faked video
and the non wing chun fighter missed a perfect opportunity to attack when the WC gun paused to take off his outer shirt
I agree with the general theme of this thread. I'm sorry but there is not a lot of video taped,, burned to dvd proof that Wing Chun "Works" Most of the fights I have heard tales of did not take place in setting likely to be caught on camera.
as for your specific concerns....
1.I realy cant see sticky hands in a combat situation. I know Im not giving up my arms when Im punching. A good fighter isnt going to allow for that.
you should never 'see' sticking hands working. As has been stated "sticking hands" is not a technique it's a quality of movement. the drill 'chi sao' is just a drill to help you refine this quality.
2.You just cannot deflect and trap a punch thrown with body weight behind it. A good hooker is going to break your ribs if you try to deflect a whirling body weight shot. You also cant deflect a good jab, at least not trap it and counter.
hooks, jabs, and straight punches are three different animals. Each require slightly different response from the WC fighter. First you are absolutely right, you will likely never 'trap' a jab. a jabbing motion (from what little I know of boxing) is a probing shot, it comes in a certain distance then moves back.a jab should be met, then followed back to the source (ironically using one of the principles of sticking hands "meet what comes, follow what leaves")
a straight punch, thrown with body weight, can be deflected. I've done it. Ive done it in drills I've done it sparring, I've done it in "real life" (I put quotes around because it was not a sanctioned event, not video taped, just some dude punching at me at work)
AS for the whirling hook shots they can be stopped, you just need the proper footwork and awareness to reposition your body.
3. The range at which this is designed for is a problem for me. Again a good boxer or Muay Thai practitioner isnt going to stay there and if a boxer does a hook to the head is on the way as the WC man has his hands in front of him.
IMHO in a sportive type scenario, a very good boxer/mauy thai fighter has an advantage over a decent WC fighter. WC trains to attack the center, to rush forward, to dominate the range. Boxers play the range game better than most arts. If you allow a good boxer to play with you he is going to hit you, hard. One of the hardest things to deaal with at my school is the Mantis Practitioners. It's very hard to keep the range where I like it (ie hitting them in the face range) but its hardly impossible.
No system when used properly looks like its forms or its training drills in a real life situation. things happen to fast. What is important is that the qualities WC provides give substantial advantages that you can leverage to defeat any other opponent, trained or not, larger or not. However history is rife with people who had all the advantages, and still lost.
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