new to wing chun
- Thread starter matsu
- Start date
dungeonworks
Black Belt
Matsu, I did Koei-Kan-Karate-Do founded by Eizo Onishi (link). It has some Isshinryu influences I am told but I never trained in the style itself. I was referring to the only styles around my town when I was young and starting. The only schools within my reach to train at back then were Tae Kwon Do, Tang Soo Do, Ishinryu, and Koei-Kan. I started in TKD and then switched to Koeikan-Karate-Do under Sensei Inasio Anzures for about 6 yrs. I started after he broke away from the Koei-Kan group so the Koei-Kan I learned was a little different in the way of tighter stances and increased footwork. Sensei was a kickboxer and thus a lot of our sparring was heavily influenced in that respect as well as boxing influenced. We still did Bogu sparring (full contact karate with bogu helmet) and the katas in the Koei-kan system, but kickboxing was where my heart was at so naturally I really focused on it. Koei-Kan is a great system of karate in my opinion and it has worked for me in a few situations, specifically the throws which are from Judo and especially my striking I learned there. It worked well for my body type 5'10" 205 lbs (back then!!! :burp
. Now, a shoulder injury, 25 lbs, and a few yrs older, Wing Chun is filling in the gaps and arming me with things an aging body can handle more adequately than Koei-Kan/Kickboxing did in my 20's. I did like Tae Kwon Do too and I still to this day appreciate the value of their kicking techniques, but as a style by itself, I feel my agility is not where it should be to get the most from it or as much as I could as younger guy. For the most part, I feel some styles are just better suited for specific builds and athletic levels, and that is just my opinion. My attitude is that of a life long student and I think most every style has at least something to gain from it but the practitioner will thrive most in a style that physical attributes and athletic ability as well as natural tendencies/instincts fit the style. I think their is a style for each of us and we just need to find it. I really like what I am seeing and learning so far in Wing Chun and my training group is a mix of some very good people to be around, not unlike my Koei-Kan days.
Later Matsu
Gary
thnaks gary for taking the time to answer.
thats a very mixed bag of tricks you carry with you.
the ishin ryu i started with was under sensei simon kidd and sensei ticky donovan who i believed developed it as a pure competition fighting style.
ticky donovan was a prolific fighter and he was part of the english team that beat japan on their own soil. he then managed the british team for amny yrs and was hugely successful.
i stopped thru injury and work commitments.but loved the constant sparring aspect.
then i started shotkan a few yrs later back to white belt and graded thru to brown belt. but i was never gonna make black belt my hips and low back would never let me be as dynamic or controlled in my high kicks as needed to be.
i can get the high kick even now but its a single technique i cannot recover from quickly enough to repeat or change to another successfully.
i also missed the sparring as we didnt do that much,probably only as a competition approached. weird tho as one of the instructors was a devastating competitive fighter!
i too love watching tkd for its kicks but i think i have found the thing for me.
i just hope i can do wing chun justice. i love it and it has become a very dominant aspect in my everyday thinking.
and every spare sec at work sees me doing something in mini practice,mush to my co workers abuse and mickey taking.
i am trying to read and watch everything i can but as the lineage changes and the styles vary from club to club it is confusing at times.
again thank you for your input.
matsu
thats a very mixed bag of tricks you carry with you.
the ishin ryu i started with was under sensei simon kidd and sensei ticky donovan who i believed developed it as a pure competition fighting style.
ticky donovan was a prolific fighter and he was part of the english team that beat japan on their own soil. he then managed the british team for amny yrs and was hugely successful.
i stopped thru injury and work commitments.but loved the constant sparring aspect.
then i started shotkan a few yrs later back to white belt and graded thru to brown belt. but i was never gonna make black belt my hips and low back would never let me be as dynamic or controlled in my high kicks as needed to be.
i can get the high kick even now but its a single technique i cannot recover from quickly enough to repeat or change to another successfully.
i also missed the sparring as we didnt do that much,probably only as a competition approached. weird tho as one of the instructors was a devastating competitive fighter!
i too love watching tkd for its kicks but i think i have found the thing for me.
i just hope i can do wing chun justice. i love it and it has become a very dominant aspect in my everyday thinking.
and every spare sec at work sees me doing something in mini practice,mush to my co workers abuse and mickey taking.
i am trying to read and watch everything i can but as the lineage changes and the styles vary from club to club it is confusing at times.
again thank you for your input.
matsu
Getting a bit back to topic.....
The two styles (karate and wing chun) have always been considered as two sides of the coin
One is a hard style
One is a soft relaxed style
Yet what people miss is that together, they compliment very well
They allow people to develop both hard and soft energy. Fight both long and short range. And develop all the muscles in your body
If you are just a soft fighter, you will get stuck
If you are just a hard fighter, you will get stuck
It is nice to have both ways of fighting under your belt
Bruce Lee started exploring this towards the end of his life
The two styles (karate and wing chun) have always been considered as two sides of the coin
One is a hard style
One is a soft relaxed style
Yet what people miss is that together, they compliment very well
They allow people to develop both hard and soft energy. Fight both long and short range. And develop all the muscles in your body
If you are just a soft fighter, you will get stuck
If you are just a hard fighter, you will get stuck
It is nice to have both ways of fighting under your belt
Bruce Lee started exploring this towards the end of his life
dungeonworks
Black Belt
The Isshinryu I mentioned was the traditional Okinawan style. Sounds like we're on the same road Matsu. It is fast becoming an addiction for me and I too have my past Karate work around to learn Wing Chun....especially the "reeelaaaaax" part or it. If I had a dime for every time I hear that in class!
dungeonworks
Black Belt
Very well put Kamon Guy. My Sifu is of the same opinion and that is exactly the mind frame I am in. I have no intention of cross training outside of Wing Chun until I can dial in my structure and become more fluid in it. Between that and doing 2-3 things at once, my work is cut out for me so to speak.
LoneRider
Purple Belt
evening guys.
i have just started wing chun under sifu tony and master james sinclair at their headquartes in essex england.things are going well so far.... i think
having done both shotokan and ishinryu karate for nearly 10 yrs i am not sure wether it is andvantage or not having previous knowledge.
so any advice members have will be handy.
i am borderline ocd with anything i do so the science and body mechanics of wing chun facinate me. i have a few dvds and books and am very confused with the differences coming thru via different schools of thought anf forms etc.
i believe i have found the best school around my area and my sifu is particualrly patient with me for which i am grateful.
i get my wall bag monday yay!!!
please- any help muchly appreciated.
matsu
england
Well previous experience can be both helpful and hurtful. My line of Wing Chun is from Yip Man's line and my previous Martial Arts experience (on this post: http://martialtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=62330) helped in the conditioning area, and how to counter various styles out there. It was a little problematic at first because there were quite a few concepts that were a little foreign to me. At the time I first started Wing Chun (2.5 years ago) I had recently had two years of Western Boxing under my belt. Some of my bad habits included elbow distance too close and lapsing into old sport boxing habits.
Anything from Yip Man's line of Wing Chun are the best books to read. But as you get better founded in your art, be sure to research other arts and other systems others may use against you in a fight.
Regards,
Lone Rider
I'm in the same boat too. Done nigh on 20 years of Shotokan and then Goju before branching out. When WC found me I struggled with it to say the least, not the moves they were easy to learn it was the drills, the sensitivity and the changing energies. Unfortunately my WC instructor does not teach me anymore and I am left with just the moves yet it is the sensitivity and energy control that I really wanted to master and the only way I can see to do this is with a knowledgeable partner.
With your previous knowledge I just think it allows you to make your WC more your own.
With your previous knowledge I just think it allows you to make your WC more your own.
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