oh and merry chrismas 
[QUOTE=Ultimatewingchun]Jeezā¦I donāt read Jameās posts anymore, but from what Ernie just saidā¦I guess nothingās changed! :rolleyes:
[QUOTE]
The same can be said about you Victor, for all to see on the main forum on the āSan Da take 2ā thread. Making more enemies again are yaā¦
Looking forward to more revealing video clips of your great Wing Chun/Wrestling skillsā¦
This place is so clicky it is unrealā¦
James
Yadda yadda yaddaā¦this is becoming to predictableā¦
you have stated many times you are niether fighter nor have any real world experience
based on your own words , you hang yourself everytime you speak on anything other then forms and testing
iām only going by the facts āYOUāā have given
if the truth hurts well you know the rest
I would love !!! for us to meet one day , i get my passport in a few months so who knows
Then all the books ever written about self help and learning from anothers experience mean nothing? They are useless tools? I disagree. People use others experiences all the time to relate it to their own lives. This is human nature and something good, if it is positive, but not to the point that they start believing it is their own experience also (identity problem), believing they are someone else. In life there can be good examples and bad examples, Iāve had both, and learned much from them to get me to where I am today. Iām not perfect by far, but I have lots to be proud of. There is no need to go through everything yourself, some lessons can be learned easier than that.
The point is you have judged another without ever really knowing what they have gone through themselves. Youāve mentioned before your past history and experiences, as yes they are much harsher than what I have ever experienced, almost opposite of my life experiences. Iāve been lucky to have never been in a life and death situation where I had to put it on the line. You would definitly have the edge in that department, but how many top line MA instructors have. The idea is to not teach people to kill or the absolute survival skills needed to get through a war, but teach them Martial Arts skills. To me WC skills translates to fighting skill of course but there is more than that. The idea is to avoid the whole idea of physical combat, VIOLENCE.. Resorting to using what we learn is the last resort. Maybe this is my forte.
Concerning this place, I teach people Wing Chun besides being a practitioner and it is something I know very well. This forum is a Wing Chun forum, therefore I have as much right to say what I feel as you do, regardless of what your experience is or if your skills in reality fighting surpass mine. Iāve never claimed absolutes, and if you reread my post you would see that. But since Iām a fantasy Martial Artist in your mind you canāt.
Again, your fact is theory for me and visa versa for all of us. So please refrain from judging others you have never met because you believe in a certain way of thingsā¦You may or may not be the better fighter, but in the end if that is all you want then what do you have in the first place.
James
Your truth doesnāt hurt because it is not mineā¦
It would have been nice to have met one day, but I am not so sure nowā¦
the difference is i see fighting as life and death
not shades of colored sashes ,
how can you teach that which you have never fully experienced
you can read a book on flying a plane and even get in a simulater
but would i trust you to teach me to fly
hell no !
James often you make sweeping statements with nothing to support them besides faith
thatās all iām pointing at
not your personal skill or skill as a teacher or even passion for helping people
i would never wish my life on you or anyone , it sucked for a long time
but it keeps me honest to myself and what i say
may your bubble never be busted and every day bring you joy
perhaps it;s better if you never get to meet me
[QUOTE=sihing]Your truth doesnāt hurt because it is not mineā¦
QUOTE]
James, I do not wish to get into a flaming session with you and having read many of your posts over time, you seem like a really genuine guy, but to be candid, the above statement sounds a little like the āostrich approachā.
I am no full contact competition fighter, but, I enjoy harder sparring with my training partners and we also attend periodic multi art training days so that we can pit our stuff against other styles just for the fun of it.
Sometimes, we get some knocks other times, we dish it out.
Words are words, but since we are all engaged in a fighting art, I would have to put my money on Ernie if I want advice about practical fighting.
It is more sensible IMO to trust in the tried and tested rather than the theoretical, if your life depends on it.
Best wishes,
Tom
Hey Bill!
Letting him move around freely makes your job much harder. Stop that first, then you can hit. Until that point attempting to go in for the bit strike is much more of a gamble IMO.
āLet me repeat a point I tried to make to James. When the Gracies showed up on the scene all the stand-up fighters just thoughtā¦that wonāt work against me, they canāt take me down, I wonāt let them shoot in on me. Now we have both you and James essentially saying in reference to a stand-up fighter who can move in and out wellā¦that work against me, they canāt get away from me once I have contact, I wonāt let them get away from me once Iāve closed with them. Do you see the similarities? Just as it is extremely difficult to stop a good shooter from taking you down, it is also extremely difficult to control the range and keep a good boxer from disengaging and moving away. IMHO, the big thing that many Wing Chun fighters lack is this ability to freely and smoothly change the range or distance and work between in-fighting and out-fighting ranges smoothlyā¦which is basically āboxingā with your Wing Chun.
Keith
ASSumptions
Qoute: āLet me repeat a point I tried to make to James. When the Gracies showed up on the scene all the stand-up fighters just thoughtā¦that wonāt work against me, they canāt take me down, I wonāt let them shoot in on me. Now we have both you and James essentially saying in reference to a stand-up fighter who can move in and out wellā¦that work against me, they canāt get away from me once I have contact, I wonāt let them get away from me once Iāve closed with them. Do you see the similarities? Just as it is extremely difficult to stop a good shooter from taking you down, it is also extremely difficult to control the range and keep a good boxer from disengaging and moving away. IMHO, the big thing that many Wing Chun fighters lack is this ability to freely and smoothly change the range or distance and work between in-fighting and out-fighting ranges smoothlyā¦which is basically āboxingā with your Wing Chun.
Keith end qoute.
Based on Ernieās logic, on what PERSONAL experience do you qualify the above statment? Have YOU ever fought a black belt BJJ on the street full out? Have you ever challenged a skillful wing chun practitioner to a full out street fight, after you have insulted and attacked his family? (this part is very important in order to get the wc fighter to focus on his INTENT to really injure you)
NO! thought not. Then your ideas is just pass me down, third hand information based on your own ASSumptions, just like most others on this forum.
At the end of the day, all our experiences is questionable unless we have personally challenged the best to a full out fight ourselves. Itās true that most would listen to someone with real world experience over someone with noneā¦And herein lies the problemā¦NOBODY on this forum that I know of has had real world experience to a high level. NOBODY here has beaten a world class thai boxer on the street; nobody here has beaten a world class boxer to a full out fight. You may have sparred with a mediocre boxer, but what works in a ring environment may not work on the street; what may work on a mediocre boxer may not work on one thatās good; what works on a good boxer may not work if the INTENTION of rage is in the equation.
Part-taking on this forum is just a bit of fun ā nothing more. If you want to learn wing chun or real world fightingā¦ well, this would be and should be your last port of call. Based on real world experience, no one here is worth listening to (that includes myself)
sau chi sau mo dak jow 
Just to be clear and before this turns into a ernie against James thing
i just canāt stand the WC assumption , BS
James just happens to often make such assumptions
this represents a very large part of the MA marketing machine
a good sales pitch and and answer for everything or situation , yet no training methods at that level
itās the idea iām taking shots at more then the person
when you step out of your imaginary comfort zone you will see that things are not what you were told and do not work like the wing chun brochure said they would .
and itās not that the concepts in WC can not get you good , just the training methods are lacking and the arrogance is of the scale
Oh and kung po shrimp with fried rice sau , there i added my wise chinese saying !
I think the biggest thing to remember is the fact that most of us have not had personal contact and never will with one another. Yeah, it would be great to do so in a perfect world, but for me this is not a priority and Iām not going to shell out big money to do so. So, if this is the case, theory is all we have to share on a forum like this. Ernie has lots to offer for sure, just like Phil does, Hendrik, Tony, etcā¦and in certain ways this is what I like about the forum. No one should take what we all say as gospel, because in the end you have to figure it out on your own. For example, back in 89ā my Sifu left Thunder Bay to start a school in Calgary. So here I am 1 yr into the training regimen and my mentor leaves. Yes there were a couple of seniors left behind, but there was no comparison. Looking back on it this was a good thing, as the senior left behind to teach us would literally kick the sh!t out of us on a regular basis until we improved enough to know how to fight. It was good thing also for me because I had to figure most of it out alone initially, or until I had the opportunity to confirm things with Sifu.
For me this forum is a community of some sorts with people that have something in common. Yeah, some of us have strengths in areas that the others do not have, but we can all contribute in our own way. If your here to learn literally how to street fight, you are in the wrong place, as only personal instruction and practice can teach you that. IMO, since WC was created for combat, not something flowery or nice to watch, it translates to quality fighting skills if your WC skills are high. Not meaning we are all perfect, deadly fighters, because this is not what all of us are looking for.
James
P.S. No marketing BS either involved with any of my statements (once again Ernie your making a judgement). Some of us have a stronger faith in the system than others. Assumptions are the first mistake in a fight, so the idea of Assuming this or that in relation to a fight is false. The system works if you work the system. You have students, I have students, we all teach them something, some sort of way of movement/training/concept/application, so whoās to say that your way works and mine doesnāt without personal interaction and investigation? Have all of your students gone through the same sh!t you have? If not then are they are theoritians and useless tools? This is not about fantasy thinking, watching kung fu movies and hoping that it all comes out in the end. Hard work, understanding what you are doing and progressively testing it are some of the things needed to put it all together. Nobody is perfect, least of all me, but basic adherence to something is, once it is absorbed and understood.
Mr. Ernie I hope you donāt mind my intruding into these discussions . . . but you provoked me into thinking . . . thank you.
I am thinking that often we all make and rely on assumptions as premises. . . and it is a good thing when they are pointed out to us . . . because if premises are unsound then conclusion may not be true . . . in other post Mr. James used expression on paper . . . and on paper some things may seem perfectly reasonable . . . but real world evidence may show this not to be the case . . . so it is important I am thinking to constantly check and recheck our assumptions . . . and our reasoning process . . . and to test if they are sound or not . . . this is also why testing is so important I am thinking . . . and how the testing is done . . . poor testing leads to unreliable results . . . which can lead to reliance on poor data . . . please understand I am not taking sides in this particular discussion for anyone . . . just commenting on topic of assumptions. One thing I learn about any sort of testing . . . I do research for job so this is my life. . . lol . . . is do not fall in love with your ideas . . . or you may end up very unhappy . . . instead fall in love with process of testing . . . process of research . . . which is process of learning.
Thanks,
Ghost
Thanks to all for your thoughts and suggestions.
Looking back on the events of the sparring and after talking to my Sifu, Iāve come to realize the problems Iām facing. And since weāre all about sharing our opinions and experiences, here we go:
- I didnāt give enough forward pressure. I didnāt hit my opponent when I had the chance.
- I have a hard time hitting someone. I believe that getting hit enough by an opponent will cause me not to want to get hit. I need to find that inner hunger to destroy my opponent.
- Iām scared to get hit. Itās gonna hurt, but Iāve got to learn somewhere. Iāve lived in the no-contact, stop-one-inch-before-karate bubble too long.
- Iāve never received such a stimulus before. In the kwoon, weāre friendly. We drink rum. Talk about our day. Thereās no real threat. I need to spar and take it to the closest level where my friend and I wonāt be too damaged without taking it to the local bar. Iāve never seen āthe shoot.ā Just had people theorize or tell me itās easyā¦just do this. Iāve never felt a strong right hook and had it send me realing backwards looking out for basement furniture.
Basically, my blinders came off and my bubble got popped. Grantedā¦I donāt poke my friend in the eyes with the deadly kung-fu eye pokeā¦or rip his throat outā¦or break his knee. But I should be able to apply the Wing Chun as best as I can in this friendly environment. I need to hit my opponent. Disrupt his balance. And not be afraid to get my block knocked. I need to practise getting this stimulus that Iāve never had before and find that fire inside to want to win.
Some people seem to think that coming to martial arts is not about fighting. Wing Chun is teaching you how to fight. Fighting isnāt pretty. Itās brutal. If you wanāt to be a football player, you can talk about the plays and go to practise, but you need to get your head in the game to really know what it feels like. Throwing a football in practise is different that when you throw a football when a 6ā6" 240lb guy is trying to kill you. How come when it comes to fightingā¦to get betterā¦we donāt fight?
All the best,
Kenton
Mr. Kenton I applaud you . . . not because I agree with everything you say . . . but that you are learning about yourself . . . and your abilities. . . this may be more important than anything else. I am thinking that wc or martial arts can be for what ever goal you want . . . so do not concern yourself with what goals others have . . . if your goal is to become good fighter that is enough . . . keep learning in that direction . . . work with others that share same goal . . . talk with others that have same goal . . . but please do not think that others with other goals are wrong . . . they are going on different path . . . diversity is is wonderful thing. One last thing . . . it is great you had this experience since it will also allow you to better understand others . . . who may be as you were . . . without that sort of experience . . . keep this in mind when dealing with others . . . it helps us all I am thinking to remember what it was like . . . before we knew better . . .lol. Thanks so much for sharing your experience with us . . . I found it very thought provoking.
Thanks,
Ghost
You shared some tea??
Kenton ,
you were my inspiration to get involved in this thread
you have reached that place that many of us have , we took the stuff for a test ride [all the prety concepts and ideaās] all the things we can pull of with great āāskillāā in school even when out buddies were going all out .
yet the second you left the womb , the cold hard world gave you a wake up call ,and man i am totally proud of you !
you are now finally really begining to āālearnāā based on your individual abilties . you could spend 20 years caught in the school system reach the highest level
and never āāwake upāā
your post have been the only real honest thing i have read on this forum in a very long time , thank you for sharing .
and keep moving ahead once you can āāseeāā no ones sales pitch or BS will ever have a hold on you again .
James ,
i donāt have students , i just coach people [no strings attached]
and they āāwillāā all have to spar full contact and mix it up with other people as part of there training , and i will require them to leave the nest and go out on there own
i donāt need to keep the rice bowl full and have x amount of ''students āā to make the rent payment iām not a baby sitter
different strokes for different folks
Ghost - i donāt like to speak with people that hide behind fake names
there should be a disclosure under peoples post [mine as well in some cases ]
what was written was simply an opinion and the writer may in fact have absolutely no experience in the matter but assumes and hope things will work out this way
please donāt try this at home
Keith,
Thatās not quite what Iām saying. Iām saying that it should be your objective to take the opponents balance before you go in too deep for the sake of a hit. How successfully you can do this may be another matter. I would stay outside until I could. As Kentonās experience shows, going in too soon can come at a high price. Thatās all Iām saying. He may move and get away, but until I feel Iāve put the odds more in my favor Iāll bide my time.
Does that make any sense??
Iām certainly willing to admit that I am wrong if thatās the case.
Kenton,
What an excellent post.
Believe me, you are not alone in feeling this way.
Great observations, great questions. 
Very interesting dynamic that chisauking was using to argue his case:
He defends someoneās rants who admittedly (James) doesnāt do ANY hard sparring by saying that unless youāve fought a Thai or Boxing or BJJ CHAMPION on the street - whoās trying to KILL youā¦
unless youāve done that - youāve no right to take someone to task who thinks he knows everything but doesnāt even sparā¦much less fight for real on the street.
BUT THERE ARE AT LEAST A MILLION SHADES OF GRAY in-between the two extremes - and chisauking tries to make believe they donāt exist! 
Like I saidā¦some things never change. 
Gotcha Bill! No problems!
Keith