Beginning Wing Chun

[PangQuan]

I am in the process of switching styles.

my previous school was great, howevere there is a good deal of modern wushu incorporated into the studies there. It has come time for me to drop the wushu, retain the traditional material i have learned, and move on.

I have always been very fond of wing chun, and have had the opportunity to study a bit from time to time.

I would like to make wing chun my next full focus study.

I live in portland, or.

http://www.pdxwingchun.com/

this is the school i am currently looking at.

you guys are the ones in the knowing on wing chun...comments?

[splinter]

It's tough to say based on that website. They don't really provide much information other than to list the standard WC Curriculum, and basic information about the system.

I'm not a fan of lineage discussions, but sometimes it can give a hint at what kind of traing would be followed. Unfortunatly they don't mention that on the website either.


Also, in that curriculum, I notice there's no mention of sparring, tournament training, or anything else that would test the students against a resisting opponent. That doesn't necessarily mean they don't do any of that, but it might. Stay away from any school that thinks Chi Sao is the ultimate goal of wing chun, and make sure they train accordingly.

[PangQuan]

the lineage is listed

on the bottom left of the main page:

Jack Lincoln's Sifu : Chris Chan (Chan Shing)
Chris Chan's Sifu : Yip Man

[PangQuan]

i believe this is his sifu's website

http://www.uswingchun.com/

[splinter]

the lineage is listed

on the bottom left of the main page:

Jack Lincoln's Sifu : Chris Chan (Chan Shing)
Chris Chan's Sifu : Yip Man

ah, my mistake.

I'd say this could be a quality school. His Sifu studied directly with Yip Man, Bruce Lee, and William Cheung, who are all highly respected in the wing chun community, so that says something...it's a good start

People tend to adapt the way they teach wing chun though (same as any MA) according to their own interpretations, and the market that they're trying to target, which could range from hard core guys who want to really learn how to fight, to soccer moms who just want a workout (No offence to soccer moms who want to learn to fight ).

Go check it out... see what that their training's like.

[danielblue]

I saw this thread and thought I'd post because I go to this school. If you're interested, I recommend visiting and seeing for yourself. There's no obligation and it's a fairly low key environment.

We do Wing Chun in a traditional style, which is to say that we do it much like sigung Chris Chan in San Francisco does it. That means that we have an emphasis on doing a lot of dynamic tension to build power, and develop sensitivity through chisau later - power comes first.

We chisau heavy, while many schools start out very light to build sensitivity. Most of the schools in Portland chisau light, so our approach will feel different to students of those schools.

We do a lot of contact exercises, but this isn't the school to go to if you're looking for ring-style open sparring. We don't do any specific tournament preparation. We definitely train with the objective of learning to fight - this is not just for exercise, and it's not just for chisau.

At the end of the day the proof is in the workout, not the discussion. If you come to a few sessions you'll see whether you like it or not. I can't imagine choosing a martial arts school based on internet discussion or lineage alone.

If you're serious, You're going to be doing this a few times a week for years. You might as well visit a few schools a week for a few months before you commit. Good luck.

[t_niehoff]

I saw this thread and thought I'd post because I go to this school. If you're interested, I recommend visiting and seeing for yourself. There's no obligation and it's a fairly low key environment.

It is always advisiable to see for yourself, but beginners may not always know what to look for.

We do Wing Chun in a traditional style, which is to say that we do it much like sigung Chris Chan in San Francisco does it. That means that we have an emphasis on doing a lot of dynamic tension to build power, and develop sensitivity through chisau later - power comes first.

We chisau heavy, while many schools start out very light to build sensitivity. Most of the schools in Portland chisau light, so our approach will feel different to students of those schools.

We do a lot of contact exercises, but this isn't the school to go to if you're looking for ring-style open sparring. We don't do any specific tournament preparation. We definitely train with the objective of learning to fight - this is not just for exercise, and it's not just for chisau.

How is sparring integrated into your curriculum?

At the end of the day the proof is in the workout, not the discussion.

You can go to any gym and get a good workout. The proof is in the results.

If you come to a few sessions you'll see whether you like it or not. I can't imagine choosing a martial arts school based on internet discussion or lineage alone.

If you're serious, You're going to be doing this a few times a week for years. You might as well visit a few schools a week for a few months before you commit. Good luck.

PangQuan, my advice is to have a very specific idea of what you want to achieve in training WCK. And then look specifically for that in the schools you visit. So, for example, if you are interested in developing fighting skills, look to see if people in the schools are actually training like fighters and fighting (sparring) -- don't assume that chi sao or demonstrations or one-steps is any indication of actualy fighting skill: it's not. If you are interested in WCK for health, then look at the people in that school and see if they appear healthy (in shape, not overweight, etc.). If you are interested in WCK for a workout, see if the training involves a very good physical workout. Etc. Above all, don't buy into theories or stories or anything you cannot see for yourself.

And visit the Straightblast Gym before you even consider a WCK school.

[leejunfan]

And visit the Straightblast Gym before you even consider a WCK school.

More shameless plugging terrence?

Terrence is mostly right in his post here. You should really KNOW what you want and choose a school that produces the results you desire. Theory and stories mean NOTHING... results are what matters.

And don't narrow your search to just wing chun..... there may be a system/art/style that better suits you. Just do the research.

Good luck