This is a spin off topic from another thread or discussion I am having!
Here’s my question! Whats your goal?
When you started training WCK was it because you wanted to defend yourself in the street?
When you started training WCK was it because you wanted to compete in events?
When you started WCK was it because you wanted a hobby?
When you started WCK was it because you liked Bruce Lee?
Lots of stuff is going thru my head right now so keep with me! Most likely I am going to babble a bit!
Its seems to be that MMA is the standard most judge fighting by now a days and thats cool. I look at the MMA guys and they are true pro’s that live and train to fight in those events. They spend hours daily working on all sorts of things from boxing to grappling to cardio to road work to proper diet etc.. For anyone to compete in those events one must train hours daily and be in peak condition. No arguments here on that!
How many of us can say we train like that with our WCK? Is this what you want from your WCK?
For me WCK fits my body and for the little bit of free time I have it works for me. Certainly I would love to train more but I am just a hobbiest that spends his free time practicing and chatting during free time at work! I only have the time to train with partners 2 days per week now but I try to constantly improve my understanding and fighting skill during those sessions and the sessions when I meet outsiders to mix it up with. Although its not as often as it was before I got married! ooops! I hope the wife doesn’t read KFO! hehe
I feel that WCK is good for me and because of its simpistic brilliance I can make better use of it versus if I was to do some other art or arts a couple of days per week. I would rather be as good as I can be with the time I have available at one thing than mediocre at a few. I also enjoy the health aspects WCK has provided me as I do not get colds and am much more relaxed as a person. For me, all the harder arts and grappling arts are very cool and effective but the toll it takes on the body (or my body when I trained that stuff) was just not cool and I dont want to have a painfull old age because of some hobby I did when I was younger. Its all too common! I want something that keeps me healthy and I am able to have fun with as I grow older. I also want something that I can defend myself with if the situation should come about! Now! This is not to say the others arts cannot be practices as you get older but I just do not care for the stress it places on the body. This is just my opinion!
Do you feel if you were to meet and fight with others from MMA or whatever with the same ammount of time placed into their training as you have for your would you do ok? Do you feel if you were to meet and fight with others who train more than you would you do ok?
Whats some of your experiences and thoughts about what you can get out of it for the time you put into it comapred to other stuff?
Here’s my contribution. I stress these are my thoughts only and are not designed to lead to greater discussion/argument as to who’s reasons are more valid etc.
Well why do i WC? Because i can, i enjoy it. I also enjoy fighting. I believe potentially/conceptually to be an effective system of fighting if applied to the modern day street arena. I’ve got absolutely no interest in how people fought 50 years ago to 200 years ago so im kinda of the viewpoint that its an evolving system.
I dont believe it to be a competition with anyone, “competing in events” if these events have rules then to me its not WC. Chi Sau girl fights mean nothing. Im training for gratuitous violence found in any urban dump. Rules? i tell the people i know to cheat like hell.
Its got nothing to do with Bruce Lee.
I also believe in fighting to “test oneself”. To explain this a little;
Its unrealistic to go and attack some poor fellow in the street - i dont particularly want a criminal record but i believe in trying to replicate fights (and ive had the misfortune to have had my fair share, ive hurt people, made sure they were hurt and have been hurt myself) as near as possible, training realistically off people WC and people outside of the system. Again its needs to be recognised that despite trainin hard, realistically, a simple hard punch in the face can put us all down
Well thats it for now wrapping up at work and gym is calling
My goal =)
To learn about myself =)
MMA [label] wing Chun man [label]
Traditional /modern more labels
These things mean nothing to me, training methods that produce real world results, these results should transcend, ring /mat /street
They should simply make you perform better no matter if you’re on cement, canvas, and cage
Understanding your body and mind, learning to use them to produce the desired result, based on your personal goal
Researching training methods, that are producing real world results, not blindly following lineage, sifu, or style
What is my personal goal; I’m drawn to the brutal honesty of the street
I understand that were the unknown chaos is[instead of known chaos sport/rules], there can be no one way
You must be as simple as possible but as complicated as needed
One thing I find in WCK that fits nice for me versus the the sport related type martial arts or grappling is that cardio is not the major factor in WCK! Some may disagree with this but thats ok! We can debate that to! hahaha
My old JKD instructor told me once:
Jim! I love JKD but its a young mans game. As you get older you need to go for the less boxing based stuff otherwise you will always need to do your road work and cardio to keep your stuff sharp or functioning properly.
Now! I have met people that have excellent fitness at advanced age but I prefer my art (for me) as its persormance is not based around peak physical conditioning.
Another thing I really like is that when I needed to really use my stuff against street people who really wanted to hurt me it worked! It may not have been pretty but it worked! That more than anything means probally the most to me! Especially since it was more than once!
I liked your opening post, Jim…because you’re being honest and upfront about what you’re doing - without making big claims about the wing chun you do.
It is what it is…
and that’s a refeshing point of view on a forum that all too often contains some really over-the-top claims about wing chun.
That said…my own personal agenda has always been to cover a possible streetfight scenario as the single biggest reason why I got involved in Wing Chun - but certainly not the only reason.
It has also helped to greatly improve my life in many other ways as well (powers of concentration, my general health and well being - as it keeps me in excellent shape and mentally stimulated, and has provided the opportunity to make some long-term friendships).
I also agree with your post as I have some very good friends because of this stuff. Yes! Kung Fu indeed effects our lives even more than the self defense/fighting aspect.
Rene mentioned to me a long time ago that Sum Nung said:
Wing Chun can be a powerful tool for making friends!
One day, I started “jonesin’” for the Martial Arts drug. I chose Ving Tsun because when I opened the yellow pages of the phone book, I found:
Aikido Boxing Boxing Boxing Judo Judo Jujitsu Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Karate Kickboxing Kickboxing Kickboxing Kickboxing Kickboxing Kickboxing Kickboxing Tae Kwan Do Tae Kwan Do Tae Kwan Do Tae Kwan Do Tae Kwan Do Tae Kwan Do Tae Kwan Do Tae Kwan Do Tae Kwan Do Tae Kwan Do Tae Kwan Do Tae Kwan Do Tae Kwan Do Tae Kwan Do Tae Kwan Do Tae Kwan Do Tae Kwan Do Tae Kwan Do Tae Kwan Do Tae Kwan Do Tae Kwan Do Tae Kwan Do Tae Kwan Do Tae Kwan Do Tae Kwan Do Tae Kwan Do Tae Kwan Do Tae Kwan Do Tae Kwan Do Tae Kwan Do Tae Kwan Do Tae Kwan Do Tae Kwan Do Tae Kwan Do Tae Kwan Do Tae Kwan Do Tae Kwan Do Tae Kwan Do Tae Kwan Do Tae Kwan Do Tae Kwan Do Tae Kwan Do Tae Kwan Do Tae Kwan Do Tae Kwan Do Tae Kwan Do Tae Kwan Do Tae Kwan Do Tae Kwan Do Tae Kwan Do Tae Kwan Do Tae Kwan Do Tae Kwan Do Tae Kwan Do Tae Kwan Do Tae Kwan Do Tae Kwan Do Tae Kwan Do Tae Kwan Do Tae Kwan Do Ving Tsun Wing Chun Wing Chun Wing Chun Wing Chun Wing Chun Wing Chun Wing Chun Wing Chun Wing Chun Wing Chun Wing Chun Wing Chun Wing Chun Wing Chun Wing Chun Wing Chun Wing Chun Wing Chun Wing Chun Wing Chun Wing Chun Wing Chun Wing Chun Wing Chun Wing Chun.
WTF? I just had to put the “one line Ving Tsun & and phone number listing” on my roster of places to check out. (How do I even pronounce that? )
I found some schools that I liked (one boxing, and, yup, some Karate too) However, the Ving Tsun place, run by Lee Moy Shan, was in a basement only a few blocks from me. That was just waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too convenient to pass up and it was cheap. I stayed seven months.
A decade later, I started “jonesin’” for the martial arts drug again. I stumbled across 45 E. Broadway while checking out some other places. Moy Yat gave me the once over. He then invited me to watch his class (I later found out that was somewhat unusual for him). He didn’t seem to be paying a lot of attention to the students - certainly not the typical “drill sargent style, hovering hawk” classes I was usually finding elsewhere. Afterward, he told me to go check out the other places and said goodbye.
No salespitch, nothing. He hadn’t even mentioned how much he charged in that first meeting. Just five sentences I’ll never forget: “I don’t know what you’re looking for. But if you want to learn Ving Tsun, you will. If you want to learn Ving Tsun from me, I’ll try to teach you. Maybe it doesn’t work out that way. You never know.”
I don’t have a “goal” in the usual sense of what I think you are asking in your question. I’m just trying to enjoy the journey and keep myself from getting carsick. I’ll find out where the trip leads when I get there.
Personally, I want something that will motivate me to do my cardio.
According to the CDC, you are several thousand times more likely to die from lifestyle-related heart disease than as a victim of violent assault, so doing the math indicates what you should concentrate on if survival is your main concern.
I also want something that’s going to motivate and promote healthy joints, strength and mobility into old age, and for this I’ve found vigorous exercise is the solution.
I’m also fascinated by tactics and the use of structure and leverage to control.
I’m not overly competitive, but I see MA as more analogus to sports than RBSD. If you want the latter, read “Strong on Defense”. Going through life readying yourself for imminent attack at every moment is a poor existence. Move to a safer neighbourhood.
As regards spiritual and character development, a sporting and competitve paradigm, learning to deal with losing (and winning) and overcoming challenges is far more sensible than zooming into the mystical belonging to a culture to which I am not part, or trying to prove I am more enlightened or disciplined than anyone else.
Learning to become very good at one thing doesn’t interest me, per the saying “an expert is someone who learns more and more about less and less, until they know everything about nothing”. Examples abound of people who reached elite levels in two or more unrelated martial arts, even while pursuing a full time career unrelated to MA. Life’s too rich to stay inside artificial boundaries laid down by dead people you never met.
I have no special goals with Wing Chun.I just want to get as good as possible in it and to be able to practice and teach it for a very long time.I like it!..
O.K! teaching a class of sexy movie stars* (1) would not be so bad either!..
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