"for seeing the other rubbish about".

[rogue]

Figured I'd post this here to keep down the troll ratio.

Sharky and whoever else, I've been giving WC another look. After working out with a couple of WC fellows and visiting some schools (some WC, some JKD/WC) I've noticed that most WC of the students I've seen, to put it bluntly, suck.

Footwork as if they're wearing cinderblock shoes, rigid training and so much concentration on the centerline that they get confused if you move off line too fast. Also there's a lot of theory but little live (sparring) application done.

I have seen some very good instructors and one of my sparring partners is very good, but the quality of the students is below most TKD schools (now there's an insult :D ).

I don't remember WC being this way, but then I took it at a school that mixed a lot of Muay Thai into the training. Has something changed out there or am I just looking at WC through karate and TKD colored glasses?


Rogue, you're an @ss!! Watchman

Adventure is just a romantic name for trouble. It sounds swell when you write about it, but it's hell when you meet it face to face in a dark and lonely place.
Louis L'Amour

BTW, did I mention that Rogue was an @ss? Watchman

[old jong]

I guess you went to the schools that talk about....TRAPPING!!!!!(brrr!...that word always makes me feel sick in the stomach! :eek: ;)

Les paroles s'envolent.
Les écrits restent!...

[Martial Joe]

There are to many watered down school in america...way to many!

IXIJoe KaveyIXI
I am Sharky's main man...

[Sharky]

i spared a karate kid once and kicked his ass. i sparred with a tkd once and he kicked my ass. I'm *not* going to say the cliched line about styles and practitioners.

Rogue how long had they been training etc. Under what lineage? A lot of ppl have real trouble with wing chun footwork whereas i see it as natural? A lot of people see it as this stone like foot dragging linear rigid pile of @*$/ but i really don't understand what the problem is.

"Spectacular immaculate raps massacre cats like dracula bats, I'm snappin yer back cos I'm attackin the wack, duckin yer rapid attack, **** packin a gat, the mechanic of rap'll give you panic attacks with his Satanical raps." - Guess who.

[Roy D. Anthony]

Rogue, if you have seen cinder block stepping techniques it is because the students were at a lower level of footwork.
In Wing Chun there are 3 methods of stepping, and many stepping drills which update once the student learns the levels of stepping accordingly.
We have Mai San Jong footwork which is more appropriate to sparring, circle stepping techniques for advancing, charging footwork and multidirectional stepping drills.

These are done starting with Snake stepping footwork, which is the type of stepping you saw in the school which you referred to as cinder block stepping. Many schools do not progress from this level, however the next level is called Tiger or Fox stepping, which allows the foot more flexibility in the footwork, ie. heel toe stepping.

The final level is called the Crane stepping Footwork, which allows kicking at any time.

These are applied to all the footwork drills mentioned earlier in this post.
Hope this helps.

[rogue]

Thanks Roy, I didn't think it was WC itself. Is this common in WC schools?


Rogue, you're an @ss!! Watchman

Adventure is just a romantic name for trouble. It sounds swell when you write about it, but it's hell when you meet it face to face in a dark and lonely place.
Louis L'Amour

BTW, did I mention that Rogue was an @ss? Watchman


Never forget

[wingchunalex]

wing chun people do talk too much theory. that whole idea of never taking a step back is ludicris. i see the same problems with a lot of wing chun schools they talk all this theory that sounds like it should work, but you can't really apply it in real combat. if they would just keep it simple and do more conditioning and less philosopising there would be better wing chun schools around. there is a wing chun school around my wing chun school that it very poor. some former studdents of that school came to our school. i know what you mean. it all depends on the teacher and how hard they train.

know yourself don't show yourself, think well of yorself don't tell of yourself. lao tzu

[Roy D. Anthony]

WingChun ALex , I have a question for you. Who is your sifu? I believe youmentioned it in a previous post on another topic. Was it Fred or George Yu?
If so could you tell me where I can find him in Dayton, I go there a couple times a year and recently when I went , I was trying to look him up.

[jesper]

Sadly it seems a lot of people doing Wing chun is neglecting the footwork, since they consider it "less important or boring".
This not only goes to stances, stepping, positioning and such.
Often I se people with good skills in the upper body, but when they attack or defend they totally ignore the lower parts.

Personally I help my students get rid of this bad habit by doing some hard kicks to the legs or groins. Belive me, they only neglect the lower part once :)

[Roy D. Anthony]

I couldn't agree with you more Jesper. Footwork should be stressed more in Wing Chun.
IDIOM: No feet, No Hands.

[Roy D. Anthony]

Wingchunalex, the Ip Man system does have stepping back, just that a lot of the Ip Man family believe strongly that the Idiom of no stepping back is more important. Therefore there is a lot of stagnant Chi Sao.

[Ars vitae]

I remember a quote somewhere that went along the lines of Wing Tsun without footwork is like a tank without treads. Without good footwork, you are left severely vulnerable.