Originally Posted by
anerlich
If you use the word "revolution" with those clips as evidence, you invite derision.
All the clips are working with compliant partners. At least Navin and Alan Orr showed something resembling fighting against resistance, for which they deserve respect.
Phil Romero grabbed ponytail guy by the wrists and lifted him up or pushed him away. Someone lets me get those grips on him, he's getting arm dragged, snapped down or headbutted. Push him away and give up those grips? Never. Phil might be awesome at Wing Chun, but those clips give no evidence of that.
Jim Roselando showing that if the guy is all tense he's easy to push, less so if he's relaxed? How revelatory! Show an application against resistance.
Dave McKinnon gave me some sound tactics if someone grabs my arm or fist and starts pushing. Which happens all the time on the mean streets of Sydney. He may be great at WC, but that's not possible to determine from this clip.
Sergio did stuff to neutralise some sycophants' not-too-hard pushes which bear uncanny resemblance to stuff I saw on an old Russian MA VHS tape about 12 years ago. I was begging someone to haul off and punch him in his smug face or double leg him.
Frankly, this stuff looks like basic to intermediate level taiji. From what I've seen on the clips, a half decent judo guy with a bit of boxing defence would murder everyone on these vids except maybe Navin and Alan.
We seem to be getting further away from actual fighting against a resisting opponent and more towards demonstrations, stunts, magic tricks, and "concepts" only understood by the "true initiates" who have had direct contact with "Master Hendrik" ... whereas to those ingrates left in outer darkness they look inconsequential and mostly unrelated to Wing Chun's alleged original purpose ... fighting.
Do I sound aggressive? Yeah. I'm far beyond uncritical acceptance of this stuff from Hendrik Santo and disappointed that people expect me to continue to put up with calling this a "revolution" when it's suspiciously like a latter day version of the Emperor's New Clothes.
This is not the way for Wing Chun to reclaim relevance.
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