Anyone here train under Sifu Randy Williams?

[vertical fist]

Hi, new to the forums. Was wondering if any of you train under Sifu Randy Williams. What are your thoughts on him and his Close Range Combat Academy.

Thank you.

[whippinghand]

Do you mean in person, or by books or videos?

[kungfu cowboy]

By telepathy.

[whippinghand]

You might want to post your inquiry on the Ving Tsun Athletic Association Forum. They LOVE talking about this kind of stuff.

[vertical fist]

"They LOVE talking about this kind of stuff"
What kind of stuff is that Whipping Hand?

I'm new to posting on this site after a week or so of browsing current threads. I noticed on a "lineage" thread no one mentioned him. So I was curious what others thought of him. My teacher is a student of his and I was wondering if any of you out there are students of him as well.

[vertical fist]

Ok i just did a forum search on Sifu Randy. I know, i should have done that first. Anyway, I saw some negative opinions on him. Perhaps you thought I was trying to start something. I was'nt.

[whippinghand]

What I meant was, on the VTAA, they like talking about people, instead of Wing Chun. Every thread is about somebody or another. Check it out, it's quite ridiculous.

[Tap Man]

I train with Randy Williams at the CRCA in PA. I also cross train in other arts as well. The CRCA fits perfectly with the cross training that I personally undergo. Having attended seminars from other wing chun organizations I would say that the level of detail that Randy goes into is amazing. Not to say that the other organizations don't go into detail, but I personally have not seen a demonstration or class get as indepth into technique and theory as much as I have at a CRCA camp. Now the wing chun there is slightly different from some of the other more well known groups. I can say that for street fighting I have yet to see another Wing Chun school train as realistically. Once again this is from the perspective of some other organizations seminars and a few classes. I would highly recommend trying out several different "types" of Wing Chun and see which one fits what your looking for in the art. I compare the CRCA to my time in the Marine Corps. We are like a Band of Brothers who would fight for each other at the drop of a hat. Hope that helps
TAP MAN OUT

[Sihing73]

Hi Tap Man,

Now that was nicely worded and actually informative and of benefit. Thank you :)

If I might inquire where in PA is the CRC located? Last I knew of was somewhere near Latrobe but I could be wrong. Do you perhaps know Bob Tomano(sp?) from Bloomsburg?

BTW: Now that you mentioned you were in the Marines it explains alot, LOL (Just kidding I served with the Rangers ;))

Peace,

Dave

[aelward]

Although my main lineage is with Sifu Lo Man Kam in Taiwan, I attended a Randy Williams seminar in 1998.

Randy is a very nice and approachable person, and has an interest and respect for other versions of Wing Chun. I thoroughly enjoyed the seminar. Further, he is dedicated to personal improvement, and is very much directly involved in the instruction of everyone who attended his seminar.

How it is different from other versions of Wing Chun: many of his techniques depend on speed (for example, a running jao sao around an wu sao in the center), which is good for him, because he is strong and fast. However, it may not be good for someone who is not as physically gifted as he is. Also, he, himself, has good changes and rapid adaptability. However, his students froze in certain positions, and often used a lot of strength when they were in unfamiliar positions (which a lot of people, myself included, do).

Just some observations...

[popsider]

I used to train within the CRC organisation but ended up moving away. I met RW and found him a very friendly and open guy - he will answer any question you ask him. Whether you like the wing chun they teach depends on you. If you have come from certain wing chun backgrounds then you may find it difficult, but it is pretty similar to some other mainstream wing chun schools.

This may be taking a risk of stoking up controversy but from what I have seen it appears that Randy does teach wing chun that is very similar to Augustine Fong. I've not seen a lot of Fong's stuff but certainly the first form looks the same to me. He also possesses a decent level of skill (I'm not really good enough myself to comment on how good Randy is - except he is obviously good). Again I may be biased but Randy's students seem to have avoided getting involved in a flame war despite their sifu coming in for some fairly childish name calling on other forum. I'm sure like anything there are two sides to this story - but there are many people who find Randy a good teacher and are happy with what they do so he must have something. Like with all instructors, if in doubt give it a go and make up your own mind.

[weakstudent]

i never met the man randy williams but just think along these lines
1. is he better at fighting than you in other words can he kick the crap out of you if the answer is yes then you should study with him.
2.do youlike his approach towards his students and people in general. if yes then study with him

like i said i never met the man but i've reads some articles he did for inside kung-fu and i found them informitive.(and at my present level of skill which sucks i know he can kick my butt.)

nelson

[vertical fist]

Thanks for the replies.

I look forward to meeting him. He's doing a seminar in Williamsport, MD next month. Tap Man, will I see you there?

[Tap Man]

Yes I will be there, looking forward to some great training at the seminar.