Understanding Wing Chun's Centre Line

[Oily Dragon]

And not to pick on Wing Chun too hard (it's from a place of true love) but in all honesty part of the core issue with its rep as a grappling art is due to the vast amount of silly theorycrafting videos that community puts out.

Rather than just stick to the basics of southern CMA and the styles composite animals/elements, which are as simple as possible, We get hit with vide after video about how the WC centerline beats boxing, grappling, and so on. There's a southern Chinese saying about talking with your fists instead of your mouth. At some point the theory guys forgot the hardest part of learning Wing Chun is the actual combat.

Guoshu is probably a big factor also. By the time they organized in the early 20th century, Wing Chun was very rare, not widely practiced and so it never got the same exposure as other arts (nationally), until Bruce Lee made it famous, and even then it wasn't as popular as when Donnie Yen came on screen (which is a funny side story if you know anything about flying in and out of Hong Kong).

 

[geezer]

And not to pick on Wing Chun too hard (it's from a place of true love) but in all honesty part of the core issue with its rep as a grappling art is due to the vast amount of silly theorycrafting videos that community puts out.

Theorycrafting, eh. That's a new word for me. Seems spot on too. I believe that WC/WT blends well with grappling, in fact when i was younger, I found it worked well with basic wrestling ...so why not with other grappling and throwing arts too? But at age 66 with some back issues, I'll leave that to younger people.

Unfortunately, IMO, the dogmatic way most WC/WT is taught pretty much drives good, capable and creative younger people away from the art. Which brings us to the next quote:

There's a southern Chinese saying about talking with your fists instead of your mouth.

Lack of resistance-based training and competitions has replaced those who talk with their fists instead of their mouths with those whose talk will get you a fist in the mouth.

Now, like many martial arts enthusiasts, I'm really a hobbyist, not a fighter by temperament. But every art needs a core of fighter types to keep the art honest. Once, WC had some guys like that.

Now days we seem to be on a long slide down into incompetence, irrelevance, and eventual extinction.

 

[Kung Fu Wang]

I believe that WC/WT blends well with grappling,

If you can use double Tan Shou to separate your opponent's arms away from his head, you can achieve a head lock. You can then take him down with your leg skill.

 

[hunschuld]

If you can use double Tan Shou to separate your opponent's arms away from his head, you can achieve a head lock. You can then take him down with your leg skill.

I am assuming you mean separate the opponents arms from your head not their head. ie. the opponent has you in a tie or plum etc? I would comment further if I was sure I understood you.

 

[Kung Fu Wang]

I am assuming you mean separate the opponents arms from your head not their head. ie. the opponent has you in a tie or plum etc? I would comment further if I was sure I understood you.

To separate your opponent's arm from your head, the elbow pressing works better.

You extend your

- left Tan Shou between your opponent's right arm and his head.
- right Tan Shou between your opponent's left arm and his head.

Your left arm wrap around his right arm. Your right arm wrap around his head.

 

[hunschuld]

To separate your opponent's arm from your head, the elbow pressing works better.

You extend your

- left Tan Shou between your opponent's right arm and his head.
- right Tan Shou between your opponent's left arm and his head.

Your left arm wrap around his right arm. Your right arm wrap around his head.

Sure ok these are things that can work however you are looking at this as a throwing art person first. I In example one the opponents arm you are not elbow pressing has the inside position and should be using a hooking /circular punch . If he uses his waist properly he will easily break the grip and land a powerful strike to the exposed side of your head.The waist action will also change the position so that he can lop the elbow press or huen away from it.
In example 2 if you can headlock you can strike. Wing chun should perform the left arm wrap but the right will strike and the right leg will sweep /step through the opponents right leg thus striking and throwing simultaneously instead of just throwing

 

[Callen]

Now days we seem to be on a long slide down into incompetence, irrelevance, and eventual extinction.

It just separates the wheat from the chaff, like it has always done throughout the history of gong fu. It will likely still be here long after we're gone.

 

[Kung Fu Wang]

In example 2 if you can headlock you can strike.

- A take down requires 2 or 3 contact points.
- A strike only requires 1 contact point.

If you can take your opponent down, you can punch him. The other way around may not be true.

The head lock is to use your forearm inside edge to hit on the back of your opponent's head. It can be a knock down strike by itself.

 

[Oily Dragon]

Theorycrafting, eh. That's a new word for me. Seems spot on too. I believe that WC/WT blends well with grappling, in fact when i was younger, I found it worked well with basic wrestling ...so why not with other grappling and throwing arts too? But at age 66 with some back issues, I'll leave that to younger people.

Unfortunately, IMO, the dogmatic way most WC/WT is taught pretty much drives good, capable and creative younger people away from the art. Which brings us to the next quote:

Lack of resistance-based training and competitions has replaced those who talk with their fists instead of their mouths with those whose talk will get you a fist in the mouth.

Now, like many martial arts enthusiasts, I'm really a hobbyist, not a fighter by temperament. But every art needs a core of fighter types to keep the art honest. Once, WC had some guys like that.

Now days we seem to be on a long slide down into incompetence, irrelevance, and eventual extinction.

Ali once claimed he wouldn't travel across the world to kill poor people, but he'd be hell driven to do it to fight any other fighter willing to fight on the earth.

Howard Cosell once said the man was a threat to his toupee.