Realistic Wing Chun Sparring (vid)
To be Honest I'm not a fan a Wing chun in the least, since the majorty of the community like to talk about how effective it is, then talk somemore about how effective it is and that's all you get is talk. Yet these guys proved their training works against resisting opponents and it looked like Wing Chun (chain punching, knees, elbows, kicks, blocks...) This has to be the most impressive sparring I have EVER seen in Wing Chun, the school's teachers and students should be extremely proud. Check it out... http://youtube.com/watch?v=ZegFuKZAyUc

Hello Crowear, Thanks for sharing this vid! It is With Respect, that I post my opinion. I saw a bunch of young, slim guys punch, elbow, and knee each other in the head and neck a lot. I saw uncontrolled brutality exhibited by beginners (those with less than five years of training). I did not see that the padding was helpful. On the contrary, it built a false confidence in both parties, that they were protected. I am all in favor of realistic training with body and limb conditioning on a regular basis. I am all in favor of hard training that builds confidence, skill and courage. Unfortunately, I did not see that in this vid. Nor did I see high ranking experts training with each other. It would have been interesting to see something other than attacks to the head and spine. It would have been interesting to see someone who was capable of withstanding a wild rush. I did not see much refereeing. I did not see much restraint or self discipline exercised. If I or a family member went to such a club; we’d walk away. Such unmitigated mayhem cannot be countenanced under any conditions. It builds bad habits and fosters the “bad” impression that a lot of the public have of us, already. To depend upon youth and aggression to carry the day will only work if you are young and aggressive. Many people who start training do not do so because they are aggressive. They train for self discipline, self confidence and greater self reliance. If someone is badly hurt and this ends up in court; this instructor is likely to have a hard time of it. If one of his students “takes it to the street” and hurts someone; the instructor will be held accountable. Again, these are my opinions and I post them With Respect. I fully understand that these teens and young adults feel very differently. Regards, MrE2Me2

I have to completely agree with MrE2Me2. The "art" of "Martial Art", has to be understood. Simply, people of civilized societies cannot justify such aggression, even in sport, certain "rules" are there. Hardcore fisitcuffs do not dictate style nor art. Realistic fighting is a must for the "martial" in "Martial Art". But, it doesnt lend to promulgate it in such a fashion. In a way, sites like "you tube", has it to almost anything can be shown.

I'm actually going to have to dissagree with the others on this one. I have only 1 concern with that shcool an that is the force in which they are striking using certain blows. I have alot of uncertainty about an instructor that allows someone to lay there and get beat up for minutes when it is clear they are done and are not going to get out of it. BUT, this is why I think that it is a good video clip. Wing Chun is very much like Moh. It is extremely focused on the combative side of the art. The principles of Wing Chun are logical but they do face alot of possible problems if they are not practiced much. You are training to be able to defeat someone larger and strnger than you so you must be very fast, fierce and unrelenting. When I saw those young kids sparring I saw them using Wing Chun. They were not just boxing or roughhousing bu they were doing full contact sparring yet staying true to their style. That of itself is impressive. Most people who do full contact sparring will at some point deviate and drop their style to their own dissadvantage. At the end of the day Wing Chun exists to teach people how to fight, and this school is accomplishing what it sets out to do. How many people here would love to go back in time and recieve training by Yip Man himself? The fameous teacher of Bruce Lee. If you did, you would find a school exactly like the one in that clip only there would be no headgear and the fights would be on a rooftop on gravel against people who wantto hurt you, not fellow students. (No lies, this was something that happened often and that Yip Man encouraged. He believed if his students couldn't win real fights on the street than his art wasn't worth knowing.) Wing Chun has always had a somewhat brutal history in this way. Would I teach like that? No. I think those elbows and kicks to the back of the head are a disaster just waiting to happen. I thknk that being on the ground getting pummelled might make a person realize how helpless they will feel if they do lose a fight and perhaps encourage them to ty harder. I am sure that is the logic behind it. But what they are doing would remove all the fun from the art for me. And it would lead to injuries. I shudder to think how many of them have broken fingers turtling on the ground. (He really needs to focus on teaching his students how to escape a mounted beating more based on that video) Anyhow people have to be careful with their training. I have some muscle injuries in my back from teaching. I figure I was probibly doing Tiger Rolls without being properly warmed up based on the location of the damage. Getting damaged in martial arts training is just plain stupid so setting up an environment wehre people will get hurt is not a very ethical teaching practice. I do believe his students are getting what they payed for...even if they are going to walk out the door having never learned the lessons of respect. Anyhow, on a small side note, if you ever get jumped by one of these Wing Chun fiends hehe, just remember, they have never seen a hooking punch before in their lives and have absolutely no idea how to stop it. It doesn't follow the principle of attacking the center line and it cannot be diverted with Chi Sao deflections so it is the Achilles Heel to Wing Chun fighters. Because it is Moh technique it is not commonly seen elsewhere which is probibly why they have not bothered with a defense against it. Uppercut w Roundhouse punch is also one Wing Chun has difficulty with, however be certain you are VERY close (1/4 distance) or you will get destroyed by chain punches.