My current opinions on wing chun

[NeckBreaker]

Is an ok style if you're not too interested in getting hit. The flipside is that if you don't learn to take a hit now and then, how will you perform if you do?

I think wc has some pretty good techniques; the hammer fists, spear fingers and palm techniques are power shots that could mess someone up in close. But if you can't land these while sparring, how will you land them on someone who doesn't conform to your position, stance and timing?

Some stylists will train and fight against anyone to get a real feel for what works and what doesn't. Its not uncommon for TKD guys to get into a MT gym and see how their kicks work and how they don't...or stand up guys to get into a weapons class to learn to fight with extensions in their hands.

Pardon my ramblings...

actually many muay thai coaches get mad when you start doing unorthodox moves and play around too much during sparring or practise. SOMe will say "no doing that judo ****" or something.

[NeckBreaker]

The trapping skills are indeed a must if you are in clinch range and if you don´t want to/can´t grapple, I do use them sometimes when I spar. Such skills are worth having, yes.

But if you want to learn close quarters striking, you should also put lots of emphasis on elbows and knees, something wing chun schools do not usually do.

That´s actually a big problem, even though I cannot say if it is common in other wing chun schools (I suspect it is, considering the videos I saw here): my sifu used to say "oh, if that happens strike with the elbow and/or with the knee". Great idea, but then we should get the pads and actually PRACTICE those knee and elbow strikes a lot, like MT guys do, and we should not hope we will know how to use those weapons with power and precision when the need arises.

That's bullshit. ive seen many wing chun clips and both elbows and knees are emphasized.

It takes forever to learn how it should actually work.

Actually it was created to defeat all other shaolin systems in a much shorter time. What we today consider long a hundred years from now was considered short esp since they trained six hours a day. And to egt good at anything insluding boxing takes long.

[Equipoise]

The long pole isn't used mainly as a weapon. It has it's uses, but it's used for conditioning, and to learn how to deliver power in a small area. We called it the "shock pole." And would have to make the end vibrate while holding the base still. I notice many people's long poles are these sissy thin poles and people emphasize using it as a weapon. Ours was around 45 lbs and about 9ish feet long, maybe a little longer. I never learned to fight with it. We concentrated on sticks and knives, which everyone but me hated for some reason.

Eternal- The lineage wars on bullshido have long died out I think. That was a long time ago.

[Mayhem]

Quick note... I wouldn't say that MT has only 3 punches, 2 elbows, 2 kicks and 2 knees. That is to do it a disservice.

OK Maybe I am simplifying things, but how many times have you used anything other than the following?

Straight Puch (Jab or Cross)
Hook Punch
Uppercut

Roundhouse Kick
Push Kick

Cross Elbow
Uppercut Elbow

Straight Knee
Swinging Knee

I don't think I am doing MT a disservice, the whole point I am trying to make is that MT practitoners generally get good a lot quicker than people who do CMA. I think this is a good thing (I've been doing MT since 1992).

P.S. I don't really condiser jumping variants to be different because you are essentially doing the same motions.

P.P.S I'll give you Turning Elbow ;-)

[Equipoise]

Neck Breaker- It's moot what it was used for in Shaolin times or how quickly it was taught then. People have jobs, schooling etc. We can't train 6 hours a day and go out fighting random roving bandits and in imperial wars. Boxing is more pragmatic to someone that doesn't have the time to get into the center line theory, the physics and the footwork of WC. This is what WCL was saying. As for the knees, they are emphasized, WCL knows this. His criticism is that they weren't allowed to use them in the class, so what's the point of learning it if you can't train with it.

My overall philosophy on this is that a style has to be able to evolve in order to stay effective.

Many, many practicioners aren't going by that and as such the style is faltering and decaying into a joke.

[Equipoise]

Mayhem you forgot the Tiger fireball, uppercut and Flying knee technique. The last of which I've actually seen knock someone out in a K-1 match.

[Mayhem]

Mayhem you forgot the Tiger fireball, uppercut and Flying knee technique. The last of which I've actually seen knock someone out in a K-1 match.

Once again Akira you are right. My Bad.

[mididoctors]

2) I disagree, I still use trapping during sparring matches at the MT gym, I consider it one of the good points of wing chun - maybe because the other guys are simply not ready for it, who knows. To each his own, of course.
.

what is trapping?

how does it differ from a parry and strike for instance?

Boris
london

[Equipoise]

Pinning the hands against the body or similar methods of incapacitating your opponent. It never works for me, as, unless there's little to no space. I'd only use trapping in a hall way, on the ground or if I'm just pulling someone in. Most people that I've fought generally have an mma, or boxing background and this makes trapping ineffective from my point of view.

[Equipoise]

I'm guessing the lop sao to a knee, or elbow to the face aswell as a Osoto Gari would count as trapping also.