Originally posted by Kirk
I've heard a comment that the difference between Wing Chun
and EPAK are that WC was started by a 90 lb female nun, and
EPAK was started by a 200 some lb. male Hawaiin. Meaning
to imply that the two styles have a lot of commonalities. The
same could be said for JKD, since WC was Bruce Lee's first style.
As an inexperienced student, not "in the know" the two when
executed look VERY similar to me.
They do look similar to the untrained eye, but if you have a little knowledge the differences become evident quickly.
To me, Wing Chun seems to lack the flexibility of kenpo. Priciples such as the immovable elbow make the movements very quick but quite rigid (from my perception). Wing Chun against Wing Chun works OK, but I'm not sure it stands up to more fluid styles, which was basically what Bruce Lee said as well.
In kenpo you're free to move as you like, I think it offers the choice that Wing Chun doesn't.
Not that I'm knocking Wing Chun of course, far from it, some of the blocks from it that aren't taught in Kenpo I use myself, and it's extremely well put together and very impressive. Some of the more philosophical aspect that are impressed on Kung Fu students but are lacking from the kenpo diet are also worth reading about.
I just get the feeling that sparring in a Wing Chun school you'd get 'not like that, have you arm there....no....another inch closer to your sternum' all the time from the sensei, where as we don't get that (at our place anyway). If you're a good fighter, you're a good fighter, if you have your elbow in a different place to everyone else, but it works to your advantage, then so be it. People should learn to exploit their own strengths and defend their own weaknesses, so trying to make people do exactly the same thing is never going to work. There needs to be some leeway there that isn't always evident in more traditional styles.
To be honest, I think I'm a JKD man at heart!
(Above is my 2p, people will disagree...!)
Ian.
... I'll do any drill
