# Wing chun mixed with TKD?



## glitterflitter (Jun 14, 2016)

I'm a beginner in wing chun, and I'd like to start with some other martial art to have something else to do on my spare time. I have been thinking about TKD but my trainer said that that wouldn't be to good because the two arts are very different. I am a skinny, tall teen and I am not too strong so i thought that it would maybe be a good art to practise but I'm not sure. MA is not something I want to spend my hole life on, I just want to learn how to defend myself and I want to get stronger and more flexible. Which art should I train?


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## drop bear (Jun 14, 2016)

Do them both if you want.  Do any activity that intrests you.  And you will live a fuller life.


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## HW1 (Jun 14, 2016)

glitterflitter said:


> I'm a beginner in wing chun, and I'd like to start with some other martial art to have something else to do on my spare time. I have been thinking about TKD but my trainer said that that wouldn't be to good because the two arts are very different. I am a skinny, tall teen and I am not too strong so i thought that it would maybe be a good art to practise but I'm not sure. MA is not something I want to spend my hole life on, I just want to learn how to defend myself and I want to get stronger and more flexible. Which art should I train?


On the contrary, they should complement each other since they each specialize in a specific range. You can't reach with punches in kicking range and arguably can't perform powerful kicks in trapping range. Add boxing to get proficient in medium range, then BJJ for ground game and you're set.

Be aware however that most defense scenarios occur either on the trapping range or the ground. The kicks TKD offers are mostly practical in either bridging (closing the gap) or creating space. Let's be honest, if you have the room to be throwing TKD kicks then you have the room to be running away and not fighting.

Other people might have a different opinion so use the knowledge you get in this forum to decide what you can and want to do. Most MA trainers/teachers will discourage you from taking a different art either from a biased standpoint or fear of losing a student and income.


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## MAfreak (Jun 14, 2016)

taekwondo is not really for self-defense but the state of your wing chun trainer, its too different, shouldn't keep you from doing it, since normally it is good to look outside the box. the different arts could complement each other. when wing chun does just low straight kicks, which is good for self defense, taekwondo does high and spinning kicks, which is good for flexibility and balance and show, then it makes you already a better martial artist.


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## spaced (Jun 22, 2016)

Them being 2 diffrent styles is actually a bonus.  Ignore your trainer

Sent from my SM-G920F using Tapatalk


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## Kenpoguy123 (Jun 22, 2016)

If you want to do it do it. It won't harm you to do it and if you enjoy doing both great. I know we all say we need to train and defend ourself but at the end of day it's about having fun as well so do what you want I could say yes or no but you shouldn't listen to me or anywhere else you should do what you like


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## JowGaWolf (Jun 22, 2016)

glitterflitter said:


> MA is not something I want to spend my hole life on, I just want to learn how to defend myself and I want to get stronger and more flexible. Which art should I train?


 The martial art you should take should be taught as a self-defense system and not a sporting system.  I would also probably take something that trains hand weapons from the same perspective of self-defense.  The weapons should be similar to what you may have laying around which basically means knives, sticks, and staffs.  To be honest you really don't need to talk a Martial Arts class if you are specifically looking for self-defense training.  You will be better at self-defense if you train in a martial art setting than you would be if you took a 3 week self-defense course due to the training of hitting and kicking effectively. But beyond that, much of the self-defense work is preventive measures that help to make you less of a target.

The problem with martial arts is that it takes time to learn how to use the techniques.  TKD will probably be easier to learn than Wing Chun, but Wing Chun will give you more options provided that you stay in the Wing Chun school long enough to learn how to apply the techniques.  To give you an idea of the challenge, I take a MA called Jow Ga. The techniques that I can use to fight with are the basics.  I know intermediate and advanced techniques. I understand the applications of them, but getting to the point where I can actually use them is years away. This is how MA is for most people.  Students often fall back to the basics so don't expect to take 5 years of MA and expect that you'll look like the Martial Arts movies because you won't.  Around year 3 you'll probably just begin to understand the many applications from the basic techniques.

You're money would probably be spent on something that teaches self-defense and has a lot of street assault type scenarios. I will caution you though.  There's a bunch of nonsense self-defense schools and classes out there so be sure to do your homework.


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## drop bear (Jun 22, 2016)

JowGaWolf said:


> The martial art you should take should be taught as a self-defense system and not a sporting system.  I would also probably take something that trains hand weapons from the same perspective of self-defense.  The weapons should be similar to what you may have laying around which basically means knives, sticks, and staffs.  To be honest you really don't need to talk a Martial Arts class if you are specifically looking for self-defense training.  You will be better at self-defense if you train in a martial art setting than you would be if you took a 3 week self-defense course due to the training of hitting and kicking effectively. But beyond that, much of the self-defense work is preventive measures that help to make you less of a target.
> 
> The problem with martial arts is that it takes time to learn how to use the techniques.  TKD will probably be easier to learn than Wing Chun, but Wing Chun will give you more options provided that you stay in the Wing Chun school long enough to learn how to apply the techniques.  To give you an idea of the challenge, I take a MA called Jow Ga. The techniques that I can use to fight with are the basics.  I know intermediate and advanced techniques. I understand the applications of them, but getting to the point where I can actually use them is years away. This is how MA is for most people.  Students often fall back to the basics so don't expect to take 5 years of MA and expect that you'll look like the Martial Arts movies because you won't.  Around year 3 you'll probably just begin to understand the many applications from the basic techniques.
> 
> You're money would probably be spent on something that teaches self-defense and has a lot of street assault type scenarios. I will caution you though.  There's a bunch of nonsense self-defense schools and classes out there so be sure to do your homework.



It depends if he is getting mugged or into a lot of fights then prevention is where some of the time should be spent. If he isn't then he probably has that handled.

You still want to put your time and effort on training in things you can't think up for yourself.

And there are very few legitimate experts on crime/assault prevention.most just get it off YouTube.


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## sgraves (Jun 22, 2016)

MAfreak said:


> taekwondo is not really for self-defense but the state of your wing chun trainer, its too different, shouldn't keep you from doing it, since normally it is good to look outside the box. the different arts could complement each other. when wing chun does just low straight kicks, which is good for self defense, taekwondo does high and spinning kicks, which is good for flexibility and balance and show, then it makes you already a better martial artist.


tkd has a lot of self defense


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## paitingman (Jun 22, 2016)

This is actually what I do in a nutshell.
I have trained TKD for 20 years. I began studying wing chun about 4 years ago and have loved every minute. 
Granted I am used to what a believe to be a typical tkd experience and have cross trained almost that entire 20 years of training. 
Lots of korean tkd masters/teachers (maybe all tkd teachers I'm not sure) have a hodgepodge background in ma training (even tkd as a m.a. itself is a combination of various fighting aspects). I mean they have trained judo, hapkido, some boxing/kickboxing, taekwondo, korean wrestling all to some degree. 
With my base in tkd (and it's kind of diverse training) I became used to learning foreign things. 
Taekwondo in the way I was taught is great at training body DISCIPLINE. Ha with how many times taekwondo standards get updated and changed you must become used to telling your body to do something a new or different way until you tell it to do something else. 
This is what made learning wing chun possible to me. The approach was so different but since I had developed good discipline and control over my body, and was comfortable in what I had learned, I was able to let go and just follow instructions the best I could.

I wouldn't recommend trying to mix the two very much when learning. at least I know I couldn't do it that way.
Devote yourself to learning something new and build new experience rather than always relying on the old things you've learned and trying to blend the two.


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## moonhill99 (Jul 3, 2016)

The problem I see here is taekwondo is really big on kicks and you not fighting that close.

Where wing chun you are fighting really close. 

You can be terrible at kicking and do well in wing chun. Not the case with taekwondo.


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## moonhill99 (Jul 3, 2016)

If any thing boxing would help with wing chun.

Unfortunately taekwondo or Jodo does not blend with wing chun.


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## KangTsai (Aug 14, 2016)

I automatically dislike your instructor because of what he supposedly said to you. He doesn't recommend it simply because it's different to what you're learning? The most un-martial-artist thing I've heard in a while. I speak two languages and I'm learning two more, it's a similar thing and it's hella easy. Also, the kind of fundamental difference between taekwondo and wing chun also means there won't be any bad habits arising from familiarity between the two.


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## drop bear (Aug 14, 2016)

KangTsai said:


> I automatically dislike your instructor because of what he supposedly said to you. He doesn't recommend it simply because it's different to what you're learning? The most un-martial-artist thing I've heard in a while. I speak two languages and I'm learning two more, it's a similar thing and it's hella easy. Also, the kind of fundamental difference between taekwondo and wing chun also means there won't be any bad habits arising from familiarity between the two.



Yeah I still get this idea that learning two martial arts is somehow harder than learning two anything else's.


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