Alan Gibson? Any UK guys out there?

[william]

Has any one trained with Alan Gibson?

I am considering switching schools at the moment, so I have just started attending a wing chun class that is part of the Wing Chun Federation, and the teacher trains under Alan Gibson.

Just wondering if any of you guys have heard of him or even trained with him?

Cheers,

W

[Kevin Bell]

I know Alan very well and i can honestly say he's an extremely nice fellow.

Who's the guy youre training with i may know him

[william]

Hi,

The guy that teaches wing chun at that club is a guy named Danny MacMillan (Think that is how you spell it)

I have only been to one lession, I will go for a month before I pack my other class in. However, I thoroughly enjoyed the first session and thought danny was a really good teacher, so I feel the swich is inevitable.

Cheers,

W

[Kevin Bell]

Think i met the dude yesterday seems like a nice chap, joined Alans association recently from what i've heard as to what his Wing Chun is like i dont know. But, if you like the place and its a good environment then stay

[Blunt]

I have read Alan Gibbson's book why wing chun works and will say that it is the best book on wing chun theory i have ever read.
I have emailed him before and he seems like a good bloke however i can't coment on his style as i have not seen it in action.
The only thing that i will say is that he sells books and videos at a high price. Therefore he is a business man (this does not mean his teaching will be of a lower standard, as i said i strongly recomend his book to any wing chun practioner) and so his aim is to make money from wing chun. You will probably get all that you want from him but it will come at a price.
I am not saying anything negative about him i recomend learning from him just be aware it will cost slightly more than others.
What i want to know though is why you want to quit your other class? If someone has said that you cannot train with any other schools leave that class immediately in my experience this is because their teaching is inferiour and they are afraid you will realise this. There are no secrets in wing chun just different interpretations of the same move.
If you train with 2 different schools it will enrich your grasp of wing chun as nothing helps you to understand the principle of a technique than seeing it done 2 different ways. also different schools concerntrate on different things. 1 school may be excellent at teaching you the basics while another will teach you sparring for example. By only going to one school when 2 are available you are loosing out on half the system and will then only be as good as the other students in that school. to surpass them you must know something they don't.
I hope this helps obviously if you find that one school is crap then don't waste your time or money (there is a certain school based in southampton that teaches wing chun (among other things) who i will not name but who's wing chun system is just moves and does not understand even the basic principlesof wing chun but it is up to you to evaluate weather you believe your instructor is worth their salt)

[stuartm]

Hi all,

Ive spoken to Alan a couple of times and he seems a really nice guy, hes also coming down to my club on 28th January to give a seminar on the wsl method which we're all really looking forward to.

I would have to say that Alans merchandise is a very reasonable price for the content which gives an excellent foundation to all students regardless of lineage. Ive bought many wing chun books / vids over the years and would have to say that most of them are absolute pap - unlike Alans. We've also had similar experiences of training in the same lineage previously, and both understand what its like to discover a system that works better for you as individual - with that discovery comes a refreshed enthusiasm for the art, and i think that is largely why Alan has decided to share his passion.

On a final note I teach Ip Ching lineage wing chun which i love, but i am open minded to everyones interpretation and offerings. In turn i am more than happy to be associated with Alans organisation, purely for their non-political stance.

Politics is slowly ruining UK Wing Chun - any like-minded souls who are totally anti-political are friends of mine.:)

Peace, Stu

[william]

Thanks for the responce, It has been while since I posted my initial post, about 4 months.

Two things, changing schools has been the best thing i have done for my martial arts journey. The school I am at at know is just execellent, every technique/drill is always related back to fighting on the street, and my Sifu has had enough experience to know what works and what doesn't. Due to the nature of wht he has done, he is not interested in lots and lots of drills, just what will save your ass when the sh*t hits the fan and what wont.

I dont agree that Alan Gibsons products are over priced, they are in line with other products of the same nature.

I have also met him personally, and trained with him at a seminar in the summer that was very reasonably priced. He is a great guy, really good teacher and I was impressed with his skill and knowledge and ability to get across his points and train with every one of the people who attended the seminar. All in all it was a great day, and I left inspired.

Adam.

[Kevin Bell]

Thanks for the responce, It has been while since I posted my initial post, about 4 months.

Two things, changing schools has been the best thing i have done for my martial arts journey. The school I am at at know is just execellent, every technique/drill is always related back to fighting on the street, and my Sifu has had enough experience to know what works and what doesn't. Due to the nature of wht he has done, he is not interested in lots and lots of drills, just what will save your ass when the sh*t hits the fan and what wont.

I dont agree that Alan Gibsons products are over priced, they are in line with other products of the same nature.

I have also met him personally, and trained with him at a seminar in the summer that was very reasonably priced. He is a great guy, really good teacher and I was impressed with his skill and knowledge and ability to get across his points and train with every one of the people who attended the seminar. All in all it was a great day, and I left inspired.

Adam.

Yeah great guy, though if theres any croissonts about he'll do the lot, give him a headbutt and call him Kryten compliments of me