Generation teachers to Ip Man

theway

White Belt
Joined
Apr 15, 2013
Messages
4
Reaction score
0
Correct me if I am wrong here but lineage to YIP man is very important in wing chun?

You often here of people saying they are a 2nd generation or 3rd generation or 4th generation teacher to Yipman

Does that carry much weight with you?

And is there a level that is considered good i.e Anyone who is a 3rd generation teacher and up is likely to be good and desirable to work with and anyone who is 4th, 5th not so?
 
I wouldn't worry so much about the generation but more about the proficiency of the teacher and his ability to pass on that knowledge.
 
The Yip Man lineage is a very repected lineage to be sure and he is probably the most famous of all WC teachers in our era.
Keep in mind though, that several people claim to have learned from him. Some of these people learned only for a short time, others spent years with him.
All said and done, having a good teacher is important, but what do you do with it?

You could learn math from Albert Einstein and still not be able to balance your checkbook.
 
I trained with a 3rd generation and a 4th generation and the 3rd generation was good but the 4th generation was better, but I honestly believe that had a lot more to do with attitude and personality. The 4th generation was just much more relaxed and natural in his applications
 
Correct me if I am wrong here but lineage to YIP man is very important in wing chun?

You often here of people saying they are a 2nd generation or 3rd generation or 4th generation teacher to Yipman

Does that carry much weight with you?

1. You are wrong. However for 'some' it is important. There are other excellent lineages not related to Yip Man or that are from his instructors but not through him.
2. Means little.

What is important is the individual. Can 'I' be functional with what I am trained.

How far removed was Yip Man from Yim Wing Chun and Ng Mui? Did that make him not so desirable to work with?
 
I would say lineages aren't important. But, your understanding of the system and how you apply it is. People always state it's based on the person and it truly is. Just as if two people were trained by Ali, one might suck and the other would be a great fighter despite being taught the same principles, techniques and tricks.
 
Different individuals will interpret it differently, go touch and feel and research.
Something else to think about is Ip Man has 2 sons, both also different in application, changes in some forms and style.
 
Not at all. What carries weight to me is the ability to teach and how will has the "master" mastered wing chun and it's principles. There can be gifted individuals who teach martial arts. Just think about how martial arts came to be, someone made up these different techniques in the first place. No one was trained by God.
 
Back
Top