Can't shake my Wing Chun!

[Argus]

So, I was at my Aikido class today, and we were practicing defending against yokomenuchi, which starts something like defending against a hook with a biu-sau and a punch before going into the throw. I was the uke, or attacker in this case, and as such, nage, (the defender)'s role was to strike to my face and intercept my strike before moving to the throw. So, I execute my attack, and something strange happens: to my surprise, I found myself deflecting my partner's punch with a perfect "throwing" bong-sau... which, needless to say, isn't part of the exercise, and wasn't even my intention or conscious decision. It truly just popped out on its own, despite my trying to be a good uke for the exercise.

Of course, WC is also showing up in my footwork and body mechanics and mucking all of that up, but I'm starting to learn to move in a mostly Aikido manner. That's to be expected, of course. However, full blown hand-techniques popping out without my even meaning them to caught me off guard.

So, while it doesn't help my Aikido, it seems that my WC, at least, might be better ingrained than I realized
It occurs to me that this sort of "automatic response" or "unconscious habit" is exactly what we're aiming for in our training, so in a sense, it's nice to see it coming out. I just wonder if I can retain it while building sometimes conflicting habits in another art.

All in all, though, it's definitely not as bad as my short-lived Karate experience.

I'm sure that you all must have some similar stories or experiences, so I thought I would share this one and encourage you all to share yours. How have you found WC permeating your physical habit, or natural response to things? And, have you found other arts conflicting with your WC over time, or is it mostly in the other direction?

 

[BPWT]

I really like this woman's Aikido. In this clip, Okamoto Yoko talks about extension, using your own momentum, dropping your center and where to put the force (she talks about using "tension and release"), and moving off the line.

For sure it's not Wing Chun, but you could argue (and I would ) that the idea of Loi Lau Hoi Sung is in what she does. So it is entirely possible your Wing Chun would "come out" during your Aikido classes.

I love Aikido, by the way. The most incredible, and perhaps the most intelligent, system for understanding how you manipulate balance and use changes in direction. In this clip she also throws in some Atemi, which I also like to see.


Aikido: OKAMOTO Yoko Sensei - Seminar in Offenbach 2014 - YouTube

 

[Argus]

I really like this woman's Aikido. In this clip, Okamoto Yoko talks about extension, using your own momentum, dropping your center and where to put the force (she talks about using "tension and release"), and moving off the line.

Ah yes, Okamoto-sensei! I watched a 20 minute documentary about her school in Japanese. I like her Aikido and her teaching style a lot.

For sure it's not Wing Chun, but you could argue (and I would ) that the idea of Loi Lau Hoi Sung is in what she does.

That's actually a really good observation. I can definitely see it to some degree in that video, and, now that you point it out, in Aikido in general.

I love Aikido, by the way. The most incredible, and perhaps the most intelligent, system for understanding how you manipulate balance and use changes in direction.

Exactly. This is exactly why I've started Aikido. Often, in WC, you get into "grapply" situations that aren't really grappling, but where knowing how to control an opponent's balance becomes important. And, to be honest, while my intuition generally serves me well in WC, it serves me none at all when it comes to controlling or taking someone's balance. I also know next to nothing about locks, pins, and joint manipulation. So I see Aikido as a great way to fill in some holes and get a sense of how all of those things work.

And, though I tend to prefer CMA/Wing Chun, it's also a plus for me to study a Japanese art since I'm already very familiar with the language and culture.

 

[Eric_H]

have you found other arts conflicting with your WC over time

All the g-d danged time

 

[BPWT]

@Argus

Again, this is Aikido and not Wing Chun ( ), but again some parallels - taking center, closing distance and eating up space, simultaneous attack and defence, deflection and bridging...


Aikido - George Ledyard - 5 Entries from Tsuki Attack - Aikido Atemi Waza - YouTube

 

[Hong Kong Pooey]

I like what I've seen of Aikido and have wondered if it would be a good blend with WC or not so I'll be interested to hear how you get on.

Can you give a quick run down of your WC experience or point me to where I can find it please? Cheers!

I'm presuming you're quite new to Aikido but please correct me if I'm wrong.

 

[Argus]

I've studied WC for about two years now, under Ip Ching's lineage. I recently moved though, and that puts my WC school at about 5-6 hours away. So, my goal is to maintain my WC at it's current level while exploring some other arts in the meantime.

As for Aikido, I'm really new. I've only been at it a few weeks at this point. I'm not sure how well they would blend, to be honest, as Aikido uses very large and often circular movements. But then, in that regard, it might not be all that different than Kali / Escrima, which people like to mix with their WC. At this point it's too early for me to tell, so I'm just trying to keep them separate as much as possible