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Today, Ving Chun is confronted with many questions. Questions such as the originality, the lineage or the training system in today's world of Ving Chun. There are so many answers given by these practitioners but I believe the answers to these questions is not as important as the "art" itself.
Before I begin to share my personal opinions, firstly, we should look into one of the main questions, "Which Martial Arts should I learn ?". Of course, there are so many martial arts available now around the world. Currently, we could see that the biggest hype in Asia and some other countries is Ving Chun, lately because of the late Great Grandmaster Ip Man's biography movie released last year in December 2008 and also because of the art learn by the late martial art superstar Bruce Lee. There is a choice for us to make and to consider on what actually do we want to get out of it at the end of the day in the martial art's world.
To me, I do not believe that all martial arts are equal, nor do I believe all methods of training martial arts are equal. Maybe some methods is well suited for some individual's specific wants and needs but they are not suitable for objectives, black and white answers to the questions of combat and self-defense.
I come across many questions and answers by other fellow pratitioners of Ving Chun and also practitioners from other martial arts. One would say this art is better than that art or vice-versa. To me, every martial arts have their own styles, strengths and weaknesses, advantages and disadvantages and so on. The first thing again we must ask, "what do we want ?". Is it for the purpose of self-defense ? for combat fighting ? for competition ? or just for fun. There are many questions and answers however, there is only one person who can answer these quesions and that person is basically "yourself".
Definition of Ving Chun
Having said that, the first question for someone who wants to start off with Ving Chun must asked, "What is Ving Chun, really ?" Here is my definition:
Ving Chun is a "concept based" martial arts. This means concepts and principles govern how to move, fight and train. Nothing in Ving Chun is done without applying these "concepts" and they are the reasoning behind all techniques, methods and strategies.
Ving Chun is physics. The law of physics govern everything in the natural universe. Therefore, the best martial artist, and likewise the best Ving Chun practitioner, will follow principles of sound body-mechanics, timing and force, consistent with the laws of the physical world. This means training in a realistic manner.
Principles of Self Defense
And just what are these principles that need to be observed ? What methods are there to train these principles ? Here are 2 good points that can be made and discussed.
1. Do I train for a fight or self-defense ?
In order to train ourselves properly, we must first define our goals. Our first goal to define should be why we are training in the first place. Is it because I love the Art ? Do I train simply because I enjoy the techniques and idea of doing Kung Fu ? is it for physical fitness ? A hobby to channel energy into ? Is it to be in competition ? Is it to be able to fight really well ? Or is it to defend myself ?
2. How do I know if what I am training will actually work ?
The next question should be asked immediately after the first, will this actually work in the environment I am training for, and how do I know if it works ?
We must train with a sense of realism, which means we must actually apply the techniques as often as possible. And if not, we must create the best environment to simulate actual application as possible. We must apply our strikes in such a way as to exhibit this, which means using heavy force and contact sometimes. While there is immense value in soft and slow moves, a realistic perception cannot be gained from training exclusively this way. If students do not strike in such a way as to move a partner and be moved themselves, they shortchange themselves as well as their partner.
We must also ask ourselves if we are likely to encounter certain energies from opponents in the real world. If we are using training techniques that serve no purpose, we need to train them differently. And if there are techniques we may encounter that we do not train against, we must do so in a realistic way.
Above all else, we should not fool ourselves. We need to actually fight against certain techniques to see if what we are doing actually works. In other words, we must spend more time in sparring sessions which is as close as to actual fighting.
By doing this, by questioning ourselves and our own training, we begin to shape the culture of our Ving Chun. Will my culture be effective and innovative ? Will it be traditional and artistic ?
Before I begin to share my personal opinions, firstly, we should look into one of the main questions, "Which Martial Arts should I learn ?". Of course, there are so many martial arts available now around the world. Currently, we could see that the biggest hype in Asia and some other countries is Ving Chun, lately because of the late Great Grandmaster Ip Man's biography movie released last year in December 2008 and also because of the art learn by the late martial art superstar Bruce Lee. There is a choice for us to make and to consider on what actually do we want to get out of it at the end of the day in the martial art's world.
To me, I do not believe that all martial arts are equal, nor do I believe all methods of training martial arts are equal. Maybe some methods is well suited for some individual's specific wants and needs but they are not suitable for objectives, black and white answers to the questions of combat and self-defense.
I come across many questions and answers by other fellow pratitioners of Ving Chun and also practitioners from other martial arts. One would say this art is better than that art or vice-versa. To me, every martial arts have their own styles, strengths and weaknesses, advantages and disadvantages and so on. The first thing again we must ask, "what do we want ?". Is it for the purpose of self-defense ? for combat fighting ? for competition ? or just for fun. There are many questions and answers however, there is only one person who can answer these quesions and that person is basically "yourself".
Definition of Ving Chun
Having said that, the first question for someone who wants to start off with Ving Chun must asked, "What is Ving Chun, really ?" Here is my definition:
Ving Chun is a "concept based" martial arts. This means concepts and principles govern how to move, fight and train. Nothing in Ving Chun is done without applying these "concepts" and they are the reasoning behind all techniques, methods and strategies.
Ving Chun is physics. The law of physics govern everything in the natural universe. Therefore, the best martial artist, and likewise the best Ving Chun practitioner, will follow principles of sound body-mechanics, timing and force, consistent with the laws of the physical world. This means training in a realistic manner.
Principles of Self Defense
And just what are these principles that need to be observed ? What methods are there to train these principles ? Here are 2 good points that can be made and discussed.
1. Do I train for a fight or self-defense ?
In order to train ourselves properly, we must first define our goals. Our first goal to define should be why we are training in the first place. Is it because I love the Art ? Do I train simply because I enjoy the techniques and idea of doing Kung Fu ? is it for physical fitness ? A hobby to channel energy into ? Is it to be in competition ? Is it to be able to fight really well ? Or is it to defend myself ?
2. How do I know if what I am training will actually work ?
The next question should be asked immediately after the first, will this actually work in the environment I am training for, and how do I know if it works ?
We must train with a sense of realism, which means we must actually apply the techniques as often as possible. And if not, we must create the best environment to simulate actual application as possible. We must apply our strikes in such a way as to exhibit this, which means using heavy force and contact sometimes. While there is immense value in soft and slow moves, a realistic perception cannot be gained from training exclusively this way. If students do not strike in such a way as to move a partner and be moved themselves, they shortchange themselves as well as their partner.
We must also ask ourselves if we are likely to encounter certain energies from opponents in the real world. If we are using training techniques that serve no purpose, we need to train them differently. And if there are techniques we may encounter that we do not train against, we must do so in a realistic way.
Above all else, we should not fool ourselves. We need to actually fight against certain techniques to see if what we are doing actually works. In other words, we must spend more time in sparring sessions which is as close as to actual fighting.
By doing this, by questioning ourselves and our own training, we begin to shape the culture of our Ving Chun. Will my culture be effective and innovative ? Will it be traditional and artistic ?
Remember - Your training is in your own hands - Sifu Oliver Lee.
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