Wing chun and health

[guy b.]

From Robert Chu:

The theory of Chinese medicine says that the Chi must flow normally - so if the Chi doesn't flow, it's impeded. The liver governs the chi flow through the body. We often see cases of liver Chi stagnation - when the body is very rigid and a practitioner is wrongly just using the shoulders to issue force. There becomes a lot of stagnation in the shoulder area, and the Gall Bladder 21 point has a tendency to be rigid, along with the other gall bladder points in the area. People also practice incorrectly when they tend to be very rigid in their stances - their knees are locked, and their feet are internally rotated 45 degrees, and the person is sitting in a stiff, locked stance. That method of training causes stagnation of Chi and blood. The theory of Chinese medicine, is that that method is not very healthy - the Chi must always move - if the Chi doesn't move, it gets stagnated. If it gets stagnated, then it can cause the Liver Yang Chi to rise. You see a lot of incidents in Wing Chun where people have the syndrome of Liver Yang Chi rising. You see signs and symptoms such as red eyes, bad temper, red face, a person feels very uncomfortable or irritable, they have a tendency to shout, and have an aggressive attitude and so on.

It is true that some quite famous wing chun people have suffered quite early death or dibilitating disease. Is wing chun bad for your health? If so then is there a way to ameliorate this tendency?

 

[geezer]

From Robert Chu:



It is true that some quite famous wing chun people have suffered quite early death or dibilitating disease. Is wing chun bad for your health? If so then is there a way to ameliorate this tendency?

Wing Chun practiced wisely, in balance with other forms of exercise should not be bad for your health. That quote from Robert Chu seemed pretty bogus to me.

 

[KPM]

It is true that some quite famous wing chun people have suffered quite early death or dibilitating disease.

What famous Wing Chun people is that?

 

[geezer]

What famous Wing Chun people is that?

Actually I do recall reading a study of famous old Okinawan Karate masters who's lifespans were significantly shorter than the average for the people of their same area and generation. I haven't heard that about WC. Of course what do I know? Maybe I died a couple of months ago. Joy's been dead for years. Yip Chun for decades. Zombie kung fu. "Must ....seek.... centerline...".

You know I teach high school. Well, along the same line... a smart-alec kid raised his hand in class today and asked, "Why wasn't Jesus considered a zombie?" I told him to ask his parents. I'm just an art teacher.

 

[Vajramusti]

Actually I do recall reading a study of famous old Okinawan Karate masters who's lifespans were significantly shorter than the average for the people of their same area and generation. I haven't heard that about WC. Of course what do I know? Maybe I died a couple of months ago. Joy's been dead for years. Yip Chun for decades. Zombie kung fu. "Must ....seek.... centerline...".

You know I teach high school. Well, along the same line... a smart-alec kid raised his hand in class today and asked, "Why wasn't Jesus considered a zombie?" I told him to ask his parents. I'm just an art teacher.

__----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
cause-effect relationships are difficult to pinpoint. Hey, I am reborn every day been doing so for over 82 years-been doing zombie wing chun since 1976- will do again today in spite of osteoarthritis in the knees- work just fine with biu ma and chor ma at close quarters.
On longevity of martial artists- besides martial arts- there are other health related factors.....including excessive smoking and drinking....these can contribute to strokes-possible causes of WSL's death

 

[KPM]

__----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
cause-effect relationships are difficult to pinpoint. Hey, I am reborn every day been doing so for over 82 years-been doing zombie wing chun since 1976- will do again today in spite of osteoarthritis in the knees- work just fine with biu ma and chor ma at close quarters.
On longevity of martial artists- besides martial arts- there are other health related factors.....including excessive smoking and drinking....these can contribute to strokes-possible causes of WSL's death

Exactly! I immediately thought of you Joy, Ho Kam Ming, Yip Ching, Yip Chun....all going strong in their 80's and even 90's!. Ip Man died in his 70's of throat cancer related to smoking cigarettes. Wong Shun Leung had a stroke and smoking cigarettes was likely a bigger factor than anything else. Nowadays doing ANY kind of physical activity is going to be a benefit compared to the typical western sedentary lifestyle. So yeah, I would worry too much about whether your YGKYM is causing your liver yang to rise or not! ;-)