# what type of practitioner are you?



## cwk (Aug 19, 2010)

i was reading geezers best wing chun fighter thread and it got me thinking of this topic. I thought it'd be better to start a new thread than to derail geezers'.

So,
what type of practitioner are you? do you concentrate more on the fighting side, training more for speed and power, plenty of sparring etc, or are you more into the art side, perfecting your forms, getting your sensitivity to a very high level with chi sao, practicing qigong,etc.
or maybe somewhere in between?

I'd like to work on my sensitivity but I don't have any good wing chun guys around to train with ( and haven't for a while) so my main focus of training is the heavy bag, the mook jong and technique/ sparring practice with my regular taiji training partner.
I think I'd have to say I'm more geared towards the fighting side. (must be the scottish blood in me lol)
What about you guys?


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## dosk3n (Aug 19, 2010)

Im both really.

In class we do not really spar. Maybe once every few months when the senior instructor does the class but when Sifu is teaching we learn drills and sensitivity. I would say our drill are geared up towards fighting as it is the sort of punch comes in then you do this this and this kind of drill.

We also do lots of sensitivity drills such as bong, lap, punch.

When we train on Sundays which is not a class just free training then we gear up and practice fighting.


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## KamonGuy2 (Aug 19, 2010)

The trouble is , that some people are too much of one and not the other. You must be a balanced fighter - appereciating the traditional side of martial arts, but also being able to presure test your art as well. 

If people dont like sparring or working on the fighting side of training, then they shouldnt be doing a martial art in the first place. An art that focuses solely on technical movements etc, is not worth doing

I love the theoretical side of martial arts (understanding how the body works), but at the end of the day, it should be applicable otherwise it is not really a martial art

The same goes for styles that just spar and never train forms - there is no art there (you might as well just brawl)

Ying and yang


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## matsu (Aug 19, 2010)

i want to do all of it!
always has been.
 i want to know everything,be able to do everything to the best of my ability.... which might be not as good as lots of other people but i want to be preofiicient in the art but be able to use it if needed.
and the only way thats possible is to spar and experience an attacker.
i used to compete in karate but i,m too old to take wing chun in that direction but i know i have to spar and get smacked about to know my wing chun works
matsu


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## zepedawingchun (Aug 19, 2010)

Coming from the early to middle 1970's as my martial arts beginnings, I was into full contact karate tournaments, so I don't mind the contact. So I was/am a fighter. And I think sparring is a must and feel everyone should do it. But as I have gotten older and lost a bit of that speed, and killer instinct, I also concentrate on being technically proficient with my structure, hand positions, forms, drills, chi sao, etc. I do my forms everyday and work on stuff to be as perfect as possible.

What I'm trying to say is I try not to be more of one than the other. Always trying to balance between a fighter, the art side, and also for my health. Isn't that the way it's supposed to be? Balanced?


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## WC_lun (Aug 19, 2010)

I train to be able to fight.  However, as I've gotten older and my health has turned south, I find that I appreciate the other side of things more.


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## cwk (Aug 20, 2010)

How about this one-
when sparring/technique training etc, do you prefer to attack from the inside or outside gate?
IMO the outside gate offers easier and safer control of your opponent whereas the inside takes more skill but offers better finishing opportunities.
Most of my combinations start on the outside with a couple of controlling techniques and strikes then I move the arm I'm in control of out the way and simultaneously enter the inside to finish.


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## dosk3n (Aug 20, 2010)

I prefer to go to the outside as safer. Im not really fast enough to get into the inside just yet. For example when doing chi sau and getting pinned, I KwanSau outside which is safe enough but if I try to Kwan Inside I get trapped. While Sifu will go inside and kick my ***.


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## matsu (Aug 20, 2010)

oh man, this is a whole new thread in the making lol.
entry techniques in sparring is a whole dimemma for me.
i,m more of a counter attack guy,or i wish i was quick enough to be lol
i like inside,trying to pin their rear guard if they get lazy with it
and i find i,m punching to bridge to get inside as they move in....its my new move hahahaha
but i,m going to re look at the kwan sau in chi sau...thanks fella
matsu


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## Rion (Aug 20, 2010)

For me i train so that when the time cames to use it i can,so there is lots of sparing just to condition the body and mind for combat. But at home i do go through the forms daily. But i do love  sparing


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## KamonGuy2 (Aug 20, 2010)

dosk3n said:


> I prefer to go to the outside as safer. Im not really fast enough to get into the inside just yet. For example when doing chi sau and getting pinned, I KwanSau outside which is safe enough but if I try to Kwan Inside I get trapped. While Sifu will go inside and kick my ***.


 
Kwan sao inside and use an underhook. You will set your opponent up for a beat


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## Domino (Sep 17, 2010)

Nothing wrong with Scottish blood 
Im somewhere in the middle. I really enjoy both, horses for courses.


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## l_uk3y (Sep 18, 2010)

I try to mix up our class between technical and sparring. Being a fairly new class with beginning students I am mostly focused on basic technique and skills building. 

However my major focus point is "Thinking on your feet".  I.e   Off whatever attack initiate with a Pak Sao to the inside, after that its all yours to try what you want.  Or start inside but I want you to finish on the outside. What technique you use to do it doesn't matter. 

Just like in our sparring I mix up between "kick boxing" and WC. Just to get them used to the idea of different attacks being thrown in the mix. My reasoning behind this. I found when moving from my old WC to my Hapkido club that I was having trouble reading the new found attack styles coming at me.

Luke


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## thefearofme (Oct 4, 2010)

I'm more of a perfectionist guy, always trying to make sure my moves & forms are perfect. Sensitivity is very important in my role, sensitivity and reflex drills are part of my daily routine. I try to balance out things, speed is not really an issue for me because I really concentrate on how much power I give on a strike and how perfect and smooth it is going. Understanding the roots of the art gives a much better perspective overall. Though I do train on wall sandbags which gives a boost to speed but it also gives precision. Spending a lots of time on Siu Lim Tao helps me in keeping my form perfect even while I'm kicking or punching. For most beginners its hard to keep in the form when doing kicks or even forms such as Lap Sau and Bong Sau, so I always keep improving Siu Lim Tao.


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## BloodMoney (Oct 4, 2010)

I do and teach the internal, and make sure people are tidy and relaxed, but also I try to keep it real, keep it combative.

We dont spar but we do attacking drills, mutliple attackers drills and so forth, as well as vigorous 4 corners and the like. When I get more seniors well do psuedo-sparring, but it will be more like someone attacking a Chun practitioner full force with "street" moves, while the practitioner uses Chun to defend himself.

In response to your other question it really depends on the attack being thrown at me, but generally I would attack from the inside because I am short and most attacks will be circular and come from above me.


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## cwk (Oct 4, 2010)

BloodMoney said:


> I do and teach the internal, and make sure people are tidy and relaxed.



I've recently started practicing qigong more often than I used to and I'm getting some nice martial benefits from the practice.
For one it helps me really connect the mind with the body, helping me feel my own body at higher level than I used to, This it turn, I feel, gives me better root and more power through smoother kinetic linking and clearer intent.


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## anshume1 (Oct 5, 2010)

Well,I am 30 yrs of age now and have been practising martial arts since I was 10 yrs of age.Over the yrs I have learnt a lot of different styles and I can feel that I have evolved. However,I do feel that martial art is incomplete without sparring. Sparring is the soul of MA. 
As of now, I am more into what Bruce Lee used to say- Hack away the unessentials. So my daily routine is only practising whats going to help me in my spar and then sparring for long periods. It helps immensely !
At this age, I am going to start learning boxing as I feel that will give me an edge with the punches and also Judo. I feel these are the 2 attributes that I need to still work on.


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## wtxs (Oct 5, 2010)

anshume1 said:


> Well,I am 30 yrs of age now and have been practising martial arts since I was 10 yrs of age.Over the yrs I have learnt a lot of different styles and I can feel that I have evolved. However,I do feel that martial art is incomplete without sparring. Sparring is the soul of MA.
> As of now, I am more into what Bruce Lee used to say- Hack away the unessentials. So my daily routine is only practising whats going to help me in my spar and then sparring for long periods. It helps immensely !
> At this age, I am going to start learning boxing as I feel that will give me an edge with the punches and also Judo. I feel these are the 2 attributes that I need to still work on.




Welcome on board and stay for awhile.opcorn:


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## anshume1 (Oct 6, 2010)

wtxs said:


> Welcome on board and stay for awhile.opcorn:



Thanks WTXS..I intend to do that  And I hope to learn and gain from all the members here.

Thanks & Cheers
Amit ( from India )


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## ella_guru (Oct 6, 2010)

I admit that I have sort of an addiction to making my form and technique as clean as possible. I have loads of fun doing that in and of it self.

But lately I've been really wanting to get my crisis management figured out, how to deal with a true blue attacker, so I've been looking to just flat out spar (friendly) with anyone I can and just be humble about it and learn what I can.

So I guess technician with recent steps towards realist.

So fun!!!!


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