Kung-Fu Monthly rang me up and did a phone interview for next months edition. They said I could repost it here if I wanted to so here it is:
V: Change it? They can't even agree on how to spell it!
KFM: Thank you for taking the time to talk to us about wing chun Mr Virus.
V: Actually we prefer the original and correct pronunciation and spelling which is wang chum.
KFM: Ok Virus tell us a little about the art of wang chum.
V: Well its difficult to get a grip on it, sometimes the wang can be hard and sometimes the wang can be soft. What we do know is that the wang was originally designed to be used by women. Of course, men can use the wang too.
KFM: Ok so why did you decide to use chum as opposed to the more standard spelling of chun?
V: Well, on a fishing boat, chum is fish scraps that are discarded overboard instead of being actually used and so we felt that spelling has a special significance for us.
KFM: Do you encourage cross training in your schools?
V: Unlike a lot of wang clubs out there, yes I do. I encourage students to explore styles like kickboxing, judo and BJJ BUT ONLY AFTER THEY HAVE BUILT A SOLID FOUNDATION OF WING CHUN FUNDAMENTALS. Would you want to face the likes of Randy Coture without a solid six years of su nim tao under your belt? I didn't think so.
KFM: Do you believe that cross training in arts like muay thai or boxing too early can lead to bad habits?
V: Yes I do. I've had students go off and box before I thought they were ready and their coaches hammered on about keeping a guard up, keeping the chin down and not using that extended arm stance. As a result they came back forgetting all the fundamentals I taught them. Bad habits.
KFM: When do you feel a student is ready to cross-train and compete?
V: When they have invested so much time, money and belief in the chum that when they finally do go and compete and end up not using any of it, I can still convince them that chum principles helped them and take some of the credit.
KFM: Do you believe that the true art of the chum has been watered down over time?
V: Yes I do and I put a large degree of the blame on the movie industry. Look at what happed to boxing. In the early eighties they came out with the first Rocky movie. Fifteen years later and BAM! Cardio Kickboxing and Boxercise. Co-incidence?
KFM: Thanks for talking to us about the wang chum system Virus.
KFM: How many chunners does it take to change a lightbulb?
V: Change it? They can't even agree on how to spell it!
KFM: Thank you for taking the time to talk to us about wing chun Mr Virus.
V: Actually we prefer the original and correct pronunciation and spelling which is wang chum.
KFM: Ok Virus tell us a little about the art of wang chum.
V: Well its difficult to get a grip on it, sometimes the wang can be hard and sometimes the wang can be soft. What we do know is that the wang was originally designed to be used by women. Of course, men can use the wang too.
KFM: Ok so why did you decide to use chum as opposed to the more standard spelling of chun?
V: Well, on a fishing boat, chum is fish scraps that are discarded overboard instead of being actually used and so we felt that spelling has a special significance for us.
KFM: Do you encourage cross training in your schools?
V: Unlike a lot of wang clubs out there, yes I do. I encourage students to explore styles like kickboxing, judo and BJJ BUT ONLY AFTER THEY HAVE BUILT A SOLID FOUNDATION OF WING CHUN FUNDAMENTALS. Would you want to face the likes of Randy Coture without a solid six years of su nim tao under your belt? I didn't think so.
KFM: Do you believe that cross training in arts like muay thai or boxing too early can lead to bad habits?
V: Yes I do. I've had students go off and box before I thought they were ready and their coaches hammered on about keeping a guard up, keeping the chin down and not using that extended arm stance. As a result they came back forgetting all the fundamentals I taught them. Bad habits.
KFM: When do you feel a student is ready to cross-train and compete?
V: When they have invested so much time, money and belief in the chum that when they finally do go and compete and end up not using any of it, I can still convince them that chum principles helped them and take some of the credit.
KFM: Do you believe that the true art of the chum has been watered down over time?
V: Yes I do and I put a large degree of the blame on the movie industry. Look at what happed to boxing. In the early eighties they came out with the first Rocky movie. Fifteen years later and BAM! Cardio Kickboxing and Boxercise. Co-incidence?
KFM: Thanks for talking to us about the wang chum system Virus.
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