Why Did you Change your Lineage?

[Lindley]

A previous post asked readers to identify their lineage, to see where most come from. Some of the responses were from those who "changed" lineages. There is only one Wing Chun, but many different methods and teaching styles. Those who have, please give some detail as to why they did (without disrespecting their former Sifu).

[SAAMAG]

Life.

Opportunities to train come and go. People move, people lose touch, people grow beyond that which the current sifu is able to teach. Some are referrals, some are merely doing it because they wish to learn another's POV.

Life.

[couch]

I changed my approach because I felt like my needs were not being met.

Needs such as sparring guidance and the ability to think outside the box.

After years in the martial arts, I became sick of dogma, cults and ulterior motives. So I just kept moving until I found something that would guide me but leave me alone to do my work.

My Sifu is still my Sifu (I love it when we get to see each other as we are now 3000 miles apart), however my ideas on my 'kung-fu family' have changed over the years. I used to look up to folks in my lineage, but for the most part they are arrogant and don't wish to share. Along with finding something as stated above, I also left the arrogant ones behind to make friends with folks who play a positive role in my life.

Best,
K

[sanjuro_ronin]

I started with Nelson Chan and went to Sunny Tangs because of location and travel time.
It was the same WC, more or less, but I soon found myself leaving WC because it was not the right fit for me, though I did take what I needed from it.

[Sihing73]

Hello,

When I was transfered to Germany I had to leave my Sifu and train with what was available. I remained in the WT family for many years until I got tired of some of the political crap. Both Allan and I left WT at the same time but ended up taking different paths.

I started training with Sifu Chow because I liked his approach and openness. He was one of the few WC Sifu who allowed you to attack him any way you wanted to show you the effectiveness of his approach. While I am still affiliated with him distance prevents regular training with him, I am abut 850-900 miles way now :(

[LSWCTN1]

my first lineage was my uncle (sporadically) then my Dad. i moved in with my father at 16 and like most fathers and sons we spent a lot of time together.

we didnt go fishing, we didnt play football, we sometimes played snooker, but mostly he taught me wing chun. just usual father and son time, but trying to clean each others clocks :p

when you are young and full of energy and passion you want to train the whole time, but when your older and have had two heart attacks your body wont allow you to do so, so i set out looking for a new instructor (with my fathers permission).

i actually became intereted in my present instructor theough his youtube demos :o, having never heard of him prior to that. i did a little research on him before making the trip and discovered that he was well thought of so decided to give him a try. never looked back since...

thats how i went from Lee Shing lineage to Ng Chun Hong lineage...

i do still practice with my father regularly too

[RGVWingChun]

though I didn't previousl post my former lineages which included Ip Chun/Ip Ching to Ron Heimberger, then to Tony Massengill and some Training with Samuel Kwok, I left those for some internal political reasons that were just not worth dealing with as well as lack of training in Ip Ching's particular Wing Chun methods that I was looking for.

Moses

[Lee Chiang Po]

I guess I am in a state of bliss. Ignorance is bliss, right? I know of no other lineages except my own. Hung Fa Wing Chun it is called, and my entire and complete Wing Chun training comes from it alone. At the time when I started no one I knew could spell Gung Fu except my own family. Father, 5 brothers and 2 sisters that trained it. I was youngest. I trained daily for about 10 years and learned the entire system except for weapons. Had absolutely no need for that.
I get confused when people start talking about lineages, as I was always under the impression that Wing Chun was all the same. I have gone and watched at 2 different kwoons, and actually tried to join one of them. I was denied, turned down, and told to leave,possibly because of my past experience in the system. I have my own thoughts as to why that occured, but can only guess. I probably should have asked the guy to spell it for me. He was really good too.
I also, later in my teen years started training Jiujitsu. I have black belts in 2 different systems or orgs.

[Lindley]

Hopefully, this thread will illustrate how differenly people think about the same thing. I am from the Moy Yat family and not all Moy Yat people think or feel the same. Nor have the same ability. I have witnessed politics and all the things mentioned, meaning that certain needs were not met etc. I can only speak for my own understanding of my Sigung, Moy Yat, in that my experience of him, and how I am taught, is to have my own purpose. That a good Sifu allows you to pursue that purpose without his influence or ability.

People seek different things in their study. It is interesting that a while back someone questioned why all the Wing Chun is so different if they all learn from the same guy? This proves why and how. ip Man did not really teach as much as the others "learned" and did with it what they felt was correct.

Would be nice to bring everyone together and see whose Chi Sao is the best, right? But not so fast. The best Chi Sao is from the best person regardless of the lineage. The individual must see the Sifu as the father and the kung fu brothers/sisters as the family. Read, watch videos, go visit others and learn more. That should be ok. Do you leave your father to be a member of your uncles' family if you like your uncle better?

The difference in my philosophy about lineages and Kung fu is that I personally did not just join a school, I joined a Kung fu family.

[sihing]

William Cheung --->Brian Lewadny--->Me, 18yrs total, stopped 2006.

WSL--->David Peterson--->Ernie Barrios primary (some Gary Lam too, not so much anymore)--->Me, 4yrs as of right now.

What made me switch basically comes down to what I liked and wanted to learn. The WSL method was very different from TWC, and when I played with WSL/GL guys they controlled my COG/COM so well it made me feel powerless to defend against it. IMO TWC runs away from force, that is why they fight from the blindside, have T-Steps and Exchange Steps, the idea in that method is to gain a superior position and attack from there with rapid fire strikes. WSL method attacks the Center Axis, we have blindside ideas as well, but it is very focus and slight, and its all about hitting with a slight control mechanism added into the striking mechanic. Ive learned about how to connect my total body behind my strikes, not just arm or upper body hitting, and to use that body unity to defend as well, a real science of infighting IMO. Attacking us is like hitting a spinning top toy, your force is automatically deflected away from our centers, you are put into a chasing hands situation, at least that is the goal. I found the differences and feeling from the training interesting and enjoyable, so I switched methods.

Both methods have value for sure, I wont ever forget what I learned from TWC, but I like this method that I am leaning now, it seems more like what Kung Fu is supposed to teach us IMO.

James

[Matrix]

After years in the martial arts, I became sick of dogma, cults and ulterior motives. So I just kept moving until I found something that would guide me but leave me alone to do my work.

I used to look up to folks in my lineage, but for the most part they are arrogant and don't wish to share. Along with finding something as stated above, I also left the arrogant ones behind to make friends with folks who play a positive role in my life.
Kenton,
This is a very sad story. I'm sorry to hear about your bad experience. Be aware that arrogance is not limited to particular members of one group. It's ubiquitous.

Take care.
Bill

[mjw]

Details or perhaps change of flavor though still same style might be more to ones liking....