wing chun kuen man

For those who are interested dog boxing is more commonly referred to as Gouquan or Kou Ch´uan depending on the dialect. Wing Chun Kuen Man

granmasterchen, Thanks for the reply. It seems the military has been taken you to all the right places to study the martial arts, and now you are in Japan, I am a little envious. Thanks again. Wing Chun Kuen Man

Shaolin dog boxing is also known as Fukien or Fujian, ground boxing. As far as I know it is a southern chinese system and is also known as Di Long Chuan. The system is based on the movements of the dog. All I know is that it involves a lot of ground fighting/"wrestling" techniques and take downs combined with punching and kicking strikes many of which are performed by the exponent while he is still on the ground. Wing Chun Kuen Man

CapitalKarate, My advice is stick with shorin-ryu. If your school is good then you are a lucky man because this style of karate is a very effective self defence system. I have had a look through the internet and there are shorin schools in the Portland Oregon. Wether they are good or not I cannot tell you, but maybe other members of the forum can help or you can research them yourself once you get there. If further down the line you find that shorin ryu is not "rich" enough for a lifetime of dedication then I would suggest that you look into Shaolin kung fu. And yes there is kung fu in Portland. However, give Shorin Ryu karate a chance, study it with dedication for a few years before you decide. Good Luck. Wing Chun Kuen Man

granmasterchen, What martial art do you practice? Wing Chun Kuen Man

I have to go with the first strike option. As martial artists we need in general to be aware of attacks before they happen. This awareness should lead us to defend ourselves from immenent attacks by pre-emptive strikes. I would personally go for a punch/strike to the neck or throat area. The eyes and the nose are other viable targets. Obviously these areas can still be targets even if the fight is initiated by the other party. Wing Chun Kuen Man

Manuelito, Eventhough all styles have their strenghs and weaknesses some have less weaknesses than others as you yourself have correctly implied. I Just wanted to inform that Bruce Lee never completed his studies in Wing Chun and his "take what works and throw out the rest" is a philosophy shared among many kung fu styles including Wing Chun itself. Wing Chun Kuen Man

markusan, You are right in saying that kung fu is a generic term used - among other things - to describe the numerous chinese fighting systems in existance today. However, in general and again I stress in general, the various kung fu arts share common aspects which gives them the kung fu "identity". With a little experience one can distinguish quite easily the chinese martial art forms from lets say japanese or okinawan karate katas, without necessarilly being able to identify the individual style of kung fu that the form comes from. There are many factors behind this identity some of which were brushed upon in my previous post. Sevenstar, you are correct in your statement that there are plenty of hand techniques in karate (okinwan). However, I still hold that kung fu has more hand techniques. The simple vertical fist can be delivered straight; downward (wrist bending down); or upward (wrist bending upward). There are various "hooking" fist blows that to my knowledge do not exist in karate either - other forum members may enlighten me here. Here, I am not talking about simple boxing hooks necessarilly but for example a downward compact hook into the opponents collar bone area. Many kung fu styles also use very wide "hooking" techniques that I have not seen in Karate. Also, eventhough I have seen clawing techniques in karate, I believe that they do not approach the richness and profoundness of the kung fu arsenal of clawing techniques including those of the Mantis, Tiger and Dragon styles. Wing Chun Kuen Man

DD, I believe that karate and kung fu are very differente in general, and I say in general because the question is very general. As Shorin Ryuu mentioned before, the okinawan karate styles share a lot of similarities with kung fu. But again one can right a book on the differences in general. Just some examples: generally kung fu styles have more variety of punching/hand techniques than their karate counter parts. Again generally, the breathing techniques when blows are delivered can differ vastly between the chinese and their okinawan/ japanese counterparts where the kung fu breathing uses a more relaxed exhalation and is less noisy than the karate kiai,etc. . Even in the external styles of kung fu many techniques will have a "relaxed" feel about them in comparison with most karate styles, where the onlooker will not fully appreciate the intesity of the blows - unless they actually hit him. Even the so called external schools of kung fu place a great amount of emphasis on internal training. It is important to point out that one of the main differences between the "internal" and "external" schools is not wether internal energy is used in the techniques or not, but rather in the WAY that this energy is utilized in the blows. I would like to stress again that as the question is general so is my answer and there will be exeptions to the differences I have listed above. Wing Chun Kuen Man

I agree with all the replies. I know many martial artists (including myself) who would love to be in your shoes right now. You can probably find some top class kung fu instruction in Beijing. Having said that I would however add that they may be difficult to find if one is a foreigner, but if you find one it will be worth the search. Language may be a problem. Also, if you are going to be there a short time some authentic schools may not accept you (they may not accept you for other reasons as well). In the end if you have your heart set on Karate then what I (and the others) have said is irrelevant. Keep searching, maybe other forum members can help. Good Luck, Wing Chun Kuen Man

Shorin ryuu, As mentioned before many kung fu masters left the mainland but others stayed behind. With the reunification of Hong Kong some masters are "linking" and even returning to the mainland to promote and preserve real traditional kung fu as lets say, a reaction to the "watering down" that has been so common lately. Also, lets not forget that there are numerous family styles and masters who live in China and of course because of their inherente secretiveness it is very difficult to keep track of them. However, don´t be suprised to hear about authentic kung fu styles (and masters) that are unheard of in the west, including unknowen variations of styles familiar to us, sometime in the future as China opens up more. Wing Chun Kuen Man

Private tuition mainly in my sifus apartment which is well equipped for Wing Chun practice. Also in a sports academy where my sifu holds his regular classes. Wing Chun Kuen Man

As it was mentioned before the perfect style depends on the indidual who practices it. However, I will give you a general idea of what I would look for in a perfect or almost perfect style. The style should incorporate a well balanced mixture of striking techniques using hands, feet, elbows and knees; grappling and chin-na techniques; an emphasis on soft and yielding techniques; external strenght and internal energy training. What is a well balanced mixture? Again that will depend on the individual. Also as shorinryuu stated, details of human anatomy should be taught as well in any "perfect style". Wing Chun Kuen Man Wing Chun Kuen Man

If karate can become an olympic sport while maintaining most of its essence then I am all for it. If not, then it is better not to go there. To maintain its essence I would impose kyokushinkai type of competition rules or something similar, also allowing all styles to participate including TKD. Who knows, maybe such an event can incorporate all oriental striking arts as long as the set combat rules are followed. Imagine, various styles of karate, kungfu and the korean arts meeting in the olympics under rules that do not water down their essence. It is my understanding that kyokushinkai karate hold such "open" tournaments. Maybe I am getting carried away? Maybe, but I think it would be an interesting concept. Any thoughts anyone? Wing Chun Kuen Man

TangSooGuy, That is "democracy" for you, or rather a perverted version of democracy where for the sake of "human rights"; "civilization";political correctness, etc. even from a young age a victim mentality is being programmed into our societies. We are not given enough rights to protect ourselves, and even worse the people who are supposed to protect us have in many cases less rights than the thugs and the criminales. One can be arrested for violent behavior by using "excessive force" to break some bully´s nose, eventhough the powers that be can go and bomb the crap out of (i.e. kill/murder) thousands of people just to get at a "dictator". Back to the point. The comments made by you and tommarker are very true. I think that when it is a matter of dominance and bullying, walking away will most probably escalate the problem to an eventual violent confrontation at later stage when one has had enough. So, it is better not to walk away from these kind of situations if at all possible and settle them then and there. Wing Chun Kuen Man

I think it is better not to fight, that is if you can avoid it. I have never ever hit anyone, because they swore at me. I think that words are words. Swear words are stupid and empty words, which have no meaning. Why start a fight because of words that have no meaning? However, if one believes that swear words are preliminaries to attack then one should use preliminary strikes to finish off the threat and get away as fast as possible. Otherwise, just walk away because it is not worth it. Wing Chun Kuen Man

40 cents, Sorry about your injuries. In my training we use herbal mixes known as dit da jows to heal and prevent long term damage from conditioning exercises. The quality of these medicines vary greatly from place to place. There are commercially available brands that heal bruises etc. My first advice to you would be to stop training the damaged areas until they have healed COMPLETELY. You may need to visit a doctor for further examination. Also, if there are any reputable kung fu schools or chinese herbalists near where you live, you may be able to get your hands on good herbal linaments that will help heal your injuries and later be used as a supplement to your bag training. Good Luck, Wing Chun Kuen Man

Fat Donkey, You really have switched styles haven´t you......lol? Seriously though, what you are going through is expected when you take up a style that is so differente from your original (and preferred one). I would say that it is unwise to argue. Try to absorb the good points - or what you consider good points. Take it as a learning experience and at the same time search for another martial arts school that practice an art that you can better identify with. Good Luck, Wing Chun Kuen Man

Jerome, Take your time. Check out the other Shotokan clubs as well. Also, I am a bit suspicious of the fact that the instructor told you that he teaches certain brown belt blocking techniques "early on". I could be wrong but it sounds like he is trying to impress you. Also, the more advanced techiques are taught later on in ones training because of certain reasons. You can´t just skip the order of things, not usually anyway. As I said, I could be wrong, but do have a look at the other karate clubs in your area. I still recommend you karate, if you find a good school. Good luck. Wing Chun Kuen Man

Jerome, As others have mentioned, there are other factors to consider besides choosing the style of martial arts to practice. However, even if both schools are good and the instructors are good then my money will be on Karate. By the way, when you get to visit the Karate club, find out about the style of karate that they teach and let us know. That way we will have a better idea about your options. Wing Chun Kuen Man

Spielwulfel, I happily live in Brazil but I am not brazilian and my portuguese is a little "ruim" . There are many differences between Wing Chun and Karate. The degree of this differences will obviously depend on the style of karate Wing Chun is being compared to. However, in general one of the major differences between karate and Wing Chun is the fact that we never meet force directly. Our defensive techniques are used mainly to absorb the attacks and strike at the same time as we defende. Also, in comparison with karate our techniques are performed in a very relaxed manner, that is body tension is minimal and tension is only applied at the end of the techniques. We use body unity combined with "relaxed power" to create power. Also, we do not use high kicks, most kicks come up to waist level. The exception is the front heel kick to the throat. There are many other differences that are rather difficult to explain in a short post so I hope that the above information has been helpful. You did not tell me the style of karate that you practice. Wing Chun Kuen Man

Great post. Eventhough I don´t practice karate anymore, you made me wish I had participated in your class tonight Wing Chun Kuen Man

Spielwurfel, I chose traditional Wing Chun kung fu, because it is a practical and a complete style of fighting. In Wing Chun - like many martial arts - the objective is to finish the fight as quickly as possible through strikes targeted at vital areas/nerve centers etc. Eventhough our main emphasis in Wing Chun is short/close range fighting we also have various mid to long range techniques. We are also taught the seizing and controlling art of Chin-Na, which is present in Wing Chun as it is in many other kung fu styles. Wing Chun also has ground fighting techniques taught at my level of training (Chum Kiu). Iron palm practice is an important and ever present aspect of our system. Also, internal energy training (Chi-kung) is given a high level of emphasis. Wing Chun has influences from the earlier kung fu systems such as the crane, snake and dragon among others. This makes it easier for me to study other styles of kung fu in the future - when I have sufficiently mastered Wing Chun. By the way, what is the style of karate that you practice? Wing Chun Kuen Man

It is good to have a firearm, . Wing Chun Kuen Man

Thank You! Wing Chun Kuen Man