ATTN:NY Wing Chun/Ving Tsun practioner's

[doug maverick]

who do you think is the best wing chun sifu in new york/ i'm a xing yi practioner myself but i have a lot wing chun friends. there always talking about this sifu or that sifu. one of my friends who shall remain anonymous owns a wing chun school here in ny and aside from one other sifu:V.A. Thomas i think he's is the best. he runs his class very traditional and his students are pretty good. but thats just me i don't to much about wing chun so your expertise would be of help!!!!!!!!!

[Sam]

Hello Doug, I believe James Cama Sifu is not only an extremely knowledgable instuctor but also an accomplished fighter. His students are just as good. Cama Sifu is very open teacher. http://futsaoyongchunkuen.com/

[Sihing73]

Hello,

Questions like this often cause more harm than good. While they can be asked with the best of intentions, it seems someone will always take offense if "their" Sifu is not considered the best or even makes the A-list.

This is also an open ended question in that it leaves the definition of best open to interpretation. Best in what way? Best in teaching, best in fighting, best in performance, best in pedigree or best in everything?

NYC, as well as many other places, have some very good and wonderful Sifu. However, it is unfair and unrealistic, IMHO, to ask which one is the best. There are just too many variables to consider. For example, someone who is the best fighter may not be the best choice to pass that knowledge along to others.

Each of us will have an opinion as to who we think is best and we are all welcome to that opinion. However, I feel that the art would be better served by uniting and comparing methods openly without ego. I know a nice fantasy but the reality is often quite different. Still, I believe that we are making progress. Forums like this allow us to interact and some have even gone the extra step of meeting in person. Each one comes away from such meetings with something.

Rather than try to identify the "BEST" Sifu, unless for a very specific reason, such as who can teach me the best way to defend against a knife attack on an airplane ;) , we should instead put some effort into getting along better and opening our minds. No one person is the BEST for everyones needs. But doubtless if we keep our eyes and hearts open we will find the BEST one for our needs.

First you must identify the parameters of what the best entails. Then you can seek out the one who is best for those needs. If you want street reality then seek out someone who has applied the art in real life encounters. But although this person may be able to fight they may not be the best technically.

If you truly want to find the best then start with yourself. Identify what it is that makes you the "best" you can be and then try to find the person or Sifu who can bring that out even more. This person will be the best for you at least.

Peace,

Dave

[doug maverick]

when i said best,
i meant who teaches a more complete system, i've scene alot of bad wing chun in this city. some of the practioners of wing chun style are empty there is no power behind what they do. when i said "best" i meant those wing chun teachers that give all to there students. my xing yi sifu did not believe in holding anything back. He thought it was the most idiotic thing in the world. he use to tell me: "how can i, as your sifu your guid to open up the gate, sleep at night knowing that i haven't giving you the right "keys". he said that most martial arts masters(he stressed southern styles) hold back cause there afraid of there students progressing further then them. my sifu said it would be a dream come true if one day i beat him. it would mean he's done his job.
i was lucky enouth to have three sifu's who shared the same views my lung ying kuen, sifu, my hung gar sifu, and my xing yi sifu. never held anything back (which made the training ten times harder then in any other school) i see alot of wing chun people learning only half of the wing chun system, some of them don't even do the siu nim tao correctly. they do it very forcefull, and from what i heard it should be done relaxed to build static power. some advocate tradition, some teachers make there student take there name. while master yip man himself wasn't that traditioNAL IN HIS LATER YEARS, he taught wing chun while smoking(or so i heard). when i asked my question. it was only to qualm some doubts i had about wing chun. i didn't mean to offend anyone......

[Sihing73]

Hello Doug Maverick,

There are various reason that one may opt to teach Wing Chun. Some may start as a means of having training partners while others wish to pass on the system. Some have not completed the system in its entirity. However, if one has truly grasped the concepts and internalized them then one could have more knowledge than those who have completed the system. An example of this would be someone who knows more forms than another who is still defeated by someone who only knows less. Of course, this is an example of a fighter not necessarily of a good teacher. Still, it is often better to fully comprehend a litte than to have superifical knowledge of a lot.

As to your querry, I think that teachers are often faced with the problem of students motives. In todays society it is not uncommon for students to train in more than one system and not always give the proper respect or loyalty to the teacher or system. I do not think that it is that uncommon for a Sifu to teach openly and yet keep some things in reserve for those students who have shown their dedication.

I do believe that it is the desire of most Sifu to have the student exceed them. If you have found such a Sifu then consider yourself lucky. I think that most people who are training with a Sifu will eventually reach the point where they will be exposed to all that the teacher has to offer. But, this may take a little time as the student needs to develope that relationship. Of course this is different than in a commercial school setting.

Peace,

Dave