Quote Originally Posted by tc101 View Post
I think Orr has explained this before. This is my explanation not his. Wing chun is not in the form or shape but in the substance. Most people are stuck at the form or shape level of training. The form or shapes are what is taught to beginners as a means to learn the substance but they are not the end. Once we catch on to the substance by practicing the form or shapes we no longer are restricted to form or shapes since we can express the substance without them. You become free form in your actions. The wing chun punch for example involves hitting with your structure or your center in a particular way.
If in the end it is indistinguishable from a simple overhand punch from any other system, the training of Wing Chun form or shape and all that first is a waste of time. Why not just train the overhand straight away like other successful fighters in MMA?