A little help here

[jag1979]

Here's my problem. I have decided to learn kung fu and right now I am looking at two different schools in my area. One teaches hung gar and the other teaches wing chun. I am trying to learn enough about both styles so I can decide which one fits my goals better. I am 26 years old and want to learn kung fu for the physical benefits and to better myself. I was hoping that people could help me out and let me know their opinions about each style and their experiences. I would appreciate any help given. Thanks.

[Oso]

It's going to depend on the teacher and how they actually teach their classes.

Try to observe class as often as they will let you and ask about paying for just a couple of classes to see how you feel after them. Check them both out. If either teacher gives you a hard time about 'shopping' immediately go to the one that doesn't.


as far as 'bettering yourself'...no guarantees there. I assume you mean some sort of mental or character growth. That depends upon you and not the style or the teacher.

If those were my 2 choices, it would be hung gar. But, that's totally personal and no reflection on either style.

good luck.

[Wong Fei Hong]

My 2 cents on the matter without starting a flame war, most wing chun i have encountered is very marketing and egomaniac orientated.
You hear things like
we dont do sport we fight for the street
we have the fastest punch
we are the deadliest
we can teach you to fight in the shortest amount of time
our art is so deadly thats why bruce lee chose it and you can even learn to fight in a phone boothcause we are the best at close up fighting.

But the worst thing about wing chun is how they tell you how every one else does it wrong, and it brainwashes you, for example see the straight punch its so muhc faster than a hook, so a boxer tries to hook you , we land in first, or see that muay thai low round kick its no good he tries to round kick you and you kick his knee and break it.

All mouth boxing aside the biggest flaw that you will pick up learning wing chun is that you will learn one punch only and spend ages and ages chasing other peoples hands in the fight, once you get good at this you end up only being able to fight people who also chase hands, if you fight someone like a boxer who doesnt leave his hands there , you will just feel empty trying to find an arm to follow on from,whilst he pummels you in the head, even looking at top teachers all they do is 400 mph hand slaps against their students. It looks impressive to a begginer but ultimately its useless.

Now hung gar on the other hand you could equate to being very close to shotokan karate if youve ever done that, its a heavier more solid style.
The problem that arises doing hung gar is , you might be training for ages and when you go to spar it looks like bad kickboxing which defeats the purpose of doing kung fu, you might as well do kickboxing in the first place.
On the other hand you might end up looking like a shaw bros movie which does all the moves in slow mo, which is also undesirable.
So it really depends what the teacher tries to promote there. How he makes you utilise the moves you learnt.
However one thing that is good about hung gar is that you will build solid forearms solid legs and once you get to the iron wire form , tit sin kuen you will get really really strong allover. That will stay with you for the rest of your life whatever else you decide to do.

Ultimately i think what matters most is what the teachers attitude is like. If you go in and see things you dont like the look of then probably the school is a load of bollocks.

[jag1979]

thanks for the advice

[David Jamieson]

um..sure it is...

dude. the best thing you can do is check out both schools, see which one you like and take it from there.

Both styles are good to study and both styles will help you to produce attributes you did not have previously or refine those you have.

styles don't really matter. Doing it matters.

[jag1979]

i understand what you're saying. another of my concerns is my age. i'm probably being unreasonable, but part of me thinks i'm too old to learn martial arts.

[PangQuan]

your never too old to learn martial arts.

Hung gar, tiger/crane. A traditional style. low with some high stances. quick movements, invovling ambidextrious movement. Often both arms will move simultaneously in with attack and defense combined. Low stances from tiger, and vicious techniques, based around incapacitationg your enemy as quickly as you can. A great system of movement and tactical entrapment, when put to use correctly will score a hit. Thus the Shadowless kick.

Wing Chun, a more modern martial art, around 400 years old. Fast, effective, yet ultimately limited. Wing chun WILL teach you to basically fight quickly. Not as much involved as most traditional arts. It is based on simplicity of movement around the centerline theory of attack and defense. The entire system can be assimilated in a few years time. From there its all refinement. If you master wing chun you will also need to fill in a few gaps to become a well rounded fighter.

Both styles are good.

Wing Chun will be easier on your knees and ankles as the stances are higher. If your not physically ready to jump into a strict traditional regime this is the style for you.

However if you are somewhat flexible and are looking to find a style for the long run and dont mind a lot of pain (which will be caused from reshaping your body through strenuous traditional exersize) I would then choose the Hung Gar.

Here is an option. If both schools are good, but you dont feel your in shape for a strict traditional school yet, go with the wing chun. Stick with it for 2 or three years, or until you feel you have achieved your starting goals, then switch to the Hung Gar.

Personally I would go with the Hung Gar from the beginning.

This is all provided that BOTH schools have good masters, and know what they are about.

[jag1979]

thanks pangquan. i guess it going to have to boil down to the school. i'm favoring hung gar because it seems that is has more depth than wing chun. thanks for all the advice.

[jag1979]

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