kind of just quicky snap their hands into place and hold it out there. Anyone else do it this way?

He does have a reputation for fighting and training hard - which I think is good.

He has a certain "urban roughneck appeal" to some and has developed quite a following in NYC.

I'm still wondering who his other instructors were, and how much time he spent with them. Any clues?

[red5angel]

"I did'nt feel any forward energy in chi-sau from Grados' students, who kind of just quicky snap their hands into place and hold it out there. Anyone else do it this way?"

What do you mean here Mun Hung? What do you mean quickly snap?

I am sure he trains very hard but is training hard bette rthen training smart? You can train hard using a video as well but what are the chances you will be training correctly? He definitely looks like he can fight.........

[yuanfen]

I have met Mr. Grados once. What he apparently does now is "incomplete wing chun" but I think that he definitely knows how to "fight". I do not know know how well his skills are transferred to students. Lots of schools these days are into so called realism with gloves and pads. Grados is pretty good at those things. But those are short run skills.For the long run however wc takes more time in learning and---

OTOH, mastering the "basics" of wing chun prepares one well
for self defense and self development. merely knowing the sequences of slt is not mastering the basics. Many of the most advanced motions are extremely well developed simple motions
applied well.

[yuanfen]

I have met Mr. Grados once. What he apparently does now is "incomplete wing chun" but I think that he definitely knows how to "fight". I do not know know how well his skills are transferred to students. Lots of schools these days are into so called realism with gloves and pads. Grados is pretty good at those things. But those are short run skills.For the long run however wc takes more time in learning and---

OTOH, mastering the "basics" of wing chun prepares one well
for self defense and self development. merely knowing the sequences of slt is not mastering the basics. Many of the most advanced motions are extremely well developed simple motions
applied well.

[mun hung]

red5a - what I was told by one of his students was to snap your arms into position when rolling. Touching lightly, but without forward intention. The rolling was done pretty fast.

I don't know whether or not his student's interpretation was true to what he teaches, but it kind of looks like that on the videos also.

[mortal]

Thanks for all of your posts. I'll keep you posted. He let me spar again tonight. He is very open about the application instead of the form. Quiet the opposite of Shaolin training. I haven't learned a form yet. I don't really care to much about that anyway.
Oh yeah about Augustine Fong. His picture is on the wall along with a certificate that says Sifu Grados is certified to teach his style of wing chun. Signed by him and everything. Not that any of that stuff matters to me. Just thought anyone who hasn't been to his school should know. Thanks again.
Anthony

[red5angel]

MunHung - Sounds strange, I understand the forward intent part, we do that as well but snapping? Sounds to jerky to me, like trying to be fast and not sensitive? how did it feel to you?

Mortal - If you are in the New York area and can travel, Kathjo, KJ onthis forum, is there somewhere as well, not sure how close but probably worth your time to check out.

[Hman]

The first thing I would like to suggest to anyone with questions pertaining to Sifu Grados and his style, abilities, training methods, etc... is to consider contacting him yourself rather than drawing conclusions on hearsay, assumptions and ad hominem attacks. I have found him very approachable and very willing to discuss concerns that I have brought up in the past. I really don't want to get involved with the whole Augustine Fong question because I honestly think it is rediculous. So, if anyone wants to know about this issue, write an email. Now, onto the real issues....

Sifu Grados is extremely capable as a fighter. Besides experiencing the speed and power of his abilities myself, I have heard first hand from fighters in other styles, who had close to 15-20 years experience that they were unable to touch him with all that they threw at him. All of this proving by the way that size is utterly irrelavant when it comes to fighting. Sifu Grados is not only capable of fighting, his abilities are literally beyond the ken of imagination and he is willing to back it up with action, which for me is a breath of fresh air. He is involved with his students, and continues to train with a tremendous amount of devotion.

I have been taking with Sifu Grados for about three months now and have found that my abilities as a fighter have grown exponentially. I have learned the techniques and have spent time actually using those applications. The students, who I believe are a reflection of their Sifu, are skilled and friendly. I have studied in many places and besides being the most talented fighter out of all the Sifus I have actually seen fight, I have found his students to be the least concerned with defending their egos.

All in all I have found his school to be exaclty what I was looking for; Being taught real kung fu, by a real teacher, and being able to apply them in real situations.

Best Regards to all.

[red5angel]

Hman - what is you would say makes him a good instructor? how about a good wing chun man? Other then just his fighting other people and being untouchable, what is it that makes what he has to offer good?

[Hman]

Hman - what is you would say makes him a good instructor? how about a good wing chun man? Other then just his fighting other people and being untouchable, what is it that makes what he has to offer good?

First of all I want to say those are good questions and they have compelled me to commit myself to a course of self-conscious mental action. But before I answer the questions I would like to make it abundantly clear that I am not engaging in needless banter, such as, "my Sifu is the only one who can teach real wing chun..." I have noticed a willingness on the part of participants in most forums to engage in some of the most debasing conversation that I have seen. It is not my intention to engage in such activity or even defend Sifu Grados. I believe that he is capable of doing that himself. My sole purpose is to explore the world of martial arts, and inparticular the world of wing chun. I support different ideas and opinions and the right for them to be expressed graciously and respectfully. That being said, let me try and address the questions that you put foward.

A good instructor is one who fulfills a need in the student. There is a relationship between teacher and student; No matter what the subject is, that presupposes a students desire to learn and objectively, the requirement of an instructor to be proficient in his field and the ability to impart that knowledge.

As far as a Wing Chun man is concerned, I have no way of making such a value judgement. I can only weigh this question in light of my experience which is limited to other styles I have taken. However, based on what I have read and studied, it appears to me that Sifu Grados is an exemplary student and master in the art of Wing Chun.

His abilities to employ the techniques he learned and teaches himself, with skilled fighters of all styles, coupled with the willingness to defend his skills against anyone who wishes to challenge them, in my mind reflects his integrity as a fighter. His willingness to impart his knowledge to others and seeing the fruition of this training has made a lasting impression on me. All of the above are the primary ingredients of not only a good instructor, but a great one.

I hope the above has clarified my opinion and that all is well with you and your training. Where do you train? I would love to hear about your experiences.

[Hman]

The original queston of this post concerned Sifu Grados' video tapes. I have found the first tape on SIL LIM TAO to be worthwhile. Since the form is performed at a decent clip, I found some of the moves on the third part of the form to be difficult to acquire. Since I learned the form through personal instruction I found the tape to be extremely valuable for review, and it helped me learn the form much faster than I would have with out it.

The applications of the form are really worth the price of the tape. There is a lot to learn and all of it is shown in a systematic and easily digestable manner. You will also get some basics for your dummy practice as well.

I can not vouche for the other tapes but the Sil Lim Tao tape has been very useful for me in terms of my progress in the world of Wing Chun. Good luck.

[red5angel]

"I would like to make it abundantly clear that I am not engaging in needless banter"

Excellent, it was not my intention to do so. I asked because you seemed fairly familiar with him and his work and so you thought you might have an informed opinion on it, of which you have proven to be so. you answered the question well and throroughly and it is appreciated.
How much contact have you had with other wingchun people? what would you say are the differnces that make him or his stuff better? Would you say it is a personal thing, in that he is just of a character that helps you to learn? Is it that he has extrapolated al that is useful and is teaching it? etc....

[IronFist]

Anyone know how I can save those Quicktime videos to my harddrive?

I can't get them. The save as option is greyed out, and when I try to go to them directly I get the forbidden error. Is there a way?

IronFist

[Akuma]

Originally posted by IronFist
Anyone know how I can save those Quicktime videos to my harddrive?

I can't get them. The save as option is greyed out, and when I try to go to them directly I get the forbidden error. Is there a way?

IronFist

Use one of those file sharing programs such as grokster and download the full version of quicktime.

Then all you gotta do is right click on the movie after it's loaded up and then click on save source.

I quite like his technique videos and stuff..plus I try to keep all the wing chun vids i can that i download on the internet.

[Hman]

--How much contact have you had with other wingchun people?

None. I would actually love to hear from people who take from other Sifus to find out what the difference is between them.


--What would you say are the differnces that make him or his stuff better?

I wouldn't say it is better. I have no way of making such value judgment.

--Would you say it is a personal thing, in that he is just of a character that helps you to learn? Is it that he has extrapolated all that is useful and is teaching it?

I have seen that the methodology is very effective. I have taken other styles and can't tell you how much I have benefitted from Sifu Grados' teaching method. Once you get down some of the basics you are afforded the opportunity to apply them in disciplined sparring with other students. Usually the students are have many years of study under them so while you get to apply the techniques they are also willing to stop and correct you, or answer any questions that you may have. Sifu Grados is also usually on hand to answer and instruct. Hope all is well.

[red5angel]

Hman, do you believe that this sparring right away can develope bad habits?

[Hman]

Sure. Sparring too soon can develope bad habits and also be detrimental if the person gets beat up on. This can be devistating mentally.

While three months is not a long time, I believe that my being familiar with other styles and having sparred before made it easier for me to apply the techniques that I had learned. I am also taking one on one with Sifu Grados which accelerated my sparring as well.

Also, besides Sifu Grados making sure that things are being done correctly, his students usually pick out bad habits and are willing to correct them in others.

Who are you studying with? What do you like about it?

[mun hung]

Hman - have you learned Siu Nim Tau? If you have, how often do you guys practice it in class?

[red5angel]

Hman, thanks for answering my questions, I have one more. Would you say that you got to start sparring right away because of your prior experience or does everyone start out fairly early?

As for who I train with, I train with Michael Mallory and Howard Holischer under Carl Dechiara, who trains under Kenneth Chung. I like his training style for almost the opposite of why you like Grados training regimen. We really work the basics hard. A god portion of your first several months is devoted to gaining a good solid root, and real sensitivity. Its slow progress but it really pays off in the end. He very heavily stresses the basics and precision. You have to be very precise in wing chun to be able to utliize structure the way it was meant to be. We also dont stress techniques, like if he does this you do this sort of thing. We learn to just react in which ever way seems apropriate and that is through the sensitivity we develop. He also stresses minimal movement to get what you need done, we move as little as possible.
I have found that most people in wing chun pay these things word of mouth but generally dont follow them, not as precisely a sthey should anyway.

[Hman]

Sorry it has been a while since I checked out this post. Too Busy...

In any event, I have not learned Siu Nim Tau yet.

As far as sparring early, I would have to say that it was combination of several things. First, I have studied one on one with sifu grados, as well as taken Krav Maga, Aikido, Judo, and Shaolin. I know there are other students who have been there for some time and are not sparring as of yet. I am not really sure what the criteria is, however, I might consider asking Sifu Grados what the deal is.

Also, I told Sifu Grados that while I have dabled in these other styles, I was in dire need of overcoming my fear of fighting. I can tell you that he taught me what I really needed to know and now that I have used those techniques and am finding out what I am doing wrong and what I am doing right, this has been an exceptional process in terms of helping me as a fighter.

I really enjoyed hearing your post about who and how you learn. Have you taken any other styles? Also, when it comes to a larger taller fighter, what would you do to get inside and take out a rib or two? Or do you still go to the head? I find trying to work inside and shoot to the midsection more fitting and does not require sacrificing my structure. However, I tend to get a few hits to the head before getting in. Mind you, this individual is much more experienced than I am and his structure is really quite remarkable.

Take care.