Martial Arts

[KlingonZ]

Kvan, I have always wanted to study Wing Chun Kung Fu but could never find an instructor. As I understand it Wing Chun is an old style of Kung Fu first developed by a woman. It deals with some very advanced hand movements and simultanious defence and attack. Also this is the first martial art that Bruce Lee studied. I am sure that Doombot could explain better than me.

[Kvan]

Thanks for the info. It's interesting that a women created the style. I'm not trying to be sexiest or anything but (depending on the era) weren't women looked down on for studying martial arts?

[KlingonZ]

Yes you are correct. And women were oppressed thus this woman began her own style. It is said that it was named after her and that she was a nun of the Shao-Lin Temple. Wing Chun or Wing Tsun and Ving Tsun in Cantonese means 'Beautiful Springtime' and deals with strong linear punches and low kicks.

This is really rekindling my intrest in this style. Maybe I'll search again for a Sifu.

[Doombot]

Wing Chun is for the most part a hard style focusing on getting in close(bridging the gap), destroying your opponents weapons (arms, legs, and actual weapons), then finshing off your opponent. The style uses a combination of simultaneous attacking/blocking techniques, straight attack techniques, as well as wide range of defensive moves. There is only three main forms/katas to the style, a couple of technique forms, and weapon styles. The technique forms are not really defined as forms, becuase they work on perticular aspects of the style, instead teaching new ideas. The weapon styles vary from Sifu to Sifu, but are mainly staff and butterfly knife.

As to the origins of the style, the mythology of the one armed nun teaching the style to Yim Wing Chun and the style passing through her family until Yip Man brought the style out from behind the Bamboo Curtain, is a bit more entertaining than the less heard "real story". Wing Chun was a style created to teach the masses a way to fight the Manchu government by Shaolin monks. The monks figured that shaolin kung fu took way too long to teach properly to a bunch of peasents, and thus began refining and triming their arts to come up with a quick and dirty version. When the shaolin temples burned the monks went into hiding and passed the art secretly amongst anti-Manchu fighters through the Red Boats, a kind of travelling circus. Oddly enough the monks that went into hiding to fight the Manchus, formed what are today commonly referred to as the Traids. Wing Chun in China is commonly reffered to as "Gangster Fist" because many of the Traids teach and use wing chun. One of Yip Man students, was a very powerful leader in the Traid organization. Why the story? Since this was a secret art only taught to a handful of students at a time the legend came from trying to obscure the truth of the origin, and thus protect in part other masters/teachers of the style. The obfuscation is so good that many Sifu's believe this to be true and have never heard the other version.
I know there may be some questioning of how do I know this. One of my fellow students found out that the Ving Tsun(Wing Chun) museum was in Dayton Ohio. We arranged a trip down there since it was only about 3 hours from where I live in Michigan. When we got there the man who runs both the studio and the museum happened to be there. We received a personal tour and he informed us of the "real" history behind Wing Chun. His information came from indepth study of the history as well as interviews with various masters. I consider his origin theory to be very accurate. I hope I've done justice to those asking for a bit more information. And if anyone in or around the Detroit Metro Area would like to come to a class, just let me know.


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Exterminate, Exterminate

[Kvan]

Hey Thanks!
And people say you can't learn stuff on the internet! I just learned something that you probably can't find in most history books!

[Doombot]

I mentioned the Ving Tsun Museum in an above post. Here is a link to their website.

http://www.vtmuseum.org/



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Exterminate, Exterminate

[calguard66]

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by KlingonZ:
Kvan, I have always wanted to study Wing Chun Kung Fu but could never find an instructor. As I understand it Wing Chun is an old style of Kung Fu first developed by a woman. It deals with some very advanced hand movements and simultanious defence and attack. Also this is the first martial art that Bruce Lee studied. I am sure that Doombot could explain better than me.</font>

My understanding is that Wing Chun is sometimes called "telephone booth karate". Most karate styles are "long range" with full extension kicks and punches, whereas Wing Chun is close range and makes extensive use of knees and elbows.

It is one of the few hard styles I've seen be effective against soft styles in close... you get less leverage on an elbow than an entire arm, and it's FAST.

It also does seem to be popular with women, as it doesn't rely on size and strength as much as speed and finesse... thereby leveling out the field in close where women are often at a disadvantage.

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"I'd rather die standing than live on my knees..."
Shania Twain

[KlingonZ]

Thanks Doombot. I learned alot. As I said I might look up a good sifu of Whing Chun. Wish I lived closer to you!!

[Cessna]

I'm pretty heavily into Aikido myself...

[KlingonZ]

Aikido is a very good martial art. It involves useing an openents streanth aganist him. I studided it for awile befor I had to move. Masters of this art can perform feats that truly make a person wounder if streanth is all that important.

[Phantom]

Strength really isn't that important in the martial arts. I've seen demonstration of various arts with little old men (Masters) tossing around big 6' tall young men.

"Judge me by my size, do you? As well as you should not..." Good advice.

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In the Praetors Name!

[KlingonZ]

Just to continue this string a little. Has anyone studied Ninjitsu? I have studied it for awile in LA and it is like a true Jedi art.

[Cpt. Lundgren]

I have been studying Ninpo Taijutsu (Ninjutsu) under the guy who introduced it in Europe. KlingonZ, do you refer to the style under Soke Hatsumi?

I have tested from time to time a lot of different arts, from Savate to Aikido. Mainly to broaden my view, and to keep my mind as open as possible.

Lately it has not been much of anything. There is a dojo close to my home where they teach a swedish Ju-Jutsu style. Mainly a Karate/Judo combination. Great for competitions or exercise. But the styles teaching philosophy is... well not really in my liking. 6 month since I was there last. Better get down there soon before I fall out completely.

I do not now if anyone here consider SCA heavy fighting as an martial art? Dressing up in padding, and beat each other with a rattan stick. Have my armour about half done. Hopefully will I have time to complete it. And then it will be a lot of bruises (mostly on me, but I might be able to return some at least. )

My all time favorite is Ninpo Taijutsu. It wasn't Ninpo I had plan to start with. But the start for the semester was one week before the art I had in mind. I followed a friend there, and it was no hesitation at all. It was exactly the style for me. It is hard to describe it for someone who hasn't seen it. But it has a movement style close to aikido. Complete set of techniques (Kicks, punches, throws, weapons, usage of nerve spots, and so on). Usage of the same techniques, no matter if it is with the hands, a stick or a sword... hm, this is as hopeless as describing scuba diving for someone who hasn't tried. But as you can see, I am quite sold on it. And it is 10 years since I trained it on a regular basis.

Cpt. Lundgren
Who is in a big risk of spending several hours a weak, just to get to and from training. If he doesn't bang his head firmly against a wall, until he forgets about Ninpo.

[KlingonZ]

Yes, that is the same art I was refering to. I studied at the Genbukan Ninpo Dojo in Los Angeles. My instructor was Gavriel Tokatly who studied under Shoto Tanemura in Japan. It is the same basic style as Hatsumi's which is Togakure Ryu Ninjutsu.

I have studied many arts in the last 35 years and obtained a black belt 1st degree (Shodan) in Kenpo Karate, but i think that Ninjutsu is the most enlightening and all encompasing and the most fun to learn. I moved away and stopped studying about two years ago but I would to start up again.

I think Taijutsu is mainly the hand to hand combat portion of Ninjutsu, which is excellent. I enjoyed the weapon styles of this art. One thing I found interesting is that before learning to use the sword you first had to learn to avoid or dodge it.

[Max-Q]

Aikido since 1987 and instructing since 1996.

O Sensei Marcus San