Wing Chun fall from the most praised kung fu style to a laughing stock of martial arts because it is failing miserably in real life fighting and full contact competitions. There are two main reasons for this failings. First is inadequate training system and the other, even more important is lack of understanding what is really Wing Chun created for. Both reasons are based in same fundamental truth, compete lack of fighting for several generations.
Inadequate training is easily seen in almost complete absence of physical conditioning, developing completely useless and fundamentally wrong physical attributes and complete lack of sparring. Although training approach ca be changed and small percentage of schools indeed do sparring and hard physical conditioning , their Wing Chun fails in real life situations and competitions as well. So what is the reason for that?
The main reason why Wing Chun fail despite correct training approach is complete absence of understanding how, why and when Wing Chun should be used, what is its purpose and what it was crated for a first place.
Wing Chun is martial art developed and highly specialized for specific environment. It was invented on the Red Boats in the 1800's as a short and easy to learn self defense system to be used on the Red Boats exclusively. From today's perspective , making a highly specialized system for only one kind of environment can look illogical but for people who spent more than 95% of their time on the boats that was the best if not only acceptable solution.
While there many "theories" how and why Wing Chun came to existence , if we analyze the art's technical content it becomes obvious that it was made for close quarter fighting in confined spaces where full range of martial motion is highly limited by physical obstacles, exactly what environment on the Red Boat was at the time.
Wing Chun is pretty much static style ( many will not agree) with two forms performed without footwork and only one form with rudimentary footwork but with heavy emphasis on shifting. All techniques are linear, based on centerline principles with almost complete disregard of side attacks. Footwork is simple , just stepping forward (and back) with not even a full side steps. Techniques are designed to be utilized on a very short distance, in fact on the distance where in any other situation grappling techniques would usually be used. In the environment of the red boats, with chronic lack of space where large number of people and even more equipment ,where two people could not pass each other in the same corridor or a passageway, where there was no space for side step because passages were too narrow the only way of fighting was Wing Chun way.
There was no need for any kind of footwork besides front and back steps because that was the only footwork that could be used. There was no need to pay attention for any attacks from the side because only open space was in front of the fighter and that was the only way where attack could come. I was impossible to take wide , low stances because those stances would be wider than available space, thus , high narrow stances. It was impossible to perform any other kind of punches or kicks besides straight ones , that is why there are only straight punches and kick in Wing Chun. Te only way to fast remove a body from the path of the attack was shifting or stepping back, but stepping back is tactically bad move and we don't find it in forms. Grappling techniques could be performed because there was simply no space to do such a thing. Available space dictated techniques, distance, footwork...everything. Wing Chun was not some ingenious invention of some kung fu demigods but natural evolution and adaptation on the physical environment of the lace where it was created.
For the purpose for which it was developed, Wing Chun was and still is the best martial art in existence. For fighting in narrow passages, elevators, buses, airplanes or nay other place that limits range of motion, especially footwork, Wing Chun is perfect solution. But, taken out its natural environment, all the advantages Wing Chun has over all other arts in those conditions become art's biggest flaws. Wing Chun is so highly specialized that adapting it for fighting in any other conditions is pretty much impossible. To compare it with fire arms, hand gun or short barrel shotgun is perfect weapon for confined spaces and short distances, much better than heavier , bulkier weapons, but take hand gun out and try to hit moving target on 50 meters and you will find your self in big problem. Same is with Wing Chun. For fighting in a competition or self defense in open spaces or any space that allows even minimum footwork and wide techniques and Wing Chun will fail, simply it was not designed for those conditions.
Where does such misunderstanding come from? Why people believe Wing Chun is omnipotent art fit for any situation? It comes from Yip Man and his "history" of the art. Yip Man not only credited a mythical figure for creating the art but put the art it self in context that gives wing chun a great historical significance claiming that it was invented to replace all other martial arts on the field of battle. Although these historical events were later proven false the myth about the art's superiority somehow persisted. Even on first glance it is clear that Wing Chun wold be totally useless on ancient battlefields. With only two short swords, no footwork, impossibility to utilize techniques while wearing heavy armor, total lack of any techniques that could be used in organized infantry unit, Wing Chun could only cause death to those who would try to use it on the open field facing an incoming wall of shields and spears. Being aware of this,and after "southern Shaolin" story was proven completely false, many Wing Chun ''historians" and "researches" tried to tie the art to some other, real historical events and to give it more historical and also technical significance in those events, most notably Taiping rebellion, trying to present Wing Chun as an "assassin's" art, or the style widely used by rebel army , or the art used by spies and secret organizations. All these claims are completely false and there is no a eve a shred of evidence to support them. Simply Wing Chun is made by "Red Boat people" to be used on Red Boats, nothing more and nothing less.
Taking Wing Chun for something it is not did and will only cause problems for those who are doing such a thing. Real fighting is not based in belief but in facts that could be logically analyzed. Wing Chun should practiced for what it is. For situations that go beyond technical and tactical capabilities of Wing Chun practitioners should consider other options, either learning another style of fighting better fit for required or supplement Wing Chun with necessary tools from other arts. This way, through understanding and proper training approach future failures can be avoided.
Inadequate training is easily seen in almost complete absence of physical conditioning, developing completely useless and fundamentally wrong physical attributes and complete lack of sparring. Although training approach ca be changed and small percentage of schools indeed do sparring and hard physical conditioning , their Wing Chun fails in real life situations and competitions as well. So what is the reason for that?
The main reason why Wing Chun fail despite correct training approach is complete absence of understanding how, why and when Wing Chun should be used, what is its purpose and what it was crated for a first place.
Wing Chun is martial art developed and highly specialized for specific environment. It was invented on the Red Boats in the 1800's as a short and easy to learn self defense system to be used on the Red Boats exclusively. From today's perspective , making a highly specialized system for only one kind of environment can look illogical but for people who spent more than 95% of their time on the boats that was the best if not only acceptable solution.
While there many "theories" how and why Wing Chun came to existence , if we analyze the art's technical content it becomes obvious that it was made for close quarter fighting in confined spaces where full range of martial motion is highly limited by physical obstacles, exactly what environment on the Red Boat was at the time.
Model of the red boat
Wing Chun is pretty much static style ( many will not agree) with two forms performed without footwork and only one form with rudimentary footwork but with heavy emphasis on shifting. All techniques are linear, based on centerline principles with almost complete disregard of side attacks. Footwork is simple , just stepping forward (and back) with not even a full side steps. Techniques are designed to be utilized on a very short distance, in fact on the distance where in any other situation grappling techniques would usually be used. In the environment of the red boats, with chronic lack of space where large number of people and even more equipment ,where two people could not pass each other in the same corridor or a passageway, where there was no space for side step because passages were too narrow the only way of fighting was Wing Chun way.
Inside the red boat cabin, beds on both sides of the passage
There was no need for any kind of footwork besides front and back steps because that was the only footwork that could be used. There was no need to pay attention for any attacks from the side because only open space was in front of the fighter and that was the only way where attack could come. I was impossible to take wide , low stances because those stances would be wider than available space, thus , high narrow stances. It was impossible to perform any other kind of punches or kicks besides straight ones , that is why there are only straight punches and kick in Wing Chun. Te only way to fast remove a body from the path of the attack was shifting or stepping back, but stepping back is tactically bad move and we don't find it in forms. Grappling techniques could be performed because there was simply no space to do such a thing. Available space dictated techniques, distance, footwork...everything. Wing Chun was not some ingenious invention of some kung fu demigods but natural evolution and adaptation on the physical environment of the lace where it was created.
Photo of the same design boat as red boats 1880
For the purpose for which it was developed, Wing Chun was and still is the best martial art in existence. For fighting in narrow passages, elevators, buses, airplanes or nay other place that limits range of motion, especially footwork, Wing Chun is perfect solution. But, taken out its natural environment, all the advantages Wing Chun has over all other arts in those conditions become art's biggest flaws. Wing Chun is so highly specialized that adapting it for fighting in any other conditions is pretty much impossible. To compare it with fire arms, hand gun or short barrel shotgun is perfect weapon for confined spaces and short distances, much better than heavier , bulkier weapons, but take hand gun out and try to hit moving target on 50 meters and you will find your self in big problem. Same is with Wing Chun. For fighting in a competition or self defense in open spaces or any space that allows even minimum footwork and wide techniques and Wing Chun will fail, simply it was not designed for those conditions.
Where does such misunderstanding come from? Why people believe Wing Chun is omnipotent art fit for any situation? It comes from Yip Man and his "history" of the art. Yip Man not only credited a mythical figure for creating the art but put the art it self in context that gives wing chun a great historical significance claiming that it was invented to replace all other martial arts on the field of battle. Although these historical events were later proven false the myth about the art's superiority somehow persisted. Even on first glance it is clear that Wing Chun wold be totally useless on ancient battlefields. With only two short swords, no footwork, impossibility to utilize techniques while wearing heavy armor, total lack of any techniques that could be used in organized infantry unit, Wing Chun could only cause death to those who would try to use it on the open field facing an incoming wall of shields and spears. Being aware of this,and after "southern Shaolin" story was proven completely false, many Wing Chun ''historians" and "researches" tried to tie the art to some other, real historical events and to give it more historical and also technical significance in those events, most notably Taiping rebellion, trying to present Wing Chun as an "assassin's" art, or the style widely used by rebel army , or the art used by spies and secret organizations. All these claims are completely false and there is no a eve a shred of evidence to support them. Simply Wing Chun is made by "Red Boat people" to be used on Red Boats, nothing more and nothing less.
Taking Wing Chun for something it is not did and will only cause problems for those who are doing such a thing. Real fighting is not based in belief but in facts that could be logically analyzed. Wing Chun should practiced for what it is. For situations that go beyond technical and tactical capabilities of Wing Chun practitioners should consider other options, either learning another style of fighting better fit for required or supplement Wing Chun with necessary tools from other arts. This way, through understanding and proper training approach future failures can be avoided.
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