James Smith
Yellow Belt
Hello and nice to meet everyone,
Please forgive me if this is post isn't extremely organized because I am a bit nervous but also excited so I have a lot to say.
I have been reading these forums for at least a month now and I find really good information here. I was inspired to research Wing Chun because I saw the movie Ip Man. Through reading the posts on here, I found that it is a good art because the concepts are simple to pickup but hard to perfect - sounds like a good fit for me because I'd rather learn the basics and try to perfect them rather than learn 1,000 techniques for each specific situation.
A few years back i wanted to learn TKD because there was a dojo by my house but I researched it and realized it would be hard to apply with my body and it seems like it is more for show than for self defense. I don't think it is right to learn something just because it is close to my house either.
There are quite a few reason why I want to learn/practice Wing Chun. I am a lanky built person (5'10 155lbs) and although I'm in good cardiovascular shape, my strength is lacking. Wing Chun doesn't figure strength into the equation and I like that very much. If someone were to ever sneak up on me in a parking lot I would be at a big disadvantage because of how my body is built. I don't want to use Wing Chun to be aggressive but I would like to feel safe and more confident in a confrontation.
Right now, I spend most of time before/after work playing video games and doing that isn't going to help me better myself. It will be nice to have a skill that I could build and have real world applications with and also make some friends who share my passion. I really really (emphasis on really lol) have no self-confidence and I think learning Wing Chun would help me feel better about myself. I've read a lot of stories where Wing Chun has helped people overcome their problems (I am not expecting a magic wand but I know this will help a lot). My lack of confidence makes me worry a lot about defending myself but I don't want a gun or any weapons to protect me.
My friends pick me whenever I bring a girl around. They try to embarass me in front of her and when I try to make them leave me alone they just laugh. I don't want to beat them up but just make one of them realize that I'm not a target anymore and then they'll think twice about picking on me, even if they are only joking. They are really great friends though and the other point I wanted to make regarding friends is that when someone who is not a friend tries to have a confrontation with me, my friends always protect me then the person waits until my friends are not around to really make me feel bad (physically or emotionally) - I don't want to always have to rely on my friends to defend me!
When I was watching Ip Man and he was hitting the wooden dummy I thought that was the coolest thing ever. He wasn't trying to bust a sandbag open or break bricks like some martial arts tend to obsess over. It just seemed like he was in a zone making motions and almost being relaxed rather than angry with fists clenched and yelling during attacks. I'm not worried about the dummy though because I know that doesn't come until much later in training! The movie Ip Man led me to research videos on youtube of Ip Ching, which led me to Samuel Kwok, and then videos of the students in Kwok's school applying their knowledge to real world scenarios. I was suprised when I watched the videos of practical applications for Wing Chun and this girl, probably with a similar skinny build like me, was taking down an opponent much bigger/stronger and during one scenario she got him with really fast chain punches - it blew my mind! I thought those fast chain punches were something that could only be found in a movie and used for show, like when Donnie Yen played Ip Man.
Sorry making a long introduction maybe I should save my excitement for another time and get down to business. This is where I need advice of as many of the professionals on this board as possible. I found a Wing Chun dojo/school about 30 minutes away from my house. I am thinking about making a visit there on one of my days off work to hopefully observe a class. Before I call them and make an arrangement for a visit, I am curious about a few things:
---
Lineage of the Master: (http://www.wing-chun.nu/cwc_lineage.htm)
---
- I know who Yip Man is and I did some research on Leung Sheung. I am hoping someone has experience with a Master who trained under Leung Sheung -- specifically Kenneth Chung if possible -- to let me know if they are satisfied with that lineage or did you not like it and try a different lineage? I am not sure how well known is Kenneth Chung and I really couldn't find any information on Carl Dechlara.
- I may not understand lineage correctly so I'm hoping to be corrected if wrong, which I probably am, in the following assumption: Does being further down the lineage mean the person is less skilled with every step down? The reason I ask is as I got further down the chain, after Yip Man, doing research it seemed like less and less information was available about each person.
---
Cost of Wing Chun
---
- Is there a set price or suggested price for training classes? There is only one school in the area but I'd rather not train if it will be extremely expensive compared to the average school.
---
Warning Signs of Bad Master
---
- I do not mean to be disrespectful because if someone received permission from their Master to open a dojo (I think that is how it works) then they must be good. However, since I know nothing about Wing Chun cirriculum, I'm wondering if there is a correct sequence to learn the basics.
---
Manners during a visit
---
- I will be really excited to call and ask to come visit but I don't know if there are certain rules or etiquette that I should follow when making a visit. What would make you look favorably at a visitor of a dojo that you own, or train at?
Again, I am very sorry for the lengthy post and I am sure I left some things out but I feel like learning Wing Chun will give me more confidence in myself, which will make me feel more independent. I will go search the forums again making sure that these questions haven't been asked a million times but the reason I really wanted to make a post is to be very personal so maybe the responses could be different than normal advice, if there is a such thing, based on my situation.
Thanks very much and I look forward to continue to read all the information this community has to offer and try to keep my posts to a minimum! I haven't scheduled a visit yet but I figured I would try to get some of my fears out of the way before I make myself look like an idiot during a visit or phone conversation with the Master. I feel like I would be a very good student because, although I may not have a previous background or natural talent for martial arts, I really enjoy learning and researching knowing that I will better myself as a result.
Please forgive me if this is post isn't extremely organized because I am a bit nervous but also excited so I have a lot to say.
I have been reading these forums for at least a month now and I find really good information here. I was inspired to research Wing Chun because I saw the movie Ip Man. Through reading the posts on here, I found that it is a good art because the concepts are simple to pickup but hard to perfect - sounds like a good fit for me because I'd rather learn the basics and try to perfect them rather than learn 1,000 techniques for each specific situation.
A few years back i wanted to learn TKD because there was a dojo by my house but I researched it and realized it would be hard to apply with my body and it seems like it is more for show than for self defense. I don't think it is right to learn something just because it is close to my house either.
There are quite a few reason why I want to learn/practice Wing Chun. I am a lanky built person (5'10 155lbs) and although I'm in good cardiovascular shape, my strength is lacking. Wing Chun doesn't figure strength into the equation and I like that very much. If someone were to ever sneak up on me in a parking lot I would be at a big disadvantage because of how my body is built. I don't want to use Wing Chun to be aggressive but I would like to feel safe and more confident in a confrontation.
Right now, I spend most of time before/after work playing video games and doing that isn't going to help me better myself. It will be nice to have a skill that I could build and have real world applications with and also make some friends who share my passion. I really really (emphasis on really lol) have no self-confidence and I think learning Wing Chun would help me feel better about myself. I've read a lot of stories where Wing Chun has helped people overcome their problems (I am not expecting a magic wand but I know this will help a lot). My lack of confidence makes me worry a lot about defending myself but I don't want a gun or any weapons to protect me.
My friends pick me whenever I bring a girl around. They try to embarass me in front of her and when I try to make them leave me alone they just laugh. I don't want to beat them up but just make one of them realize that I'm not a target anymore and then they'll think twice about picking on me, even if they are only joking. They are really great friends though and the other point I wanted to make regarding friends is that when someone who is not a friend tries to have a confrontation with me, my friends always protect me then the person waits until my friends are not around to really make me feel bad (physically or emotionally) - I don't want to always have to rely on my friends to defend me!
When I was watching Ip Man and he was hitting the wooden dummy I thought that was the coolest thing ever. He wasn't trying to bust a sandbag open or break bricks like some martial arts tend to obsess over. It just seemed like he was in a zone making motions and almost being relaxed rather than angry with fists clenched and yelling during attacks. I'm not worried about the dummy though because I know that doesn't come until much later in training! The movie Ip Man led me to research videos on youtube of Ip Ching, which led me to Samuel Kwok, and then videos of the students in Kwok's school applying their knowledge to real world scenarios. I was suprised when I watched the videos of practical applications for Wing Chun and this girl, probably with a similar skinny build like me, was taking down an opponent much bigger/stronger and during one scenario she got him with really fast chain punches - it blew my mind! I thought those fast chain punches were something that could only be found in a movie and used for show, like when Donnie Yen played Ip Man.
Sorry making a long introduction maybe I should save my excitement for another time and get down to business. This is where I need advice of as many of the professionals on this board as possible. I found a Wing Chun dojo/school about 30 minutes away from my house. I am thinking about making a visit there on one of my days off work to hopefully observe a class. Before I call them and make an arrangement for a visit, I am curious about a few things:
---
Lineage of the Master: (http://www.wing-chun.nu/cwc_lineage.htm)
---
- I know who Yip Man is and I did some research on Leung Sheung. I am hoping someone has experience with a Master who trained under Leung Sheung -- specifically Kenneth Chung if possible -- to let me know if they are satisfied with that lineage or did you not like it and try a different lineage? I am not sure how well known is Kenneth Chung and I really couldn't find any information on Carl Dechlara.
- I may not understand lineage correctly so I'm hoping to be corrected if wrong, which I probably am, in the following assumption: Does being further down the lineage mean the person is less skilled with every step down? The reason I ask is as I got further down the chain, after Yip Man, doing research it seemed like less and less information was available about each person.
---
Cost of Wing Chun
---
- Is there a set price or suggested price for training classes? There is only one school in the area but I'd rather not train if it will be extremely expensive compared to the average school.
---
Warning Signs of Bad Master
---
- I do not mean to be disrespectful because if someone received permission from their Master to open a dojo (I think that is how it works) then they must be good. However, since I know nothing about Wing Chun cirriculum, I'm wondering if there is a correct sequence to learn the basics.
---
Manners during a visit
---
- I will be really excited to call and ask to come visit but I don't know if there are certain rules or etiquette that I should follow when making a visit. What would make you look favorably at a visitor of a dojo that you own, or train at?
Again, I am very sorry for the lengthy post and I am sure I left some things out but I feel like learning Wing Chun will give me more confidence in myself, which will make me feel more independent. I will go search the forums again making sure that these questions haven't been asked a million times but the reason I really wanted to make a post is to be very personal so maybe the responses could be different than normal advice, if there is a such thing, based on my situation.
Thanks very much and I look forward to continue to read all the information this community has to offer and try to keep my posts to a minimum! I haven't scheduled a visit yet but I figured I would try to get some of my fears out of the way before I make myself look like an idiot during a visit or phone conversation with the Master. I feel like I would be a very good student because, although I may not have a previous background or natural talent for martial arts, I really enjoy learning and researching knowing that I will better myself as a result.
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. The dojo is in Canton, OH. I'm not sure when I will be able to attend a class or make a visit but I will give an update when the time comes. Thanks again for the responses!
