Looking for a good WC school in the San Francisco area.

[Tydive]

Hey all,

I live 30 minutes South of San Francisco (but work in the East Bay) so I am pretty open to location (just not North of SF). I would like to avoid the McDojo's and was wondering if you could suggest some good places to train.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Katsu Jin Ken]

San Francisco Wing Chun Student Association
41 Leland Ave., San Francisco CA 95829
Tel: (415) 298.9239


sifu is Kenneth Chung, nuff said.^definately not a mcdojo, chung taught my sifu hes from Leung Sheung lineage.

 

[Tydive]

Thank you. I will definately give them a call.

 

[Hung Fa Moose]

You should check out the Hung Fa Kwoon.

219 Monterey Blvd. San Francisco

Website: www.hungfayi.com

 

[Tydive]

Thank you Stephen, I will. What would you say are the main differences between your style of WC and the others?

 

[Hung Fa Moose]

Tydive,

Let's see, the main differences between HFY and other systems of WC. Good question, but it can also lead to many long discussions, some of which can also become heated battles.

In my expereince with Hung Fa Yi the main quality that sets it apart from other systems of Wing Chun is that it makes conscious use of Three Dimensional space in relation to the human body. All of its movements are guided by a specific formula that maps out the most efficient way to use the human body for hand to hand combat that does not rely upon being bigger/stronger/faster. Most other systems I havs seen and played with/studied are only directional in nature, not making (conscious) use of Three-Dimensional space. The only other martial art that I have seen that does this is Chi Sim Weng Chun, but to learn that, you need to go and visit Germany, or come to the Ving Tsun Museum in Ohio.

Another key difference is the integration of Chan (Zen) philosophy into the system. One can approach the Hung Fa Yi system from the perspective of a fighter or a philosopher. The combat and the Chan co-exist in complete harmony in the system, each one supporting the other.

I really can't describe the differences effectively here. You just have to see it and experience it to reallyl appreciate it. Words don't do the Hung Fa Yi system justice.

 

[Katsu Jin Ken]

Hung Fa are you talking about like the rubber band effect (giving and recieving energy), fighting beats (the concept that all fighting has a natural rhythm and to win the easiest is to break or beat the rhythm)
Am i way off base here?

^we use those concepts plus more but non of the Zen thing.

 

[Tydive]

Thank you for the reply. I am not sure exactly what you mean, but it sounds interesting. It will be fun to see what the formula is, I always enjoy a well thought out structure.

WC seems to be a very direct art, which is a good thing. One criticisim I hear about it is the tendancy not to back up or use angels enough in the footwork. Perhaps your system addresses these areas.

 

[Toasty]

If you work in the East Bay, you could also check out Sifu Hoover Chan in
Oakland.

also, go to www.wingchun.org.
Then check out "schools in California..."

 

[Tydive]

Thank you Toasty... but I intend to stay out of Oakland. I just don't need the conflict that a night time trip to Oaktown can bring. Unless they happen to be in a good part of town?

 

[Katsu Jin Ken]

in our class we generally dont back up, we do, however, take some angles with footwork after you reach chum kiu (2nd form), ive found that backing straight up is dangerous and can get you caught with a stiff right hand, IMHO pivoting or small step to the backside is the best.

 

[Tydive]

Katsu,

In general I agree, however being able to run backwards is a very useful skill. Fencing footwork has quite a bit of it... it's pretty fun to have some guy flying at you as you back up matching his pace and hit him. It's also useful for fighting in hallways where you can't move to the side. The other side effect is that some attackers can not sustain a forward charge and will fall at your feet. The down side is running into something.

Also a shorter very quick back step can break distance enough to make the attack fail, then you close distance as the person tries to recover... Note that none of this works if you are already too close. Which is why there is so little of it in WC, your primary fighting range is way to close to try and back up unless you have explosive speed. So think of it as a good mid to long range tactic.

 

[ed-swckf]

in our class we generally dont back up, we do, however, take some angles with footwork after you reach chum kiu (2nd form), ive found that backing straight up is dangerous and can get you caught with a stiff right hand, IMHO pivoting or small step to the backside is the best.

i advocate this approach myself, generally because of opponents charging you down if you go directly backwards.