wcnavstar

Is it not quite nice, how the story of wing chun's roots in which they share their version of, feels the need to mention that their method of wing chun descends from the only man to learn the entire system from Tan Sau Ng. Where as the others only were given pieces of the sysytem. So is this yet another claim to the wing chun throne?

one more quick thing, adding in grappling or throws ect... is not part of improving the style. (Wing Chun is a complete art.) It is all part of improving the indavidual practitioner.

I agree, my post was not meant to be about wether or not wing chun could use some grappling mixed in. It was about the idea of not improving ones own understanding of the system. Besides most smart wing chun practitioners know how to apply wing chun on the ground which is highly effective; however the problem becomes how many wing chun schools actually train for ground fighting? You fight how you train, no ground fighting in your training then going to the ground would be bad. Although if you are a wing chun man whom trains among other things to use you wing chun on the graound, then it will be as effective as any other ground fighting system. But in the end its up to the user not the tools to determine the actual outcome of the engagement. All of that is off pic from the main concept of this post, if anyone whishes to discuss wing chun's grappling issues. Please start a new post and I will be happy to discuss it further.

Wing Chun is a thinking mans art, as such it is meant to be continuously improved upon. Now, this does not mean that a practitioner of the style should attempt to add or subtract theories and concepts or techniques themselves. Nor does it imply a weakness in the stlye itself, thus necessitating the inclusion of another art to fill in that gap. No, improvment in Wing Chun comes from continuously trying to futher ones own knowlegde and level of understanding, of the system itself. Too often there are those out there whom reach a decent low level in the system in which the average joe provides them no challenge. Then from there, the progress stagnates, their good, but they will never get any better. There is a huge difference between those practitioners whom fight with blinding speed, power, and lots of chain punches. To those whom move almost irritatingly slow with perfect timing and control, minus almost any chain punching. Timing and control are two of the most important aspects of Wing Chun. Those whom rely on the speed of their hands along with a succession of rapid fire chain punches are at a low level, of not just the application of Wing Chun; but, have also a limmited understanding of the real Wing Chun.

By far the best seminar I have attended has got to be Augustine Fongs Wing Chun seminars...

Shorin Ryu

Goju Ryu Sorry

Few people are aware, or perhaps they are, that the ability to generate short range power equal to that of a long range motion is quite achievable. A few styles which I am aware of that help their practitioners develop short range power are Wing Chun, Tai Chi Chuan, Pa Qua, Hsing- I, Shorin Ryu, Goju Rn shyu, and if anyone knows of any other systems which practice this type of power, please respond. However I will not be responding to defend my belief in short range power, seeing as it is quite impossible to prove anything of this nature over the internet. Very Respectfully Wcnavstar

Your question should be " Are there any people training day and night for nearly 30 years before becoming a teacher" Also, where did you get your info that says it took a Shaolin Monk 10 to 30 years practicing a style to actually have the chance to teach. Believe it or not, it is through teaching others that we in turn become better martial artists, with a good foundation of course. And a good foundation rarley takes 10 to 30 years. Not to mention that becoming a teacher in no way signifies the end of ones training. Many of the younger teachers which I have met in my travels still train with their instructors or with new ones... I think Americans and even others outside of Asia put to much thought into what makes a Black Belt. Go to Japan for yourself and you will see the worth of a 1st degree black belt...

Shotokan Karate has its roots mainly in Shorin- Ryu; which, is considered by some pratitioners to be the sister style (aka Rivals) of Goju- Ryu. The founder of Shotokan, Gichin Funakoshi, was a traditional Okinawan Shorin- Ryu Stylist. As well as a few other disciplines. I think that your best bet is to research the history and origins of Shotokan to better understand its present state in comparicon to Goju- Ryu.

Sorry about the typo.

How do you expect to learn any Wing Chun form an instructor whose techer was a video tape? Not to say that your teacher is no good, it just sounds like he should not be teching somthing for which he has had no formal training. This practice tends to degrade the purpose and meaning of the style itself.

Schools in Japan include the martial arts as part of the P.E. curriculum in High school, such as Judo, Kendo, Shotokan, Kyokushin, and Naginata which is polular with women. These programs are quite succesfull. However I do understand all of the well thought out points brought up in this forum.

I just want to say that I am extremely thankful for all of the posts thus far. I hope that everyone will continue to write on the best aspects of their styles. Very Respectfully wcnavstar

I have felt that over the past few months there has been too much slander and hearsay within the confines of these forums. While all are entitled to express their beliefs, I would be more than interested in hearing what it is that each and every one of you here on Karateforums loves about your chosen method of fighting, self- defense or sport. I have but one small request, and that is if you so choose to post a response, that it be a positive one, free from negative references to the other systems of martial arts. I don't wish to hear about your chosen styles superiority over others; rather, what is it that drives you to continue the study of your art. However, I realize that I cannot control the posts to this subject, I just hope that anyone who would post a response, would have a little bit of respect for my request. Very Repsectfully, wcnavstar