Wing Chun/Tsun effectiveness?

[WT_Novice]

I posted this question on the aBudokan.com forum too but I wanted more answers and thought that there is probably more Wing Chun practicioners over here...

Do you think that Wing Chun works for defense against other martial artists too?... and not just average bad fighters. Have you any experiense on for ex. sparring against a representant of another martial art, or fighting one in real life? Just asking because I just started Leung Ting Wing Tsun for about a month ago and think it's really fun and I wouldn't want to quit it, but I want to make sure it really works in real street defense. I have read about it alot in the internet, but lately I've visited forums where people think Wing Chun is just nonsense and that's why I've been doubtful. My Sifu is a really nice guy and he's a good techer in my opinion. Sorry 'bout the long post.
Other than wing chun practitioners opinions are also greatly appreciated...

[LEGEND]

I honestly think WING CHUN can be an effective style as long as u spar!!! That's all...as long as u spar!!! Now I'm not talking about 1 year from now...I'm talking about at least 3 months and then spar and see what happens! If u cannot spar and see if u can put the HITs on...when u get into a fight on the street u're going to get SMACKED! Spar spar spar.

Wing chun has a lottttttttttttttttt of techniques...so u may get swamped but in sparring just work on being aggressive and attack!

[SevenStar]

LOL, this isn't a long post. Check the training forum - I can show you some LONG posts.

Anyway, as far as your question goes, you style is as effective as you make it. If you train hard and train realistically, then that's a good first step. Always remember, it's not the style that matters it's the person. That being said however, it's still extremely beneficial for you to train with people from other styles so you can see what they do and work against it. You don't want to limit yourself to sparring people within the confines of your own style. Visit some other schools and ask to train with them. As long as you are friendly and respectful, most schools won't mind. Don't just train with other CMA - train with karate stylists, bjj guys, thai boxers, etc. figure out what you have in your arsenal that works well against them and drill it repeatedly when you train on your own. If you know how they attack and how they handle attacks, then you will know how to handle their attacks. Think of it as a never-ending chess game.

Lesson two - don't worry about what other people say about your style. If you can make it work for you, then it's a good style. Like I said before, it's the fighter that matters, not the style. That being said however, you do want to make sure that you are in a good school; look at other schools in the area and make sure you really wanna be where you are. Talk to students, talk to the teacher - is he willing to teach, or does he keep alot of secrets? Do his senior students seem very skilled? You don't want to be in a McDojo.

Is this your first experience with martial arts?