I recently read the book [i]Bruce Lee, The Tao of Gung Fu: Commentaries on the Chinese Martial Arts[i]. In it, Bruce Lee, writing in 1963 & 1964 (i.e., in his Wing Chun days, and before Jeet Kun Do), identifies ailments that affected some of the so-called “traditional” martial arts at that time – be they Kung Fu, Karate, or other arts. (I put "traditional" in quotes, because in reality, these martial arts practice methods were quite new, usually emerging around the early and middle of the 20th Century.)
My summary of the book Bruce Lee, The Tao of Gung Fu: Commentaries on the Chinese Martial Arts is here.
Bruce Lee talks about ailments such as practice of forms for aesthetics only and with no practical application, lack of realism in training, focus on “dead” kumite drills instead of true non-cooperative practice, and more.
What is fascinating is that Bruce Lee's criticism circa 1963 is still, unfortunately, quiet valid for many Kung Fu, Karate, and other Asian martial arts studios.
While there are many studios and instructors who strive to train realistically, there are also many whose practice, sometime in the name of preserving "tradition," has drifted away from practical martial arts useful for self-defense.
BTW, the book also has a lot of neat technical information about Kung Fu and, of course, Wing Chun.
How important, in your opinion, is realism in martial arts training???