# New to Wing Chun



## Zengatsu (Dec 7, 2012)

Hi, I would really like to learn Wing Chun, but I really have no idea how. I'm 100% determened to learn Wing Chun. The problem is that there are no Wing Chun schools where I live. How would I possibly learn Wing Chun? Is there any books or something you guys recommend? I can't afford a wooden dummy. I really have no idea on what to do. Please help me out guys.

I'm 16 years old with no martial arts experience. I'm also a little chubby so I get easily tired. I have had bad health the past 2 years. ( 25% bodyfat ) 

Basically; I'm a fat loser that wants to learn Wing chun. No schools where I live and can't afford a wooden dummy. What to do?


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## jks9199 (Dec 7, 2012)

1.  You're not a loser.  Drop that crap.  You're 16; you're learning who you are.
2.  You can absolutely get in shape.  Plenty of resources around, from Crossfit to gym memberships to simply doing "push aways" at the dinner table and walking more.
3.  Unfortunately, you cannot learn wing chun without a teacher.*  If you can't find a school in the area, look at what is available.  Find something else that interests you.  Look at what it is about wing chun that fascinates you and see if that's available in something around you.

*There are a tiny percentage of people who could learn a martial art from books, videos, and other methods other than direct instruction.  Your post strongly suggests to me that you don't have that particular combination of natural abilities and talents.  Not a dig at you; notice I said a TINY percentage of people.


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## Argus (Dec 7, 2012)

I was in the same position (minus the being out of shape bit, but that's simple enough to fix!).I'm now driving almost 3 hours to visit my teacher when I can. Due to our limited time, I record our lessons, and work a lot on form while I'm home. It's actually worked pretty well so far - I just need to find a few training partners locally to practice drills and chisau with. 

I'm a strong believer in the saying "where there's a will, there's a way." I realize that being younger, your resources may be limited, but put your mind and energy into it and I'm sure you can find a solution.


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## almost a ghost (Dec 7, 2012)

Zengatsu said:


> The problem is that there are no Wing Chun schools where I live.



Where do you live? You'd be surprised at the number of schools/teachers that purposely keep a very low profile.


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## Zengatsu (Dec 7, 2012)

I would rather not say where I live, but i've checked different sites and forums, but found nothing. The closest I could get to a Wing Chun school is a 6 hour drive and its 4 hours a week.


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## Zengatsu (Dec 7, 2012)

jks9199 said:


> 1.  You're not a loser.  Drop that crap.  You're 16; you're learning who you are.
> 2.  You can absolutely get in shape.  Plenty of resources around, from Crossfit to gym memberships to simply doing "push aways" at the dinner table and walking more.
> 3.  Unfortunately, you cannot learn wing chun without a teacher.*  If you can't find a school in the area, look at what is available.  Find something else that interests you.  Look at what it is about wing chun that fascinates you and see if that's available in something around you.
> 
> *There are a tiny percentage of people who could learn a martial art from books, videos, and other methods other than direct instruction.  Your post strongly suggests to me that you don't have that particular combination of natural abilities and talents.  Not a dig at you; notice I said a TINY percentage of people.



I have no interest for taekwando, karate and Kickboxing. I really just want to learn wing chun, but I guess I have no chance of doing that without a teacher. I guess i'll just follow a guide like P90X and get fit and hopefully wait until someone opens a wing chun school where I live.


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## jks9199 (Dec 7, 2012)

Zengatsu said:


> I have no interest for taekwando, karate and Kickboxing. I really just want to learn wing chun, but I guess I have no chance of doing that without a teacher. I guess i'll just follow a guide like P90X and get fit and hopefully wait until someone opens a wing chun school where I live.



Why?  What about wing chun is so interesting to you?  If you can't answer that question, why exclude any art?

I found the art I've trained in for nearly twice as long as you've lived by accident.  I wanted to learn "ninjitsu" but couldn't find anywhere in my area.  Some friends found this club, and we joined it. I've been there ever since.  The ninjutsu arts still fascinate me -- but I train in Bando.  

I understand your reluctance to list your location, but can you give us something general, like "DC area" or "Phoenix area" or "Central Missouri"?  That might strike a balance on protecting your privacy while still giving some of the people familiar with wing chun instructors something to work with.


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## J W (Dec 7, 2012)

Keep in mind that you are 16 years old. You're young, and you'll be young for a while. You have your whole life to learn Wing Chun. 

In 10 years, you could be living in a different part of the country, and there may be a Wing Chun school nearby. Or maybe a WC school will open up in your area at some point, or you'll find a "low-profile" instructor (as almost a ghost had mentioned) nearby. 

If you can't find a WC instructor, you may have to put that particular goal on the shelf for a while. In the meantime, I wouldn't rule out other martial arts without giving them a try. You can't really decide whether or not you'll enjoy a particular MA based only on what you've seen online or read in books. You may find that one of those other arts that you don't think you'd have any interest in is actually much more up your alley than you'd expect. 

Also, it sounds like part of your interest in martial arts is to get in better shape. Anything is better than nothing on that point. Boxing, Muay Thai, Tae Kwon Do, etc, are all excellent for getting in shape.


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## mook jong man (Dec 7, 2012)

Zengatsu said:


> I have no interest for taekwando, karate and Kickboxing. I really just want to learn wing chun, but I guess I have no chance of doing that without a teacher. I guess i'll just follow a guide like P90X and get fit and hopefully wait until someone opens a wing chun school where I live.



Have you got a China-town near you or at least some chinese restaurants.
Might be worth asking around , a few Chinese guys I have taught have worked as waiters in Chinese restaurants.
Or at least they might know somebody who can teach you.
A lot of people don't advertise and teach a few people in their garage or teach privately like me.


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## Xue Sheng (Dec 7, 2012)

Zengatsu said:


> I have no interest for taekwando, karate and Kickboxing. I really just want to learn wing chun, but I guess I have no chance of doing that without a teacher. I guess i'll just follow a guide like P90X and get fit and hopefully wait until someone opens a wing chun school where I live.



I know the feeling but you may find that you like what you try or it may be a good place to start while you look and or wait. You are 16 and eventually you may be living somewhere else and there may be a Wing Chun School there. Try a lot of styles, don't just get stuck on one at your age. I locked onto Jujutsu when I was a kid and would train nothing else and in retrospect I missed training with some pretty impressive people, one of those was Mitsunari Kanai Sensei and another was Yang Jwing Ming.



mook jong man said:


> Have you got a China-town near you or at least some chinese restaurants.
> Might be worth asking around , a few Chinese guys I have taught have worked as waiters in Chinese restaurants.
> Or at least they might know somebody who can teach you.
> A lot of people don't advertise and teach a few people in their garage or teach privately like me.



Agreed, a lot of the older Chinese guys do not advertise at all. You would not know the Wing Chin guys I was working out with were even there if you did not know one of them and you would never know a 2nd generation Ip Man (Leung Sheung student) lineage ever taught there unless they told you.

You mentioned a restaurant and it made me think of the last time I was in Boston Chinatown having Dim Sum. I was sitting there eating and I saw something out of the corner of my eye. There was a place behind a screen where I think they kept tablecloths and things and one of the waiters was standing in there doing Siu Lim Tao


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## Zengatsu (Dec 7, 2012)

mook jong man said:


> Have you got a China-town near you or at least some chinese restaurants.
> Might be worth asking around , a few Chinese guys I have taught have worked as waiters in Chinese restaurants.
> Or at least they might know somebody who can teach you.
> A lot of people don't advertise and teach a few people in their garage or teach privately like me.



There is no "china-town" where I live. There isn't much asian culture where I live.


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## almost a ghost (Dec 7, 2012)

Zengatsu said:


> I would rather not say where I live, but i've checked different sites and forums, but found nothing. The closest I could get to a Wing Chun school is a 6 hour drive and its 4 hours a week.



That's too bad. Someone here may know of someone teaching who could just be walking distance from your house that doesn't have a website.


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## Zengatsu (Dec 7, 2012)

almost a ghost said:


> That's too bad. Someone here may know of someone teaching who could just be walking distance from your house that doesn't have a website.


Does anyone here live in Scandinavia?


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## Xue Sheng (Dec 7, 2012)

Zengatsu said:


> Does anyone here live in Scandinavia?



Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Finland :hmm: well that narrows it down to 16,639 sq miles (43,094 sq km) of a possible 57,308,738 Sq. Miles (148,429,000 Sq. Km)


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## Zengatsu (Dec 7, 2012)

Xue Sheng said:


> Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Finland :hmm: well that narrows it down to 16,639 sq miles (43,094 sq km) of a possible 57,308,738 Sq. Miles (148,429,000 Sq. Km)


Oh god. This hurt my head haha. 
Anyways, is there any books I could read while doing P90x? 
And would you recommend me doing P90x? I'm basically getting myself ready to start martial arts.


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## Xue Sheng (Dec 7, 2012)

I cannot recommend a book that will teach you Wing Chun but there are books abot Wing Chun that are a pretty good read that are by Ip Chun


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## Zengatsu (Dec 7, 2012)

Xue Sheng said:


> I cannot recommend a book that will teach you Wing Chun but there are books abot Wing Chun that are a pretty good read that are by Ip Chun


Any specific titles?
I wasn't looking to learn how to fight. Just understand how it works.


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## Xue Sheng (Dec 7, 2012)

You can't learn how it works from a book, for that you need a teacher

You can search Ip Chun and books, he did not write that many.


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## mook jong man (Dec 7, 2012)

I recommend my late Sifu's book.
But then again I would wouldn't I , the guy was my Master.


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## Takai (Dec 7, 2012)

Don't get too discouraged. It took me 15 years to find a WC instructor. In that time I have thoroughly enjoyed training in Tai Chi, Kenpo, Aikido and Arnis. Just because it isn't WC don't discount it. Try out a few other ones until you can find a WC instructor. As you become involved in the martial arts community you will start finding out about the people that don't advertise, teach out of their home, etc.

I found my sifu through a craigslist ad (he was selling his spare dummy), I have since found out about 2 other WC instructors in the area and neither of them advertise either. Just keep trying and looking. 

Enjoy the journey.


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## Argus (Dec 7, 2012)

I have to agree with the guys who say to look around and not discount other arts. Personally, I'd love to try out Aikido, Iaido, Kendo, or Judo (which I may be starting in the near future).

I would say to try finding people through meetup.com, or some other means of networking, but if you're not comfortable even giving your general location out (much less meeting up with someone) that might not work.


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## simplewc101 (Dec 16, 2012)

hey Zengatsu,

The guys here have said some good things. 
I recommend reading through all the threads here at martial talk to learn about the basics of Wing Chun.
There's a ton on info on here about principles, theories, techniques, and lineage.  

My opinion:
- focus on getting fit (maybe start for 2-3 months with P90X or Insanity)
             you can strive for(start slow):
                                                      run 5 mi (8.05km) in 40-60 minutes  4 times per week
                                                      run 3mi (4083km) in 18 min
                                                      20 pullups - no time limit (if you can't do five, have someone help you til youcan)
                                                      100 crunches in 2 minutes (start at 3 sets of 20)
                                                      70 pushups in 2 minutes (start at 2 sets of 20)
                                                      Jump rope for 30 - 60 minutes (start at 12 w/ 1 min break 2 times)
- find some class that teaches punching. It doesn't matter what it is, just learn how to punch right now. Take Muay Thai or Boxing or something. 

If you are set on learning Wing Chun move somewhere where there is a good teacher when you are old enough to do so.


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## wingtsun15 (Dec 16, 2012)

Hi this is a good book to learn WingTsun
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dynamic-Wing-Tsun-Kung-Fu/dp/9627284122


web site
www.startmartialarts.co.uk


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## Tez3 (Dec 16, 2012)

wingtsun15 said:


> Hi this is a good book to learn WingTsun
> http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dynamic-Wing-Tsun-Kung-Fu/dp/9627284122
> 
> 
> ...



Are you saying you can learn WC from a book? I've just gone over to JKD and despite over 20 years experience in martial arts I very much need an instructor to teach me. I understand the theories, the point of doing techniques in a certain way etc but dear me actually learning the techniques you very much need an instructor to show you. I'm enjoying the challenge but I believe WC would be very difficult to learn from a book especially for a beginner.


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## WC_lun (Dec 16, 2012)

You cannot really know how Wing Chun works through books.  You can get mistaken ideas until you actually feel it. No replacement for experiencing something.


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## wtxs (Dec 17, 2012)

Tez3 said:


> *Are you saying you can learn WC from a book?* I've just gone over to JKD and despite over 20 years experience in martial arts I very much need an instructor to teach me. I understand the theories, the point of doing techniques in a certain way etc but dear me actually learning the techniques you very much need an instructor to show you. I'm enjoying the challenge but I believe WC would be very difficult to learn from a book especially for a beginner.



Allow me to fix that ...



wingtsun15 said:


> Hi this is a good book to learn *more about* WingTsun
> http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dynamic-Wing-Tsun-Kung-Fu/dp/9627284122
> 
> web site
> www.startmartialarts.co.uk


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## hjb wing chun (Feb 15, 2013)

Zengatsu said:


> Hi, I would really like to learn Wing Chun, but I really have no idea how. I'm 100% determened to learn Wing Chun. The problem is that there are no Wing Chun schools where I live. How would I possibly learn Wing Chun? Is there any books or something you guys recommend? I can't afford a wooden dummy. I really have no idea on what to do. Please help me out guys.
> 
> I'm 16 years old with no martial arts experience. I'm also a little chubby so I get easily tired. I have had bad health the past 2 years. ( 25% bodyfat )
> 
> Basically; I'm a fat loser that wants to learn Wing chun. No schools where I live and can't afford a wooden dummy. What to do?



You're not a loser. Lose the negativity. Won't help you in Wing Chun or life. Just move forward and work hard. It will stink while you're doing it but you'll feel better after.

You can build a wooden dummy for cheap. Check out you tube; there are multiple ones. Some branches use the dummy only to teach the hands; but the vast majority of schools teach the 3 forms, dummy, pole swords, etc. You can learn from working with the dummy but it will be limited. You would also not be able to grasp a bunch of concepts that someone can teach you hand to hand. If you're really that interested I can post some videos as I am teaching my friends, but you're going to learn way faster working with someone. At minimum you will need a training partner. The less attitude they have, the better.

Let me know if you're interested.


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## geezer (Feb 15, 2013)

Hey, HJB, _Welcome to the forum_. With your positive outlook, you'll fit right in here. We're the WC/VT/WT forum where people actually get along and try to foster some mutual respect. BTW on another post you talked about striking to the throat with "bil tzes and sats". "Sats" (Sat-sau/Shat-sau, Shat-geng-sau) isn't a term I've heard used a lot except in groups coming out of a WT background. On the other hand "bil tze" is a spelling used by the TWC people, isn't it? What's your lineage?


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## hjb wing chun (Feb 15, 2013)

geezer said:


> Hey, HJB, _Welcome to the forum_. With your positive outlook, you'll fit right in here. We're the WC/VT/WT forum where people actually get along and try to foster some mutual respect. BTW on another post you talked about striking to the throat with "bil tzes and sats". "Sats" (Sat-sau/Shat-sau, Shat-geng-sau) isn't a term I've heard used a lot except in groups coming out of a WT background. On the other hand "bil tze" is a spelling used by the TWC people, isn't it? What's your lineage?



Thanks for the welcome. Sat gang sau=throat cutting hands; the hit with to the neck with the cutting edge of the hand. Same as Shat-geng-sau or apparently also known as fak sau. I was taught by 2 students of Jason Lau; they were Eddie Berger and Rob Bailey. Later I trained with Jason Lau for about a year. Jason's given Chinese name is Lau Wai; he learned from Jiu Wan, who studied under Yip Man.


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## Wingsingh (Mar 3, 2013)

Hi Zengatsu. If you search Master Wong on YouTube, he's got various free wing Chun lessons you can learn from. Likes other have said self-learning is not ideal but if you put some time in you'll definitely gain some benefits. Good luck to you.


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