I've found recently that there are screamin' differences between different branches of Wing Chun.
Yep. That's one reason why Leung Ting chose the "WT" spelling for his system... to call attention to the fact that it was different from the other WC, even in the Yip Man lineage. Although those differences don't seem all athat great compared with some of the other lineages that have emerged on the scene since.
The comparison between Leung Sheung and Leung Ting is especially interesting, since if I remember correctly, Leung Ting began as a student of Leung Sheung... something he doesn't like to talk about much. He apparently had a falling out with his instructor and ended up briefly studying directly with Grandmaster Yip near to the end of the Grandmaster's life. The particulars of this story are hard to verify and way too political to discuss here.
Anyway, the Leung Ting system, although very combat oriented is "softer" and more yielding in some of it's applications. According to what I heard from Leung Ting, this is because as Grandmaster Yip became very old, he emphasized the "spring-like" and yielding aspects more since he could no longer apply his explosive speed and force as before.
This distinction can be illustrated in the Leung Ting application of bong-sau. Contrary to many who trained with Grandmaster Yip in the early days, LT teaches that you
never strike out and attempt to lift up your opponent's arm with a bong sau. In fact you never "make your own bong-sau" at all. Your arm simply goes forward to contact your opponent. If it meets stronger force, it flexes and bends like bamboo, becoming bong sau. So it is your opponent who makes your bong-sau with his own force!
Now if your opponent drives in with his punch, your bong sau and stance just deflect to the side and you slip out of the way, like a bull-fighter with his cape side-stepping the charge of a bull. If your opponent drives downward against your bong-sau, you simply let his arm slide downward and let it go... like rain sliding off a steeply pitched roof, and then your bong-sau like a bent spring that is suddenly released will snap forward and strike your opponent.
This "spring" concept is close to the heart of Leung Ting's approach, and though simple sounding, is a very sophisticated concept. It can be difficult to execute... especially if, like me, you are tense and stiff-jointed. I often fall back on using force and get away with it... until I meet someone who can really apply this soft, springy energy. Then
I can't even touch them!
)))) One that will get u barely where u want to go
