[QUOTE=kamikaze;853325]My response is only dealing with a boxer.
Most of the WC practitioners that I’ve worked with lacked in conditioning, and that makes a big difference in a fight or sparring. Also, solely training in close range trapping/sparring exercises will not be enough to engage a boxer that is moving around, working their punches. My sifu in NY encouraged me to cross train in order for your endeavors to be successful, and I would suggest that to all other people training in WC.
WC has a lot of techniques that are used by boxers. If you take the time to analyze the 2nd and 3rd form, then you’ll notice hooks, uppercuts, and wicked cross punches. So you can box with a boxer for a period of time before going into the trapping range to finish the fight.
You also mentioned that WC is no good in competition, but there are lei tai competitions held in MD for various styles of kung fu. I believe Sifu Redmond’s WC squad earned medals last year. Most styles can be used in sport. All it take is a couple of adjustments.[/QUOTE]
Comps (sparring or fighting a boxer in a ring to test yourself, something that I don’t discourage doing personally, it is great training and experience to put yourself outside of your comfort zone, even when you are defeated you gain much in experience and wisdom) is not fighting or self defence without weapons in my book, so you are talking apples while I am talking bananas. Conditioning does play a big part when you are “fighting” or comparing skills against other skilled fighters, in a environment with rules and regs, on the street both participants have the element of the unknown working for both them, strange person, strange environment, strange circumstances, no protection or ref/doctor/rules/preconceived idea of the outcome at play there. You can of course, adapt the system to whatever needs you like. I’ve used the TWC system in tournaments before, and others students in that school have fought successfully in full contact events using it, but for me that is competitions, and something I am not really interested in.
If I knew the person I was fighting with was a boxer, I wouldn’t box with him, because that is his specialty. Don’t kick with a kicker, box with a boxer or wrestle with a wrestler, do something different than what they are doing for better odds at defeating them. On the street there is no luxury of pre-knowledge of your opponents abilities or style preferences, so the key is to be aggressive, attack them first and let your training express itself thru you in a natural way. If your training sucks, or your system of WC is of low quality then I guess you will have more problems, as not all WC is the same or equal. Now for me, besides a couple of weeks of judo and karate back when I was a pre teen, and some wrestling in public school, all of my MA training has been within the WC system. Saying that, does that mean I am limited to a Man/Wu sau bai jong structure, and all the clichés that surround WC when engaging an opponent? Well if your goal is to perform WC while you fight, then yes. If your goal is to get out of a real situation alive and unharmed, you USE your training to help you do just that, prevail and survive. I use the WC, it doesn’t use me, and since it is a conceptually based training method, only my imagination limits me. With today’s technology it is easy for anyone to gain exposure of other MA methods, and maybe use that exposure to adapt your training to make it more effective. Even where I live, there is a good MMA school and when the day comes that I want to experience that I will pursue just that, but for now I still have lots to learn in the system I am training in, I find it enjoyable to train and to teach others what I know of it. The learning never stops, WC for me is fun that is the major factor why I continue to train it.
James
P.S.
“Most of the WC practitioners that I’ve worked with lacked in conditioning, and that makes a big difference in a fight or sparring.” Regarding your statement:
For me I don’t look at what or how others use the system, as no one can completely represent a training method like WC, as the application of it is totally up to the individual using it. I’ve found the key thing for me is to understand what WC is trying to teach totally. It’s an aggressive, sneaky system. Someone once described it as an “Assassin’s Art”, when dealing with an assassin you won’t know what is going on, and when you do it is too late, your already dead. Think of it this way, there are tiny six shooter snub nose hand guns out there, guns that you can easily hide in a holster or pocket. These types of guns are not the most powerful, useful, totally complete gun in the world, but it gets the job done, as if you approach someone concealing this weapon and they use it on you, your dead before you knew they even had it, even if the person you are shooting is experienced with all sorts of guns. WC is like this, it is most useful when the element of surprise and unknown is on your side.
