Lupin3 Posted June 26, 2004 Posted June 26, 2004 I am looking at several possible schools at the moment, notably Jason Lau's Wing Chun school in Atlanta. When I ask around, people speak well of Lau, then change the subject to Francis Fong. I understand they trained with the same master, and are "brothers in Kung Fu." It seems as if Lau is a bit more traditional while Fong has more variety of styles in his curriculum (JKD, MT, BJJ, etc). Does anyone have any experience or thoughts with either of these teachers? Thank you for your time!
battousai16 Posted June 28, 2004 Posted June 28, 2004 sorry. i'd love to help you out, but i really don't know who either of them are. i'd give Drunken Monkey a PM if i were you; he really knows his stuff. "I hear you can kill 200 men and play a mean six string at the same time..."-Six String Samurai
wing chun kuen man Posted June 28, 2004 Posted June 28, 2004 I ´ve seen some info on Jason Lau. He seems legit. My personal belief would be if they are both good then go with the more traditional school. I can personally vouch for the effectiveness of traditional Wing Chun. Wing Chun Kuen Man Real traditional martial arts training is difficult to find.....most dojos in the west are Mcdojos....some are better and some are worst....but they are what they are....do you train in one?
Drunken Monkey Posted June 28, 2004 Posted June 28, 2004 did i hear my name? hmm, i can't really speak of fong sifu or lau sifu but i can speak highly of jiu wan sifu. listening to stories of jiu wan and yip man, it appears that yip man regarded jiu wan as an equal (i think they both studied together earlier in china before both parties separated and met again in hk). as such, even though jiu wan became a member of yip man's school in hk, he wasn't taught by yip man, rather they trained together. after yip man's death , it was widely accepted that jiu wan was then probably the last of the older generation of wing chun 'masters' and his death a few years later really did mark the end of an era (sorry, getting all misty eyed and sentimental here...) in the uk i haven't come across many (if any) students of jiu wan. i should point out that this is one of the things i really want to do and as such illustrates my views on the lineage. i think that's all i can offer on this subject... laters. monkey. post count is directly related to how much free time you have, not how intelligent you are."When you have to kill a man it costs nothing to be polite."
Lupin3 Posted June 28, 2004 Author Posted June 28, 2004 Thank you everyone for the feedback! Wing Chun Kuen Man, I understand there is a "brand" of Wing Chun called "Traditional Wing Chun." Is this what you referred to, or did you mean a traditional manner of teaching Wing Chun? I appreciate your advice on Lau Sifu. I have an interview scheduled for next month, I'll post my thoughts on it when I can. Drunken Monkey, its interesting you mentioned Jiu Wan. Lau Sifu's website (http://www.jasonlau-wingchun.com) traces his lineage directly to Jiu Wan, and shows he and Yip Man training together under Chan Wa Shun. Yours is the first independent verification of that claim I've come across. Not that I for any reason doubt Lau Sifu, but if I'm going to dedicate the next several years (probably more) to training in a particular style and school, I want to make the wisest and most informed decision I can. Thank you again!
ShadowGoomba Posted June 28, 2004 Posted June 28, 2004 Some local Wing Chun instuctor in my area claims to have been a student of Jiu Wan..... he definately is from China. 1-up!
wing chun kuen man Posted June 29, 2004 Posted June 29, 2004 Hello Lupin3, When I talk about traditional Wing Chun I am referring to the unadulterated variety. At the same time this means that it should also be taught in the traditional way. There are various lineages of Wing Chun kung fu. They have their origins in China of course. There are some differences between these lineages as a cosequence of evolution. There have been some modifications made by Yip Man in Hong Kong but this lineage of the style still maintains its essence. I am just careful whenever I hear that a certain instructor has modified Wing Chun (or any other traditional martial art) to make it more "practical" for modern use. Generally what this means is that a traditional style may have been simplified and standardised to make it easier to teach and quicker to "progress" in. Usually it is all about marketing and money making and NOT about natural evolution. I practice traditional Wing Chun. It is a mainland China lineage. It contains techniques that do not exist in the Yip Man lineage. The training is traditional, that is, there is a lot of attention given to details, basics and building of good bases. This increases the time span of progress. Strong emphasis is given to Chi Kung practise to build internal energy for combat. At my level I am expected to spend 30-45 minutes every morning doing breathing/energy exercises, as well as 10 minutes a night followed by meditation. Iron palm exercises are also incorporated into the training. There are no tests exams nor a belt system. When the sifu thinks you are ready he will take you to the next level of training. Uniforms are bought at cost price. The school is not a business enterprise it is a family. There is a price for the classes, but those who can´t afford it pay less. The internal side of the 3rd form, Biu Jee is taught only to selected students. I have checked out Jason Lau´s site and it looks pretty good and traditional to me. I would go for it. I hope that your interview goes well and good luck. Wing Chun Kuen Man Real traditional martial arts training is difficult to find.....most dojos in the west are Mcdojos....some are better and some are worst....but they are what they are....do you train in one?
tsefreeflow Posted June 29, 2004 Posted June 29, 2004 Its interesting you mention Yip Man Wing Chun as modified. Do you realize that in mainland China Yip Man Wing Chun is not even considered Wing Chun at all? It is considered beginning and a baby art compared to what they call true Wing (Yong) Chun. FYI..
wing chun kuen man Posted June 29, 2004 Posted June 29, 2004 tsefreeflow, I can believe it. And imagine what the mainlanders would say if they saw the modified and "inproved" versions of Yip Man`s own Wing Chun....LOL A shaolin sifu that I know and respect once told me in an ironic manner that Yip Man "forgot" some of the Wing Chun forms. At least in his opinion Yip Man's branch of Wing Chun is a weak style. I can´t really make any comments myself. All I know is that the chinese lineage of Wing Chun that I practice has techniques that do not exist in the Yip Man system. I also know that on the mainland of China there are a few lineages some of which do look pretty different to what we know as Wing Chun. They also use the term Wing Choon to describe this fascinating art. I suppose that the mainland lineages are more complete than the Yip Man´s. Wing Chun Kuen Man Real traditional martial arts training is difficult to find.....most dojos in the west are Mcdojos....some are better and some are worst....but they are what they are....do you train in one?
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