According to the way scientists look at the world, only a force is pressing into your palm

I mean, fucking seriously, how in the living hell can someone dare to claim to explain **** with science and fucking fail to understand something so fundamental?

I am going to try to write what I think is a fairly balanced response ...but first...
I may not get the quotation exactly right, but there was a philosopher who once asked the question something along the lines of "how do we know that anything around us and the world we live in is real and not just imaginary?" - To which another philosopher punched him in the face and asked him if it felt real.

I have trained in muay thai for a number of years- but was shown some Wing Chun stuff that actually I thought was pretty cool as well. Some of it looks like you are pretty vulnerable - but the chain punch in a self defense situation - if used with the element of surprise could probably work since it is not dissimilar to a left right boxing combo just constantly repeated (may not have the same power but if someone is being punched repeatedly on the chin or nose who was not expecting it and is not trained they'll soon run away - real experience from being attacked in the street and defending myself). However I have not dared try using the chain punch against my thai boxing instructors in sparring as they would probably own me - as I would be opening my head up to attack and enabling them to counter easily with a power punch/kick etc.
One thing that was shown that did impress me was a defense against Muay Thai (admittedly not in a real sparring situation) that took me by surprise in which the Wing Chun guy grabbed my left hand and stood outside of me and stepped in - thus getting into a position to attack me from which it would be pretty hard to defend myself. Of course- not trying it at real speed or real contact I can't say whether or not he could do it in real life - but if you train with gloves on - rather than mma - it is not something you expect (someone grabbing your arm) and are not trained to defend yourself against so could be quite effective. Having said that - he also showed me what seemed like a pretty bullshit take down defense which involved swinging arm and stepping out of the the way saying "see - you can't be taken down like this". Of course stepping out the way could work but the few MMA classes I have had have shown me that yes you can be taken down and once you are you can get owned. However I did get owned myself in the MMA classes and think absolutely everyone should learn ground fighting - but it is also true until they allow eye gouging and throat jabbing and smacking each other in the balls - there are going to be some techniques in MMA which leave you open to these kind of attacks. However- if you have never been down on the ground - (apparently Wing Chun does have joint locks etc. too though) then you may not have time to work out what to do before some has already done it.

Wing Chun does seem to me to have some good techniques and ideas - but unless you are prepared to try them out - some of those may also be mixed up with bull **** ones or ones that have got distilled or distorted in its long history. Sure - you may have a few lethal attacks that you are not allowed to use - but surely you can hone the ones that you are allowed to use in the ring - whether by sparring or competing in the UFC etc. Because there is a major difference. I thought I was pretty damn good at Thai boxing when I was learning because I was so good on the pads. Then I started sparring and realised that the theory and the reality can be quite different - that when someone is punching back at you - and distance and timing and protecting yourself are concerned - it can be a whole different world. And you can read all the books you want and punch all the pads you want - but until you step in the ring - unless someone is not defending themselves - you've got a whole new learning curve to encounter.

As a professional physicist, with a phd, working in an actual physics lab, I'd like to describe exactly how my physics training is useful for martial arts.

Step 1: go to school for a long time to learn how to do science
Step 2: do some science
Step 3: get paid for said science
Step 4: use money from wages to pay for martial arts classes at a martial arts school where people are doing martial arts
Step 5: repeat starting with 2

Notice that posting pages and pages of bullshit about vectors and trigonometry on the internet is not listed here. Hope this helps.

If people are going to talk out of their asses about physics, maybe we need to have a tag people can add to their profile like the "judo blackbelt" or whatever for phd's in physics(to be verified by a moderator obviously).

In case you hadn't noticed, we finally got rid of that fucking psychotic not too long ago.

Now please, just let his threads die already.

fair enough.