āWe all want Wing Chun to kick *** when used in open sparring matches, and that simply doesn't happen. Maybe we have the wrong expectations? Maybe Wing Chun was never intended for that kind of fighting? Then what was it intended for? When the answer to that question is somewhat unclear, then questions as to whether today's Wing Chun has "gone off course" are going to naturally appear.ā
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I was criticized for asking these questions in another thread although I believe that person misread my question. Anyway being new to WC my opinion may not amount to much, and maybe Iām putting the cart before the horse being I have only practiced WC for a little over two months. Coming from a boxing background and playing sports all my life, I felt WC was uniquely different than anything I have done before.
The questions KPM posted above are good questions. There are different ways to look at it. And letās be honest here, WC is a highly criticized art, for better or worse. BJJ/Muay Thai/wrestling all donāt share this common theme of effectiveness.
It could very well be just an inferior art by design or it could be that itās just not for combat sport. I personally think itās more of an art for close combat efficiency.
Why do we see so many people modify it? I have to say I now believe that WC should remain strictly as WC. I am training WC bc I like certain aspects of it, but in all honesty if I were to get into a real fight my Kung Fu is boxing. In time if I become better at WC maybe that will be my Kung Fu.
I recently bought a Muay Thai heavy back to work with my kicks. I went to an MMA gym and took a few MT classes. I feel I can learn the basics of MT on my own. To me itās a very simple but effective art, like boxing.
My issue will be whether I can learn WC and retain what I know in boxing as they are to me very different. I could potentially become a worse fighter learning WC for all I know.
Iām studying WC as a hobby. All of this is a hobby to me. If I was really serious about fighting Iād learn BJJ/wrestling and keep up with Muay Thai.
I enjoy the movements and forms of WC Kung Fu. Itās fun. I do think it can be effective and I also think itās a good art for older folks. Iām 41 and think WC is a good art to learn as you age.
Here are some videos I thought were good representations of WC and fighting another style. I shared these before.
If you YouTube āWing Chun vs Karateā youāll find several of these videos.