The Good Old JKD or WC

[Dylan9d]

So I'm looking to expand my horizons a bit.

I'm looking at JKD (Ted Wong) and WC (WSL lineage), I have about 9 yrs of experience in Indonesian martial arts.

I'm a total noob when it comes to Chinese martial arts. Wich one would you go forr and why?

 

[arnisador]

I've studied them both--JKD more than WC--and like them both. I find that WC is a compact, classical, close-in approach, and that JKD is a broader, more modern art, all-ranges system. I prefer WC to study because I'm a TMAer at heart and it's a fascinating, well-thought-out, highly integrated martial art, but I prefer JKD for self-defense effectiveness--it simply addresses more ranges, gives you more options, and includes practical weapons training. While WC can be very effective, JKD is the better bet for an actual, unpredictable encounter.

That having been said--there are instructors who train either of these arts very well or very poorly, and who add what they feel is needed to round out what they're doing. If at all possible--try both! The instructor makes more difference than anything I've said here.

 

[Xue Sheng]

Interesting Choice, Ted Wong Student of Bruce Lee....Wong Shun Leung main teacher of Bruce Lee

Hard to say which I would go for, I would have to try both and go from there

 

[Tames D]

Are you in Southern Calif? If so, check out Gary Lam Wing Chun. WSL was Gary's personal instructor.
For JKD, I like Paul Vunak's style of fighting, but not sure if he is still actively teaching since his "organizational issues".

 

[Dylan9d]

Hi thanks for the messages so far.

Im in Holland, the WC teacher studied with Philipp Bayer in Germany. Below a little clip with an interview with the teacher (the interview is in Dutch with english subtitles)
[video=youtube_share;ODmA3MsS9kU]http://youtu.be/ODmA3MsS9kU[/video]

The JKD teacher has studied with Ted Wong and also with Richard Torres. Dont have a video of this guy.

 

[Dylan9d]

Just decided to go to the Ving Tsun school.

Last week we had a lesson from the JKD guy, and i do feel it's open to interpretation alot, also feel that this can be the big pro aswell as a con of JKD and that depends on the teacher ofcourse. Also the way the teacher and his students talked was like they were godlike and no one could touch them, an attitude i really dislike.

 

[arnisador]

Let us know what you think of the WC school!

 

[Argus]

Wong Shun Leung is a really good Wing Chun lineage. I just want to put my hat out there saying to absolutely check that school out. I'm quite envious!

If you don't know, WSL was a very famous Beimo fighter, and a very influential teacher of Bruce Lee. So even if you're into JKD, you'd be well advised to check out that lineage. Of course, ultimately, it's the instructor that makes the difference. But nonetheless, lineage breeds a certain culture and value system, and WSL is as pragmatic as it comes.

 

[Argus]

While WC can be very effective, JKD is the better bet for an actual, unpredictable encounter.

I'd have to argue that. They're both practical, but I feel WC provides a more solid foundation for self-defense, assuming that you're only studying one or the other. Some elements of JKD lend themselves more to sparring, which is quite a different animal to dealing with real aggression. The concept of being "unpredictable" is very much a sparring mentality, IMO. An earnest attacker is fairly predictable: he wants to cave your face in. Not poke around and fake you out to create an opening while playing with the distance. So, for addressing actual combat, I would opt for WC's more direct approach.

But, I may not know what I'm talking about. I've never been in an earnest fight, and I've never studied JKD. Both arts are very practical, and more alike than they are different. The most important thing is having a solid foundation.