Will Wing chun help me with my present style?

[Tony]

I have just started Wing chun and I already practice Shaolin Long fist! I have nocticed many simililarities but some major differences.
IN my style there are many kicks of various methods but Wing chun has hardly any kicks. I like the directness of it and how cool it looks when you do technqiues at speed. I was doing this drill where you block with a bon sau then lap sau, chop to the throat, then lap sao again and palm to teh throat. Of course at the moment i am still practicing Sil lum tao just to get the correct positioning and although it is not as physical as my other style I can see it is effective.

 

[ed-swckf]

I have just started Wing chun and I already practice Shaolin Long fist! I have nocticed many simililarities but some major differences.
IN my style there are many kicks of various methods but Wing chun has hardly any kicks. I like the directness of it and how cool it looks when you do technqiues at speed. I was doing this drill where you block with a bon sau then lap sau, chop to the throat, then lap sao again and palm to teh throat. Of course at the moment i am still practicing Sil lum tao just to get the correct positioning and although it is not as physical as my other style I can see it is effective.

Wing chun has a fair few kicks, i mean how many do you need? Especially bearing in mind that wing chun traditionally keeps its kicks at about waist height and below.

 

[Jade Tigress]

This is interesting...I'm curious to hear how your training progresses..it would seem difficult to combine northern and southern styles...

 

[ed-swckf]

This is interesting...I'm curious to hear how your training progresses..it would seem difficult to combine northern and southern styles...

Why do you feel it would be difficult?

 

[Flying Crane]

I think as long as you keep your training in each system separate and not try to mix them into one, there should be no problem training them at the same time. If you are already WELL GROUNDED in shaolin, that would be much better. Training two or more systems simultaneously when you are a beginner in all of them could be a disaster. They each have much to offer and approach combat with some real differences. I think they are both good to have in your arsenal.

 

[ed-swckf]

I think as long as you keep your training in each system separate and not try to mix them into one, there should be no problem training them at the same time. If you are already WELL GROUNDED in shaolin, that would be much better. Training two or more systems simultaneously when you are a beginner in all of them could be a disaster. They each have much to offer and approach combat with some real differences. I think they are both good to have in your arsenal.

Thats what i would think also, but i'm sensing that there is something jade tigress was elluding too like a specific reason that would make it difficult to combine northern and southern styles. I'm intrigued!

 

[Flying Crane]

Thats what i would think also, but i'm sensing that there is something jade tigress was elluding too like a specific reason that would make it difficult to combine northern and southern styles. I'm intrigued!

Sorry, my comment was actually aimed at the original post. I'll let JT answer for herself.

 

[ed-swckf]

Sorry, my comment was actually aimed at the original post. I'll let JT answer for herself.

Yeah i gathered that but i felt this was an intriguing route that the conversation had taken, i guess it doesn't intrigue you in the same way?!

 

[Jade Tigress]

Ok, I hope I convey this clearly, I just woke up...not enough coffee yet...lol.

My understanding is (very simplified) that northern systems tend to be more long and linear, and southern more compact and circular. I train a southern system, I have certain ways of moving ingrained, if I were to switch to a northern system it would seem I would have to "unlearn" things that are already in muscle memory? My thought was that they are different in enough ways to make it more difficult to train at the same time. Perhaps not, from your responses it seems like I am totally off on this, but I am still learning myself, so please forgive any misconceptions I may have. I appreciate the opportunity to learn more about CMA because I LOVE my kung fu and am hungry for as much information as I can get about all the CMA styles. :asian:

 

[ed-swckf]

Ok, I hope I convey this clearly, I just woke up...not enough coffee yet...lol.

My understanding is (very simplified) that northern systems tend to be more long and linear, and southern more compact and circular. I train a southern system, I have certain ways of moving ingrained, if I were to switch to a northern system it would seem I would have to "unlearn" things that are already in muscle memory? My thought was that they are different in enough ways to make it more difficult to train at the same time. Perhaps not, from your responses it seems like I am totally off on this, but I am still learning myself, so please forgive any misconceptions I may have. I appreciate the opportunity to learn more about CMA because I LOVE my kung fu and am hungry for as much information as I can get about all the CMA styles. :asian:

Sorry if my responses gave you that impression, i was just genuinely just interested as to why you couldn't train both in your view. Generally i feel that i wouldn't try and learn two complete and differing systems rather i would get a solid basis in one art and then look at other arts to see what ideas i could incorperate sucessfully into my own art. Of course thats probably harder when they differ a lot and to train ideas that contradict what you have trained already and so i feel the issue of unlearning what is already in your muscle memory is indeed a valid one. I guess it comes down to being careful with your cross training so you don't end up with a bag full of contradiction, i'm sure its possible to meld the north and the south but its certainly worth being critical of what you are learning or unlearning.

 

[Flying Crane]

Yeah i gathered that but i felt this was an intriguing route that the conversation had taken, i guess it doesn't intrigue you in the same way?!

oh, of course it does.

 

[Flying Crane]

I train a southern system, I have certain ways of moving ingrained, if I were to switch to a northern system it would seem I would have to "unlearn" things that are already in muscle memory?

My feeling is that when you practice, keep each system separate from the other. Practice them independently and don't mix them up. Just look at them as another way to do something, rather than as something that has to be done either one way or the other. I don't think you have to make a choice about it.

After some time training in them you may decide which you like better and focus more on that one, but having trained in more than one you are in a better position to make that decision down the road. That one then becomes your specialty, but in my opinion, you never have to throw the others out. If nothing else, it gives you a wider perspective than if you only do one and never explore what else is out there.

 

[ed-swckf]

oh, of course it does.

Really? Or are you being sarcastic?

 

[Flying Crane]

Really? Or are you being sarcastic?

yes, really. i do mean that.

 

[ed-swckf]

yes, really. i do mean that.

Ok, because it seemed like you were mocking me?

 

[Flying Crane]

Ok, because it seemed like you were mocking me?

Of course not. I generally don't believe mockery on the forum is in good taste or adds to the discussion. JT posted her thought and you questioned what she was thinking about, and it seemed appropriate to let her answer. In the meantime I posted my thoughts that were aimed more at the original posting of the thread, but the timing of my posting sort of landed it in the middle of yours and JT's postings, so I think maybe it caused a little confusion. You had asked JT to clarify her thoughts, which I felt was a valid question but I didn't have anything initially to add to it. At the time I felt it was best to let her answer for herself.

You'd have to work pretty hard and say something pretty blatantly foolish and arrogant to get me to mock you on the forum. It is too easy to get ugly when people go down that road, and you have given me no ammunition nor reason to want to do that. I think your postings have added to the discussions on the forum and I am glad you are here. I apologize for any confusion I may have caused, but please believe me it was certainly unintentional and I am actually a bit surprised that my posting could have been misinterpreted this way. I guess that's one of the shortfalls of the interenet, so we'll deal with it and move on. Fair enough?

Michael

 

[ed-swckf]

Of course not. I generally don't believe mockery on the forum is in good taste or adds to the discussion. JT posted her thought and you questioned what she was thinking about, and it seemed appropriate to let her answer. In the meantime I posted my thoughts that were aimed more at the original posting of the thread, but the timing of my posting sort of landed it in the middle of yours and JT's postings, so I think maybe it caused a little confusion. You had asked JT to clarify her thoughts, which I felt was a valid question but I didn't have anything initially to add to it. At the time I felt it was best to let her answer for herself.

You'd have to work pretty hard and say something pretty blatantly foolish and arrogant to get me to mock you on the forum. It is too easy to get ugly when people go down that road, and you have given me no ammunition nor reason to want to do that. I think your postings have added to the discussions on the forum and I am glad you are here. I apologize for any confusion I may have caused, but please believe me it was certainly unintentional and I am actually a bit surprised that my posting could have been misinterpreted this way. I guess that's one of the shortfalls of the interenet, so we'll deal with it and move on. Fair enough?

Michael

Yeah i just thought you were mocking me is all, no big deal or anything.

 

[Flying Crane]

Yeah i just thought you were mocking me is all, no big deal or anything.

Not at all, and I regret the misunderstanding.

 

[ed-swckf]

Not at all, and I regret the misunderstanding.

Its cool.

 

[Tony]

I have found that Wing chun is actually improving my techniques! Last night we were doing some jabbing and reversing the upper cuts on the pads. I adopted a wing chun stance and used the windscreen wiper foot movements to pivot on when i was doing the uppercuts! I managed to maintain a good rhythym and I did not even cut my hands like my partner was doing plus i was more relaxed and I noticed he woudl tense up before punching so told him what he was doing wrong so he coudl correct his technique!

So i do think it is helping my hand speed because i'm having to do everything slowly and relaxed. This is a great system for small people.