Nick_UKWC

Whats this 151 pushup thing about then?

I don't really understand, they don't have the disciplin to stand in a room together and act like adults?

Thanks very much, looks like grappling is the way to go by all accounts. She's not albino, it's the muscle behind her eye. Imagine holding your arm out straight with a heavy weight, after a while when your strength begins to waver your arm starts to shake, then it starts to hurt, then it starts to really, really cain. That's how it is for her when she uses her eyes.

I think to be great, rather than good is something you're born with, like being a great dancer The qualities I'd associate with great fighters are endurance, technique, dedication and bravery.

I was using weapons from the first lesson, as for Stealth and all the Naruto style stuff, that's a few weeks later

Oooh ducky! beHAVE! I say, would like to get into the open would you?! *chuckle* That camp enough chat for you?

White Crane is Kung Fu, has quite a bit in common with Wing Chun, so I've read.

I don't think it was valid in the first place without a context to frame it in. My Sifu teaches full time, it is his income. Is he a genuinely skilled martial artist and teacher or another money grabbing McDojo operator? You can't say because you don't know him, just like that statement can't be qualified without context. You could call it stating the obvious

lol and almost exactly what you said as well, sorry man didn't see :|

Whether or not the person taking the art is interested in the self defense applications of what they are doing all martial arts contain elements of self defense by very definition. It's not the self defense in the martial art that's the the issue, it's the self defense in the martial artist

Yes but are they doing just to make the money, or are they teaching to share the art? the fact that some company making focus pads or whatever happens to get a few quid in the process seems neither here nor there.

Sorry, didn't mean to sound like I was having a pop at you. To be honest I'm probably just being a little difficult. I'm sure my understanding of these principles a rudimentary at best after just a years training. I have always known what DM calls the motherline as the centre line, we don't use the theory of the central plain either (yet) so I'm not really sure why it's needed. Hopefully more on that later though Really the reason I posted in the first place was because obviously a little clarity was needed on what is a key principle of Wing Chun. I explained it as I saw fit and that was dismissed out of hand, even though what I said was a perfectly adequate way of dealing with the confusion. Anyway as you said the crux of the issue here is the application of these things we've spent so long naming and pointing out The overall principle as DM said is to dominate the centre. If we imagine two fighters face to face, there is no inherent advantage to either ones position. We learn and practise to exploit angles of attack so that you can remain facing their centre while stopping them from facing yours giving you a natural advantage. William Cheung for instance borrows very heavily on this principle for his modern 'tactical defence' training, emphasising control of the elbow on the outside gate (blind side as he puts it) to allow the use of two arms on your part, but just one on theirs. This directly ties in with the use of inside and outside 'gates' in Wing Chun. Something we've been specifically learning to recognise and take advantage of. I'm not sure how adequate a description of gates I can give without an example, or indeed if anyone really wants to know my opinion so we'll save that for now. One other thing, it would seem almost impossible to me that all martial arts do not follow the same principles in one form or another. They seem very obvious and naturally advantageous.

Very interesting read, thanks. Not sure that it implies cross training WC with MT is a good idea though!

I'm thinking about it as well just for fun, I'll probably make my mind up by reading everything I can get my hands on. I was quite interested in Karate actually, perhaps you should try Wing Chun

Finally. If that had been said in terms that simple right away everything else could have been discussion on that theme, rather than all this effort just to establish that yes indeed, we all knew what was meant afterall.

Doesn't sound very hardcore, sounds a bit pig headed and stupid to be honest. Hasn't been my experience either, but then I don't train with them.

Well it all depends on what you're trying to achieve. Shadowboxing is beneficial for speed,and knowing what to do.Slow sparring helps know what to do and getting the feeling of fighting. Yes, I cut this straight out of your initial post.

Wouldn't the difference be that a Martial Art is taught by an instructor and 'street brawling' is self taught. If a brawler fought for 10 years on the street, then opened a school and taught people what he'd learnt from experience then maybe it has been transformed into an art but it would be the art of that one man alone, not definative street brawling. I guess these are the origins of all martial arts.

These are the most comlicated ways of explaining something which by its very nature should be so simple

We will be starting to spar in the new year I expect, so over a years training before that. The trouble as I see it is that you can't do Wing Chun with gloves and you can't hit full force/speed without them. You need to be taught well to avoid injuries with this kind of thing I guess. I doubt people learning boxing or kick boxing would get in the ring so soon if it was bare knuckle.

I did a little Kick Boxing before my Wing Chun. I helps you keep in shape and might be good for competition fighting I guess but I'd far rather do Wing Chun 4 days a week than mix like that

That doesn't make much sense to me. Are you saying what Norris knows whatever he was taught assuming he worked hard? a little obvious? I'm going to assume I missed your point.

Yeah doesn't sound like the kind of thing that would very well publised with a big web following really...

Thanks for your invaluable contribution to this thread 'G Money Slick'.

Okay, so as I suspected from the start the problem here is a taking the theory and drills of training and making them work in the chaos of a real fight. I'd agree the only way to really deal with this is as much hands on experience as possible, and like I said probably out side of Wing Chun. I'm looking forward to the challenges of my training in the future. My Sifu clearly loves what he's teaching us, you can see the glint in his eye when we really nail techniques and he speaks enthusiastically of what he calls the 'dirty' side of using Wing Chun, really applying it in messy, hands on way. He is also a big exponent of the simple is better approach. I'll certainly be posting on the forums about this process and how effective and realistic I find them, in the mean time, I wonder if anyone has experience of successful Kung Fu training and application that they can share (without being hysterical ) As for leaving out a lot and fighting with what works, I expect and hope this will be the case