Karate Vs Wing chun

[Kajukenbopr]

there are some KArate styles that are just as effective as Wing Chun-Isshinryu,Shotokan, Kenpo- to name a few. I'm not dismissing Karate- I love Japanese martial arts.

However, training in Wing Chun can make someone a better fighter in less time. But as long as the KArate practitioner keeps gaining experience, he will be able to take control in a fight against Wing Chun.

[elbows_and_knees]

people always say WC teaches you to fight effectively in shorter time, but I have yet to see it in the WC guys that I know. That leads us to she question "shorter than what?" perhaps they just mean in shorter time than other kung fu styles...

[fallen_milkman]

Well, some styles do just get better quicker. For instance, I can rock a friend of mine in timed sparring. He's taken Goshin Jutsu for five years, against my seven months of training in Kuntao. A friend of mine who does Shotokan and Tuite (spelling?) can hold his own, but after almost seven years of martial arts training. Our basic style specialties are similar to Wung Chun, such as centerline training (although not as heavily emphasised), staying in close, and throwing a lot of attacks in a row. I can definitely see style can make a huge difference in the short run.

[Sam]

yes but more so do training methods- i imagine you train more for that sort of thing - or train in a different way

[ravenzoom]

To be effective in Wing Chun it takes a long time. I think elbows_and_knees is right when he says it may be quicker than other kung fu styles. But versus other styles in general it is not a quick fix. Just managing to deflect your opponents attacks effectively is long to get good at, and that's a major part of the style.

[Adonis]

true goes back to the practioner and how well the use that style to understand there body and pick up how to do the moves and apply them. Again person and training methods.

[Kajukenbopr]

Nope, learning WC doesnt take too long. What takes time is for the person to get comfortable with it and even so, a friend of mine showed me some moves and taught me how they did them in less than an hour, and I was able to use them in sparring.

Mastering karate moves to fight effectively takes longer....

But maybe it varies from person to person.....

[Sam]

and trainign methods to training methods

[busling]

I find this to be an interesting conversation. I have no experience in Karate* hence can not comment on the differences between Wing Chun and Karate.

I can comment on the time to learn my own style of Wing Chun. I takes rough 3 to 3.5 yrs for the average student to reach black belt. My instructor has informed my that this is roughly equivalent to a Karate black belt. It then takes a further 3 to 4 yrs to finish learning the basic/public knowledge skills (our Gold belt). There is more to learn after that but it is mostly refinement/mastery of the already learnt skills. Si-Fu has indicated that his long term students 10+years are close to properly understanding the system.

My view is the after 2 years if you have right mentality then you are ready for an average street confrontation. To me it seems that Wing Chun is reasonable quick to learn enough to get by, but still takes a very long time to 'master'.

On other notes regarding our style of Wing Chun:

* uses a lot of hip movements in the kicks. Including a round kick pretty much identical to what Kickboxers use.

* We learn to block and strike similateously (sp?)

* We use a lot of trapping and Chi Sao training.

* Involves sprawling, grappling and cross training into BJJ.

* Has limited self-defense techniques.

* Practices 'combat' and multi opponent drills

* All blocks are really strikes to secondary targets.

* Has stick and knife training as well as the tradional Butterfly sword and Dragon pole.

*Yes I realise that there are many many styles of Karate and to do a propery comparison you would have to pick one style of Karate and one Style of Wing Chun.

[Adonis]

there pretty much can both be awekward to me. I found some of the stances to be quite awekward as well as some of the hand techniqes. Like having the for arm aligned of the center line for punches.

I find both in karate and wing chun to have some of the stances techniques awekward and I am not talking about awekward because of not used to them but more awekward because they don't fit with natrual movements of the body. But agian that goes back to which style of wing chun and karate because there are several.