Interesting Wing Chun history

[Phil Redmond]

http://www.woodendummy.net/shop/history

[sanjuro_ronin]

http://www.woodendummy.net/shop/history

Any part in particular that caught your eye Phil ?

[CFT]

Same question as s_r.

I'd also dispute that Yip Man was the "last grandmaster of a unified Wing Chun family". We know that there are many Wing Chun families, some not even descended from Leung Jan. I'm sure Chan Wah Son's descendants would dispute Yip Man's unified GM status too.

[couch]

Love this part:
Jiu Wan emphasized practice sparring because Wing Chun doesn't have many forms and, in general, doesn't take too long to finish learning the system. But he also pointed out that "when you study the martial arts it should be practical, and young people in particular get easily bored. Sparring trains the reactions, and Chi Sao can help students understand the main points of the system. Diligently practicing chi sao drills gets better results than any complicated explanation."

"With sparring, a student can both increase their confidence to face an attack and give themselves a chance to use the offensive and defensive movements they have learned in order to protect themselves."

[sanjuro_ronin]

Love this part:
Jiu Wan emphasized practice sparring because Wing Chun doesn't have many forms and, in general, doesn't take too long to finish learning the system. But he also pointed out that "when you study the martial arts it should be practical, and young people in particular get easily bored. Sparring trains the reactions, and Chi Sao can help students understand the main points of the system. Diligently practicing chi sao drills gets better results than any complicated explanation."

"With sparring, a student can both increase their confidence to face an attack and give themselves a chance to use the offensive and defensive movements they have learned in order to protect themselves."

What's not to love?

[couch]

What's not to love?

'xactly. :) :) :)

[anerlich]

WC history is always contentious.

Francis Fong has always come across as a good - teacher, always open to new and comparative MA approaches. The way it should be IMO.

[sanjuro_ronin]

WC history is always contentious.

Francis Fong has always come across as a good - teacher, always open to new and comparative MA approaches. The way it should be IMO.

Indeed, which makes you wonder why people NOWADAYS are not more open and sharing, to avoid this very situation in the future.

[LoneTiger108]

I'd also dispute that Yip Man was the "last grandmaster of a unified Wing Chun family". We know that there are many Wing Chun families, some not even descended from Leung Jan.

I can not agree here. Ip Man WAS! There has definitely never been a head of the WHOLE family since he passed away and I doubt here ever will be to be honest. Shame really imo.

I think back in those days there were certain 'rules' or 'Mo Duk' that practitioners LIVED BY as explained in this short quote from the article:

"Since, as it is said, "There can be no two teachers in the same style" or in other words no two teachers equal in skill, in his twenty years of following Yip Man, Jiu Wan always deferred to Yip Man as the head of the Wing Chun clan."

FWIW This is almost exactly what I heard too from my Sifu, as Lee Shing always referred to Ip Man in this way. It's called 'Loyalty'! This may also explain why Ip Mans close students never attempted to cash-in on his legacy.

FYI It was Chu Wan (Chiu Van/Jiu Wan) who first introduced Lee Shing to Ip Man.

[TenTigers]

LoneTiger,Yip Man's Wing Chun is but one of many styles of Wing Chun. I seriously doubt if Yuen Kay San folks would see YM as their Grandmaster.
Sure, YM was the last Grandmaster of HIS Wing Chun family. I can agree with this.
Even though people descended from him that have formed their own families, they still look at YM to be their founder.

[LoneTiger108]

TenTigers, you must have misunderstood my post.

Nowhere have I said anything about Ip Man being everyones 'Grandmaster'!

Ip Man was the 'front man' for the whole family of Wing Chun. I can't say for sure that the whole family was behind him, as I do know that every family has it's politics, but for Lee Shing and Chu Wan it is clear that the respect they had for Ip Man was great enough for them to 'stay with him' and promote Wing Chun after his death.

As far as Yuen Kay San and any other family from mainland origins, what they do and say is their business. It's a fact that without Ip Man, we wouldn't even know about anyone else imo.

We're so lucky today to have such access as things are just more open than they were in the fifties.