lansao
Purple Belt
Hey everybody, hope this doesn't come across as heresy, but wanted to share a perspective I've more and more been leaning into. That is of treating the phrase "Wing Chun" as an adjective as in addition to as a noun. The way I've understood Wing Chun, and I believe many of you have too, is as a principle based art that selects for movement based on a set of criteria. If a movement meets that criteria, then it is Wing Chun. If it doesn't, then it's not.
This leads me to look at the phrase "Wing Chun" as a filter on movement (or adjective for movement) as well as the name of an art in an interchangeable way. You can watch a UFC fight, or boxing match, and if a movement follows the criteria, say something like "that was some good Wing Chun right there."
I feel like this is how Wing Chun stays fresh and the blades stay sharp. Improving the criteria over time to optimize for best performance. Eliminating movements that don't fit that criteria or train the right habits to support those movements. Assessing other arts for movements that can have Wing Chun principles applied to them and feeling comfortable adopting them into the art with proper attribution.
It's important to give credit where due in terms of where movement originated. For example, an arm bar from Jiu Jitsu, or a redirection from Aikido should have attribution so that when you're teaching it as part of Wing Chun, we know where it came from. But then, after applying WC principles, feel comfortable saying "this movement is Wing Chun."
Anyone else share this perspective?
This leads me to look at the phrase "Wing Chun" as a filter on movement (or adjective for movement) as well as the name of an art in an interchangeable way. You can watch a UFC fight, or boxing match, and if a movement follows the criteria, say something like "that was some good Wing Chun right there."
I feel like this is how Wing Chun stays fresh and the blades stay sharp. Improving the criteria over time to optimize for best performance. Eliminating movements that don't fit that criteria or train the right habits to support those movements. Assessing other arts for movements that can have Wing Chun principles applied to them and feeling comfortable adopting them into the art with proper attribution.
It's important to give credit where due in terms of where movement originated. For example, an arm bar from Jiu Jitsu, or a redirection from Aikido should have attribution so that when you're teaching it as part of Wing Chun, we know where it came from. But then, after applying WC principles, feel comfortable saying "this movement is Wing Chun."
Anyone else share this perspective?