Wing Chun Master vs Bullies | Wing Chun in the Street
Reading time: 8 minutes
So what exactly is Wing Chun and how would it stand up in a street fight? That's exactly what we are going to look at in this video.
This video was uploaded by Brutal TV on their official Youtube channel. Make sure to check him out.
The following article is the transcript of the video above.
Is Wing Chun useful in a street fight?
Wing Chun is a traditional southern Chinese Kung Fu style. It was refined in Hong Kong and specializes in close contact combat. Quick punches and kicks are seen in Wing Chun which makes it appear somewhat impressive, but is it any good in self-defense?
Origins of Wing Chun
Wing Chun is a concept-based martial art that originated in southern China. Just like many traditional martial arts, specific details on its origins are unclear. Legend says it was created by a Shaolin Kung Fu master Ng Mui. This martial art became widespread after Wing Chun master Ip Man started to teach the style throughout mainland China and Hong Kong.
With both Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan being among the martial artists drawing on the concepts of Wing Chun in their practice, its popularity sees that it remains taught worldwide to this day.
Some basics of Wing Chun
Wing Chun is a highly fluid style of self-defense that is designed to immediately shut down explosive and high-powered attacks. Basic Wing Chun concepts include simultaneous attack and defense, center line control, and constant forward pressure. The techniques are designed to be performed in a relaxed manner, with reflexive responses being used to off-balance attackers and turn their own attacks against them.
The martial art is designed to be used at high speed, and when engaging at close range. With this, consistent forward pressure is emphasized and common striking targets include vulnerable soft tissue areas like the groin and throat.
Sounds pretty vicious, right? It certainly can be.
Close Range Combat
What can be said about Wing Chun can be said about any form of martial art. If you don't know how to use it effectively, in a real fight scenario it's not going to be any good. If you do wish to use Wing Chun effectively in a real fight, practice and learn the art with self-defense in mind. Street fights usually randomly occur through aggression: they usually start from a distance but get closer as the attacker gets aggressive verbally and gets close enough to push and punch. There might be no warning of the attack but the attacker will get close enough to you to attack.
In terms of Wing Chun, this is ideal as it is a close combat form of martial art. In order to be effective in applying the moves and tactics, your attacker or opponent needs to be fairly close to you. They can be close enough to grapple you, except with your speed and Wing Chun knowledge they won't be able to carry out their planned attack.
Is Wing Chun effective for self-defense?
There are several aspects to Wing Chun that make it an effective form of self-defense.
First, there is balance when practicing Wing Chun. The center of mass is always under careful control. Rotating your form and leveraging gravity are used to generate powerful force. This force can be used to deliver powerful strikes through limbs. The hips and torso are rotated in order to provide effective striking and defense opportunities. This type of rotation allows the fighter to remain firmly on his feet while accelerating weight without displacing center balance.
The energy of Wing Chun comes across powerful but balanced. This is essential in a fight where you need to physically stand your ground when striking or avoid falling when struck or pushed.
Another aspect is direct: using your energy to redirect your opponent's limbs, trap them or deflect them. All the time guarding your balance, not leaning your torso or shifting your weight from one foot to the other, and remaining in your position relaxed, ready, and preemptive.
What makes it good for a Street Fight
The main objective of Wing Chun is to attack the center of your opponent while using as little energy and motion as possible. This is where being creative and innovative comes into play. This martial art is designed to include strategic defensive blocking and trapping. Fighters are taught to have a strong forward focus in order to effectively jam or trap an attacker's limbs to buy enough time to attack. This technique relies on the body's bone alignment and not on sheer muscular strength alone.
According to legend, this martial art was created by a woman for women and older physically weaker people to effectively defend themselves against larger, stronger, and more powerful opponents. Traps are used to stop an opponent from defending against an attack. These can include quick smacks, poles, and jerks with striking at the same time.
Basic Techniques
The basic Wing Chun techniques that are normally taught consist of hand strikes, kicks, blocks, and traps. Hand strikes include the likes of punches, chops, finger jabs, and hammer or back fist strikes. All of these strikes, when taught correctly, can be brutally effective. When it comes to kicks they can only be truly effective when carried out with speed and determination, remembering all the time your center of balance. Kicks include the straight kick, round kick, and side kick.
Blocks and traps really add emphasis to the functionality of Wing Chun moves. These include press, smack, palm up, center block, low outward block, high forward block, and pull and jerk. Wing Chun has been developed to be an empty hands self-defense system meaning you can defend yourself without a weapon, which is pretty important as not many people are equipped with a knife or gun when suddenly cornered by a gang on a quiet road.
Apart from being practical and adaptable, Wing Chun is especially effective in combat against stronger opponents because it is a combat system based on tactile reflexes. Wing Chun enables you to anticipate attacks and block them instinctively. Mental focus plays a big part, especially focusing on internal strength as opposed to physical strength. Any person of any age size and gender can learn this system of self-defense.
Wing Chun is a dangerous Martial Art
Another element of Wing Chun that will make it very useful in a street fight is that there are no rules. The primary striking targets in Wing Chun include the back of the head, fingers, throat, and groin most of which are illegal in most mixed martial arts competitions, although many athletes do use hand trapping as a way of opening up strikes in their attacks.
Suggested: IS WING CHUN ILLEGAL IN MMA?
The technique of Wing Chun was specifically designed to viciously incapacitate an attacker, not score points in a sports competition. Wing Chun hand strikes are designed to cause eye and throat damage and the kicks aim to tear through tendons and ligaments, usually in the knees and ankles.
Conclusions
So with all of this said, we believe it is safe to say that Wing Chun is definitely useful in a street fight, both from the self-defense and attack aspects.
What do you think: would you practice Wing Chun?
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