Yup. We all got combined dyslexia.
Is interest in WC declining?
- Thread starter geezer
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lol.. yeah that. RBSD
AFAIK, Scandinavian Defendo (check that out) has developed a competition format for those people who are competitive and like to match themselves against others. It's called Defendo Duellum, I think?
It came out maybe a year or two ago, but I don't know how much they have been implementing that competitive framework.
It came out maybe a year or two ago, but I don't know how much they have been implementing that competitive framework.
Cephalopod
Green Belt
Eerily prescient...
A thread about the decline of interest in wing chun and then no post on the board for 2 whole days!
A thread about the decline of interest in wing chun and then no post on the board for 2 whole days!
OP
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- #25
Eerily prescient...
A thread about the decline of interest in wing chun and then no post on the board for 2 whole days!
Yeah. And it's not just me. Where are the other regular contributors lately?
As for myself, I'm kind of in a quandry. Some health issues are keeping me from being as physical as I'd like to be, and as I need to be ...that is unless I'm content to be an armchair coach.
Hopefully it's a temporary situation. Although some of it may be age-related. And that's not something that goes away. In fact it usually gets worse ...since not too many people start getting younger every year!
Always remember that if you don't use it, you may lose it forever. How to "develop" MA is important. How to "maintain" your MA ability is even more important.some of it may be age-related. And that's not something that goes away. In fact it usually gets worse ...since not too many people start getting younger every year!
Cephalopod
Green Belt
Yeah. And it's not just me. Where are the other regular contributors lately?
As for myself, I'm kind of in a quandry. Some health issues are keeping me from being as physical as I'd like to be, and as I need to be ...that is unless I'm content to be an armchair coach.
Hopefully it's a temporary situation. Although some of it may be age-related. And that's not something that goes away. In fact it usually gets worse ...since not too many people start getting younger every year!
I hear your pain.
I'm at that point in life where I feel a sudden inexorable decline in my physicality...
...and then all my older friends tell me that it's actually in another 5 years that things really start to fall apart.
Yeah. Thanks guys.
As for wing chun, I've always seen it as the slightly goofy tech nerd at the MA party. He's not going to grab everyone's attention and sweep up the ladies like the bad boys manning the keg, but you should probably be cool with him 'cause he might be the next Bill Gates.
yu
Hopefully it's a temporary situation. Although some of it may be age-related. And that's not something that goes away. In fact it usually gets worse ...
oh it goes away... Eventually
OP
- Thread Starter
- #29
....When I retire I'm moving to Mexico so I can afford to eat. Good thing I really like beans and tortillas.
I really ought to clarify this remark, 'cause outta context it would sound racist as all heck. That was not my intent. It's just that beans and tortillas with a little cheese and salsa, and maybe an occasional cerveza are about all I will be able to afford.
I also like really sophisticated Mexican cuisine. We've got a place here called Barrio Cafe that serves world class stuff, or as their motto states: Pura Comida Chingona
!!! I can't translate that on this forum though, as it's a bit vulgar ...in a light-hearted way. Also, there are some great places specializing in mariscos around here. Delicious. But I can't afford that kind of food on a daily basis.Vajramusti
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The list is not an exact sample of the wing chun world.Fewer posts in some places >But in some places like Macao- good Ip Man wing chun has actually increased.
OP
- Thread Starter
- #31
That's good news, Joy. That's why I brought up this subject. I want to get a glimpse of the larger picture. I find myself pretty isolated with my little group out here in Central Phoenix. Our core group in strong, but gradually dwindling as people eventually move on with their lives. That's to be expected. The problem is that I've been getting almost no new inquiries about WC. I'm hoping that your group over by the University is getting more interest.
I feel like the interest in martial arts is decreasing in general. MMA (and related MA) seems the exception, but I am not sure if it is helping or competing with other martial arts.I've noticed getting fewer inquiries regarding WC and no new students at our club in a while. And even though we have always been an adult class, the average age seems to go up every year. And I think I'm seeing something similar on this forum.
Maybe it's just the way things are going lately. Any thoughts?
OP
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- #34
MMA appeals to a particular, down-to-earth athletic crowd, and it's physicality, and ring-tested practicality have definitely taken the competitive "jock" element away from TMA. But another, bigger segment of the population that got into TMA, especially the more esoteric martial arts, were the smart, nerdy, and not-so physically competitive types that enjoyed the (cringe) fantasy of being a warrior, ...a samurai, ...a ninja, ...or a shaolin monk. Say what you will about this group, but they kept the TMA schools running, and some, with experience, actually transcended the wu-xia fantasy aspect and learned how to fight.. ...or perhaps discovered that they had that potential within themselves.
Nowadays, Asian martial arts have lost a lot of that "magical" mystique. China, for example, is no longer seen as an exotic place with secret traditions inaccessibly hidden behind the "bamboo curtain". Instead, it is the place that makes most of our manufactured goods and is seen as a unwelcome competitor in the global economy! The 1970s-1980s fascination with their philosophy, traditional healing methods, and mysterious martial arts is pretty much gone. And the fact that good MMA guys seem to effortlessly dispatch the TMA purists hasn't helped.
Of-course there still are a lot of nerdy folks out there that could still fill our ranks, but they have so many other outlets these days ...cosplay and larping, or if they are a little more physical, they'll try HEMA since it has really cool swords and stuff, or, if they tend to be couch potatoes, they will just play video games.
Honestly, I think MMA took away our athletes, and gaming took away the nerds that have been keeping us going. The majority of those left are older guys (yes, mostly guys) who got hooked on TMA back in the '70s and '80s. And that doesn't bode well for the future of what we do.
Maybe, (hopefully), we are at, or at least nearing the point where the pendulum will start to swing in the other direction.
A few years back I was having lunch with a hung gar instructor who made a comment that stuck with me. He told me he was almost embarrassed to tell people he did MA, because it had the stereotype of people running around in pajamas, kids with black belts and people who couldn't fight their way out of a paper bag.
That was around the same time I stopped marketing my WT group as kung fu and started referring to it as Chinese Boxing
The term Kung fu can carry a lot of baggage but everyone respects boxing.
A few years back I was having lunch with a hung gar instructor who made a comment that stuck with me. He told me he was almost embarrassed to tell people he did MA, because it had the stereotype of people running around in pajamas, kids with black belts and people who couldn't fight their way out of a paper bag.
That was around the same time I stopped marketing my WT group as kung fu and started referring to it as Chinese Boxing
The term Kung fu can carry a lot of baggage but everyone respects boxing.
BJJ has plenty of nerds too.MMA appeals to a particular, down-to-earth athletic crowd, and it's physicality, and ring-tested practicality have definitely taken the competitive "jock" element away from TMA. But another, bigger segment of the population that got into TMA, especially the more esoteric martial arts, were the smart, nerdy, and not-so physically competitive types that enjoyed the (cringe) fantasy of being a warrior, ...a samurai, ...a ninja, ...or a shaolin monk. Say what you will about this group, but they kept the TMA schools running, and some, with experience, actually transcended the wu-xia fantasy aspect and learned how to fight.. ...or perhaps discovered that they had that potential within themselves.
Nowadays, Asian martial arts have lost a lot of that "magical" mystique. China, for example, is no longer seen as an exotic place with secret traditions inaccessibly hidden behind the "bamboo curtain". Instead, it is the place that makes most of our manufactured goods and is seen as a unwelcome competitor in the global economy! The 1970s-1980s fascination with their philosophy, traditional healing methods, and mysterious martial arts is pretty much gone. And the fact that good MMA guys seem to effortlessly dispatch the TMA purists hasn't helped.
Of-course there still are a lot of nerdy folks out there that could still fill our ranks, but they have so many other outlets these days ...cosplay and larping, or if they are a little more physical, they'll try HEMA since it has really cool swords and stuff, or, if they tend to be couch potatoes, they will just play video games.
Honestly, I think MMA took away our athletes, and gaming took away the nerds that have been keeping us going. The majority of those left are older guys (yes, mostly guys) who got hooked on TMA back in the '70s and '80s. And that doesn't bode well for the future of what we do.
I'm a nerd and proud of it.Don't be so hard on yourself Tony
drop bear
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