Reading through these posting I find a lot that I agree with, I also find a lot of misconceptions about classical Wing Chun. Our perceptions of classical Wing Chun largely come from Yip Man's lineage. Now this isnt to disparage this lineage, but, their function and approach is very specific. It became very popular very fast and was emulated by other branches because of its commercial success. I want to state that for the record, that some traditional CMA's still do and have always emphasized the full array of skills that laid the foundation of Sanda through deployment of Ti, Da, Shuai, Na. I was fortunate enough to have studied under individuals that emphasized Qinna theory. Now most people associate Qinna with grappling, but this is a fallacy, Qinna theory actually incorporates the full array of fighting methods. These include: Separating the Muscle, Tearing Muscle, Misplacing the Bone, Vein Seizing and Strangulation, and Cavity Press. The way all these methods are achieved are through Ti (Kicking), Da (Striking), Shuai (Throwing) & Na (Seizing). Qinna theory states that every major movement of a form has the application of each Qinna method contained within them. The problem lies in the fact that few truly understand the theory or know how to extrapolate the application from the movement and focus solely on what they believe to be obvious and refuse to believe that there are other applications to the movement that contradict their initial belief of what it represents. This is the true understanding of a conceptual martial art. All the elements are there if you take the time to look and truly understand what it is that you are doing. Once understood there is no need to force a strategy upon a movement to support a narrative of a pigeon holed belief. Now a Bong Sau becomes something more than a sweeping parry, it becomes a choke, an elbow strike or a lock, Tan Sau becomes a strike, choke or fundamental set up for a throw, etc. The forms purpose is to act as an encyclopedia of information that is to be extrapolated and then put into use. It is a guideline only, not something written is stone to be blindly adhered to as the only representation of movement, use, structure and form, it is a BASIC idea. Some CMA's contain no structured forms in their system thus allowing for numerous interpretations of their theory, Wing Chun is no different. It's the lineage masters that limit the system, it's not the systems that are limited. When looked at from this perspective and approached from this philosophy, CMA's can be very practical and effective methods that allow for numerous interpretations based on personal preference without sacrificing traditional integrity. In this aspect, cross training now serves to strengthen personal weakness and help one to better understand methods like boxing or grappling that emphasize and specialize in a specific aspect.
