Some sort of guidance needed

[galuf]

Hi, I'm new here. This is the thing, I want to learn Wing Chun and stick to it till I die, however there are no Wing Chun schools in my city and I've contacted almost all of the kung fu teachers in my city and they tell me it's practically impossible, only one teacher said he would teach me some of the Wing Chun he knows if I got far in Chang Quan (what he teaches)...
I haven't learned any MA yet, I'm 22 and I just started working out (I wanted condition to be better at WC classes, I'm somewhat short, thin and lazy) and it seems my WC goal will have to wait, cause even if I've been reading a lot about it and watched videos, it's useless if I can't train with anyone who could see mistakes I don't.
So, enough story, my question is what would you recommend me to learn in the meantime? I thought about some taijiquan (yang style) and chi kung, however if I ever had to fight I wouldn't want to use that, I want to learn these two for health and mental purposes. I hope you can help.

 

[WC_lun]

Chi kung is not a style of fighting. It is breathing excercise and most kung fu systems incorporate it, including Tai Chi.

My advice would be to train in something you will enjoy. I understand you want to train in Wing Chun, but if it isn't available, that isn't an option. So what is second choice? Keep in mind that your teacher and how he trains his system will mean much more than the system itself, for now. So visit some schools and talk to some teachers. What school and teaching method that is available to you will help you reach your goals? Which teacher would you want to spend many hours a week with?

What part of the world are you in? Perhaps a forum member lives around you and knows someone.

Good luck in your training!

 

[Bill Shaw]

Dear galuf, With Wing Chun especially, it's not just a matter of mistakes seen, but also erroneous energies (pressures etc) felt.

WC_lun offers sound advise. I too, urge you to look for a school and get started. You mentioned that you have read a lot about Wing Chun.. if you keep some of the basic Wing Chun principles in mind as you query potential instructors it may aid you in a good choice.

 

[yak sao]

There's wing chun to be found...sometimes you may have to look for it a little harder than other types of MA.
Many schools are located in basements, garages and parks. Don't let the fact that these aren't commercial schools scare you away. Many times, these are the better ones.
Also, you may have to do a bit of travelling to find a teacher. If you do have to travel, perhaps you can find someone who would teach you for several hours on a given weekend once or twice a month.
I would also suggest finding a buddy who is willing to start this with you so you will have a training partner.

Where are you located....maybe someone here can lend a hand?

 

[Bill Shaw]

Yak sao gives great advice, sorry I missed that.. In my 40 plus years I've found the most unbelievably talented and knowledgeable people in such unpretentious locations... and I know several people that drive 2 hours one way just to train under their selected instructor... heck WAY back in my college days, i used to.. Lots of times too, someone else near you is already doing the long distance thing, and even though they might be only an intermediate, they would love to get you started... just to ha e someone to practice with.. A good start, like yak sao suggested, is let it be known here, where you are & what you are looking for... you just could get a nice surprise..

 

[cwk]

you might want to try to learn a fighting sport like boxing,muay thai or sanda. You will gain skills like timing, range, footwork,angles,etc and get to spar a lot, all of which will come in handy when you finally find a wing chun instructor. Doing a lot of sparring and knowing how to fight will also help you to recognize the WC teachers that have the goods from the BS theory masters.

 

[Domino]

I like what he said. ^^^

Where are you from Galuf?

 

[WCman1976]

You already have a lot of good advice here. My suggestion would be to ask around on the board about the theories/concepts of wing chun, then look in your area for a martial art that matches them the best. Wing chun is a close-range combat system, and so are grappling styles. However, not all grappling styles would prep you for a transition to wing chun. Compare and contrast.

And as someone else hinted at above, sometimes you have to think outside the box when it comes to locating wing chun. It might not always be housed inside a school. I lived in Denver for a while, far removed from my wing chun school in Albany, but I was still able to practice because I found a guy on Craigslist who was from the same lineage as me. He was an airline pilot so our calsses were never at the same time, and they were out of his garage instead of in an actual school, but I still got some good practice in there.

I realize CL isn't the most reliable place to find people, but it was the first example that came to mind. Stick to it. Your passionate interest will see you through, as long as you don't give up!

 

[geezer]

Galuf, if you really are serious about learning Wing Chun, tell us what area you live in. As others have said, some of the best WC/VT/WT instructors don't advertise, but there are people on this forum with connections. No guarantees, but someone here might be able to help.

 

[Xue Sheng]

some of the best WC/VT/WT instructors don't advertise,

Exactly and, IMO, that is a good thing

 

[fordtuff]

Galufsome of the best WC/VT/WT instructors don't

Exist

Sent from my BlackBerry 9650 using Tapatalk

 

[Bill Shaw]

With so may offers & no response from galuf, I'm thinking... He's left the Building!" Hope he found what he was looking for.