Terrence Niehoff
time stamp 3:04 shows a little of what Terrence means by controlling. Of Course its not an actual fight but a movie. But this is the concept to control your opponent when the opportunity arises.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A6jmDpJKwlE
Now Below is Leung Ting Disciples getting their Arse beat by a MMA guy and Marine. The get into a out side fighting match with them. An get their heads knocked off. The only contact you will find these real Wing Chun fighters doing is the MMA guy fist against their face! They too use their WC as strickly an outside art!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F4l5CmDEqg4
Now there are plenty of people who train wc for inside fighting but can they actually implement it when the time comes!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BCsDEvKvJB4
But Terrence I understand your conversation. The problem is when people spar they never incorporate the inside game of chi sau or drills into sparring to make them alive. They just use what the readily know that works from previous arts, Punch and front kick. An some even incorporate stomp kicks. But the same thing is true for most other arts. Both Karate and Tae Kwon Do have a abunance of hand techniques that are never used. Just look at a Karate form or TKD form. All those hand techniques and no way to use them!
The issue with fighting on the inside is vounerablity. Many people are uncomfortable with the aspect of being hit. So to fight on the outside is safer. Waiting for your opponent to tire, present and opening or get a well aimed shot is better than trying to fight on the inside and feel your opponents next move. WC in essence is technical. An difficult to master truly. So many instructors teach the outside game only. Now there is long range, medium range and short range wing chun. Most people focus on long and medium only. Because of fear of being hit many people will never think of trying to learn to control the opponent or take their balance or obstruct their structure. I think a person best bet to learn how to make WC an inside fighting art again is to look at other standup inside fighting styles and see what they do in sparring. Compare the similiaries and differences. Then think of ways to apply your art!
The Flow is relentless like a raging ocean with crashing waves devasting anything in its path.
"Kick Like Thunder, Strike Like Lighting, Fist Hard as Stones."
"Wing Chun flows around overwhelming force and finds openings with its constant flow of forward energy."
"Always Attack, Be Aggressive always Attack first, Be Relentless. Continue with out ceasing. Flow Like Water, Move like the wind, Attack Like Fire. Consume and overwhelm your Adversary until he is No More"