Karate Vs Wing chun

[steve57]

I predominantly study karate and I am not at all familiar with wing chun.

Are there any similarities or major differences between these two arts?

[Rank7]

some one must have a clip

[Fu Man]

I was recently faced with the dilemma of cross-training Judo with either Wing Chun or Isshin-ryu Karate.

After visiting a few schools, I ended up selecting Isshin-ryu Karate due to the Sensei's instruction, class schedule and monthly price. As far as effectiveness, I think both martial arts are practical for self defense with the right training.

The similarities I saw between the two martial arts are:

1) Main punch type is delivered with a vertical fist

2) Kicks are focused on mid to low level body targets

3) Implementation of soft/hard and circular/linear techniques

4) Greater emphasis on hand techniques (50/50 to 70/30)

5) No non-sense martial arts that focus on basics

Both martial arts seemed to have similar strategies, but different tactics.

Some Karate systems will probably compare differently, though.

Ted

[JusticeZero]

OK, i'm probably one of the least qualified people to answer this question, but it's probably better than no answer..

Wing Chun appears to mainly focus on the centerline, using primarily short, linear punches and close in trapping techniques. Low line kicks, which seemed to involve almost no hip movement at all when I saw them last, and close in footwork are used defensively and to set up. Some students, presumably poor examples, seem to idolize the whole "centerline theory" to a cultlike degree and overuse rapidfire chain-punches. Others seem to become overly involved in the extensive contact sensitivity exercizes used as drills to gain skill in trapping range. Both are focuses of the art, though not the entirety of it.

[tsdshep]

well there are 2 many styles of karate 2 truly anser that queston but i train tangsoodo which is korean karate we have and insitante instuctor thats curintly a 4th dagree balck belt he was thelling me when he first cane 2 our scool he had 15years of kungfu unders his belt he cane in 2 our studio because he recintly moved 2 our area and herd we were prety good that was i thnk 13 years ago when i asked him y he didnt join another kungfu school he said whit 15years of exp i couldent last sparring wiht one the red belt in our class so he changed 2 tsd so that not really and anser 2 your question but i hope it helps

[Traditional-Fist]

I would really like to know what kind of kungfu your instructor practised and with who.

I would say that if one studies deligently any of the major styles of kung fu with a real master or a competente instructor, then he will be an effective fighter after 3- 5 years, depending on the style. After 15 years he would be plain deadly.

[captainManacles]

I really suppose it depends on which style you are using, for both Wing Tsung and Karate. That's like asking "who would win in a ping pong match, a swedish person or an irish?" I really think you have to be more specific.

I can tell you what I know about Wing Tsung, however. Wing Tsung is an art which focuses on "root". Root is your connection to the ground, the path that energy flows between the ground and your fist (not magical chi energy or anything, kenetic energy). You learn how to deliver a great deal of force very quickly, with little or no space, without winding up, and without isolating one of your limbs.

A good pracitioner can deliver around 10 attacks in a second with enough force to nearly end the fight, and with the focus on root, if your opponent is not similarily trained they will probably be knocked over, at the very least put in a position where they can't hit you hard enough to be more then slightly irritating. It is because of these speeds that Wing Tsung focuses on sensitivity drills. If you use your eyes, you will not react quickly enough. You learn to be sensitive to slight movements, shifting of weight, flexing of muscles, you feel what your opponent is thinking and react as the attack starts, instead of right before it finishes. That's the only way to possibly defend against attacks that come the fast.

To someone not similarily trained, these techniques can be devistating. I don't know why you ask it to be compared to Karate of all things. As I said, it may depend on which style you use, but every Karate or TWD school I've seen barely has skill worthy of wasting my breath pointing and laughing. BJJ, Tai Chi, some of the kung fu styles offer up a challenge. BJJ is especially good at trouncing Wing Tsung, the focus of their style makes uprooting and other wing tsung techniques irrelevent against them. But karate?

[jedimc]

There are many styles of karate,

shotokan- Shotokan techniques in kihon and kata are characterised by deep, long stances which provide stability and powerful movements. Strength and power are often demonstrated instead of slower, more flowing motions

Isshinryu techniques are mostly thrown from natural stances, limiting wasted motion, maintaining stability, Isshinryu stresses "close-in" techniques .

kempo karate - more circular moves, such as the hook, or the uppercut as main attack methods. Western Kempo has more grappling and throws than Karate. Both Karate and Western Kempo use kata, but Kempo kata tend to have more techniques to them, with an emphasis on multiple hits.

and lots more

[Adonis]

wing chun does alot with rooting, center line theory, sentivity training (chi sao) sticky hands. simular to tai chi practioners doing sentitivty training by contecting the hands to the other person feeling were the weight in the hand and how they are pushing or pulling with the body.

they do alto of trapping and intercepting techniques. Ie (you punch and I inntercept by punching and throwing your punch off, going for your face.)

captainmanacles,

it all depends on the training methods or how he was trained at the other schools. ie sparring,speed and power drills and how well he was able to grasp the concepts of distance and timing to make his stuff effective. as well as he may have said 15 years but is that 15 years of diligent practice or 15 years since he started in kung fu but had alot of breaks in between his trainining time. which also plays a factor.

[Kajukenbopr]

I think Wing Chun can be used more effectively then Karate without as much training as KArate.

Its greatest downfall , at least with the ones I've sparred with is a poor defense against grappling, however, the person would have to get pretty close and its not something easy to do against Wing Chun. Also, Wing Chun techniques tend to hurt the opponent in a much harsher way than Karate, vital and soft points in the body, closing in on the opponent and not leaving space to counterattack. KArate practitioners tend to go at a slower pace.