alarmclock0phony Posted August 3, 2014 Posted August 3, 2014 I appreciated Stef's discussion with the caller as it pertained to the utility of self defense training. I'm not sure if the caller will ever find this post or whether or not it will be useful, but here goes.I would say that there were a few elements that kept me dog paddling through the wake of a highly personal tsunami i experienced a few years ago. The first was therapy, the second was FDR, and the third was discovery and immersion in the art of wing chun kung fu.In my youth i was fascinated with various styles of martial arts, but i did not develop a stature or physique that would enable me to excel in physical intimidation or domination of other men, which is very well because i have never desired to do so. I became intrigued following a long conversation with a friend of mine, short in stature, who was studying the art and I found a teacher in my area who to my surprise was a libertarian, well read and is now an avid follower of jeff berwick. wing chun has roots in taoism; Lao Tsu has been recognized by many left libertarians.There has been a lot of mythmaking in the wing chun world, most notably in the "Ip Man" movies (Yip has been discredited as having stolen the true stories of his teacher Yuen Kay San and other personal fictions though was the first teacher of Bruce Lee; his family has issued formal apologies to the Yuen Kay San family however i am quite certain restitution has never occurred). Other films where wing chun is exhibited include the Robert Downey, Jr. "Sherlock Holmes" productions and a lesser-known film, "the Prodigal Son". wing chun is a style that was developed by a woman, and is centered around economy of movement and relaxation. it gives the advantage in combat to a smaller person when encountering brute force. It is designed for close-quarters attacks and disregards "gentleman's rules", which in a life-or-death situation are entirely irrelevant. The majority of today's popular self-defense and martial arts schools are about sport-fighting, in the wushu tradition, and involve heavy protective gear and a high level of physical prowess for success. In wing chun we work with a principal focus on restraint because the art is not about kicking and punching, but about crippling and disabling. It has been said that what tai chi offers in 20 years of study, wing chun provides in seven. Training in no way resembles what you would find in many martial art schools, in that there is not an emphasis in calisthenics, and there are few leveling up type "achievements" such as belts to earn; of course, there are some schools which are highly commercialized and franchised and place less value on quality. I would recommend wing chun to anyone who is not interested in MMA competition, and not built like a g.i. joe figurine.I would also suggest checking out the best youtube assemblage of wing chun footage i've found for anyone who's curious to see what it looks like.There may be schools in your area, and i hope that you consider it an option. Be well!
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