In-depth study of Wing Chun vs other Martial Arts

In-depth study of Wing Chun

Today's topic of discussion is indeed a real trigger. MANY opinions and statements have been made about Wing Chun ever since the mists of time.
The following commentary is particularly interesting since it does a real in-depth study of Wing Chun, distinguishing between traditional and innovative Wing Chun.
The video you have just seen is taken from the following youtube channel: Brutal Tv. Remember to check out this channel since it makes great content without lowering its standards.
We also allowed ourselves to take inspiration and resume some of the parts that have been already said in the video.

Innovative Wing Chun

First of all, what even is innovative Wing Chun you may ask.
The concept is pretty original and it doesn't necessarily distinguish between various types of Wing Chun instead, it marks a difference between the approach that different people have when it comes to training this martial art.
By stating "innovative Wing Chun" the author emphasizes the open-mindedness of many Wing Chun practitioners and masters that are not afraid to expand the system to new challenges and problems.
Maybe it's easier to understand this idea from the opposite point of view, which for instance would be Traditional Wing Chun.
The author is not criticizing Wing Chun itself but rather the people who train it in a dogmatic and (in this way traditional) no-space-for-change way.
A great example is given in the video: time passes by and nothing is left untouched. So, also in martial arts, you can encounter new techniques, bigger and stronger (or armed) opponents...the list can go on. So how can a traditional martial art manage something that it wasn't meant for?

Wing Chun is meant to be upgraded

The point is not either Wing Chun works or not, but rather HOW to make it work.
What we found really interesting is that the author suggests that traditional Wing Chun has the keys to fully expanding the system.
You see, we didn't mean to be harsh on traditional Wing Chun :)
However, most of the time many practitioners train with no regard for further development, and many times masters themselves believe that the system is perfect and complete to cope with any situation because of its effectiveness at close quarters. However, to quote the author, their lack of aptitude against grapplers and armed assailants reflects a problematic actuality most martial arts have.

via GIPHY

Chinese MMA

No, we're not going to speak about a new MMA which comes from China. Actually, the author of this video sees Wing Chun as the eastern MMA.
It is clear that he has done some real in-depth study of Wing Chun, so for the next few sentences, we're going to quote him directly.

"Innovative Wing Chun is one of the world's most technically advanced and devastating forms of end-to-end combat. It is the original mixed martial art of China because of its western influence. Known as the Mercedes S class of the martial arts. It delivers abundance without excess and is explicitly designed to defeat other martial arts as well as stronger, bigger, and faster opponents.
In addition, it is designed to defeat traditional or classical Wing Chun Itself."

via GIPHY

Another important characteristic that distinguishes Wing Chun from other martial arts is the essential idea behind every Wing Chun movement.
Unlike most of today's popular systems, such as Karate, Taekwondo, and Kung Fu which block first and only then attack, Wing Chun emphasizes self-defense focusing on methods that allow deflection and attack in the same movement. In fact, the system is not based on animal movements but rather on human biomechanics, prioritizing the straight line and fast direct strikes.

The originality and effectiveness of this system, when trained properly, lies also in the fact that those movements which are trained relentlessly will become part of one's automatic subconscious response.