The Biggest Problem with Wing Chun

[m1k3]

You forgot the Wing Chun action figures.

[sanjuro_ronin]

But before that will come the commercialization phase. Merchandising, merchandising, where the real money from Wing Chun is made. Wing Chun the T-shirt. Wing Chun, the lunchbox. Wing Chun the coloring book...

LOL !
They wish !
Even Mel Brooks wants nothing to do with WC !!

[YungChun]

Dogma.

No one is trying to evolve the system. No one is testing it. The curriculum is standardized. LT has his own (even trademarked/copywrited). Cheung has his own. Moy yat has his. WSL has his.

Yes and no..

Among my lineage folks are all over the map.. Some guys I have seen doing stuff that is totally not what I learned or have evolved myself..

In any group you will see lots of differences and in the end each person will have his own interpretation..

Some folks are very good, most are not..

Again I say if the art has any value or if any art does we will see it emerge in some form or another, even if by another name.

[YungChun]

You forgot the Wing Chun action figures.

I have all 108 of them!!!!!

[shawchemical]

For me, I spent years learning it and practicing it, and it is like a puzzle -- I wanted to put it together for myself and make it functional. I had invested too much time and energy to just let it all go.

But I think that today, it is really counterproductive to learn karate or kung fu if your objective is to develop some decent fighting skills. Sure, you may be able through extreme efforts -- and that is what it takes -- to make it functional, but you are starting with some very serious handicaps. These styles in my view are, quite properly, on the way out. Except for some historical reasons (to preserve the past), there is no sound reason to study these things anymore.

BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.

Fu/ckwit.

[Ultimatewingchun]

"Originally Posted by t_niehoff
For me, I spent years learning it (wing chun) and practicing it, and it is like a puzzle -- I wanted to put it together for myself and make it functional. I had invested too much time and energy to just let it all go.

But I think that today, it is really counterproductive to learn karate or kung fu if your objective is to develop some decent fighting skills. Sure, you may be able through extreme efforts -- and that is what it takes -- to make it functional, but you are starting with some very serious handicaps. These styles in my view are, quite properly, on the way out. Except for some historical reasons (to preserve the past), there is no sound reason to study these things anymore."
................................

***LET'S translate this into English, shall we?

What he's really saying is this:

"Even though as recently as a year ago I said on this forum that yes, I'm a cross-trainer, but nonetheless 'wing chun is my primary art'....

I now realize that those 20+ plus years I spent in wing chun were a waste of my time, as I can't really make anything within wing chun work against a skilled, resisting opponent.

And the truth is, I'm lost - as what went on within another current thread over the last week or so has seriously exposed my grasping at straws to help me out of the deep water I've fallen into...

you know, like using tan sao to get out of a MT plum neck tie - like saying that elbow strikes are the primary weapon within wing chun - all of which is part of my ridiculous notion that wing chun is best characterized as 'attached fighting'.

God, I'm lost !!!"

[anerlich]

No one is trying to evolve the system. No one is testing it. The curriculum is standardized. LT has his own (even trademarked/copywrited). Cheung has his own. Moy yat has his. WSL has his.

I take your point, but OTOH many BJJ organisations (Machado, Roy Harris, Roy Dean,...) have set grading curricula as well and it doesn't seem to have hurt them.

But before that will come the commercialization phase. Merchandising, merchandising, where the real money from Wing Chun is made. Wing Chun the T-shirt. Wing Chun, the lunchbox. Wing Chun the coloring book...

I think that's come and gone. Probably early 80's, After Bruce Lee's death, "Kung Fu fighting", all that stuff.

Does anyone really think MMA is NOT commercialised beyond the wildest hopes of other MA's?

There are legit MMA action figures, for example ... http://www.mmaactionfigures.com/

If you think MMA is some sort of underground, "keep it real" sort of thing, I think not.

[k gledhill]

"Originally Posted by t_niehoff
For me, I spent years learning it (wing chun) and practicing it, and it is like a puzzle -- I wanted to put it together for myself and make it functional. I had invested too much time and energy to just let it all go.

But I think that today, it is really counterproductive to learn karate or kung fu if your objective is to develop some decent fighting skills. Sure, you may be able through extreme efforts -- and that is what it takes -- to make it functional, but you are starting with some very serious handicaps. These styles in my view are, quite properly, on the way out. Except for some historical reasons (to preserve the past), there is no sound reason to study these things anymore."

wow you are one bitter and twisted individual.

[Ultimatewingchun]

Wait...Stop everything and hold the presses...

I just found out that wing chun has no secrets. I was wrong. Completely wrong...

Watch this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ja0Xp...ayer_embedded#!

[Vajramusti]

[QUOTE=taojkd;1014277]Dogma.

No one is trying to evolve the system.

((Not true)

No one is testing it.

(not true))

The curriculum is standardized.

(not true. Easy to make broad generalizations such as taojkd's in a forum post))

Other striking systems are already using some WC techniques into its practice.

((So?))



joy chaudhuri

[Tom Kagan]

...is the fact that, granted basically every martial art has its intercine squabbles - but this art seems to be the champion of such disputes.

LOL! Victor, you need to get out more. For instance: the squabbles within one martial art has reached the United States Supreme Court TWICE.

This is piddley ass bullshit. I'm not saying we shouldn't try to make things better, but trying to change human nature is an exercise in futility. It's better to just let this aspect play out on its own within a context where such nature is either an asset or an entertaining sideshow.

[chusauli]

LOL! Victor, you need to get out more. For instance: the squabbles within one martial art has reached the United States Supreme Court TWICE.

This is piddley ass bullshit. I'm not saying we shouldn't try to make things better, but trying to change human nature is an exercise in futility. It's better to just let this aspect play out on its own within a context where such nature is either an asset or an entertaining sideshow.

Tom,

Which martial art is that?

I remember an incident in NYC involving 2 large WCK groups. I don't think it made it that far...

[t_niehoff]

"Originally Posted by t_niehoff
For me, I spent years learning it (wing chun) and practicing it, and it is like a puzzle -- I wanted to put it together for myself and make it functional. I had invested too much time and energy to just let it all go.

But I think that today, it is really counterproductive to learn karate or kung fu if your objective is to develop some decent fighting skills. Sure, you may be able through extreme efforts -- and that is what it takes -- to make it functional, but you are starting with some very serious handicaps. These styles in my view are, quite properly, on the way out. Except for some historical reasons (to preserve the past), there is no sound reason to study these things anymore."

wow you are one bitter and twisted individual.

Why is it "bitter and twisted" to see that there have been advances in fighting and in training that make many of the things that people did in the past not very relevant?

A person could go and learn a traditional Japanese jiujitsu art but other than to preserve that art, why would you do it? Certainly not to develop any serious grappling skills. Judo, BJJ, etc. have made those arts irrelevant.

[YungChun]

Wait...Stop everything and hold the presses...

I just found out that wing chun has no secrets. I was wrong. Completely wrong...

Watch this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ja0Xp...ayer_embedded#!

I guess certain things should remain secrets...

Secrets are relative.. If I decide not to teach someone something is it then "a secret"?

[Hendrik]

Secrets and Ego?
Here in SEA my sifu has always said there are no secrets it's all in the form it's up to me to use my own brain to work it out, practise, test and make it your own.
Practise practise pratise is the only secret. :-)

Who is your sifu?