Well the first month of my Wing Chun training is over. Eight lessons in total. Finally near the end of the week my Wing Chun Sifu thought us beginner group the first section of Siu Lim Tau(Little Idea).
Learning from video in some ways does work since 90% of what I have learnt is correct. It is just small things that you might miss or was not taught in the video training. I think buying video for martial arts training should better serve as a guide once you have learnt the art and is afraid that you might have forgotten some parts of it.
Just another recap of what I have learnt in the first month. The basic stance, basic punches from the center line, palm strike, palm strike to the neck, ribs and a lower palm strike to the groin. We also were thought how to block straight punches directly or from the side. Some drill to make our hand a little stronger.
I have to say that learning from a Sifu directly is really helpful. You learn a bit here and there that is pretty important but overlooked most of the time. The Wing Chun short range power is pretty fun when you do it right.
Looking forward to the second month of my Wing Chun training. More Siu Lim Tau and I hope more about application as well of the form.
Wing Chun Martial Arts Class
This is the second post about the Wing Chun training I recently started. This will serve as a record to what my Wing Chun Sifu has to offer during each lesson.During this second lesson my Wing Chun Sifu thought us how to attack an opponents neck, ribs with upper and lower palm strike. He also thought us how to attack a person's groin with the palm facing downwards, meaning your fingers is facing the ground.
We had to punch the punching bag quite a lot to get all the strike right or at least get an idea of how to use it. Although I myself have a homemade punching bag that is filled with sand inside, I find that small punching bag that is hanged against the wall can hurt your hand more. My punching bag is hanged from the top so each time you hit it it can move backwards, absorbing the impact but not bringing the impact back to your fist.
We also were thought the Wing Chun ready hand position, called Men Sao and Wu Sao in Cantonese, meaning "Asking hand" and "Protecting hand". If you have watched Ip Man the movie, it is the hand position Ip Man does most of the time. Like the picture I put up at the start of this post. We learn how to punch and move back to this ready position each time we finish a strike.
All quite simple really. I wonder what we will learn in the next Wing Chun lesson. Might need something extra to keep my interest alive because I can get bored pretty easily if there is nothing new.
My Wing Chun class is 2 days a week on Tuesday and Wednesday. So if you are following my blog expect this kind of post twice each week unless there is nothing interesting to write about.
Wing Chun Martial Arts training
Finally, I started my first lesson of Wing Chun training.
It was about an hour and 15 minutes long and it costs me RM150 per month.
So far I still do not know how good my current Wing Chun Sifu is although his lineage is from Yip Man. Judging from how some of his more experienced student is performing it is not so promising. Maybe my expectation is just too high at the moment.
The Wing Chun class I went is rather large, about 20+ people. With so many people you can't expect too much from each lesson. Basically my Wing Chun Sifu just separates us all into three different groups and teach one group at a time, some of his senior student will help out.
The first lesson we beginners were thought the straight punch and straight palm. If you have read my previous article you should already know that I learn some Wing Chun from videos. So I was doing the same thing I learn from the video when Sifu teaches it.
The good thing about learning from a Wing Chun Sifu other than learning from video is that they can correct your mistakes. I got the form right but I used mostly dead force on my punches and palm. The idea is to only use force on contact and leave your arm and hand relax after contact.
We were also thought the most basic stance of Wing Chun. I don't know how to describe the name of the stance in English here but Wing Chun's stance will look weird to the general public in my opinion. And the name will be weird as well, I think it is call the goat stance.
One more thing I learn from this lesson that video training can't teach me is that you have to move you butt a little bit to the front when you are using the goat stance. I wish I can show you how at the moment but too bad. The idea is to shift the body weight to the thigh muscle so you won't injure you knee over time. If you have been training on the basic stance and felt the strain on the knee then you know you are wrong.
One of the senior student noticed that I have had some other training before and asked me about it. It probably did not mean anything but I hope it is for the best. I already learn Siu Lim Tao and Chum Kiu and I wonder whether I should tell them and speed things up a little.
If you live around SS2 and PJ and want to know more about this Wing Chun Martial Arts class, just leave a comment with your email and I will get back to you.
It was about an hour and 15 minutes long and it costs me RM150 per month.
So far I still do not know how good my current Wing Chun Sifu is although his lineage is from Yip Man. Judging from how some of his more experienced student is performing it is not so promising. Maybe my expectation is just too high at the moment.
The Wing Chun class I went is rather large, about 20+ people. With so many people you can't expect too much from each lesson. Basically my Wing Chun Sifu just separates us all into three different groups and teach one group at a time, some of his senior student will help out.
The first lesson we beginners were thought the straight punch and straight palm. If you have read my previous article you should already know that I learn some Wing Chun from videos. So I was doing the same thing I learn from the video when Sifu teaches it.
The good thing about learning from a Wing Chun Sifu other than learning from video is that they can correct your mistakes. I got the form right but I used mostly dead force on my punches and palm. The idea is to only use force on contact and leave your arm and hand relax after contact.
We were also thought the most basic stance of Wing Chun. I don't know how to describe the name of the stance in English here but Wing Chun's stance will look weird to the general public in my opinion. And the name will be weird as well, I think it is call the goat stance.
One more thing I learn from this lesson that video training can't teach me is that you have to move you butt a little bit to the front when you are using the goat stance. I wish I can show you how at the moment but too bad. The idea is to shift the body weight to the thigh muscle so you won't injure you knee over time. If you have been training on the basic stance and felt the strain on the knee then you know you are wrong.
One of the senior student noticed that I have had some other training before and asked me about it. It probably did not mean anything but I hope it is for the best. I already learn Siu Lim Tao and Chum Kiu and I wonder whether I should tell them and speed things up a little.
If you live around SS2 and PJ and want to know more about this Wing Chun Martial Arts class, just leave a comment with your email and I will get back to you.
Wing Chun movies
Watching movies related to what you are learning is what a Wing Chun noob like me will do.As you can see, the first image is a man practising the Wing Chun dummy. I just have to put another one up.
Anyway, the movie is call Ip Man. Don't mistake it as I P Man. Many did since generally no one really knows who Yip Man is. Yes, Yip Man is a more general name when one is searching about the master of Bruce Lee.
If Bruce Lee never existed maybe not that much of people will know about Yip Man as a Grandmaster of Wing Chun Martial Arts.
So here you have it, a semi biography of the life of Yip Man. I am not a good reviewer of movies but I will have to say I do not know which part of the movie is actually true. I just watch it for the action to be honest and I have to say the moves are very true to Wing Chun if you are a practitioner.
You can even spot some moves here and there from Siu Lim Tao clearly, and some from Chum Kiu. I have not learnt Bil Jee so I have no idea there.
Wing Chun movies from Hong Kong will usually have Sammo Hung as the martial art choreographer. In Ip Man this is no exception. There is no single moment that is too dull, you get action scenes here and there and I don't have to it again, they are good.
Donnie Yen did a great job portraying Yip Man. I don't really like Donnie Yen in most of his movies, not to say I don't respect him as a true Martial Artist. I just find him stiff in acting and always acting cool. This time strangely he fits the role.
Ip Man is very recent and the Blu Ray version is coming out mid February so if you have not watched it go grab yourself a DVD.
Ok, now to the second image. This movie is called Warriors Two. Pretty old movie.This movie is made by Sammo Hung and he is also in the movie. This movie has a different feel to it compare to Ip Man. Maybe because of it being filmed in the past. You get a lot of villains and they are somewhat indestructible in the beginning.
The story line is pretty basic, with a young man learning the ways of Wing Chun and beating all the villains on the course of his revenge. Somehow this is the basis of a lot of old Hong Kung Fu flick. You need a reason to fight.
The action in this movie does not have the same feel as Ip Man but the moves are clean and clear when Leung Zhan strikes. Some have said that this movie shows a lot of lethal technique from Wing Chun.
I do find the Mantis Kung Fu in this movie ridiculous at times, other than that a solid movie about Wing Chun. Did I mention there are a lot of Wing Chun Dummies in this movie? They can even move!
The Prodigal Son. The first Wing Chun movie I encountered. Again this movie is following some of the basis of the Vengeance theory so expect to see some Wing Chun training. Again Sammo Hung is present in this movie.
With Sammo Hung around you are bound to have some humour in this movie. Same goes to Warriors Two, forgot to mention. However I like the humour from this movie more than Warriors Two, maybe because Yuen Biao is around too.
If I were to compare The Prodigal Son with Warriors Two I have to say The Prodigal Son is a better movie overall. I like the action since I felt the actions are faster and are much better captured choreographed.
Yuen Biao portrays Leung Zhan in this movie which he was a prodigal son in a wealthy family. The story moves a long when he was beaten by his soon to be master.
I think this is pretty much it, my little review of the Wing Chun movies I watched. Feel free to let me know if you have watched other Wing Chun Movies not on the list.
Wing Chun Martial Arts VS ?
Wing Chun, like a lot of other Martial Arts forms needs to be proven, but by who?
Why do people want to see it proven in the first place?
The world we are living in is an interesting place because of us humans. We all have our own opinion and we all like it to be right or at least appreciated. Same as what I am doing right now.
There is a trend in this world, most obvious in forums and places where there is a discussion about a certain thing, the Internet made it for the better or worse.
It usually happens when a person bought something, learnt something, thought about something and had an opinion. If they could have kept it to themselves nothing much will happen. It is the nature I guess, we want to express or prove a point.
What happens when it is brought out? Three groups of people appear. One will disagree and use all means to prove they are right. Another will agree and use all means to prove they are right as well. The third group will act as if they are wise, and just try to provide a different opinion.
The same thing will happen when we talk about the effectiveness of Wing Chun Martial Arts. The idea is usually whether one Martial Art form can beat another, who is better and so on. When this happens some will appear to have plenty of experience and either support or disagree with Wing Chun's effectiveness.
Whether he or she is the real deal remains to be seen. Even if the real fight do happen for them to prove a point will they get a satisfying answer and never bring this topic up again? I don't think so.
Learning a form of Martial Art is not the same as buying a product. If you and me bought an iphone then maybe we get the same apps and performance. Learning Wing Chung Kung Fu is not the same. Even if we learn from the same Sifu do you think we can perform the art in the same manner?
The problem is not Wing Chun Martial Arts or any other Martial Arts form. The problem comes from us. We all spent time and learned something we want it to be meaning full, to be appreciated, to be respected and to be useful. It does not have to be a Martial Art form, it just has to be something we already spent hours and plenty of effort on.
What happens when someone agrees with you? You get some sort of confirmation that what you have learned or do is right and you feel pretty good about it. But when someone tells you that it is wrong you will almost naturally start to defend it. You can't believe what you have spent so much time and effort on is consider useless to some.
Wing Chun to some, is an effective form of Martial Art that teaches you good street defense, how to react, and it is even considered that Wing Chun applies some science with the middle line punch and so on. For those who have a different opinion, Wing Chun Martial Arts is fancy, with all those Chi Sao and wooden dummy techniques and can't really be used in real world fighting.
Before someone starts to flame me and think I am trying to act smart to analise the situation, let me tell you I am not even experienced in Martial Arts. I learned some Tae Kwon Do, some Hung Gar and some Wing Chun from video. I have never been in a fight, even if I do I will lose my teeth, broke my nose and something even worst.
If you think I do not have the right to talk about this topic then I think I might as well ask you the same question. Why are you judging something, is it because you have lots of experienced with it or is it just because you have an opinion.
So is Wing Chun Martial Arts fancy, I sure think it does. Is Wing Chun Martial Arts effective? Well to me it is somewhat effective and I am going to spend RM150 to learn it each month. Is Wing Chun Martial Arts the best self defense Martial Arts there is? I sure hope so but it is not. Will the world stop spinning when someday I use Wing Chun Martial Arts to beat the crap out of everybody or was beaten by everybody? I don't think so.
Will this post stop others from ever comparing again? Definitely not. Why am I still writing then?
For the same reason everyone is doing. Hoping that what I am saying can be heard, be appreciated and change something and have people see things my way. Because everyone thought they are special. Everyone who is learning Wing Chun thought it is special.
Wing Chun Martial Arts is effective, I don't even have to prove it to you. Your Martial Art is also effective, you don't have to prove it to me either. A few more minutes spent practising rather than arguing is even better. If I already did that every time I feel like arguing I might already become a master. You can too.
Why do people want to see it proven in the first place?
The world we are living in is an interesting place because of us humans. We all have our own opinion and we all like it to be right or at least appreciated. Same as what I am doing right now.
There is a trend in this world, most obvious in forums and places where there is a discussion about a certain thing, the Internet made it for the better or worse.
It usually happens when a person bought something, learnt something, thought about something and had an opinion. If they could have kept it to themselves nothing much will happen. It is the nature I guess, we want to express or prove a point.
What happens when it is brought out? Three groups of people appear. One will disagree and use all means to prove they are right. Another will agree and use all means to prove they are right as well. The third group will act as if they are wise, and just try to provide a different opinion.
The same thing will happen when we talk about the effectiveness of Wing Chun Martial Arts. The idea is usually whether one Martial Art form can beat another, who is better and so on. When this happens some will appear to have plenty of experience and either support or disagree with Wing Chun's effectiveness.
Whether he or she is the real deal remains to be seen. Even if the real fight do happen for them to prove a point will they get a satisfying answer and never bring this topic up again? I don't think so.
Learning a form of Martial Art is not the same as buying a product. If you and me bought an iphone then maybe we get the same apps and performance. Learning Wing Chung Kung Fu is not the same. Even if we learn from the same Sifu do you think we can perform the art in the same manner?
The problem is not Wing Chun Martial Arts or any other Martial Arts form. The problem comes from us. We all spent time and learned something we want it to be meaning full, to be appreciated, to be respected and to be useful. It does not have to be a Martial Art form, it just has to be something we already spent hours and plenty of effort on.
What happens when someone agrees with you? You get some sort of confirmation that what you have learned or do is right and you feel pretty good about it. But when someone tells you that it is wrong you will almost naturally start to defend it. You can't believe what you have spent so much time and effort on is consider useless to some.
Wing Chun to some, is an effective form of Martial Art that teaches you good street defense, how to react, and it is even considered that Wing Chun applies some science with the middle line punch and so on. For those who have a different opinion, Wing Chun Martial Arts is fancy, with all those Chi Sao and wooden dummy techniques and can't really be used in real world fighting.
Before someone starts to flame me and think I am trying to act smart to analise the situation, let me tell you I am not even experienced in Martial Arts. I learned some Tae Kwon Do, some Hung Gar and some Wing Chun from video. I have never been in a fight, even if I do I will lose my teeth, broke my nose and something even worst.
If you think I do not have the right to talk about this topic then I think I might as well ask you the same question. Why are you judging something, is it because you have lots of experienced with it or is it just because you have an opinion.
So is Wing Chun Martial Arts fancy, I sure think it does. Is Wing Chun Martial Arts effective? Well to me it is somewhat effective and I am going to spend RM150 to learn it each month. Is Wing Chun Martial Arts the best self defense Martial Arts there is? I sure hope so but it is not. Will the world stop spinning when someday I use Wing Chun Martial Arts to beat the crap out of everybody or was beaten by everybody? I don't think so.
Will this post stop others from ever comparing again? Definitely not. Why am I still writing then?
For the same reason everyone is doing. Hoping that what I am saying can be heard, be appreciated and change something and have people see things my way. Because everyone thought they are special. Everyone who is learning Wing Chun thought it is special.
Wing Chun Martial Arts is effective, I don't even have to prove it to you. Your Martial Art is also effective, you don't have to prove it to me either. A few more minutes spent practising rather than arguing is even better. If I already did that every time I feel like arguing I might already become a master. You can too.
Wing Chun Dummy
You might wonder why I have chosen to put my title as Wing Chun Dummy rather than Ip Man?
It is because right now I am crazy about the Wing Chun Dummy. If you just stumble upon this page and have no idea what a Wing Chun Dummy is then I guess you have to look at what the man is holding.
A couple of weeks ago I got the idea of wanting to buy a wooden dummy. Many people have said you have to know Chi Sau or sticking hands in order to be able to play with the dummy nicely. Well you even need to know all three Wing Chun forms.
As you know I learn Wing Chun from Video if you read my previous post and so far I am on the second form the Chum Kiu or finding bridge. I am too lazy to learn the third. I thought even if I did not know Chi Sau and Biu Jee, I can still play with the wooden dummy. It is not like I am graded by anybody.
I checked around the net and found some website selling it and the prize is pretty crazy, about RM 3000 for one. There are cheaper ones made with PVC as well, never thought they would actually consider this kind of material.
I guess this idea of practising with the Wing Chun Dummy will have to wait. I have no money right now and I will wait till I find a Sifu and go from there.
I guess watching another person practise with the Wing Chun dummy is quite fun. You can get a glimpse of Donnie Yen practising with the dummy right from the start of Ip Man the movie, and some near the end.
There are lots of clips on YouTube if you want to have a look. Just google Wing Chun Dummy and I am sure you will find a lot of wannabes that have better skill than me showcasing their skill.
And in case you do not know what this movie is then you better check it out. Ip Man is a master of Wing Chun and master to Bruce Lee. Just don't confuse him as I P Man. Many did in Malaysia since they do not really know who he is.
Wing Chun Martial Arts-My thoughts so far.
Wing Chun or Ving Tsun （詠春）or any other similar name, is a name for a Southern Chinese Martial Art form. Most will know Chinese Martial Art as the word Kung Fu, now we might also call it Wushu.
Many is backing that Wing Chun martial arts is quite effective, and who am I to say that it is not. Previously I am learning Hung Gar Kung Fu, another southern form which is made famous by Wong Fei Hung. I got interested with Wing Chun because to me Wing Chun is a strip down version of a lot of Kung Fu form, and it consists of techniques that is effective and not complicated.
Tiger, Crane, Snake and all those form is a little bit too much sometimes. You go about practising their form and not knowing what the hell you are doing. Not much Sifu is teaching you the combat usage. You might know all the Hung Gar form till the day you die but you might not even know how to use it. Sure some combat tips is explained and shown but who can actually perform it real time?
Wing Chun is interesting because they have less form and the focus of combat is still present. Their Chi Sau(Sticking hands) is something I am looking forward to experience. Even the Wing Chun dummy is still an important part in the training. My Hung Gar sifu did not even mention anything about wooden dummy. Even some so called combat training looks more like scripted moves.
I am learning Wing Chun from video. Ridiculous isn't it? Which is why I need to experience some combat training by finding a Sifu. Sure it is going to be expensive and but what else can I do in this modern age when everything is about money?
I don't talk about Wing Chun's history because it is not really relevant. My training will start in February and I wish it will not be short due to the fact that one has to go to work and too bad I am looking for Design jobs which in Malaysia is usually very time consuming.
In the meantime if you have anything to say about Wing Chun, feel free to leave a comment.
Many is backing that Wing Chun martial arts is quite effective, and who am I to say that it is not. Previously I am learning Hung Gar Kung Fu, another southern form which is made famous by Wong Fei Hung. I got interested with Wing Chun because to me Wing Chun is a strip down version of a lot of Kung Fu form, and it consists of techniques that is effective and not complicated.
Tiger, Crane, Snake and all those form is a little bit too much sometimes. You go about practising their form and not knowing what the hell you are doing. Not much Sifu is teaching you the combat usage. You might know all the Hung Gar form till the day you die but you might not even know how to use it. Sure some combat tips is explained and shown but who can actually perform it real time?
Wing Chun is interesting because they have less form and the focus of combat is still present. Their Chi Sau(Sticking hands) is something I am looking forward to experience. Even the Wing Chun dummy is still an important part in the training. My Hung Gar sifu did not even mention anything about wooden dummy. Even some so called combat training looks more like scripted moves.
I am learning Wing Chun from video. Ridiculous isn't it? Which is why I need to experience some combat training by finding a Sifu. Sure it is going to be expensive and but what else can I do in this modern age when everything is about money?
I don't talk about Wing Chun's history because it is not really relevant. My training will start in February and I wish it will not be short due to the fact that one has to go to work and too bad I am looking for Design jobs which in Malaysia is usually very time consuming.
In the meantime if you have anything to say about Wing Chun, feel free to leave a comment.
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