Wing Chun is designed to be a quick impact martial art and this should be drummed into your wing chun training from the beginning. However it is really important to notice why it is you are taking the martial art. Is it to become a better fighter? To be a competition fighter, or to be in a position to defend yourself in a genuine life situation or is it just plain fitness? All terribly valid reasons however they all require a different attitude and approach in its purpose.
While you are practicing on the wing chun dummy you are faced with a static competitor. This is in stark contract if you are faced with somebody proficient in taekwondo training "their kick can knock you into the week after next. The real question is are you able to go the distance?
In reality a street fight will customarily last one a few moments..if not seconds it can happen quite spontaneous and if you are on the incorrect end of it -you can become undone reasonably quickly,you wont know what occurred.
On the other hand if you're coaching for competitions its a different discipline altogether where your number one ally is fitness and staying power. Give it some thought just the practice of holding your arms n the air for any specific time period is tough work and it just pain injures if you are not conditioned for it. Try it out for five minutes and you can see what I am saying.
That is why in the 1st wing chun form -Sil Lim Tao the main focus is on holding your guard up. I recall the drills of holding this form for soo long -soothing like a half hour (a sort of Chinese torture trick from my SIfu) though it was a lesson well learned. This conditioning taught me to keep my hands up under intense eventualities and this is the number ability/capability you can learn in any preparation for tournament fighting (or any showdown in fact).
In the competition environment many wing chun concepts are not applicable. I.e Larp sao, bill jee, as you are gloved up this isn't very and there are also express rules to adhere to. As well there are surprise impact moves and trapping strategies, which can on occasion be tricky to execute.
Here is where you have to be adaptive as a martial artist. You need to conform to your environment-but where should your focus be?
In truth you want both methods to become a complete martial artist. Tournament fighting will give you exposure to alternative styles where you can experience the dynamic of fighting a professional opponent and a gain huge learning process. You'll find out about yourself and face a very real fear in a controlled environment- so if the real deal occurs (which we are hoping never will & always try avoiding) you can face with a clear mind and confidence in your ability under the ultimate pressure.
While you are practicing on the wing chun dummy you are faced with a static competitor. This is in stark contract if you are faced with somebody proficient in taekwondo training "their kick can knock you into the week after next. The real question is are you able to go the distance?
In reality a street fight will customarily last one a few moments..if not seconds it can happen quite spontaneous and if you are on the incorrect end of it -you can become undone reasonably quickly,you wont know what occurred.
On the other hand if you're coaching for competitions its a different discipline altogether where your number one ally is fitness and staying power. Give it some thought just the practice of holding your arms n the air for any specific time period is tough work and it just pain injures if you are not conditioned for it. Try it out for five minutes and you can see what I am saying.
That is why in the 1st wing chun form -Sil Lim Tao the main focus is on holding your guard up. I recall the drills of holding this form for soo long -soothing like a half hour (a sort of Chinese torture trick from my SIfu) though it was a lesson well learned. This conditioning taught me to keep my hands up under intense eventualities and this is the number ability/capability you can learn in any preparation for tournament fighting (or any showdown in fact).
In the competition environment many wing chun concepts are not applicable. I.e Larp sao, bill jee, as you are gloved up this isn't very and there are also express rules to adhere to. As well there are surprise impact moves and trapping strategies, which can on occasion be tricky to execute.
Here is where you have to be adaptive as a martial artist. You need to conform to your environment-but where should your focus be?
In truth you want both methods to become a complete martial artist. Tournament fighting will give you exposure to alternative styles where you can experience the dynamic of fighting a professional opponent and a gain huge learning process. You'll find out about yourself and face a very real fear in a controlled environment- so if the real deal occurs (which we are hoping never will & always try avoiding) you can face with a clear mind and confidence in your ability under the ultimate pressure.
About the Author:
George kane first begun Wing chun training in the early 90's and immediately saw this form of fighting as the final fighting systems for beginners and seasoned martial artists. You can read more about his wing chun kung fuexploits at his popular blog