Just curious how many of you do the weapons forms, and if you consider them supplemental or critical to your Wing Chun training.
Weapons make a huge difference in your WC.IMO you will have an almost impossible time learning advanced WC without weapons.Problem is what are and who teaches the real weapon forms and do you need to know the whole form or only some parts to get the benifit of the form.For example I have been taught 5 different knife forms.4 Yip Man and 1 not.IMO as long as the basics are the same the form doesnt matter.You can do any hand movement with knives and any knife movement with hands.Secret is lower body usage.
I’ve learned both the staff and the swords. I’m sure you’ll find them useful in your training. gnugear , what form are you on now?
Neither. I’m just doing some excercises with the pole. We move at a pretty slow pace in terms of training.
so what form are you on now?
Just doing the first and second form, and a few dummy excercises.
Don’t laugh, I told you we move slow!
no laughing
Why do you say you guy’s move slow? How long have you been studying W.C.?
We do some weapons training, just basics. I have found it’s a nice compliment to the bare hands training, it reinforces the movements and provides exercise. I imagine that there are extensive benefits to studying the weapons once you get to that level, I am not there yet.
-FJ
I’ll be going on 4 years this October. Red and I are from the same family (different schools) so all the talk of root and basics have been discussed already. But that’s what we spend a lot of time on … details, and precision. It may seem slow but there is SO much to take in that I’m not sure I welcome the new information any sooner.
For some reason I don’t have any desire to learn the butterfly knives. But I’d like to know if they develop something I’m not aware of (like long reach energy etc.).
I’ve been doing the pole excersise because I like the way it develops the “downward” energy. I hold my chi kind of high, so it seems to direct it more toward my center.
Too Early Use of Pole Exercises
Originally posted by gnugear
I’ve been doing the pole excersise because I like the way it develops the “downward” energy. I hold my chi kind of high, so it seems to direct it more toward my center.
Sounds early to me to be practicing pole if all you’ve learned are SLT, Chum kiu, and some dummy hands. I’ve always understood that Ken does not teach the pole so early. You may be impairing your future progress and ultimate plateau of skills by trying to develop power from the stick before you find it in your structure. Kind’a like the kids in Ray Bradbury’s “Something Wicked This Way Comes.” 
On the other hand, if you’re doing it with Ken’s blessings, forget I said anything.
"Sounds early to me to be practicing pole if all you’ve learned are SLT, Chum kiu, and some dummy hands. I’ve always understood that Ken does not teach the pole so early. You may be impairing your future progress and ultimate plateau of skills by trying to develop power from the stick before you find it in your structure. Kind’a like the kids in Ray Bradbury’s “Something Wicked This Way Comes.”
Don’t worry…you’ll be fine
i didnt learn the pole until after biu jee, it seems a bit early to learn the pole before then
especially since imho the biu jee mentality and the pole go well together
im partially through the knives at the moment
-travis
LOL! I haven’t learned ANY of the pole form!
I’m just doing an excercise with the pole … the one where you stand in one place and raise it up and down while keeping it parallel to the floor. That’s all … nothing else. I’m not jumping ahead in any way.