Varieties of Wing Chun

[Eric_H]

Try not to base your decision on lineage. There are some great 'independent' masters out there who have trained under various instructors and formed their own styles. Schools that show off their lineage are usually not that confident with their own skill. And before people start flaming - there is a marked difference between mentioning a lineage and showing it off.

Certainly, people like William Cheung has received a lot of flak over the years for boasting that he was taught the 'true' wing chun system, which is nonsense. Wing chun is constantly evolving and changing in accordance to the other martial art systems that have evolved. There is no 'correct' version of wing chun. Just what works and what doesnt. So my advice is to go down and have a look at the school and their training, as opposed to focusing on lineage and tradition etc.

By the same token, a lot of independent "masters" out there who trained under various instructors have a pretty shaky background when you look into it. The dagger cuts both ways on this one.

 

[Xue Sheng]

By the same token, a lot of independent "masters" out there who trained under various instructors have a pretty shaky background when you look into it. The dagger cuts both ways on this one.

You could say the same thing about some guys claiming a lineage too.

 

[KamonGuy2]

By the same token, a lot of independent "masters" out there who trained under various instructors have a pretty shaky background when you look into it. The dagger cuts both ways on this one.

Not quite in the same context. Im talking about certain famous (or infamous) masters who claim they were taught the original version of Ip Man wing chun (which doesnt actually exist, as Ip Man used wing chun that fitted that particular pupil). The proof is often in the pudding, and seeing someone like Boztepe putting a stop to that nonsense was quite satisfying. I just wish people had learned from those mistakes

My master has learned from numerous wing chun guys in the past, and while he respects Ip Chun etc, he would never claim to be 'Ip Chun Wing Chun' as that is profiting from someone elses hard work. He is proud to be a lifetime member of the Ip Man family, but out of respect, has formed his own style.

I know that recently, this very issue cropped up with Gary Lam and the WSL 'quick fix' (numerous WSL schools were cropping up, saying that they had the true WSL system etc). Gary Lam came out with some great statements about how those guys should be using their own names and not relying on a great man who passed away some time ago to sell their art