White Lotus Wing Chun [updated video clips]

[Omar]

I thought they looked pretty good.

Wing Chun has always had a problem with footwork but their other basics are good. Very nice bridge arm, good centerline awareness, good contact reflexes. I expect the two main guys doing most of the demos would whoop most of y'alls asses.

The takedown thing is still a problem, always is for Wing Chun, but in a straight striking match without gloves I think most of you are underestimating them.

[Dagon Akujin]

Huh. I really like the way that Don Chi Sao seems to come off there. I'm curious as to how different some of their other excersices are as well. Interesting.

However, the footwork looks unrooted and choppy, and that takes away from everything else. This is incredibly apparent in "Clip 8: Attack vs. Defense". On a front kick the bald guy falls back. Neither is having their stance moved by the pushing force of the other. They seem to flail their arms about a lot without unrooting the other person at all.

And I'm rather curious as to why they put emphasis on the knife form. It's the last freakin' form in WC, and in most circumstances that I know of, is only learned long after one has become a sifu.

[I aint punchy!?]

The wooden dummy video (Clip 6 - Mok Yan Jong - slow pace) is the same old approach of bashing the dummy while walking around it. If thats their approach then theyd be better off doing the form against a heavy bag.

[I aint punchy!?]

Huh. I really like the way that Don Chi Sao seems to come off there. I'm curious as to how different some of their other excersices are as well. Interesting.

It seemed to be a fixed timed drill -- if chi sao is meant to teach 'contact reflexes' then doing it in as a fixed pattern with a fixed timing is just daft. It can then no longer teach 'contact reflexes', and instead teaches rhythm, works the memory, and perhaps conditions the arms. I was not impressed, but its your standard fare for WC.

The 'Chi Sao' video was a little better, but it shows the problem with this kind of 'sparring drill'. I use that term loosely here, because while one person (baldy) is allowed to attack, the other guy has to cop it. The better option is to just open up the format -- if you are doing 'double sticky hands' and going to technique from that then I spose thats okay for rank beginners. Instead he should have just shown sparring from 'chi sao'. But again, perhaps this is aimed at WC people who expect to see X, Y and Z, and I'm not really giving them the benefit of the doubt.

The 'Lok Sao' video suffers from the same problem as the others. Its a drill with fixed movements and a fixed timing. Sure they are doing it really well. Kudos for that. But at the end of the day the idea is, if you are blocking as an entry into a technique, is to get the first block off effectively against someone who gets to choose when they throw a strike and what strike they throw. This should be the fundamental first thing that people who do 'arm blocks' concern themselves with -- not with fancy patterns to nice rhythms.

[Omar]

However, the footwork looks unrooted and choppy, and that takes away from everything else. This is incredibly apparent in "Clip 8: Attack vs. Defense". On a front kick the bald guy falls back. Neither is having their stance moved by the pushing force of the other.

Yeah. I guess so. The guy in blue is a little better than the guy in red on that count. The guy in red is leaning backwards all the time. You should check out the thread that was started to flame Royal Dragon in the Bullshido forum. There's some posture pics and discussion that are relevant. The blue guy has better posture and so...better rooted.