Had to move out of state, leaving my kwoon. Questions , and some advice needed.

[BlazingSun]

Hello guys, I'm new here to martial talk so go easy on me.

I recently left my kwoon that teaches Hung Gar, Tai Chi, Hsing I and of course, Wing Chun.
I'm only a yellow sash, so I have a long way to go, I will be in Oregon for the next 6 - 9 months and the only wing chun nearby is at least an hour drive to and from. What with work and all it will be hard for me to make the time to get there.

My question is simple. In your opinion, what should I practice? What should I hone while im away from my brothers and sisters?

Another question I have, and I dont think this is true, but I heard that there is a northern style of Wing Chun? I believe this to be false, as my kwoon is all southern style kung fu. Just to confirm, there is no northern style wing chun correct?

As far as advice goes, just any general tips you guys have would be greatly appreciated. I love and respect wing chun, and respect that there are many lineages and branches, so it's hard for me to go from my secluded style in Utah, to watching videos on the internet.

Thank you.


(PS. My kwoon teaches Hong Kong style wing chun to beginners, and further down the road it teaches Pan Nam wing chun, I am no where NEAR learning the Pan Nam style yet.)

 

[geezer]

Hello guys, I'm new here to martial talk so go easy on me.

I recently left my kwoon that teaches Hung Gar, Tai Chi, Hsing I and of course, Wing Chun.
I'm only a yellow sash, so I have a long way to go, I will be in Oregon for the next 6 - 9 months and the only wing chun nearby is at least an hour drive to and from. What with work and all it will be hard for me to make the time to get there.

My question is simple. In your opinion, what should I practice? What should I hone while im away from my brothers and sisters?

Another question I have, and I dont think this is true, but I heard that there is a northern style of Wing Chun? I believe this to be false, as my kwoon is all southern style kung fu. Just to confirm, there is no northern style wing chun correct?

As far as advice goes, just any general tips you guys have would be greatly appreciated. I love and respect wing chun, and respect that there are many lineages and branches, so it's hard for me to go from my secluded style in Utah, to watching videos on the internet.

Thank you.


(PS. My kwoon teaches Hong Kong style wing chun to beginners, and further down the road it teaches Pan Nam wing chun, I am no where NEAR learning the Pan Nam style yet.)

Proper Wing Chun is a life-long pursuit, whether you study one of the branches of Yip Man lineage from Hong Kong or one of the mainland lineages such as Pan Nam, Gu Lo, or whatever. An accomplished practitioner with many years invested might benefit from studying more than one branch, but I'd rather find one good one and devote my time to it. There's enough depth in the one WC system I study to keep me busy for the rest of my life!

On the other hand, to teach by starting students with one lineage as a base and switching to another when they advance seems odd. As does teaching Hung Gar with Wing Chun. The two have numerous areas of contradiction. Learning both would not seem optimal to me.

Incidentally, I do support investigating other arts, and endorse cross training when there is no fundamental contradiction between the arts and a student has a firm grasp of their core system. But not blending systems that have basic conflicts. For example, I have a long time in the Filipino martial arts, and the particular branch of Escrima I practice is quite compatible with my WC. It's not a perfect match, but a good one never the less.

Now in response to your original question, look around when you get to Oregon. A lot of good WC people teach in backyards, garages and basements flying "under the radar". You might find somebody worthwhile in your area.

 

[Kwan Sau]

a lot of good wc people teach in backyards, garages and basements flying "under the radar". You might find somebody worthwhile in your area.

most definitely agree with geezer on this!!!

 

[wingchun100]

Hello guys, I'm new here to martial talk so go easy on me.

I recently left my kwoon that teaches Hung Gar, Tai Chi, Hsing I and of course, Wing Chun.
I'm only a yellow sash, so I have a long way to go, I will be in Oregon for the next 6 - 9 months and the only wing chun nearby is at least an hour drive to and from. What with work and all it will be hard for me to make the time to get there.

My question is simple. In your opinion, what should I practice? What should I hone while im away from my brothers and sisters?

Another question I have, and I dont think this is true, but I heard that there is a northern style of Wing Chun? I believe this to be false, as my kwoon is all southern style kung fu. Just to confirm, there is no northern style wing chun correct?

As far as advice goes, just any general tips you guys have would be greatly appreciated. I love and respect wing chun, and respect that there are many lineages and branches, so it's hard for me to go from my secluded style in Utah, to watching videos on the internet.

Thank you.


(PS. My kwoon teaches Hong Kong style wing chun to beginners, and further down the road it teaches Pan Nam wing chun, I am no where NEAR learning the Pan Nam style yet.)

I don't know what the sashes mean in your school, so I can't speak on that. However, I'd say post on Craigslist and explain your situation: you want to keep training, but the times at that school don't work for you. Just be careful of bad egos...and the next Craigslist Killer!

In all seriousness though, practice/refine your forms. Practice punching a target (not human!). Sink into your stance whenever you can. Do your blocks in the air or against something. I like to practice my pak saos by standing in doorways and slapping the wall. There is a lot you can do on your own, even if you can't learn anything new.

 

[mograph]

Yep. If you can't find anything, don't be downhearted. Presumably, you've learned a few fundamentals that you need to practice ... over and over. If you know the direction in which you need to go, and can hear your sifu's words in your head ("relax," "stand straight" or whatever), you should be able to practice. Look at it another way: this could be a golden opportunity to refine fundamentals without distractions ... old school.

When you return, you may find that you were not exposed to new techniques, but your fundamentals might be much better than those of your colleagues because they might have moved on to new skills prematurely ... because Sifu felt the need to keep them engaged with new material. But rock-solid fundamentals are like money in the bank.

I made a lot of suppositions there ... hope that helped.

 

[Takai]

Hello guys, I'm new here to martial talk so go easy on me.

I recently left my kwoon that teaches Hung Gar, Tai Chi, Hsing I and of course, Wing Chun.
I'm only a yellow sash, so I have a long way to go, I will be in Oregon for the next 6 - 9 months and the only wing chun nearby is at least an hour drive to and from. What with work and all it will be hard for me to make the time to get there.

My question is simple. In your opinion, what should I practice? What should I hone while im away from my brothers and sisters?

Another question I have, and I dont think this is true, but I heard that there is a northern style of Wing Chun? I believe this to be false, as my kwoon is all southern style kung fu. Just to confirm, there is no northern style wing chun correct?

As far as advice goes, just any general tips you guys have would be greatly appreciated. I love and respect wing chun, and respect that there are many lineages and branches, so it's hard for me to go from my secluded style in Utah, to watching videos on the internet.

Thank you.


(PS. My kwoon teaches Hong Kong style wing chun to beginners, and further down the road it teaches Pan Nam wing chun, I am no where NEAR learning the Pan Nam style yet.)

Where in Oregon will you be?

 

[BlazingSun]

Proper Wing Chun is a life-long pursuit, whether you study one of the branches of Yip Man lineage from Hong Kong or one of the mainland lineages such as Pan Nam, Gu Lo, or whatever. An accomplished practitioner with many years invested might benefit from studying more than one branch, but I'd rather find one good one and devote my time to it. There's enough depth in the one WC system I study to keep me busy for the rest of my life!

On the other hand, to teach by starting students with one lineage as a base and switching to another when they advance seems odd. As does teaching Hung Gar with Wing Chun. The two have numerous areas of contradiction. Learning both would not seem optimal to me.

Incidentally, I do support investigating other arts, and endorse cross training when there is no fundamental contradiction between the arts and a student has a firm grasp of their core system. But not blending systems that have basic conflicts. For example, I have a long time in the Filipino martial arts, and the particular branch of Escrima I practice is quite compatible with my WC. It's not a perfect match, but a good one never the less.

Now in response to your original question, look around when you get to Oregon. A lot of good WC people teach in backyards, garages and basements flying "under the radar". You might find somebody worthwhile in your area.

Prehaps I worded this wrong. They dont teach hung gar WITH wing chun. You choose which style you want.

I like the objective view of the community here so far. Thank you.
I agree as far as fundamentals and basics goes I mean... can you EVER practice them enough? of course not. Im just worried to watch videos and go off a different road because the lineage is different, I would love to stick with mine completely.

 

[BlazingSun]

Where in Oregon will you be?

Sorry to double post, Im in Salem, OR

 

[wingchun100]

Prehaps I worded this wrong. They dont teach hung gar WITH wing chun. You choose which style you want.

I like the objective view of the community here so far. Thank you.
I agree as far as fundamentals and basics goes I mean... can you EVER practice them enough? of course not. Im just worried to watch videos and go off a different road because the lineage is different, I would love to stick with mine completely.

My wing chun school doesn't have sashes. Could you explain to me the ranking and what your sash means? Also, not that this is indicative of whether or not you are a good wing chun practitioner, but what forms do you know?

 

[Takai]

Sorry to double post, Im in Salem, OR

PM sent.

 

[BlazingSun]

My wing chun school doesn't have sashes. Could you explain to me the ranking and what your sash means? Also, not that this is indicative of whether or not you are a good wing chun practitioner, but what forms do you know?

As far as sashes go, yellow sash is the 2nd sash, the first being white. Ive only been at it for a little over a year. I know all Siu Nim Tao and thats it, a few movements on the mook jan but no where near the 108 movements.