Just started Wing Chun again and thinking about crosstraing BJJ

[Billy Jack]

Hi all, new to the forums. It has been a couple of years since I trained in Wing Chun and have really felt a calling to get back into it. I am 42 now and am interested in getting into a martial art that I can do for a long time. This seems like the one.

But to my point. BJJ is offered at the same school and it seems like a good idea to have some early ground skills and a different type of training. I realize that when you mention BJJ on this forum it seems to cause trouble, but has anyone else done this? If you have did you find this to be helpful. It would seem that the styles would clash very little.

Any input would be great, thanks.

 

[seasoned]

Hi all, new to the forums. It has been a couple of years since I trained in Wing Chun and have really felt a calling to get back into it. I am 42 now and am interested in getting into a martial art that I can do for a long time. This seems like the one.

But to my point. BJJ is offered at the same school and it seems like a good idea to have some early ground skills and a different type of training. I realize that when you mention BJJ on this forum it seems to cause trouble, but has anyone else done this? If you have did you find this to be helpful. It would seem that the styles would clash very little.

Any input would be great, thanks.

Welcome aboard, BJJ, and any other style, is well excepted, as long as it is presented in a mature way. Differences of opinions are what life and MT are all about. It makes for a valuable sharing experience for all. Enjoy.

 

[AceHBK]

I say since it has been years since you have done something, get reacclimated with WC and stick with that for awhile and then if you feel the need to crosstrain then do so. But for right now I would suggest sticking with just one.

 

[arnisador]

Welcome! You'll find it a great combination. Try it! It worked for me at a school that had JKD classes followed by BJJ classes.

 

[Seeker]

Why not do both? If you have time. I still do Judo from time to time at my old dojo and doing WC now, I never have a problem with conflict and I am as scatter brained as they come. And grappling arts compliment WC and vise versa, IMO.

I'm curious, if your WC lineage teaches anti-grappling and you're learning a grappling art... does the AG cancel out your BJJ?

 

[dnovice]

Welcome Billy. I'm with Ace on this. Learn one very well, and thennnn supplement. Its difficult learning things at once.

 

[MJS]

Hi all, new to the forums. It has been a couple of years since I trained in Wing Chun and have really felt a calling to get back into it. I am 42 now and am interested in getting into a martial art that I can do for a long time. This seems like the one.

But to my point. BJJ is offered at the same school and it seems like a good idea to have some early ground skills and a different type of training. I realize that when you mention BJJ on this forum it seems to cause trouble, but has anyone else done this? If you have did you find this to be helpful. It would seem that the styles would clash very little.

Any input would be great, thanks.

I'm with the others as well. Get your WC base back, and then you can crosstrain. As for the mention of BJJ causing issues....well, some feel that the anti grappling that is taught is good enough. Some, such as myself, feel that if you really want to be capable of fending off a grappler, then you will need to understand how a grappler works, therefore you will need to look at a grappling art. This could be any grappling art, so its not just limited to BJJ.

For the record, I don't train in WC. I'm a Kenpo guy myself, but I do cross train in BJJ. For me, its greatly improved my overall skills.

Mike

 

[KamonGuy2]

Be very cautious with this. I have trained at numerous schools where they try to teach you five arts at once

In your case you have trained wing chun before, so you might be okay, but it is always better to doa few years in one art and then start working on the next. As opposed to doing one week BJJ and one week wing chun

At Kamon, BJJ is offered in seminars, but truthfully I advise my beginner students not to attend these at they will just over confuse themselves

BJJ and wing chun are a great fit but are trained very very differently

What school is it that you will be training at?

 

[Billy Jack]

Thanks for the replys. When I took WC at another school anti-grappling never came up. With this school I do not know. I will check that out tonight.

I will say that this school does not push students into taking more than one art. I guess the urge to do both is coming from me. I have been training in BJJ for a around 6 months but have been out for an injury for a couple of months. I think I am one of those sick people that want to do All or Nothing.

The reason I walked away from WC a couple of years ago as I started to think it may be to complicated to actually defend myself. Then after trying Krav Maga and BJJ my thoughts once again came back to WC. Maybe it is not that complicated, maybe I just did not train hard enough. I am probably talking too much, just wanted to throw those thought's out.

 

[bcbernam777]

The trouble does not come from BJJ itself, unfourtunalty from time to time the Chinese Gung Fu forums do tend to get highjacked by some sections of the MMA set who speak of Gung Fu in disparaging terms in relation to cross training and there own way of training in Martial Arts.

In terms of cross training there are obvioiusly two streams of thought both have their points and both have there strengths and weaknesses.

The first school of thought is from the purists who think that any form of cross training will ultimalty lead to a dillution of their primary training, and is therefore to be avoided. The argument is that by cross training in a different art, particulary one that utilises a different energy and differing principles, the practicioner will simply confuse themselves and may actually set themselves back, not in terms of concious thought, but in terms of actuall muscle memory which may lead to slightly slower reaction times and excessive tension in a real fight. these arguments are eadily dismissed off hand, but experiance and real time testing shows that there is some level of truth to these arguments.

The second school of thought is the more contemporary way of thinking which extolls the versatility and flexibility that training in varying arts can give you. The argument quite simply is that training in a different art can give you differnt tool set to use in differing circumstances, and that the incorporation of other styles can lead to a more well rounded exponant of martial arts. Again there is some level of truth to this argument as well.

Personally I lean probably more to the purist way of thinking, as someone who has learnt several different arts prior to taking up wing chun, from Ree Tae Kwon Do, Shaolin Chowga, Ging Mo Kune, Jeet Kun Do (to mention a few) I have found that sticking to one primary art has given me a more reactive and spontanious freedom in a real world situation (of which I have had a few since training) than cross training ever provided me with. The other reason why I avoid cross training, is that in terms of Anti grappling, Wing Chun does contain a surprising array of arsenal, particulary when you start to understand the Bui Jee, however in order to understand the Bui Jee you must first understand the Sui Lum Tao, then understand the Chum Kui. Now in order to put this in perspective, I trained singulary in the Sui Lum Tao for over two years, and Barly even scratched the surface of what it had to teach, let alone developed the proper energy that the sui lum tao requires.

Now despite the fact that I do not learn another art, I will say this, it is of utmost importance that in your training, you do train with people who study other forms of MA as this will help in your development as a fighter.

In my opinion being a well rounded practicioner does not come from knowing many different arts, but rather from being able to deal effectivly with many varying situation, and if you can successfully do this from within your current style then there is no need to cross train. But if you are finding it difficult to do so within your style then by all means cross train. But at the bare minimum you must allow time for the Wing Chun to develop and intergrate within your muscle memory, but training in a different style.

May you be blessed in your endevours

Respectfully

Mark

 

[Billy Jack]

Well said, and thanks for taking the time to reply Mark.

 

[KamonGuy2]

Billy,

You still havent said where you're thinking of training

Regards

 

[Billy Jack]

You caught that. Well its a Wing Tzun/EBMAS school.

Class was great last night. I spoke with him on if it was a good idea to crosstrain in BJJ and his thinking was more on the lines of finding out how the other guy thinks as opposed to mastering both arts. Wing Tzun does have some "anti-grappling" so that should be helpful.

I am going to make Wing Tzun my main focus and eventually train some in BJJ, perhaps in a couple of months. Not sure when.

Thanks for help guys.

Billy

 

[KamonGuy2]

I'm confused - I thought BJJ was offered at the same school as the wing chun?

I would defiantely wait a few months before getting into the BJJ

Personally I wouldn't do the anti-grappling. BJJ is a better route to go

 

[Billy Jack]

BJJ is offered at the same school, and yes I do feel better about waiting to do BJJ. The anti-grappling is not a seperate class per say at this school. One day you walk in the the instructor may say we are doing ant-grappling.

Thanks for the input.
Billy

 

[naneek]

grappling is fun to do and a great work out in its own right, like the others said get on solid ground with one art then do some crosstraining when you are ready, most important in my opinion is to enjoy what you are doing!