World Of Wing Chun

Why Wing Chun Is Broken And How You Can Fix It

December 29, 2014 By admin Leave a Comment

Wing Chun really is an amazing martial art. There are many different families of Wing Chun. A long time ago my Sifu said to me that lot’s of Wing Chun schools got it wrong. They focus to heavily on the external side of the martial art.

He was not talking about Wing Chun lineages. He wasn’t talking about anyone in particular he was just saying in general. To be honest with you I didn’t believe him. I simply thought he was running a business and didn’t want me to stray from his teachings.

Over the next 20 years in my travels I visited different schools and played with many different people. From different skill levels to even different styles of martial arts.

The same story occurred over and over again. I would end up playing someone who was very external , very strong and not really able to bend and blend or like my Sifu likes to say B.A.B.E ( Bend And Blend Energy).

Many times the problem was they simply were not projecting their energy correctly. A common mistake is rather than sending the energy from the shoulders to the the elbow then the wrist. Their wasn’t any energy projection at all.

I found this to be true from the East coast to the West Coast. Part of me didn’t want to believe my Sifu. He himself told me there were others who trained the internal side of martial arts. After all he didn’t learn it all on his own. He had his own teachers. After some years I realized that he wasn’t just saying people didn’t understand the internal aspect of Wing Chun to keep me as a student. He was simply speaking truth from his own personal experience. Which I discovered the same thing on my own journey.

So back to the title of this blog post… [Read more…]

Understanding the Purpose Of Cross Arm Don Chi – Wing Chun Training

December 17, 2014 By admin Leave a Comment

View image | gettyimages.com

Wing Chun is an amazing martial art. It has a very colorful history, throughout the years people have held to the idea that less is more. There are lots of politics in Wing Chun, though I am sure there are lots of politics in all the different martial arts.

What I believe separates Wing Chun from other martial art systems is that it relies on a persons skill to work rather than a persons strength. If there is anything I learned in my own Wing Chun training it’s that patience is a virtue.

Often times I tell my own students that if you took someone who was doing MMA style fighting, they might fair better than someone who does TMA style fighting not because one is superior than the other, but because the MMA way of fighting is to get in the ring and start working it out. The TMA style of training is more interested if foundation is strong.

When I first started training, I struggled when I sparred against MMA (type) martial artist, I say type because many styles make up MMA… I only knew a handful of techniques in my first 5 years of training. My sensitivity was still at a baby stage. There is much more to this story that I will share at my other blog. For now though check out a new video we uploaded on the basics of Cross Arm Don Chi Sau

3 Things To Consider When Looking For A Wing Chun School

Learning How To Do The Wing Chun Jut Sao or Sau

3 Things To Consider When Looking For A Wing Chun School

September 30, 2014 By admin 2 Comments

I recently got an interestingly email the other day from a subscriber who asked me how if there was a way to tell the difference between a watered down Wing Chun school vs a *Real Wing Chun School. Interestingly it’s not the first time I’ve heard this questions.

Here is what you need to consider when looking at schools:

1. Is the basis of training internal or external. Another words can the techniques being taught be effective if you where a 5ft 2in 103lb lady? If there is one thing that I see often it’s that many of the technique’s taught today would not be effective for a small woman.

2. It all comes back to energy. Does the “Sifu” understand how energy works with the body and can that person express it within their actions? When I first met Sifu Phu Ngo I was taken back not because he hit me really hard. Not because he was fast or flashy. It was because he was able to take any amount of energy/force I threw at him and easily control it and me. He didn’t have to hurt me to get his message across.

3. Linage really doesn’t matter. What matters is that the “sifu” is in a constant state of growth. I’ve been doing martial arts my whole life and I am always learning new ways to do things.

The essense of Wing Chun is “Simply To Simplify”. Real wing chun isn’t flashy. It’s quick and efficient. Pretty much all Wing Chun linages can be effective. It really does come down to the person teaching it.

Look for a person who can explain the how’s and why’s. One final thought is this. If you feel like the only reason someone is beating you is because they are bigger or stronger than you. Then you are not learning proper Wing Chun.

Ultimately you won’t know what you are getting yourself into until you take a class or two and “FEEL” out the instructor. It’s important that where ever you decide to go train that you take the time to learn what is being taught to you.

A good teacher will teach you based on your personal ability. Even a good teacher can’t help a bad student. Always do your part and train & practice hard.

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