Student Testimonial - Comparing Wing Chun at 6 months
This is an email sent from a student who had been learning for 6 months before moving to a different country to attend University. He is an intelligent and diligent student. His experiences may not reflect other people's experiences. Instructor names have been omitted.
Hi David D, David H, and Neil!!
It's been about two weeks since i have seen all three of you. Days have been rather hectic, with shopping and cleaning my student accommodation, as well as getting used to uni. life and the academic workload.
So i have finally been able to settle down so i decided to pay a visit to [Instructor Name]'s Wing Chun class in [City]. Quite simply, it was horrible (how much worse could [Famous Wing Chun Instructor, Student of Yip Man]'s school be?!). [Instructor's Name] comes from the [Famous Student of Yip Man] lineage and is apparently taught by [A Student of said Student of Yip Man]. His style probably quite resembles that of [Another Instructor]'s in Shanghai. It was 'hard', 'boxing style', 'raw power' ...
Before class started, i chatted with [The Instructor] briefly about Wing Chun. He asked me if i knew how to do a Bong Sau (well somewhat ...) and i said yes. He followed on by saying: "Great!! Now you can go learn the Chum Kiu!!" *No thanks. Maybe in another year or so.*
Class was a mix of beginners and seniors. The seniors weren't very 'senior' although they have learned 2-3 years+. The seniors were doing double-handed chi sau; from my perspective it appeared as if they were arm wrestling (no jokes). Throughout class, [The Instructor] was trying to teach us different Wing Chun techniques for different situations. One of them was quite amusingly funny:
Scenario: Assailant from behind heavily pushes away your body forward with two hands
[The Instructor]'s Wing Chun Solution: Immediately get into your Wing Chun stance. Walk a couple steps in the direction assailant is pushing =.= (since wing chun stance offers a certain resistance against being pushed as opposed to flying away). Do a one-armed v-shape backstroke to bring out tan sau and turn ([The Instructor] explains that if you already had a fist near your face, doing a 'backstroke' would knock their fist away.
The seniors were crap. Their basics were horrible, if not non-existent. Simply the five points David D. (like a broken tape) continually repeats.
There was this one instance when we had to practice a technique:
Scenario/Training Technique: You have your left fist out (like that of dan chi sau). Partner has contact with your lower arm. You try to kick. Partner should 'muscle' down your lower arm, which causes you to lean forward thus neutralizing/preventing the kick from occurring.
Technique that utterly confused the seniors!!!: I maintained heavy elbow and noodle arms. I've seen David D. demonstrate and explain many times (too much pressure -> drop). So that's what i did. The kicks 100% went through. I totally confused my training partner who has been learning Wing Chun for 2 years. She seeks advice from an 'even more senior' classmate to play out the scenario because "[The Instructor]'s technique isn't working!! (she kept saying under her breath)". The 'senior senior' classmate didn't do any better ^_^ This really reinforces what David D. has been saying all along ... don't resist nor give your opponent anything to work with. They tried to work with what they expected to be heavy, resisting arms (how they usually practice), and when it was light and simply dropped, instead they came slightly leaning forward and i could kick.
The 'senior senior' tried to find a solution to their dilemma. I was practicing kicking with my left leg. He moved in, pulled down my elbow crease (so he did learn that the lower arm wouldn't work!) towards my left knee, thus jamming my leg. I asked to try again. This time instead of kicking with my left leg, i stepped forward with my left leg to kick with my right. Obviously he couldn't jam my leg because he swung my left arm/fist towards my left leg. This entirely proved that he was anticipating which leg i would kick with ...
[The Instructor] also specifically mentioned anticipation, muscle memory, speed, and power as the core of Wing Chun ... i much prefer training sensitivity and position (and i now realize and see all the benefits to it)
Other Quirky Techniques/Practices
- Pressure from in front. Step back and do bong sau
- Side stepping and bong sau to block punches ([The Instructor] claims that doing forward bong sau is impractical and unrealistic in a real fight. We had to practice side-stepping and do bong sau blocks punch practice ... i wonder if there will come a day people will be fighting while moving sideways, as if they were on some moving horizontal track)
There wasn't much [The Instructor] had to offer that appealed to me. But the LOUD *THUMP* from his punches/palm strikes do impress most of the students there. BUT i will continue going there weekly ... on Saturdays when they hold "Hong Kong Training Style" (a pretty name for a 'free time' session ... do whatever training you want) just so i can borrow the rice-filled bags hanging on the walls and the 'apparent' wing chun atmosphere.
Oh right, I also got my hands on a 6 1/2 ft (?) long wooden pole today!!! Much longer than i expected. Much thicker than i expected. MUCH heavier than i expected!!! Pretty light when holding it from the middle. There was a senior student there who learned Wing Chun from [An Instructor] in Shanghai [*NOTE A different Instructor from the one in Shanghai previously mentioned]. So i guess he knows a bit of pole form? He lifts the pole ... oh my ... see his face turning red, heavy exhalation blowing air from his mouth, teeth gritting, face puckering, pole shaking ... Well at least he's better than me right now. I couldn't lift the end a millimeter off from the ground.
Sorry about the length of this email. Felt like it was my duty to share my Wing Chun experiences in [City] as a mean of comparison to what David D. teaches. I now definitely see the difference between 'good Wing Chun" and 'bad Wing Chun" ...
Some of the things David D. has been constantly, I now that i find evermore true and important (after today's session) include:
1. 5 basic points in structure
2. Heavy elbows, noodle arms
3. Position, timing, and sensitivity triumphs speed and power
4. Training the 'traditional way' has so many more benefits as opposed to technique practice (only downside is probably time. But if one can commit to the entire length up till butterfly knives, it will all pay off!)
In all, i don't plan to receive any formal training in [City]. Maybe if i can find a punching bag in the college gym and set up my sandbag between the low hanging branches of a Wing Chun-accommodating tree (the walls in my student accommodation are all rather hollow ... also will need to 'steal' some sand from somewhere to fill up the bag), I will stop attending '[The Instructor]'s equipment hire class'. Quite a lot of homework, but i will try to practice a bit everyday from today onwards.
Hopefully I will be able to meet up with all of you again in July when i come back for a holiday! Looking forward to it! :) Looking forward to it!
Cheers,
J.Y.
Hi David D, David H, and Neil!!
It's been about two weeks since i have seen all three of you. Days have been rather hectic, with shopping and cleaning my student accommodation, as well as getting used to uni. life and the academic workload.
So i have finally been able to settle down so i decided to pay a visit to [Instructor Name]'s Wing Chun class in [City]. Quite simply, it was horrible (how much worse could [Famous Wing Chun Instructor, Student of Yip Man]'s school be?!). [Instructor's Name] comes from the [Famous Student of Yip Man] lineage and is apparently taught by [A Student of said Student of Yip Man]. His style probably quite resembles that of [Another Instructor]'s in Shanghai. It was 'hard', 'boxing style', 'raw power' ...
Before class started, i chatted with [The Instructor] briefly about Wing Chun. He asked me if i knew how to do a Bong Sau (well somewhat ...) and i said yes. He followed on by saying: "Great!! Now you can go learn the Chum Kiu!!" *No thanks. Maybe in another year or so.*
Class was a mix of beginners and seniors. The seniors weren't very 'senior' although they have learned 2-3 years+. The seniors were doing double-handed chi sau; from my perspective it appeared as if they were arm wrestling (no jokes). Throughout class, [The Instructor] was trying to teach us different Wing Chun techniques for different situations. One of them was quite amusingly funny:
Scenario: Assailant from behind heavily pushes away your body forward with two hands
[The Instructor]'s Wing Chun Solution: Immediately get into your Wing Chun stance. Walk a couple steps in the direction assailant is pushing =.= (since wing chun stance offers a certain resistance against being pushed as opposed to flying away). Do a one-armed v-shape backstroke to bring out tan sau and turn ([The Instructor] explains that if you already had a fist near your face, doing a 'backstroke' would knock their fist away.
The seniors were crap. Their basics were horrible, if not non-existent. Simply the five points David D. (like a broken tape) continually repeats.
There was this one instance when we had to practice a technique:
Scenario/Training Technique: You have your left fist out (like that of dan chi sau). Partner has contact with your lower arm. You try to kick. Partner should 'muscle' down your lower arm, which causes you to lean forward thus neutralizing/preventing the kick from occurring.
Technique that utterly confused the seniors!!!: I maintained heavy elbow and noodle arms. I've seen David D. demonstrate and explain many times (too much pressure -> drop). So that's what i did. The kicks 100% went through. I totally confused my training partner who has been learning Wing Chun for 2 years. She seeks advice from an 'even more senior' classmate to play out the scenario because "[The Instructor]'s technique isn't working!! (she kept saying under her breath)". The 'senior senior' classmate didn't do any better ^_^ This really reinforces what David D. has been saying all along ... don't resist nor give your opponent anything to work with. They tried to work with what they expected to be heavy, resisting arms (how they usually practice), and when it was light and simply dropped, instead they came slightly leaning forward and i could kick.
The 'senior senior' tried to find a solution to their dilemma. I was practicing kicking with my left leg. He moved in, pulled down my elbow crease (so he did learn that the lower arm wouldn't work!) towards my left knee, thus jamming my leg. I asked to try again. This time instead of kicking with my left leg, i stepped forward with my left leg to kick with my right. Obviously he couldn't jam my leg because he swung my left arm/fist towards my left leg. This entirely proved that he was anticipating which leg i would kick with ...
[The Instructor] also specifically mentioned anticipation, muscle memory, speed, and power as the core of Wing Chun ... i much prefer training sensitivity and position (and i now realize and see all the benefits to it)
Other Quirky Techniques/Practices
- Pressure from in front. Step back and do bong sau
- Side stepping and bong sau to block punches ([The Instructor] claims that doing forward bong sau is impractical and unrealistic in a real fight. We had to practice side-stepping and do bong sau blocks punch practice ... i wonder if there will come a day people will be fighting while moving sideways, as if they were on some moving horizontal track)
There wasn't much [The Instructor] had to offer that appealed to me. But the LOUD *THUMP* from his punches/palm strikes do impress most of the students there. BUT i will continue going there weekly ... on Saturdays when they hold "Hong Kong Training Style" (a pretty name for a 'free time' session ... do whatever training you want) just so i can borrow the rice-filled bags hanging on the walls and the 'apparent' wing chun atmosphere.
Oh right, I also got my hands on a 6 1/2 ft (?) long wooden pole today!!! Much longer than i expected. Much thicker than i expected. MUCH heavier than i expected!!! Pretty light when holding it from the middle. There was a senior student there who learned Wing Chun from [An Instructor] in Shanghai [*NOTE A different Instructor from the one in Shanghai previously mentioned]. So i guess he knows a bit of pole form? He lifts the pole ... oh my ... see his face turning red, heavy exhalation blowing air from his mouth, teeth gritting, face puckering, pole shaking ... Well at least he's better than me right now. I couldn't lift the end a millimeter off from the ground.
Sorry about the length of this email. Felt like it was my duty to share my Wing Chun experiences in [City] as a mean of comparison to what David D. teaches. I now definitely see the difference between 'good Wing Chun" and 'bad Wing Chun" ...
Some of the things David D. has been constantly, I now that i find evermore true and important (after today's session) include:
1. 5 basic points in structure
2. Heavy elbows, noodle arms
3. Position, timing, and sensitivity triumphs speed and power
4. Training the 'traditional way' has so many more benefits as opposed to technique practice (only downside is probably time. But if one can commit to the entire length up till butterfly knives, it will all pay off!)
In all, i don't plan to receive any formal training in [City]. Maybe if i can find a punching bag in the college gym and set up my sandbag between the low hanging branches of a Wing Chun-accommodating tree (the walls in my student accommodation are all rather hollow ... also will need to 'steal' some sand from somewhere to fill up the bag), I will stop attending '[The Instructor]'s equipment hire class'. Quite a lot of homework, but i will try to practice a bit everyday from today onwards.
Hopefully I will be able to meet up with all of you again in July when i come back for a holiday! Looking forward to it! :) Looking forward to it!
Cheers,
J.Y.
