Your touch does not warrant compassion, love or understanding from me. Your hand upon my person was an offering of malice and selfish intention bathed in the promise of gifts bearing pain, suffering, destruction of my will.
Your gaze is a broken agreement between civil humans; who under the guise of smiles, pledged time spent with each other to be free from fear, confusion and sadness. Your disguise to live among us has been revealed.
Your approach went noticed. Your proposal is accepted. We are now engaged and have entered an agreement...till death do us part.
Your hurtful embrace has asked me to express myself through the smoke of my confusion in attempt to understand your actions upon me.
As a loving and kind human, I can only attempt to offer you gifts to stop your behavior.
I offer you gifts of rage. I force upon you my hospitality of chaos, violence and devastation. You have come to me...and now you cannot leave.
You had an un-expiring invitation of peace and brotherhood from me as we two are humans together. You chose to give me your ugliness; to take what I have earned. In return I give to you my evil; my hell. I give to you, the gift of my war.
When you leave, tell those you meet of the gifts you received at my hand and the abundance of their servings. Tell those who share your greed of the brief thought that filled your mind of taking my time, my spirit, my health and my life.
Tell them all that you were met on your journey, not by a wise man who showed you the path of enlightening ways; rather, you met the creator of your pain, your fear, your broken-ness...you met the one who took all.
You and I must part. We must cease to be engaged in our debate for our union was not meant to be.
I leave you with my will seared into your soul. I give you my ruthless hand to shake your throat as if I were saying goodbye to a parting friend.
I am not saddened at your leave, I am not pining for your return. You came into my life for a reason and asked from me what no other has ever dared to.
Our time spent was brief, your invite was unexpected yet, I answered...your last breath will pass along your dissipating thoughts. Your eyes widen and fill with watery tears of confusion. I see as you reach out to me pleading to stop my gifts.
Shhhh. Its over now. You can rest, sleep, embrace the blackness that is coming over you.
You had a choice, you picked violence over love. I had a choice too...I chose to defend myself.
Friday, December 23, 2011
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Who Goes First?
One of my students had asked me about the range efficiency of Wing Chun in class last Saturday.
She is a very proficient boxer who has amazing hand speed and footwork. Her question launched us into a conversation about the illusion of Wing Chun being a close quarter combat art only and not having ground skills or skills against a distance fighter, such as a boxer.
She had inquired how Wing Chun deals with someone who uses footwork to enter, attack and leave to reposition themselves for their next attack...i.e. boxing footwork.
I asked her to take her boxing stance and I took my Wing Chun guard. I told her we would "spar" at 50% ability to determine not who is better, rather if her boxing footwork served her well in the "in and out" attacking fashion against someone who is in a fixed position like Wing Chun.
The long of the short of the story is that she found out how effective Wing Chun's smothering, bridging the gap and crowding power do to negate all her attacks and destroy her defenses.
But what lead off the exchange was her brilliant question...
She stood there and began bouncing on her toes, eyes and guard razor focused and ready to start attacking me. Up and down she bounced. We were about 3 feet from each other. She bounced and I merely stood in place.
After about 15 seconds of doing nothing but bouncing and waiting, she asked, "Well, who goes first?"
BOOM! That in itself was the whole point of the lesson! If contact (from a Wing Chun perspective) cannot be made, and there is sufficient room to avoid contact, a Wing Chun person will not bridge the gap first.
Once contact is made, however so slight (as she felt having all of her jabs stuffed back into her) Wing Chun's Chi Sau training comes to life allowing the practitioner to "feel" and employ all training.
If you move first, you risk getting counter attacked at the point where your first movement is finishing.
In a perfect world we could finish every fight with the "one punch, one kill" mentality. But where Wing Chun excels at is recovery...what happens IF your initial strike does not do the job.
Everything we train for in Wing Chun after we learn the Centerline Punch is to learn recovery. Pak Sau, Tan Sau, Gan Sau and most of all Bong Sau are all re-directional movements for incoming energy and NOT blocks.
In Wing Chun we either move around the energy or redirect it so we can continue to our next strike. This is why Wing Chun does not move backwards and shifts as much as it does. This is why we train on the Wooden Dummy...NOT to harden our arms, rather to understand postion better as well as learning to continually chase the center and not the arms. Furthermore, the slower and softer you train on the Wooden Dummy, the better your skill becomes.
I explained to my student that although the boxing footwork is effective, the potential danger for it in a street fight is perpetually present.
I have never seen a bar fight that started with boxing footwork.
Any time I had to place someone under arrest I approached them flat footed for balance and not on the balls of my feet. If they struggled with me, I did not disengage with them and start dancing like a boxer.
When you are in close proximity and / or contact with someone it may not be the best option to disengage with them and start dancing if you feel them pressing forward into you. You are sacrificing balance.
You have to take in account that 99% of all fights end up on the ground. Wing Chun is anti grappling as it learns to use structure to stay on our feet with re-directing movement and using our shift instead of risking balance by elusive footwork.
The hand speed training of Wing Chun almost always over shadows the importance of its footwork. Without understanding the Wing Chun footwork, its the same as trying to throw bullets at a bad guy instead of shooting them out of your gun.
Dominick Izzo
Izzo Training Systems
Wing Chun Self Defense Chicago and the NW Suburbs
www.izz-training.com
She is a very proficient boxer who has amazing hand speed and footwork. Her question launched us into a conversation about the illusion of Wing Chun being a close quarter combat art only and not having ground skills or skills against a distance fighter, such as a boxer.
She had inquired how Wing Chun deals with someone who uses footwork to enter, attack and leave to reposition themselves for their next attack...i.e. boxing footwork.
I asked her to take her boxing stance and I took my Wing Chun guard. I told her we would "spar" at 50% ability to determine not who is better, rather if her boxing footwork served her well in the "in and out" attacking fashion against someone who is in a fixed position like Wing Chun.
The long of the short of the story is that she found out how effective Wing Chun's smothering, bridging the gap and crowding power do to negate all her attacks and destroy her defenses.
But what lead off the exchange was her brilliant question...
She stood there and began bouncing on her toes, eyes and guard razor focused and ready to start attacking me. Up and down she bounced. We were about 3 feet from each other. She bounced and I merely stood in place.
After about 15 seconds of doing nothing but bouncing and waiting, she asked, "Well, who goes first?"
BOOM! That in itself was the whole point of the lesson! If contact (from a Wing Chun perspective) cannot be made, and there is sufficient room to avoid contact, a Wing Chun person will not bridge the gap first.
Once contact is made, however so slight (as she felt having all of her jabs stuffed back into her) Wing Chun's Chi Sau training comes to life allowing the practitioner to "feel" and employ all training.
If you move first, you risk getting counter attacked at the point where your first movement is finishing.
In a perfect world we could finish every fight with the "one punch, one kill" mentality. But where Wing Chun excels at is recovery...what happens IF your initial strike does not do the job.
Everything we train for in Wing Chun after we learn the Centerline Punch is to learn recovery. Pak Sau, Tan Sau, Gan Sau and most of all Bong Sau are all re-directional movements for incoming energy and NOT blocks.
In Wing Chun we either move around the energy or redirect it so we can continue to our next strike. This is why Wing Chun does not move backwards and shifts as much as it does. This is why we train on the Wooden Dummy...NOT to harden our arms, rather to understand postion better as well as learning to continually chase the center and not the arms. Furthermore, the slower and softer you train on the Wooden Dummy, the better your skill becomes.
I explained to my student that although the boxing footwork is effective, the potential danger for it in a street fight is perpetually present.
I have never seen a bar fight that started with boxing footwork.
Any time I had to place someone under arrest I approached them flat footed for balance and not on the balls of my feet. If they struggled with me, I did not disengage with them and start dancing like a boxer.
When you are in close proximity and / or contact with someone it may not be the best option to disengage with them and start dancing if you feel them pressing forward into you. You are sacrificing balance.
You have to take in account that 99% of all fights end up on the ground. Wing Chun is anti grappling as it learns to use structure to stay on our feet with re-directing movement and using our shift instead of risking balance by elusive footwork.
The hand speed training of Wing Chun almost always over shadows the importance of its footwork. Without understanding the Wing Chun footwork, its the same as trying to throw bullets at a bad guy instead of shooting them out of your gun.
Dominick Izzo
Izzo Training Systems
Wing Chun Self Defense Chicago and the NW Suburbs
www.izz-training.com
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Be Like Water?
We heard him say it in Enter the Dragon... "Be like water."
What did Bruce Lee mean when he said that? We should be soft, yet crash into our enemy? In part yes.
Bruce Lee took this from the hard and soft values of what Wing Chun trains for.
All of my attacks come from my centerline. My focal point which I am aiming at and protecting is my sternum-core. From this place I aim and fire as well as protect. If you get an angle on me and flank me, I am internally focusing my sternum-core onto you and launching my attack from where ever it is.
My internal energy, which we have learned to develop in Sil Lim Tao, has stored an infinite supply of 50 calibur rounds inside of my centerline and now are waiting to be blasted forward to destroy my enemy. The exit points where these rounds can be fired from are directed by my sternum-core.
Picture the belt round feed that goes into a machine gun. This is the infinite ammo I have stored in my Dan Tien. It is fed through my spine and directed out my sternum-core out either shoulder, elbow and wrist. Either of these points, shoulder, elbow, wrist, can fire these rounds either independantly or together (energy in opposite directions learned from Biu Jee.)
So where does the "be like water" fit in?
It does not have to do with being soft in an attack, persay. If we are too soft, too "zen" in an attack, our enemy will simply overtake our line and crush us with pure power and force. We must hold our centerline with structure if needed. Waterlike comes from firing an attack and then being met with a possible block such as pak sau. If our incoming attack is met with force, we must "shut off" energy (as we learn in drills such as pak / da and the Chum Kiu form) and re-direct our bullet feed.
Visualise firing a centerline punch at me. Feel as I pak sau to the outside of your forearm and attempt to jam into your core. Your first weapon to fire your rounds was your fist that you fired the punch from. At this point you can withdraw the punch and fire the other hand...or you can be like water and continue the flow of the attack.
If I pak your wrist at the forearm you now can continue, as water does, by sending your ammo out of your elbow and attack while closing in and continuing to fire.
Being like water is continuing the attack after meeting resistance to your initially fired weapon.
Being like water is you continuing your attack through developed sensitivity training so you will not have to back up when in contact with your enemy and can continue to smother him and apply Yiu Ma (hip / waist energy) through shifting.
99% of all fights do end up on the ground. Understanding how to develop your continuation of attack with "being like water", shifting, structure and understanding Yiu Ma will keep you on your feet.
Dominick Izzo
Izzo Training Systems
Wing Chun Self Defense for Chicago and the NW Suburbs
www.izzo-training.com
What did Bruce Lee mean when he said that? We should be soft, yet crash into our enemy? In part yes.
Bruce Lee took this from the hard and soft values of what Wing Chun trains for.
All of my attacks come from my centerline. My focal point which I am aiming at and protecting is my sternum-core. From this place I aim and fire as well as protect. If you get an angle on me and flank me, I am internally focusing my sternum-core onto you and launching my attack from where ever it is.
My internal energy, which we have learned to develop in Sil Lim Tao, has stored an infinite supply of 50 calibur rounds inside of my centerline and now are waiting to be blasted forward to destroy my enemy. The exit points where these rounds can be fired from are directed by my sternum-core.
Picture the belt round feed that goes into a machine gun. This is the infinite ammo I have stored in my Dan Tien. It is fed through my spine and directed out my sternum-core out either shoulder, elbow and wrist. Either of these points, shoulder, elbow, wrist, can fire these rounds either independantly or together (energy in opposite directions learned from Biu Jee.)
So where does the "be like water" fit in?
It does not have to do with being soft in an attack, persay. If we are too soft, too "zen" in an attack, our enemy will simply overtake our line and crush us with pure power and force. We must hold our centerline with structure if needed. Waterlike comes from firing an attack and then being met with a possible block such as pak sau. If our incoming attack is met with force, we must "shut off" energy (as we learn in drills such as pak / da and the Chum Kiu form) and re-direct our bullet feed.
Visualise firing a centerline punch at me. Feel as I pak sau to the outside of your forearm and attempt to jam into your core. Your first weapon to fire your rounds was your fist that you fired the punch from. At this point you can withdraw the punch and fire the other hand...or you can be like water and continue the flow of the attack.
If I pak your wrist at the forearm you now can continue, as water does, by sending your ammo out of your elbow and attack while closing in and continuing to fire.
Being like water is continuing the attack after meeting resistance to your initially fired weapon.
Being like water is you continuing your attack through developed sensitivity training so you will not have to back up when in contact with your enemy and can continue to smother him and apply Yiu Ma (hip / waist energy) through shifting.
99% of all fights do end up on the ground. Understanding how to develop your continuation of attack with "being like water", shifting, structure and understanding Yiu Ma will keep you on your feet.
Dominick Izzo
Izzo Training Systems
Wing Chun Self Defense for Chicago and the NW Suburbs
www.izzo-training.com
The Pak / Da Drill
One of the basic drills in Wing Chun Kung Fu training is the "Pak / Da" Drill. This drill is taught in the beginning of a student's training and can be done at any stage of learning to develop your skill.
The drill is relatively simple in application, however like most drills does several things at once.
The drill is simply this: two students stand facing each other. One student places out a centerline punch (usually with the right hand) and the other student meets that punch with an outside pak sau (left hand.) The other student then punches right handed and the other student meets the punch with the free hand pak sau. Repeat ad nauseum. That's it. Or so the visual eye would think.
Here is what the drill is teaching:
Centerline. As I strike at my partner's centerline, sternum height for the drill's sake, he in turn must learn to protect it by meeting it with a pak sau from his centerline. This shows us the "shortest distance route" being a straight line.
Energy. Once I am pak sau'd, it is my job to feel and correct my partner by feeling where his energy is going. Is he "pushing" to the side? Down? Into my center or core? These are things that I must learn to pick up for sensitivity.
Balance. Am I punching out too far, causing me to lose balance? Is my stance rooting energy correctly back into the ground, supporting my balance? If I am pak sau'd into my center and I do not "turn off energy" and continue to muscle my punch, my partner will me able to jam my energy back into me and take my balance. Hence the effectiveness of forward energy being applicable to any movement and why we train the strike first and always.
Sensitivity. When do I know when to pak or punch? I have to feel it. If I place out a punch and my partner has his pak sau placed on my forearm, I must now wait and "feel" when he puts out his punch. This is one of the first training methods we use to learn the value of "sticking" and "leaving" our strikes out there, rather than snapping it like a jab and returning it to our core. If there is no contact, I will not be able to feel when he moves and will be left to using only a visual means of tracking a punch.
My Energy. In order to feel anything, I must learn to "turn off" my energy the second it meets resistance. Not just contact, but resistance. If in combat you put out a punch and you meet passive resistance, blow right through it. However, pak / da drill teaches you the to turn off your energy when you meet an incoming energy.
There are numerous other ideas that this simple drill is teaching us that we will develop over time the more we train it, footword, angling, jamming, switching into using the same hand to recover and then attack and more.
Drills can be at times more important than chi sau. Returning to the basics will is solidifying your foundation and returining to the idea of what Wing Chun is...ending the fight fast, effective and devastatingly.
Dominick Izzo
Izzo Training Systems
Wing Chun Self Defense for Chicago and the NW Suburbs
www.izzo-training.com
The drill is relatively simple in application, however like most drills does several things at once.
The drill is simply this: two students stand facing each other. One student places out a centerline punch (usually with the right hand) and the other student meets that punch with an outside pak sau (left hand.) The other student then punches right handed and the other student meets the punch with the free hand pak sau. Repeat ad nauseum. That's it. Or so the visual eye would think.
Here is what the drill is teaching:
Centerline. As I strike at my partner's centerline, sternum height for the drill's sake, he in turn must learn to protect it by meeting it with a pak sau from his centerline. This shows us the "shortest distance route" being a straight line.
Energy. Once I am pak sau'd, it is my job to feel and correct my partner by feeling where his energy is going. Is he "pushing" to the side? Down? Into my center or core? These are things that I must learn to pick up for sensitivity.
Balance. Am I punching out too far, causing me to lose balance? Is my stance rooting energy correctly back into the ground, supporting my balance? If I am pak sau'd into my center and I do not "turn off energy" and continue to muscle my punch, my partner will me able to jam my energy back into me and take my balance. Hence the effectiveness of forward energy being applicable to any movement and why we train the strike first and always.
Sensitivity. When do I know when to pak or punch? I have to feel it. If I place out a punch and my partner has his pak sau placed on my forearm, I must now wait and "feel" when he puts out his punch. This is one of the first training methods we use to learn the value of "sticking" and "leaving" our strikes out there, rather than snapping it like a jab and returning it to our core. If there is no contact, I will not be able to feel when he moves and will be left to using only a visual means of tracking a punch.
My Energy. In order to feel anything, I must learn to "turn off" my energy the second it meets resistance. Not just contact, but resistance. If in combat you put out a punch and you meet passive resistance, blow right through it. However, pak / da drill teaches you the to turn off your energy when you meet an incoming energy.
There are numerous other ideas that this simple drill is teaching us that we will develop over time the more we train it, footword, angling, jamming, switching into using the same hand to recover and then attack and more.
Drills can be at times more important than chi sau. Returning to the basics will is solidifying your foundation and returining to the idea of what Wing Chun is...ending the fight fast, effective and devastatingly.
Dominick Izzo
Izzo Training Systems
Wing Chun Self Defense for Chicago and the NW Suburbs
www.izzo-training.com
Sunday, November 6, 2011
Bruce Lee
Forever will the name of Bruce Lee be synonymous with changing the face of martial arts. Respected by millions, the father mixed martial arts, creator of Jeet Kune Do and movie legend has inspired millions and motivated just as many to pursue an undying passion for using their bodies as instruments of perfection, harmony and interconnection with the universe.
Having those "props" gotten out of the way, I can now state personally that I never was a Bruce Lee fan.
I have nothing negative to say about him, but he did not affect me in my youth the way he did so many others. I never grew up on his movies and when they were on, I actually used to change the channel.
I didn't get involved in martial arts because of Bruce Lee, nor did I ever strive to become like him.
Talking negatively about Bruce Lee, or not giving him undying credit, seems to be a sin in the martial arts community.
Here is what Bruce Lee was to me: beyond influential and very charismatic. His influence can not be denied. After all, in an era of karate and judo, for Bruce to bring his kung fu to the American forefront was timing that couldn't have been any better.
When I strip away the flash and fan fair of the man who we make a deity, I actually see a kid who was nothing more than a free thinking individual.
After all, wasn't "his" martial art all about stripping away in-essentials? Strip away all from him and wasn't he just a guy who opened his mind and looked at something in "his own way"?
If you and I look at a tree, we see the exact same tree...but based on angle, lighting, depth...won't we see two completely different trees?
Bruce Lee studied Wing Chun, fact. Bruce Lee wrote that although he trained under Ip Man, he thought of Wong Shun Leung as his teacher, fact.
Bruce Lee left for America with Sil Lim Tao, Chum Kiu (the first two Wing Chun form) and chi sau (sensitivity drills), fact. I have read several articles about Bruce Lee having amazing skill, hand speed and sensitivity in the Wing Chun community. But the fact remains that he did not finish his Wing Chun training.
Evidence of his in-completion can be found in the photo of Bruce Lee doing a Gan Sau / Tan Sau movement on the Wooden Dummy. His structure is almost folded in half at his waist, indicating no use of his hips. However, yes I know he understood hip power as seeing him hit a heavy bag is proof enough.
And his famous video of his 1 inch punch shows him front leg heavy and over extended in his punch, granted effective, but not Wing Chun.
So my personal thought is, "what would Bruce Lee's outlook on martial arts and 'classical mess' be if he had finished his Wing Chun training and actually understood Wing Chun?" Bruce Lee did not fully understand the Wing Chun system, therefore did not have a conclusive enough base to draw from.
The Jeet Kune Do community is not far off from the Wing Chun community in that almost no one agrees with the other. I find that a bit interesting considering that Bruce Lee wanted harmony and to undo the classical mess of martial arts. How ironic that his very own martial art is plagued with this problem.
And what about the notion that he "created" a martial art?
Bruce Lee brought Wing Chun to white America, who had not seen it before him, and called it his own. Bruce Lee's Wing Chun became Jeet Kune Do. His implementation of other martial arts were simply his opinion for how HE could fight better. All of the Jeet Kune Do "concepts" are from Wing Chun. The fact that he was in the stage of his life where he was mentally invincible (his 20's and full of testosterone) also had a huge role. What would happen if he had matured and grown with life experience? Would he have looked back and said, "I need to re-read what I have not yet finished?" So, by not having the information the Chinese already knew in America, it was very easy for him to "create" a martial art.
What Bruce Lee was phenomenal at was his physicality. He was a freak of fitness and that allowed him to do things no other human could. Doing so affected his way of seeing his own ability. It would be and is impossible for him to have taught another human being to act or think like him unless they possessed the same physical ability. Bruce Lee was an anomaly and his thinking was not ahead of his time, more so was within his ability to deduce from the information he had at hand.
Wong Shun Leung was noted to have been the one person Bruce Lee could not "best" during training. Again, what would Bruce Lee have been or thought if he could have completed training in Wing Chun.
For Jeet Kune Do to think that it has branched off or evolved from Wing Chun is actually a very incorrect statement. Evolution cannot be achieved without exhausting all known resources...forcing a need for change and growth. Jeet Kune Do is a mutation of Wing Chun.
There will never be another Bruce Lee. But the problem I have with immortalizing this man is that somewhere in the world there is some kid who is training with all the passion he has...he is thinking and feeling and thinking and feeling and he is trying to make his martial art "his own."
This kid may have an amazing perception and think differently than the rest of us. But he will never get due credit, because of course, anything after Bruce Lee has is just a duplicate.
Funny, I wonder how many people back in China thought the same thing of Bruce Lee.
What Bruce Lee was the first at was publicly recognizing that is was ok to cross train. I will give Bruce Lee credit for the fact that he was brave and bold enough to give traditional martial arts the middle finger and say, "I want to play in other sandboxes."
Personally, I wish he had finished his training.
Dominick Izzo
Chief Instructor
Izzo Training Systems
Wing Chun Self Defense for Chicago and the NW Suburbs
www.izzo-training.com
Having those "props" gotten out of the way, I can now state personally that I never was a Bruce Lee fan.
I have nothing negative to say about him, but he did not affect me in my youth the way he did so many others. I never grew up on his movies and when they were on, I actually used to change the channel.
I didn't get involved in martial arts because of Bruce Lee, nor did I ever strive to become like him.
Talking negatively about Bruce Lee, or not giving him undying credit, seems to be a sin in the martial arts community.
Here is what Bruce Lee was to me: beyond influential and very charismatic. His influence can not be denied. After all, in an era of karate and judo, for Bruce to bring his kung fu to the American forefront was timing that couldn't have been any better.
When I strip away the flash and fan fair of the man who we make a deity, I actually see a kid who was nothing more than a free thinking individual.
After all, wasn't "his" martial art all about stripping away in-essentials? Strip away all from him and wasn't he just a guy who opened his mind and looked at something in "his own way"?
If you and I look at a tree, we see the exact same tree...but based on angle, lighting, depth...won't we see two completely different trees?
Bruce Lee studied Wing Chun, fact. Bruce Lee wrote that although he trained under Ip Man, he thought of Wong Shun Leung as his teacher, fact.
Bruce Lee left for America with Sil Lim Tao, Chum Kiu (the first two Wing Chun form) and chi sau (sensitivity drills), fact. I have read several articles about Bruce Lee having amazing skill, hand speed and sensitivity in the Wing Chun community. But the fact remains that he did not finish his Wing Chun training.
Evidence of his in-completion can be found in the photo of Bruce Lee doing a Gan Sau / Tan Sau movement on the Wooden Dummy. His structure is almost folded in half at his waist, indicating no use of his hips. However, yes I know he understood hip power as seeing him hit a heavy bag is proof enough.
And his famous video of his 1 inch punch shows him front leg heavy and over extended in his punch, granted effective, but not Wing Chun.
So my personal thought is, "what would Bruce Lee's outlook on martial arts and 'classical mess' be if he had finished his Wing Chun training and actually understood Wing Chun?" Bruce Lee did not fully understand the Wing Chun system, therefore did not have a conclusive enough base to draw from.
The Jeet Kune Do community is not far off from the Wing Chun community in that almost no one agrees with the other. I find that a bit interesting considering that Bruce Lee wanted harmony and to undo the classical mess of martial arts. How ironic that his very own martial art is plagued with this problem.
And what about the notion that he "created" a martial art?
Bruce Lee brought Wing Chun to white America, who had not seen it before him, and called it his own. Bruce Lee's Wing Chun became Jeet Kune Do. His implementation of other martial arts were simply his opinion for how HE could fight better. All of the Jeet Kune Do "concepts" are from Wing Chun. The fact that he was in the stage of his life where he was mentally invincible (his 20's and full of testosterone) also had a huge role. What would happen if he had matured and grown with life experience? Would he have looked back and said, "I need to re-read what I have not yet finished?" So, by not having the information the Chinese already knew in America, it was very easy for him to "create" a martial art.
What Bruce Lee was phenomenal at was his physicality. He was a freak of fitness and that allowed him to do things no other human could. Doing so affected his way of seeing his own ability. It would be and is impossible for him to have taught another human being to act or think like him unless they possessed the same physical ability. Bruce Lee was an anomaly and his thinking was not ahead of his time, more so was within his ability to deduce from the information he had at hand.
Wong Shun Leung was noted to have been the one person Bruce Lee could not "best" during training. Again, what would Bruce Lee have been or thought if he could have completed training in Wing Chun.
For Jeet Kune Do to think that it has branched off or evolved from Wing Chun is actually a very incorrect statement. Evolution cannot be achieved without exhausting all known resources...forcing a need for change and growth. Jeet Kune Do is a mutation of Wing Chun.
There will never be another Bruce Lee. But the problem I have with immortalizing this man is that somewhere in the world there is some kid who is training with all the passion he has...he is thinking and feeling and thinking and feeling and he is trying to make his martial art "his own."
This kid may have an amazing perception and think differently than the rest of us. But he will never get due credit, because of course, anything after Bruce Lee has is just a duplicate.
Funny, I wonder how many people back in China thought the same thing of Bruce Lee.
What Bruce Lee was the first at was publicly recognizing that is was ok to cross train. I will give Bruce Lee credit for the fact that he was brave and bold enough to give traditional martial arts the middle finger and say, "I want to play in other sandboxes."
Personally, I wish he had finished his training.
Dominick Izzo
Chief Instructor
Izzo Training Systems
Wing Chun Self Defense for Chicago and the NW Suburbs
www.izzo-training.com
Monday, October 31, 2011
Get Hit to Learn
Thank you to Pavlov and his trusty dog companion. Because of that wonderful little pooch, we understand the idea behind classical conditioning. Doing something enough times, generates a stimulus and creates a reinforcement of a habit.
Applied to fighting, getting hit more, will make you get hit less.
Wing Chun's Chi Sau training is superior to all other forms of reflex training, in that it requires not just technique, but positioning, reflex, sensitivity, and energy.
All of these components allow us to greater improve our ability to protect our centerline as well as attack our opponent's centerline.
One of the biggest mistakes Wing Chun students make is "chasing the arms" while in a real life type application. When sparring, there is no bridge between you and the opponent and you must somehow make the bridge. Many Wing Chun students forget their training when no bridge is available. They quickly revert to the kickboxing or boxing type dancing around in order to feint or jocky for position in order to get the bridge...this only sacrifices your foundation and footwork. The person to move first is usually the person to get hit first. This is why you see good Wing Chun students waiting patiently for their opponent to make the first move. Granted, there are always exceptions to moving first, but this is situational as well as proximal. However, waiting until the bridge is gapped and or punching when in doubt to bridge the gap, shows how Wing Chun is an multi ranged combat art and a complete fighting system and not a style.
The other mistake students make is trying to block arms or redirect as the initial point of attack in order to use their Wing Chun in combat application. You must remember that we are perpetually seeking to protect our centerline and destroy our opponent's centerline. Anything else is a byproduct of the sensitivity and reflexive action we gain from chi sau. Chi Sau is NOT fighting, rather it is a tool used to improve our fighting once ANY physical contact is made.
Even though our hands are the main focus in Chi Sau, our legs are involved. You can feel where the opponent is if he fires a low kick to your legs. Your chi sau skill will simply remind your body where you are in relation to him and allow you to move right in.
The more you get hit, the more you will understand what you did incorrectly and learn to avoid the attack. We can never control our enemy, we can only seize the opportunity they create to attack and destroy them.
Chi Sau must be seen as a tool to use all of your skill. Using 5 movements to do the job of 1 movement is good for the movies or to impress your friends. Next time you chi sau and commit to an attack, ask yourself if the technique you applied has the proper position and opening to use maximum power if it were needed. Anything less is just the "paddy cake" that critics accuse Wing Chun of being.
One well placed strike is more efficient than 20 tapping strikes. I have said this before in regard to the "straight blast". Although rapid, it is an annoyance and will most likely not be effective in eliminating an enemy. But a well placed shifting punch which has been trained and developed with proper Yiu Ma (core energy) will either kill or knock unconscious an enemy.
Embrace when you get hit and learn to understand what you did to cause the strike and how you can prevent it.
We have Wing Chun classes in the Chicago area every Tuesday and Thurs night at 8750 W Bryn Mawr from 7 to 9pm and Saturdays at 236 E Irving Park Rd in Wood Dale from 11am to 1pm. For more information, visit www.izzo-training.com
Dominick Izzo
Owner, Chief Instructor
Izzo Training Systems
Wing Chun Self Defense in Chicago and the NW Suburbs
Applied to fighting, getting hit more, will make you get hit less.
Wing Chun's Chi Sau training is superior to all other forms of reflex training, in that it requires not just technique, but positioning, reflex, sensitivity, and energy.
All of these components allow us to greater improve our ability to protect our centerline as well as attack our opponent's centerline.
One of the biggest mistakes Wing Chun students make is "chasing the arms" while in a real life type application. When sparring, there is no bridge between you and the opponent and you must somehow make the bridge. Many Wing Chun students forget their training when no bridge is available. They quickly revert to the kickboxing or boxing type dancing around in order to feint or jocky for position in order to get the bridge...this only sacrifices your foundation and footwork. The person to move first is usually the person to get hit first. This is why you see good Wing Chun students waiting patiently for their opponent to make the first move. Granted, there are always exceptions to moving first, but this is situational as well as proximal. However, waiting until the bridge is gapped and or punching when in doubt to bridge the gap, shows how Wing Chun is an multi ranged combat art and a complete fighting system and not a style.
The other mistake students make is trying to block arms or redirect as the initial point of attack in order to use their Wing Chun in combat application. You must remember that we are perpetually seeking to protect our centerline and destroy our opponent's centerline. Anything else is a byproduct of the sensitivity and reflexive action we gain from chi sau. Chi Sau is NOT fighting, rather it is a tool used to improve our fighting once ANY physical contact is made.
Even though our hands are the main focus in Chi Sau, our legs are involved. You can feel where the opponent is if he fires a low kick to your legs. Your chi sau skill will simply remind your body where you are in relation to him and allow you to move right in.
The more you get hit, the more you will understand what you did incorrectly and learn to avoid the attack. We can never control our enemy, we can only seize the opportunity they create to attack and destroy them.
Chi Sau must be seen as a tool to use all of your skill. Using 5 movements to do the job of 1 movement is good for the movies or to impress your friends. Next time you chi sau and commit to an attack, ask yourself if the technique you applied has the proper position and opening to use maximum power if it were needed. Anything less is just the "paddy cake" that critics accuse Wing Chun of being.
One well placed strike is more efficient than 20 tapping strikes. I have said this before in regard to the "straight blast". Although rapid, it is an annoyance and will most likely not be effective in eliminating an enemy. But a well placed shifting punch which has been trained and developed with proper Yiu Ma (core energy) will either kill or knock unconscious an enemy.
Embrace when you get hit and learn to understand what you did to cause the strike and how you can prevent it.
We have Wing Chun classes in the Chicago area every Tuesday and Thurs night at 8750 W Bryn Mawr from 7 to 9pm and Saturdays at 236 E Irving Park Rd in Wood Dale from 11am to 1pm. For more information, visit www.izzo-training.com
Dominick Izzo
Owner, Chief Instructor
Izzo Training Systems
Wing Chun Self Defense in Chicago and the NW Suburbs
Monday, October 10, 2011
Adrenaline, The "Dump", Fear and Combat Stress Training
As fun as our Wing Chun Self Defense classes in Chicago are supposed to be, the need for realistic training will forever be something that is a necessity.
I want my students to always leave with a sense of accomplishment from classes; furthermore I want my students to leave with the emotional security and confidence that should something go "wrong" or threaten their safety...they will overcome.
Honestly, I have no intent on training my students to be able to "defend" themselves; my mindset and approach is to enable my students to destroy, obliterate, demolish, wreck, or kick the living hell out of anyone who threatens their safety or the safety of their loved ones.
Once a student has become fairly confident in their ability in class, I introduce training methods which help to improve their foundation. Think your Wing Chun Chi Sau is good? I will have you jump rope for 60 seconds then Chi Sau someone bigger and stronger who is fresh.
I will make even the newest students Chi Sau with a blind fold, or obstructed glasses which allow you to only partially see what is happening.
We turn up the music to an annoying level to tax the sense, or Chi Sau outside in the cold while wearing thick coats.
Train for incoming attacks while your back is to the wall with no way out.
Anything we can do SAFELY and CONTROLLED to increase your heart rate and mimic the adrenaline dump you get in a real fight will help you react when you need it most...outside of class in the real world.
Making class fun is key, however stress is high during a combat situation and the fight or flight motor response must be kicked into high gear and called upon to act when needed!
Fear is good! Fear is that little guy who lives in us and says, "hey...you're alive and I am going to help you stay that way."
Using fear, adrenaline, sensory overload and any other natural means for training to help you improve is a very useful tool to helping you improve while making classes fun!
Our Wing Chun Self Defense Classes are weekly in Chicago and the NW Suburbs.
Tuesday and Thursday Classes are held at 8750 W Bryn Mawr in Chicago near O'Hare from 7pm to 9pm.
Saturday afternoons from 11am to 1pm at Goality Fitness in Wood Dale, 236 E Irving Park Rd.
Dominick Izzo
Owner, Chief Instructor
Izzo Training Systems
Wing Chun Self Defense
I want my students to always leave with a sense of accomplishment from classes; furthermore I want my students to leave with the emotional security and confidence that should something go "wrong" or threaten their safety...they will overcome.
Honestly, I have no intent on training my students to be able to "defend" themselves; my mindset and approach is to enable my students to destroy, obliterate, demolish, wreck, or kick the living hell out of anyone who threatens their safety or the safety of their loved ones.
Once a student has become fairly confident in their ability in class, I introduce training methods which help to improve their foundation. Think your Wing Chun Chi Sau is good? I will have you jump rope for 60 seconds then Chi Sau someone bigger and stronger who is fresh.
I will make even the newest students Chi Sau with a blind fold, or obstructed glasses which allow you to only partially see what is happening.
We turn up the music to an annoying level to tax the sense, or Chi Sau outside in the cold while wearing thick coats.
Train for incoming attacks while your back is to the wall with no way out.
Anything we can do SAFELY and CONTROLLED to increase your heart rate and mimic the adrenaline dump you get in a real fight will help you react when you need it most...outside of class in the real world.
Making class fun is key, however stress is high during a combat situation and the fight or flight motor response must be kicked into high gear and called upon to act when needed!
Fear is good! Fear is that little guy who lives in us and says, "hey...you're alive and I am going to help you stay that way."
Using fear, adrenaline, sensory overload and any other natural means for training to help you improve is a very useful tool to helping you improve while making classes fun!
Our Wing Chun Self Defense Classes are weekly in Chicago and the NW Suburbs.
Tuesday and Thursday Classes are held at 8750 W Bryn Mawr in Chicago near O'Hare from 7pm to 9pm.
Saturday afternoons from 11am to 1pm at Goality Fitness in Wood Dale, 236 E Irving Park Rd.
Dominick Izzo
Owner, Chief Instructor
Izzo Training Systems
Wing Chun Self Defense
Sunday, October 9, 2011
Chi Sau for Caliore Burning!? Oh Yeah!
One of the coolest things about learning Wing Chun Self Defense in Chicago is progressing to the point where you do Chi Sau as a regular part of your training.
Although Chi Sau is high on the upper echelon of Wing Chun training, it is not Wing Chun itself; rather, merely a tool to help with your Wing Chun.
Anyone can look on youtube and see varied methods of Wing Chun's Chi Sau, along with varied views and arguments of who's is right or wrong.
If what matters to you most is not right or wrong, but health, fitness and fun, then look no further.
First off...the brain hates routine. Ever drive your car home from work and not remember the trip? Studies show that if you do cross word puzzles all the time and get better, you are not actually getting smarter, but more efficient at that particular kind of puzzle.
The same goes for routine. The brain actually becomes good at the same thing over and over.
Chi Sau, in some ways, cannot be controlled, yet is reacted by your subconscious. After doing 1,000s of hours of repetitions in our basic training, our subconscious brain reacts to new stimulus given by our training partner when Chi Sau is introduced. The more training partners you have, the more stimulus you receive and the more active your brain becomes!
Fitness...Working out can be BORING. Although working out can be very routine, it is a necessary evil in our lives for our health and longevity. Heart rate training for cardio respiratory training is essential for a healthy heart. If you want a new and fun way to do cardio interval training, you have to check out Chi Sau.
Chi Sau is one of the best ways to actively train with your body weight and jack your heart rate up, or keep it at a controlled pace. It is completely up to you! Talk about an incredible way for all the baby boomers to keep in shape! This is a low impact, low risk way to train with phenomenal benefits to your health!
One of my goals during Chi Sau is to take a strong incoming energy from whomever I am working with, and keep my heart rate and breathing controlled. I average about 600-900 calories burnt during an hour of Chi Sau!
And talk about improved motor skills! Your reaction time, coordination, nervous system, motor development, etc, all benefit from Wing Chun Chi Sau.
Competition... Some of us miss our younger years where we were athletic competitors. The problem is the older we get, the more apprehensive we are about getting injured. Chi Sau offers a wonderful solution for this.
Unlike grappling, you wont get mat or gi burns, ring worm from rolling on a dirty floor, or your teeth knocked out from boxing. Chi Sau can be exerted upon any level of control or energy when agreed upon by your partner and you.
The bottom line is that for anyone seeking a new method to keeping themselves young, fit, healthy and their brain fresh and active, they should look into Wing Chun Kung Fu for its amazing health benefits!
For Wing Chun Self Defense classes in the Chicago Area and the North West Suburbs, visit www.izzo-training.com
We train each Tuesday and Thursday night from 7pm to 9pm at LifeStart Wellness Center, 8750 W Bryn Mawr in Chicago near O'Hare / Rosemont.
We also train every Saturday afternoon from 11am to 1pm at Goality Fitness, 236 E Irving Park Rd, Wood Dale.
Dominick Izzo
Chief Instructor
Izzo Training Systems
Wing Chun Self Defense
Although Chi Sau is high on the upper echelon of Wing Chun training, it is not Wing Chun itself; rather, merely a tool to help with your Wing Chun.
Anyone can look on youtube and see varied methods of Wing Chun's Chi Sau, along with varied views and arguments of who's is right or wrong.
If what matters to you most is not right or wrong, but health, fitness and fun, then look no further.
First off...the brain hates routine. Ever drive your car home from work and not remember the trip? Studies show that if you do cross word puzzles all the time and get better, you are not actually getting smarter, but more efficient at that particular kind of puzzle.
The same goes for routine. The brain actually becomes good at the same thing over and over.
Chi Sau, in some ways, cannot be controlled, yet is reacted by your subconscious. After doing 1,000s of hours of repetitions in our basic training, our subconscious brain reacts to new stimulus given by our training partner when Chi Sau is introduced. The more training partners you have, the more stimulus you receive and the more active your brain becomes!
Fitness...Working out can be BORING. Although working out can be very routine, it is a necessary evil in our lives for our health and longevity. Heart rate training for cardio respiratory training is essential for a healthy heart. If you want a new and fun way to do cardio interval training, you have to check out Chi Sau.
Chi Sau is one of the best ways to actively train with your body weight and jack your heart rate up, or keep it at a controlled pace. It is completely up to you! Talk about an incredible way for all the baby boomers to keep in shape! This is a low impact, low risk way to train with phenomenal benefits to your health!
One of my goals during Chi Sau is to take a strong incoming energy from whomever I am working with, and keep my heart rate and breathing controlled. I average about 600-900 calories burnt during an hour of Chi Sau!
And talk about improved motor skills! Your reaction time, coordination, nervous system, motor development, etc, all benefit from Wing Chun Chi Sau.
Competition... Some of us miss our younger years where we were athletic competitors. The problem is the older we get, the more apprehensive we are about getting injured. Chi Sau offers a wonderful solution for this.
Unlike grappling, you wont get mat or gi burns, ring worm from rolling on a dirty floor, or your teeth knocked out from boxing. Chi Sau can be exerted upon any level of control or energy when agreed upon by your partner and you.
The bottom line is that for anyone seeking a new method to keeping themselves young, fit, healthy and their brain fresh and active, they should look into Wing Chun Kung Fu for its amazing health benefits!
For Wing Chun Self Defense classes in the Chicago Area and the North West Suburbs, visit www.izzo-training.com
We train each Tuesday and Thursday night from 7pm to 9pm at LifeStart Wellness Center, 8750 W Bryn Mawr in Chicago near O'Hare / Rosemont.
We also train every Saturday afternoon from 11am to 1pm at Goality Fitness, 236 E Irving Park Rd, Wood Dale.
Dominick Izzo
Chief Instructor
Izzo Training Systems
Wing Chun Self Defense
Friday, September 16, 2011
Why we train drills and form
Repetitious, static, mundane, routine...BORING. Such are the terms of endearment used when viewing Wing Chun drills and the forms.
Sil Lim Tao (our main form containing the Wing Chun Concepts and Techniques)
Pak / Da drill (slapping hand / punching hand drill) where we stand static and basically play paddy cake.
Dan Chi Sau (single handed drill consisting of 3 basic "sticking" movements)where we move in a pre set fashion over and over and over.
Reflex Drills (using our techniques to redirect and counter incoming attacks)where we start from an unrealistic position to take overly telegraphed attacks and counter them.
And tons more...
Why do we do these drills? Why do we bother with forms? Bruce Lee didn't teach forms...
I read an article which stated Bruce Lee didn't teach forms because Westerners were impatient and did not understand the value of training something statically to see it's relationship for applicability. So we can thank ourselves for that.
The reason for training forms and drills is to set up understanding of yourself in the hierarchy of fighting skill and NOT to learn a set of movements for overtaking an enemy.
To learn yourself and your foundation you must perform these movements in the air over and over and over. These movements are your tools and you have to learn to use them.
If you were new to the trades field and you showed up to your first day on the job with your tool box and didn't know the difference between a Phillips screwdriver and slotted, you'd be fired. You must learn your tools. Furthermore, you must learn the variation of these tools.
We all know that a flat head screwdriver was made for slotted screws. But haven't some of us use the same screwdriver as a scraper or pry bar to open things? You have to understand that there is a difference between TRAINING and APPLICATION.
In training Sil Lim Tao we use our Tan Sau "sky palm block" in a certain fashion. Our centerline is in control, the Tan Sau is at a certain trained angle with elbow, wrist, hand and fingers in control...yet when we use our Tan Sau in a live action drill, at times it looks nothing like how we train it. The elbow may flair out a bit, the hand and wrist may be angled... Hence understanding the difference between training the tool and applying it.
Why do we train these pre set drills such as reflex drills? When do we take punches we know we can block and counter? Why learn to move in a certain way? Over and over and over and over? We do this for reaction. We learn to put our tools into human contact while keeping an understanding of ourselves...NOT our enemy.
One of my favorite things is to watch a new student do a movement over and over. I will have him / her do their Tan Sau with Punch to show me they understand what they are doing.
After diligent training, they will execute a sharply shifted punch with a surgically precise Tan Sau in the air. No falter in the balance, no waiver from centerline...perfect. Then I will feed them incoming energy with a punch...and watch their form and execution go to hell.
Human contact throws everything out the window. So, now we must practice more...
Drills give us an insight to ourselves.
We link these drills to Dan Chi Sau and in time Chi Sau.
Most Wing Chun practitioners confuse Chi Sau with the epitome of their training...the top level of their skill. Chi Sau is merely another, never ending, learning tool to improve our fighting ability.
The most dangerous place to be in a fight is the point between you and your enemy where there is no contact. Chi Sau enthusiasts forget that we willingly make contact with our partners and our enemy will not enter our world's so kindly.
Hence, why we train more. To react.
We train drills to end fights in one fast, decisive, effective, devastating and violent act. This, of course, is if we must fight.
Energetic drills are fun to learn and fun to show our level of understanding our own bodies in relation to others, but it is just that...a test of controlled skill.
Fights are chaos personified and will not afford us time to test our skill. We must drill, drill, drill to react with certainty.
Chi Sau and drills are not the fight, but they are the path to the fight and we must understand this.
Train the drills with the intent that you are not learning to block or counter, rather you are learning to better understand your body during the movement, you are improving your output of power, you are increasing your confidence in your ability and you are learning to react without planning or thinking in a fight.
Nothing can replace the importance of drills.
We have all heard it, "I do not fear the man who has trained 10,000 things 1 time, rather the man who has trained 1 thing 10,000 times."
Train we must.
Dominick Izzo
Chief Instructor
Izzo Training Systems
Wing Chun Self Defense
www.izzo-training.com
Wing Chun Self Defense for Chicago and the NW Suburbs
Sil Lim Tao (our main form containing the Wing Chun Concepts and Techniques)
Pak / Da drill (slapping hand / punching hand drill) where we stand static and basically play paddy cake.
Dan Chi Sau (single handed drill consisting of 3 basic "sticking" movements)where we move in a pre set fashion over and over and over.
Reflex Drills (using our techniques to redirect and counter incoming attacks)where we start from an unrealistic position to take overly telegraphed attacks and counter them.
And tons more...
Why do we do these drills? Why do we bother with forms? Bruce Lee didn't teach forms...
I read an article which stated Bruce Lee didn't teach forms because Westerners were impatient and did not understand the value of training something statically to see it's relationship for applicability. So we can thank ourselves for that.
The reason for training forms and drills is to set up understanding of yourself in the hierarchy of fighting skill and NOT to learn a set of movements for overtaking an enemy.
To learn yourself and your foundation you must perform these movements in the air over and over and over. These movements are your tools and you have to learn to use them.
If you were new to the trades field and you showed up to your first day on the job with your tool box and didn't know the difference between a Phillips screwdriver and slotted, you'd be fired. You must learn your tools. Furthermore, you must learn the variation of these tools.
We all know that a flat head screwdriver was made for slotted screws. But haven't some of us use the same screwdriver as a scraper or pry bar to open things? You have to understand that there is a difference between TRAINING and APPLICATION.
In training Sil Lim Tao we use our Tan Sau "sky palm block" in a certain fashion. Our centerline is in control, the Tan Sau is at a certain trained angle with elbow, wrist, hand and fingers in control...yet when we use our Tan Sau in a live action drill, at times it looks nothing like how we train it. The elbow may flair out a bit, the hand and wrist may be angled... Hence understanding the difference between training the tool and applying it.
Why do we train these pre set drills such as reflex drills? When do we take punches we know we can block and counter? Why learn to move in a certain way? Over and over and over and over? We do this for reaction. We learn to put our tools into human contact while keeping an understanding of ourselves...NOT our enemy.
One of my favorite things is to watch a new student do a movement over and over. I will have him / her do their Tan Sau with Punch to show me they understand what they are doing.
After diligent training, they will execute a sharply shifted punch with a surgically precise Tan Sau in the air. No falter in the balance, no waiver from centerline...perfect. Then I will feed them incoming energy with a punch...and watch their form and execution go to hell.
Human contact throws everything out the window. So, now we must practice more...
Drills give us an insight to ourselves.
We link these drills to Dan Chi Sau and in time Chi Sau.
Most Wing Chun practitioners confuse Chi Sau with the epitome of their training...the top level of their skill. Chi Sau is merely another, never ending, learning tool to improve our fighting ability.
The most dangerous place to be in a fight is the point between you and your enemy where there is no contact. Chi Sau enthusiasts forget that we willingly make contact with our partners and our enemy will not enter our world's so kindly.
Hence, why we train more. To react.
We train drills to end fights in one fast, decisive, effective, devastating and violent act. This, of course, is if we must fight.
Energetic drills are fun to learn and fun to show our level of understanding our own bodies in relation to others, but it is just that...a test of controlled skill.
Fights are chaos personified and will not afford us time to test our skill. We must drill, drill, drill to react with certainty.
Chi Sau and drills are not the fight, but they are the path to the fight and we must understand this.
Train the drills with the intent that you are not learning to block or counter, rather you are learning to better understand your body during the movement, you are improving your output of power, you are increasing your confidence in your ability and you are learning to react without planning or thinking in a fight.
Nothing can replace the importance of drills.
We have all heard it, "I do not fear the man who has trained 10,000 things 1 time, rather the man who has trained 1 thing 10,000 times."
Train we must.
Dominick Izzo
Chief Instructor
Izzo Training Systems
Wing Chun Self Defense
www.izzo-training.com
Wing Chun Self Defense for Chicago and the NW Suburbs
Monday, September 12, 2011
I have a very closed mind.
There is nothing better than Wing Chun. PERIOD.
I started as a Wrestler and progressed in my training these last 25 years. I drifted to Boxing for a short while, Shotokan Karate and looked at a few others.
I stumbled upon Wing Chun Kung Fu over a decade ago and have not looked back. It is the greatest martial arts system the world has ever known...FOR ME.
I attended the 2nd annual Katipunan seminar in Chicago yesterday and was blown away at all the amazing skill showcased at the event.
Now, I will qualify what my viewpoint is. For me, Wing Chun absolutely works best in a combat circumstance for hand to hand application. When other objects come to play, I absolutely know that Wing Chun is highly applicable as well. However, after getting to know some of these amazing systems out there such as Kali, Escrima, Arins...it is foolish of me to say that learning these arts will not enhance my current skill.
As a martial artist I think it is essential to hold on to the passion for our beloved art...fight for it just as you would fight for your life. I love the balance of my inner mind when people talk to me about martial arts. I love how my blood boils when they pick apart Wing Chun and talk about how their art has secrets for beating mine...but I also love the fact that inside my mind I acknowledge that they aren't advocating their art as much as their are advocating themselves...which is exactly what I am doing. So, the brotherhood (and sisterhood) is rooted in a common denominator for one thing...PASSION.
I want to get heated in a debate, I want my passion to get fired up and my inner killing spirit to shine through! This makes all of us excel at what we do! As my former Wrestling Coach used to tell us, "Fear no one...but respect everyone."
This holds true to our passion for our martial arts.
If you are in the Chicago area and want to find passionate and amazing instructors, please search the following people.
Randy Siordia www.wolfmartialarts.net
Mike Eugenio www.garimot.com
Joe 'Mas' Judt www.studiogaruda.com
Sue Gartski www.kravmagaillinois.com
www.defensormethod.com
Edwin Rivas www.bosenchicago.com
Train with Passion.
Dominick Izzo
Chief Instructor
Izzo Training Systems
Wing Chun Self Defense
www.izzo-training.com
I started as a Wrestler and progressed in my training these last 25 years. I drifted to Boxing for a short while, Shotokan Karate and looked at a few others.
I stumbled upon Wing Chun Kung Fu over a decade ago and have not looked back. It is the greatest martial arts system the world has ever known...FOR ME.
I attended the 2nd annual Katipunan seminar in Chicago yesterday and was blown away at all the amazing skill showcased at the event.
Now, I will qualify what my viewpoint is. For me, Wing Chun absolutely works best in a combat circumstance for hand to hand application. When other objects come to play, I absolutely know that Wing Chun is highly applicable as well. However, after getting to know some of these amazing systems out there such as Kali, Escrima, Arins...it is foolish of me to say that learning these arts will not enhance my current skill.
As a martial artist I think it is essential to hold on to the passion for our beloved art...fight for it just as you would fight for your life. I love the balance of my inner mind when people talk to me about martial arts. I love how my blood boils when they pick apart Wing Chun and talk about how their art has secrets for beating mine...but I also love the fact that inside my mind I acknowledge that they aren't advocating their art as much as their are advocating themselves...which is exactly what I am doing. So, the brotherhood (and sisterhood) is rooted in a common denominator for one thing...PASSION.
I want to get heated in a debate, I want my passion to get fired up and my inner killing spirit to shine through! This makes all of us excel at what we do! As my former Wrestling Coach used to tell us, "Fear no one...but respect everyone."
This holds true to our passion for our martial arts.
If you are in the Chicago area and want to find passionate and amazing instructors, please search the following people.
Randy Siordia www.wolfmartialarts.net
Mike Eugenio www.garimot.com
Joe 'Mas' Judt www.studiogaruda.com
Sue Gartski www.kravmagaillinois.com
www.defensormethod.com
Edwin Rivas www.bosenchicago.com
Train with Passion.
Dominick Izzo
Chief Instructor
Izzo Training Systems
Wing Chun Self Defense
www.izzo-training.com
Friday, September 9, 2011
Wing Chun Punch / Krav Maga Punch
This blog is in regard to position of the punch and not power.
One of the key benefits of the structure of the Wing Chun straight punch is the recovery position it leaves you in after you miss your target.
With other punches, such as the Krav Maga punch, the punch is driven off the rear leg, the heel rises off the ground and the fist is delivered in a rotational fashion with the end result having the fist in a horizontal position. Having the rear leg's heel elevated is indicative of the front leg bearing a majority of the weight in the delivery and aftermath of the punch.
The power of this punch is unmistakable, as the practitioner is driving all of their body mass into the punch. It is a knockout punch.
The Wing Chun punch, in contrast, is delivered from the rear leg as well, however the heel does not rise. The punch is delivered in a vertical fashion with no rotation of the fist as it meets it's target.
The main difference is in the recovery of the Krav Maga punch versus the Wing Chun punch.
Having your heel remain rooted allows the Wing Chun practitioner to have a 50/50 weighted balance stance. Having such a even weight distribution allows for the Wing Chun practitioner to utilize the principles of facing and redirecting energy with a better efficiency as there does not have to be a change in balance after the extension of the punch. Granted, we are talking about fractions of a second and theory in application. This is not to say that a Krav Maga practitioner cannot smother and overwhelm their enemy with their recovery attacks; this simply points out stactic structure reference.
Having a 50/50 stance versus a 60/40 stance also keeps the Wing Chun practitioner's head a few inches away from the enemy as well.
Granted, neither Krav Maga or Wing Chun will "stay" in the position after throwing the punch, but the split second recovery is key in being able to deliver a follow-up strike after we miss or our strike is blocked.
The main difference in the Krav Maga punch and the Wing Chun punch is the stance delivery and the rotation of the fist or lack of. The guard position from where the two punches are thrown is considerably different as well. The Krav Maga guard is tight and close to the head, ready for the hands to protect the head. The Wing Chun guard is extended and ready to intercept an incoming attack or launch an attack at a closer point of contact to the enemy.
Having said this, there is no discussion about the power behind either punch, as power is indicative of height, body weight, understanding of structure are varied between student to student. However, the recovery and position we are left in after Krav Maga and Wing Chun deliver their punches is noticeably different due to stance and skeletal structure.
For more information on Wing Chun classes in the Chicago area, visit www.izzo-training.com
For more information on Krav Maga classes visit www.kravmagaillinois.com
Dominick Izzo
Chief Instructor
Izzo Training Systems
Wing Chun Self Defense for Chicago and the North West Suburbs
One of the key benefits of the structure of the Wing Chun straight punch is the recovery position it leaves you in after you miss your target.
With other punches, such as the Krav Maga punch, the punch is driven off the rear leg, the heel rises off the ground and the fist is delivered in a rotational fashion with the end result having the fist in a horizontal position. Having the rear leg's heel elevated is indicative of the front leg bearing a majority of the weight in the delivery and aftermath of the punch.
The power of this punch is unmistakable, as the practitioner is driving all of their body mass into the punch. It is a knockout punch.
The Wing Chun punch, in contrast, is delivered from the rear leg as well, however the heel does not rise. The punch is delivered in a vertical fashion with no rotation of the fist as it meets it's target.
The main difference is in the recovery of the Krav Maga punch versus the Wing Chun punch.
Having your heel remain rooted allows the Wing Chun practitioner to have a 50/50 weighted balance stance. Having such a even weight distribution allows for the Wing Chun practitioner to utilize the principles of facing and redirecting energy with a better efficiency as there does not have to be a change in balance after the extension of the punch. Granted, we are talking about fractions of a second and theory in application. This is not to say that a Krav Maga practitioner cannot smother and overwhelm their enemy with their recovery attacks; this simply points out stactic structure reference.
Having a 50/50 stance versus a 60/40 stance also keeps the Wing Chun practitioner's head a few inches away from the enemy as well.
Granted, neither Krav Maga or Wing Chun will "stay" in the position after throwing the punch, but the split second recovery is key in being able to deliver a follow-up strike after we miss or our strike is blocked.
The main difference in the Krav Maga punch and the Wing Chun punch is the stance delivery and the rotation of the fist or lack of. The guard position from where the two punches are thrown is considerably different as well. The Krav Maga guard is tight and close to the head, ready for the hands to protect the head. The Wing Chun guard is extended and ready to intercept an incoming attack or launch an attack at a closer point of contact to the enemy.
Having said this, there is no discussion about the power behind either punch, as power is indicative of height, body weight, understanding of structure are varied between student to student. However, the recovery and position we are left in after Krav Maga and Wing Chun deliver their punches is noticeably different due to stance and skeletal structure.
For more information on Wing Chun classes in the Chicago area, visit www.izzo-training.com
For more information on Krav Maga classes visit www.kravmagaillinois.com
Dominick Izzo
Chief Instructor
Izzo Training Systems
Wing Chun Self Defense for Chicago and the North West Suburbs
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Wing Chun and Wrestling
You will hear quite often that there is a substantial link between Wing Chun Kung Fu stand-up fighting and grappling's ground game.
Within the last decade, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and Wing Chun have met on common ground, with some ground practitioners, such as the late Carlson Gracie, having shown support for Wing Chun (Grandmaster Samuel Kwok's Wing Chun in the Double Impact Seminar).
First off I must state that I have ZERO exposure or training in BJJ and am not qualifying my knowledge as anything more than what I have seen in MMA fights or what others have shown me in technique exchanges. However, I am a veteran collegate style wrestler with almost 30 years of training.
The essential link between the two is the transition between standing up and taking, or being taken, down to the ground. It must be stated that as far as Wrestling and BJJ are concerned, there is a tremendous difference in the fact that BJJ is comfortable on their backs and Wrestlers are trained to avoid being on their backs. This reflects competition differences. Obviously in a street fighting context, being on your back is not a bad position, thus where most people will argue that BJJ has the edge over Wrestling in this circumstance. In this discussion, however, we are talking about transitions.
That being said, Wing Chun tactics absolutely work from a position from under an enemy while on our backs. The point of this article is again, the transition from being on our feet to being on the ground.
It has been stated that 99% of all street fights or self defense circumstances end up on the ground. I agree with this statement considering that this is an issue of fighters not knowing how to stay on their feet. Wing Chun is effective in that the foot work is almost more important that the hand work.
Youtube and other video sites will show the fast and explosive hand movements of Wing Chun. It is important to note that although our Wing Chun hand speed is explosive and devastating, without proper foot work, it is completely useless...like building a skyscraper on marshland.
Although striking is the primary tool in the Wing Chun arsenal, Chi Sau (an exercise used to develop sensitivity and reflex) shows us that our arms do excel within the grappling space of Wrestling and BJJ. Should a Wing Chun practitioner find him self in the midst of a tie up situation, the nature of Chi Sau teaches us the correct body position and sensitivity to find our way out of the static position and back to the attack.
The major difference between Wrestling transitions and Wing Chun transitions is the method of delivery of our intent. For the most part, the intent is placed on controlling the body. Wrestlers do this by focusing on the hands / wrists / arms to manipulate the body. In Wing Chun, all we "see" is the body and core. Even when we "feel" the other person's wrists / hands / arms, what we really feel is their core movement. Our focus for pathways lie in the delivery of our intent and energy getting from our core to our enemy's core and taking control of it.
Wing Chun training gives us better body mechanics, positional awareness and "flow" to take such control.
Having trained Wrestlers, the benefit of Wing Chun for Wrestling application has been substantially evident in that it has improved their reaction time and their ability to find openings for takedown shots. Their conservation of energy has also greatly improved as they have learned how sensitivity allows a greater ability to absorb and re-direct energy, thus having their opponent tire out while they increase their attacking.
Wing Chun is not a style, rather it is a complete system having ranges from kicking to ground application.
Wing Chun concepts are meant to compliment training from various styles. A double leg takedown may not be in the Wing Chun structure, but Wing Chun concepts can help to improve it.
Dominick Izzo
Chief Instructor
Izzo Training Systems
Wing Chun Self Defense
www.izzo-training.com
Wing Chun for Chicago and the North West Suburbs
Within the last decade, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and Wing Chun have met on common ground, with some ground practitioners, such as the late Carlson Gracie, having shown support for Wing Chun (Grandmaster Samuel Kwok's Wing Chun in the Double Impact Seminar).
First off I must state that I have ZERO exposure or training in BJJ and am not qualifying my knowledge as anything more than what I have seen in MMA fights or what others have shown me in technique exchanges. However, I am a veteran collegate style wrestler with almost 30 years of training.
The essential link between the two is the transition between standing up and taking, or being taken, down to the ground. It must be stated that as far as Wrestling and BJJ are concerned, there is a tremendous difference in the fact that BJJ is comfortable on their backs and Wrestlers are trained to avoid being on their backs. This reflects competition differences. Obviously in a street fighting context, being on your back is not a bad position, thus where most people will argue that BJJ has the edge over Wrestling in this circumstance. In this discussion, however, we are talking about transitions.
That being said, Wing Chun tactics absolutely work from a position from under an enemy while on our backs. The point of this article is again, the transition from being on our feet to being on the ground.
It has been stated that 99% of all street fights or self defense circumstances end up on the ground. I agree with this statement considering that this is an issue of fighters not knowing how to stay on their feet. Wing Chun is effective in that the foot work is almost more important that the hand work.
Youtube and other video sites will show the fast and explosive hand movements of Wing Chun. It is important to note that although our Wing Chun hand speed is explosive and devastating, without proper foot work, it is completely useless...like building a skyscraper on marshland.
Although striking is the primary tool in the Wing Chun arsenal, Chi Sau (an exercise used to develop sensitivity and reflex) shows us that our arms do excel within the grappling space of Wrestling and BJJ. Should a Wing Chun practitioner find him self in the midst of a tie up situation, the nature of Chi Sau teaches us the correct body position and sensitivity to find our way out of the static position and back to the attack.
The major difference between Wrestling transitions and Wing Chun transitions is the method of delivery of our intent. For the most part, the intent is placed on controlling the body. Wrestlers do this by focusing on the hands / wrists / arms to manipulate the body. In Wing Chun, all we "see" is the body and core. Even when we "feel" the other person's wrists / hands / arms, what we really feel is their core movement. Our focus for pathways lie in the delivery of our intent and energy getting from our core to our enemy's core and taking control of it.
Wing Chun training gives us better body mechanics, positional awareness and "flow" to take such control.
Having trained Wrestlers, the benefit of Wing Chun for Wrestling application has been substantially evident in that it has improved their reaction time and their ability to find openings for takedown shots. Their conservation of energy has also greatly improved as they have learned how sensitivity allows a greater ability to absorb and re-direct energy, thus having their opponent tire out while they increase their attacking.
Wing Chun is not a style, rather it is a complete system having ranges from kicking to ground application.
Wing Chun concepts are meant to compliment training from various styles. A double leg takedown may not be in the Wing Chun structure, but Wing Chun concepts can help to improve it.
Dominick Izzo
Chief Instructor
Izzo Training Systems
Wing Chun Self Defense
www.izzo-training.com
Wing Chun for Chicago and the North West Suburbs
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Perfect one thing at a time.
As Americans we have this fantastic sense of entitlement in the notion of "instant gratification."
Kung Fu means skill developed through hard work. Kung Fu is NOT instant gratification and when choosing a self defense program, you as a student have the responsibility to keep that in mind before you walk through the door of someone's school.
You have to be willing to dedicate yourself in exerting effort toward learning a new skill.
Take pride in knowing that the basic movements and techniques you will be initially learning are no different than when an art student first learns how to hold and use a paint brush.
Through time, dedication, patience and practice, the artist learns his or her own ways to use the brush, paints, lighting all to create what they see as art.
It is the same with Martial Arts.
In my Wing Chun classes, my students learn the Wing Chun Centerline Punch on their first class. It is the very same punch that they will be doing throughout their Wing Chun training even if years pass.
Students must understand that like the brush, the punch is only one of many tools the artist has at his / her disposal and must learn different techniques for using it.
Come to class with an open mind, but more importantly a strong drive to master one thing at a time.
If you have a brush but no paint, you cannot express yourself.
The same holds true for Wing Chun training. Master the punch, the stance, the footwork and all the tools we use in Wing Chun. Master the concepts. The time spent training should be something we look forward to as advancement in our skill...and not the advancement itself.
Dominick Izzo
Owner, Chief Instructor
Izzo Training Systems
Wing Chun Self Defense in Chicago and Northwest Suburban Area
Kung Fu means skill developed through hard work. Kung Fu is NOT instant gratification and when choosing a self defense program, you as a student have the responsibility to keep that in mind before you walk through the door of someone's school.
You have to be willing to dedicate yourself in exerting effort toward learning a new skill.
Take pride in knowing that the basic movements and techniques you will be initially learning are no different than when an art student first learns how to hold and use a paint brush.
Through time, dedication, patience and practice, the artist learns his or her own ways to use the brush, paints, lighting all to create what they see as art.
It is the same with Martial Arts.
In my Wing Chun classes, my students learn the Wing Chun Centerline Punch on their first class. It is the very same punch that they will be doing throughout their Wing Chun training even if years pass.
Students must understand that like the brush, the punch is only one of many tools the artist has at his / her disposal and must learn different techniques for using it.
Come to class with an open mind, but more importantly a strong drive to master one thing at a time.
If you have a brush but no paint, you cannot express yourself.
The same holds true for Wing Chun training. Master the punch, the stance, the footwork and all the tools we use in Wing Chun. Master the concepts. The time spent training should be something we look forward to as advancement in our skill...and not the advancement itself.
Dominick Izzo
Owner, Chief Instructor
Izzo Training Systems
Wing Chun Self Defense in Chicago and Northwest Suburban Area
Wing Chun is boring?
In the past I have had students tell me, "I am having second thoughts about training...its moving so slow, and is, well...kind of boring. When will I get to the good stuff?"
Ah, America...land of instant gratification!
Wing Chun is a martial art, and like any art form, takes time to learn to use the tools required to express human movement and emotion.
Make no mistake about it, but fighting is absolutely a form of human emotion and must be expressed. Bruce Lee, a former Wing Chun student himself, formed countless philosophical theories based on this idea.
That said, we must learn the base of our art form before we use the tools on the canvas.
Conveying this to students is a task well entrusted to teachers with integrity. It is the teacher's responsibility to understand that there are those who want to learn to run before they can even crawl. In martial arts this can be dangerous for several reasons.
The first and most important is that as the teacher, if rushed, you are misrepresenting the art itself. As instructors, we have the responsibility of teaching what we know and we know that a 2 month Wing Chun student is not even remotely ready for chi sau.
Unfortunately, some students see the chi sau phase of Wing Chun as the epitome of where the want / need to be and rush to get there.
So, how do we tell students that learning Sil Lim Tao (The Little Idea form) and the centerline punch are two very important and training tools and must be practiced over and over and over again?
Rushing into exciting looking drills and chi sau without a solid foundation is dangerous as it gives students the worst aspect of hasty training...the false sense of security that they can defend themselves.
I had the very fortunate experience of learning this first hand as a student myself.
It was upon meeting my teacher Syed Ahmad that I was humbled and reminded that Wing Chun is about foundation.
I meet with my Sifu for the first time after talking extensively about training, theory, Wing Chun and our passion... My Sifu and I are within years of the same age, same height, same physical build and same years of Wing Chun training. I had left a former Wing Chun school with a massive amount of confidence in my chi sau and Wing Chun skill as being one of the top students; yet upon training with Sifu Ahmad for the first time, I was unbelievably humbled and not only his ability, but the ability I lacked in the form of basics. This was true of his students; my now Wing Chun brothers and sisters. They had an unbelievable ability due to their foundations.
Sifu Ahmad has spent countless hours refining, exploring, listening, feeling and living his Wing Chun basics. Doesn't matter if it his centerline punch, footwork, Sil Lim Tao, etc. Sifu has done his homework over and over. Under Sifu Ahmad, I have had to return to basics and have noticed that my Wing Chun has not only improved, but I understand Wing Chun better than I had under any previous teacher. And this is all due to patience and basic training.
Wing Chun must be learned and the process respected as being one of diligence and patience. As teachers we must be able to recognize that some students will request speeding up their training, or they will leave. It is the nature of the beast. But as Wing Chun artists, we must not compromise structure and integrity for money or student base. This will only hurt our schools, students and future reputations as well.
Is Wing Chun boring? Depends how you want to look at it. As one Chinese saying puts it, "I do not fear the man who has practiced 10,000 techniques one time; rather the man who has practiced one technique 10,000 times."
Dominick Izzo
Lead Instructor
www.izzo-training.com
Ah, America...land of instant gratification!
Wing Chun is a martial art, and like any art form, takes time to learn to use the tools required to express human movement and emotion.
Make no mistake about it, but fighting is absolutely a form of human emotion and must be expressed. Bruce Lee, a former Wing Chun student himself, formed countless philosophical theories based on this idea.
That said, we must learn the base of our art form before we use the tools on the canvas.
Conveying this to students is a task well entrusted to teachers with integrity. It is the teacher's responsibility to understand that there are those who want to learn to run before they can even crawl. In martial arts this can be dangerous for several reasons.
The first and most important is that as the teacher, if rushed, you are misrepresenting the art itself. As instructors, we have the responsibility of teaching what we know and we know that a 2 month Wing Chun student is not even remotely ready for chi sau.
Unfortunately, some students see the chi sau phase of Wing Chun as the epitome of where the want / need to be and rush to get there.
So, how do we tell students that learning Sil Lim Tao (The Little Idea form) and the centerline punch are two very important and training tools and must be practiced over and over and over again?
Rushing into exciting looking drills and chi sau without a solid foundation is dangerous as it gives students the worst aspect of hasty training...the false sense of security that they can defend themselves.
I had the very fortunate experience of learning this first hand as a student myself.
It was upon meeting my teacher Syed Ahmad that I was humbled and reminded that Wing Chun is about foundation.
I meet with my Sifu for the first time after talking extensively about training, theory, Wing Chun and our passion... My Sifu and I are within years of the same age, same height, same physical build and same years of Wing Chun training. I had left a former Wing Chun school with a massive amount of confidence in my chi sau and Wing Chun skill as being one of the top students; yet upon training with Sifu Ahmad for the first time, I was unbelievably humbled and not only his ability, but the ability I lacked in the form of basics. This was true of his students; my now Wing Chun brothers and sisters. They had an unbelievable ability due to their foundations.
Sifu Ahmad has spent countless hours refining, exploring, listening, feeling and living his Wing Chun basics. Doesn't matter if it his centerline punch, footwork, Sil Lim Tao, etc. Sifu has done his homework over and over. Under Sifu Ahmad, I have had to return to basics and have noticed that my Wing Chun has not only improved, but I understand Wing Chun better than I had under any previous teacher. And this is all due to patience and basic training.
Wing Chun must be learned and the process respected as being one of diligence and patience. As teachers we must be able to recognize that some students will request speeding up their training, or they will leave. It is the nature of the beast. But as Wing Chun artists, we must not compromise structure and integrity for money or student base. This will only hurt our schools, students and future reputations as well.
Is Wing Chun boring? Depends how you want to look at it. As one Chinese saying puts it, "I do not fear the man who has practiced 10,000 techniques one time; rather the man who has practiced one technique 10,000 times."
Dominick Izzo
Lead Instructor
www.izzo-training.com
Wing Chun Centerline Punch
The shortest distance between two points is a straight line... hence one of the reasons we embrace the Centerline Punch in Wing Chun Kung Fu.
Wing Chun uses linear movements due to the very nature that a straight punch to the face of an enemy will get there faster than that of a hook punch.
The effort of a hook punch does have a very "satisfying" feeling of delivery as one can definitely feel the power behind it... but when compared to the Wing Chun Centerline Punch, it's distance, timing and placement is outmatched by the speed and accuracy of the Wing Chun Centerline Punch.
The Wing Chun Centerline Punch uses elbow placement, elbow "power" and skeletal structure to reinforce its delivery in place of brute strength.
Picture holding a baseball bat...your enemy has one as well. As he winds up his to swing it at you, you thrust yours forward and jam it in his face. This is just one of the concepts behind the Wing Chun Centerline Punch.
Izzo Training Systems of Chicago teaches Wing Chun Self Defense.
For more information, visit www.izzo-training.com
Wing Chun uses linear movements due to the very nature that a straight punch to the face of an enemy will get there faster than that of a hook punch.
The effort of a hook punch does have a very "satisfying" feeling of delivery as one can definitely feel the power behind it... but when compared to the Wing Chun Centerline Punch, it's distance, timing and placement is outmatched by the speed and accuracy of the Wing Chun Centerline Punch.
The Wing Chun Centerline Punch uses elbow placement, elbow "power" and skeletal structure to reinforce its delivery in place of brute strength.
Picture holding a baseball bat...your enemy has one as well. As he winds up his to swing it at you, you thrust yours forward and jam it in his face. This is just one of the concepts behind the Wing Chun Centerline Punch.
Izzo Training Systems of Chicago teaches Wing Chun Self Defense.
For more information, visit www.izzo-training.com
Wing Chun Tan Sau Block
In Wing Chun Self Defense we do not block. All of our movements serve a purpose of recovering from a "screw up" in a fight. In other words, based on the nature of what Wing Chun is, (simple, direct and attacking self defense)our centerline punch attack should begin and end the attack. However, as most of us who train know, the fight has a strong chance of not ending there...i.e. someone may block, deflect, slip or move out of the way of our attack. Or they may even fire their own attack back.
As I said before, Wing Chun does not have "blocks" as we do not like to think of them as defensive, but for the sake of dialogue, we shall call Tan Sau the Palm Up or Sky Palm Block.
One of the common mistakes taught by Wing Chun instructors is that the Tan Sau is a block that can withstand energy from a hook punch or round house.
This may be true for some people, however height has a part to play in this as far as structure goes.
Tan Sau by nature is found in the Sil Lim Tao form in the first section and is noted to have the same principle as the centerline punch...elbow down and energy forward. Therefore Tan Sau is a wedging block which thrusts forward to intercept incoming and direct energy such as a push, straight punch or any energy that is direct to our mid level.
Tan Sau wastes it potential if we veer it off to the side for incoming side energy as by the nature of being a forward attack, it swiftly becomes our next weapon which is closest to the target.
The first form, Sil Lim Tao, teaches us everything about the Wing Chun fighting system. If your form is good, your technique will be good. Do not try to re-invent the wheel. Stick with simplicity, structure, directness and adhere to the Wing Chun concepts.
For Wing Chun Self Defense classes in the Chicago area visit www.izzo-training.com
Dominick Izzo
Wing Chun Self Defense Instructor
www.izzo-training.com
847.875.0458
Self Defense Classes in the Chicago Northwest Suburban Area
As I said before, Wing Chun does not have "blocks" as we do not like to think of them as defensive, but for the sake of dialogue, we shall call Tan Sau the Palm Up or Sky Palm Block.
One of the common mistakes taught by Wing Chun instructors is that the Tan Sau is a block that can withstand energy from a hook punch or round house.
This may be true for some people, however height has a part to play in this as far as structure goes.
Tan Sau by nature is found in the Sil Lim Tao form in the first section and is noted to have the same principle as the centerline punch...elbow down and energy forward. Therefore Tan Sau is a wedging block which thrusts forward to intercept incoming and direct energy such as a push, straight punch or any energy that is direct to our mid level.
Tan Sau wastes it potential if we veer it off to the side for incoming side energy as by the nature of being a forward attack, it swiftly becomes our next weapon which is closest to the target.
The first form, Sil Lim Tao, teaches us everything about the Wing Chun fighting system. If your form is good, your technique will be good. Do not try to re-invent the wheel. Stick with simplicity, structure, directness and adhere to the Wing Chun concepts.
For Wing Chun Self Defense classes in the Chicago area visit www.izzo-training.com
Dominick Izzo
Wing Chun Self Defense Instructor
www.izzo-training.com
847.875.0458
Self Defense Classes in the Chicago Northwest Suburban Area
Elbow Fighting Range
Without a doubt, the elbow strike is one of the most powerful attacks in the Wing Chun arsenal of weapons. The biggest issue when using the elbow is the distance (or range) in which is it used.
To get the most out of the elbow, it must be engaed with the hips and legs, leaning forward while throwing the elbow will throw you off balance and allow your enemy to take advantage of the opening.
Don't "reach" your target with your elbow. Only use the elbow when you have control of the enemy's arms and a clear opening to use it. This will ensure a safer recovery for you if your strike is not as affecting as projected.
Practice elbow strikes in the air just as you would your Wing Chun Centerline Punch. Time the strike with your hip and engage the adductor muscles to control the shift and stopping power for balance.
Dominick Izzo
www.izzo-training.com
To get the most out of the elbow, it must be engaed with the hips and legs, leaning forward while throwing the elbow will throw you off balance and allow your enemy to take advantage of the opening.
Don't "reach" your target with your elbow. Only use the elbow when you have control of the enemy's arms and a clear opening to use it. This will ensure a safer recovery for you if your strike is not as affecting as projected.
Practice elbow strikes in the air just as you would your Wing Chun Centerline Punch. Time the strike with your hip and engage the adductor muscles to control the shift and stopping power for balance.
Dominick Izzo
www.izzo-training.com
Wing Chun Footwork
As Americans we have this fantastic sense of entitlement in the notion of "instant gratification."
Kung Fu means skill developed through hard work. Kung Fu is NOT instant gratification and when choosing a self defense program, you as a student have the responsibility to keep that in mind before you walk through the door of someone's school.
You have to be willing to dedicate yourself in exerting effort toward learning a new skill.
Take pride in knowing that the basic movements and techniques you will be initially learning are no different than when an art student first learns how to hold and use a paint brush.
Through time, dedication, patience and practice, the artist learns his or her own ways to use the brush, paints, lighting all to create what they see as art.
It is the same with Martial Arts.
In my Wing Chun classes, my students learn the Wing Chun Centerline Punch on their first class. It is the very same punch that they will be doing throughout their Wing Chun training even if years pass.
Students must understand that like the brush, the punch is only one of many tools the artist has at his / her disposal and must learn different techniques for using it.
Come to class with an open mind, but more importantly a strong drive to master one thing at a time.
If you have a brush but no paint, you cannot express yourself.
The same holds true for Wing Chun training. Master the punch, the stance, the footwork and all the tools we use in Wing Chun. Master the concepts. The time spent training should be something we look forward to as advancement in our skill...and not the advancement itself.
Dominick Izzo
Owner, Chief Instructor
Izzo Training Systems
Wing Chun Self Defense in Chicago and Northwest Suburban Area
Kung Fu means skill developed through hard work. Kung Fu is NOT instant gratification and when choosing a self defense program, you as a student have the responsibility to keep that in mind before you walk through the door of someone's school.
You have to be willing to dedicate yourself in exerting effort toward learning a new skill.
Take pride in knowing that the basic movements and techniques you will be initially learning are no different than when an art student first learns how to hold and use a paint brush.
Through time, dedication, patience and practice, the artist learns his or her own ways to use the brush, paints, lighting all to create what they see as art.
It is the same with Martial Arts.
In my Wing Chun classes, my students learn the Wing Chun Centerline Punch on their first class. It is the very same punch that they will be doing throughout their Wing Chun training even if years pass.
Students must understand that like the brush, the punch is only one of many tools the artist has at his / her disposal and must learn different techniques for using it.
Come to class with an open mind, but more importantly a strong drive to master one thing at a time.
If you have a brush but no paint, you cannot express yourself.
The same holds true for Wing Chun training. Master the punch, the stance, the footwork and all the tools we use in Wing Chun. Master the concepts. The time spent training should be something we look forward to as advancement in our skill...and not the advancement itself.
Dominick Izzo
Owner, Chief Instructor
Izzo Training Systems
Wing Chun Self Defense in Chicago and Northwest Suburban Area
Fighting Range
In today's world of self defense training you have what we call "ranges".
There is kickboxing range; a range where you are several feet from your attacker, allowing you to use your longest weapon, your kicks.
Close Quarter Range; where you get to use strikes and elbows while in a balanced standing position and your attacker is also standing.
Clinch / Tie Up Range; the range which gets you closer to your opponent allowing you to "tie up" and hold your attacker, transitioning into taking him down.
Ground Fighting Range; grappling and striking while on the ground.
Broken down these ranges can absolutely be trained within their specific conceptual ideas... but the problem becomes the "concern" a student has then on capitalizing on a specific range in actual application of techniques.
In other words, if you break down these ranges for your students, teach them the very nature of each one as a separation from the whole (the fight itself) the student loses the fluidity of the whole and focuses on what his or her strengths are, thus giving them an insecurity in one or more ranges. I.E. why I disagree with most Women's Self Defense programs starting their female students on the ground rather than on their feet. One nationally known instructor commented on the fact that women should practice on the ground because that is where they will end up. My question, is why plant that seed of insecurity in your student's head instead of turning their weakness into strength?
Example:
When I was a collegiate wrestler I knew that the "whole" was the 6 minute match and the outcome of me winning or losing. The "ranges" were NEUTRAL (take down range) TOP or BOTTOM where either myself or my opponent was on top of the other. I excelled at bottom, I was keen on feeling the movement of my opponent and had the ability to use his movement against him to generate a reversal for points or a pin. I was recognized as one of the most tactical bottom wrestlers in my region because of my ability. I used my explosive leg power, strong back and positional awareness to win. But why was I only able to use these tools on the bottom? Were they not applicable in all three ranges?
The psychology of that was when the first whistle blew, I wasn't thinking about taking down my opponent for the win, rather how I would get to the bottom position so I could use my strengths.
If I had take the same tools that I had successfully employed in the bottom position (leverage, sensitivity, foot position, etc.) and applied those to the neutral or even top positions, I would have been a more well rounded wrestler.
The issue was that when broken down I was defeated mentally in a specific area...NOT the whole, rather the area; the range.
Students must understand that the nature is to win the fight at all cost.
I understand that lesson plans and outlines break this goal down to a training point. However, this is where Wing Chun Chi Sau training is elite self defense training amongst all other forms of training.
If you have an enemy who is 5'7" another one who is 6'2" and one more who is 6'5" would you train to fight them differently?
Some may answer of course.
But I propose this; you will always be the height and physical structure you are (based on physical maturity of aging.) Your three enemies all have to use their weapons (hands, feet, elbows) to reach you. Your enemy must adapt to you...you must not fight their fight, rather make them fight yours.
You need to be confident that no matter what the range, your physical dynamics will remain the same and ALL your tools of fighting can be used in ALL the ranges you train in. You must discover how to use these tools.
Wing Chun allows students superior understanding of their ability better than any other training system available.
Ground or standing up, Wing Chun gives the student the skills and understanding of those skills and furthermore the creative evolution of their skills for any fighting circumstance.
Dominick Izzo
Chief Instructor
Izzo Training Systems
Wing Chun Self Defense in Chicago and the Northwest Suburban Area
www.izzo-training.com
There is kickboxing range; a range where you are several feet from your attacker, allowing you to use your longest weapon, your kicks.
Close Quarter Range; where you get to use strikes and elbows while in a balanced standing position and your attacker is also standing.
Clinch / Tie Up Range; the range which gets you closer to your opponent allowing you to "tie up" and hold your attacker, transitioning into taking him down.
Ground Fighting Range; grappling and striking while on the ground.
Broken down these ranges can absolutely be trained within their specific conceptual ideas... but the problem becomes the "concern" a student has then on capitalizing on a specific range in actual application of techniques.
In other words, if you break down these ranges for your students, teach them the very nature of each one as a separation from the whole (the fight itself) the student loses the fluidity of the whole and focuses on what his or her strengths are, thus giving them an insecurity in one or more ranges. I.E. why I disagree with most Women's Self Defense programs starting their female students on the ground rather than on their feet. One nationally known instructor commented on the fact that women should practice on the ground because that is where they will end up. My question, is why plant that seed of insecurity in your student's head instead of turning their weakness into strength?
Example:
When I was a collegiate wrestler I knew that the "whole" was the 6 minute match and the outcome of me winning or losing. The "ranges" were NEUTRAL (take down range) TOP or BOTTOM where either myself or my opponent was on top of the other. I excelled at bottom, I was keen on feeling the movement of my opponent and had the ability to use his movement against him to generate a reversal for points or a pin. I was recognized as one of the most tactical bottom wrestlers in my region because of my ability. I used my explosive leg power, strong back and positional awareness to win. But why was I only able to use these tools on the bottom? Were they not applicable in all three ranges?
The psychology of that was when the first whistle blew, I wasn't thinking about taking down my opponent for the win, rather how I would get to the bottom position so I could use my strengths.
If I had take the same tools that I had successfully employed in the bottom position (leverage, sensitivity, foot position, etc.) and applied those to the neutral or even top positions, I would have been a more well rounded wrestler.
The issue was that when broken down I was defeated mentally in a specific area...NOT the whole, rather the area; the range.
Students must understand that the nature is to win the fight at all cost.
I understand that lesson plans and outlines break this goal down to a training point. However, this is where Wing Chun Chi Sau training is elite self defense training amongst all other forms of training.
If you have an enemy who is 5'7" another one who is 6'2" and one more who is 6'5" would you train to fight them differently?
Some may answer of course.
But I propose this; you will always be the height and physical structure you are (based on physical maturity of aging.) Your three enemies all have to use their weapons (hands, feet, elbows) to reach you. Your enemy must adapt to you...you must not fight their fight, rather make them fight yours.
You need to be confident that no matter what the range, your physical dynamics will remain the same and ALL your tools of fighting can be used in ALL the ranges you train in. You must discover how to use these tools.
Wing Chun allows students superior understanding of their ability better than any other training system available.
Ground or standing up, Wing Chun gives the student the skills and understanding of those skills and furthermore the creative evolution of their skills for any fighting circumstance.
Dominick Izzo
Chief Instructor
Izzo Training Systems
Wing Chun Self Defense in Chicago and the Northwest Suburban Area
www.izzo-training.com
Wing Chun, Wing Tsun, Ving Tsun...
A student stated in class the other week, "why is it that there are variances in all the YouTube videos I see in Wing Chun forms?"
I keep saying it, Wing Chun is art, not just a martial art, therefore we all have our own means of expressing it.
Think of all the great artists who use different kinds of medium to create works of art. We can consider Wing Chun artists as those who use oil paints, Karate artists as those who use chalk, and Grapplers as those who use clay as their material.
All of them are artists, however they follow their own mediums to create works of art within their own style. Within each individual means of art there are several ways to use their tools. Think of all the artists who have used oil paints...do they all produce the same looking works? No.
Same holds true for Wing Chun. Why then is Wong Shun Leung different from Leung Ting? Why is Emin Boztepe different from William Cheung? Why is it that even the very sons of Ip Man, Ip Ching and Ip Chun are different!?
The reason is because we are all different humans. As long as we follow the conceptual foundations of Wing Chun and the ideas of the movements, we are "correct." Centerline, linear movement, economy of motion, simple, direct and efficient... Wing Chun is all this.
It doesn't matter who adds, removes or changes the section of their wooden dummy forms. It matters that we adhere to the strict guidelines of what Wing Chun is.
Keep this in perspective when training. Polish your tools and learn to use them for you. As Wong Shun Leung had said, "do not become a slave to the art."
There are many amazing Wing Chun instructors out there. I myself know that my Sifu, Syed Ahmad, is by far one of the most intuitive Wing Chun instructors and he is someone who I model my Wing Chun after; but that does not mean I do not read, watch and even exchange conversation and ideas with other instructors out there.
Keep an open mind and embrace the art of expression that Wing Chun is.
Dominick Izzo
Lead Instructor
www.izzo-training.com
Wing Chun Classes in Chicago and the North West Suburbs
I keep saying it, Wing Chun is art, not just a martial art, therefore we all have our own means of expressing it.
Think of all the great artists who use different kinds of medium to create works of art. We can consider Wing Chun artists as those who use oil paints, Karate artists as those who use chalk, and Grapplers as those who use clay as their material.
All of them are artists, however they follow their own mediums to create works of art within their own style. Within each individual means of art there are several ways to use their tools. Think of all the artists who have used oil paints...do they all produce the same looking works? No.
Same holds true for Wing Chun. Why then is Wong Shun Leung different from Leung Ting? Why is Emin Boztepe different from William Cheung? Why is it that even the very sons of Ip Man, Ip Ching and Ip Chun are different!?
The reason is because we are all different humans. As long as we follow the conceptual foundations of Wing Chun and the ideas of the movements, we are "correct." Centerline, linear movement, economy of motion, simple, direct and efficient... Wing Chun is all this.
It doesn't matter who adds, removes or changes the section of their wooden dummy forms. It matters that we adhere to the strict guidelines of what Wing Chun is.
Keep this in perspective when training. Polish your tools and learn to use them for you. As Wong Shun Leung had said, "do not become a slave to the art."
There are many amazing Wing Chun instructors out there. I myself know that my Sifu, Syed Ahmad, is by far one of the most intuitive Wing Chun instructors and he is someone who I model my Wing Chun after; but that does not mean I do not read, watch and even exchange conversation and ideas with other instructors out there.
Keep an open mind and embrace the art of expression that Wing Chun is.
Dominick Izzo
Lead Instructor
www.izzo-training.com
Wing Chun Classes in Chicago and the North West Suburbs
Wing Chun Concepts
Concepts and thoughts of Wing Chun Self Defense.
Keeping in mind that when we refer to "defense" in Wing Chun, it is somewhat contradictive in that we never really defend. Even our movements which are defensive, we still apply the mindset that we are attacking an incoming attack. Hence on of our concepts, "Attack the Attack".
Also, the concept of exploding energy (your strike) from ANY position. In a real fight, you will not have time to wind up or crank your fist back before launching your strike, so you must develop this skill. This means having the ability to fire a punch from any distance, be it 2 feet or 2 inches. Anyone who has seen Bruce Lee do his 1 inch punch would marvel at someone who can do such a transference of energy...but know that you have the same ability.
Train over and over, and SLOW. The slower you train the more you will understand your capability and speed will become a byproduct.
Also, your mindset when we train must be relaxed YET aggressive at the same time. The more you train, the more this concept will make sense.
Wing Chun is a very internal art in that you must concentrate on YOU more than the attacker or the incoming attack. The more you focus on your structure, form, centerline, concepts and principles, the more you will negate incoming attacks with ease and economy of motion...and fire off counter attacks with devastation and ruthlessness.
I cannot stress it enough...Please, PLEASE, do the form. Pick it apart, do it section by section over and over. Sil Lim Tao is everything. It equips and prepares you with the tools and understanding of how to use them. Trust yourself, train and be patient...in time everything will just click and make sense.
Dominick Izzo
Izzo Training Systems
Wing Chun Self Defense for Chicago and the North West Suburban Areas
Keeping in mind that when we refer to "defense" in Wing Chun, it is somewhat contradictive in that we never really defend. Even our movements which are defensive, we still apply the mindset that we are attacking an incoming attack. Hence on of our concepts, "Attack the Attack".
Also, the concept of exploding energy (your strike) from ANY position. In a real fight, you will not have time to wind up or crank your fist back before launching your strike, so you must develop this skill. This means having the ability to fire a punch from any distance, be it 2 feet or 2 inches. Anyone who has seen Bruce Lee do his 1 inch punch would marvel at someone who can do such a transference of energy...but know that you have the same ability.
Train over and over, and SLOW. The slower you train the more you will understand your capability and speed will become a byproduct.
Also, your mindset when we train must be relaxed YET aggressive at the same time. The more you train, the more this concept will make sense.
Wing Chun is a very internal art in that you must concentrate on YOU more than the attacker or the incoming attack. The more you focus on your structure, form, centerline, concepts and principles, the more you will negate incoming attacks with ease and economy of motion...and fire off counter attacks with devastation and ruthlessness.
I cannot stress it enough...Please, PLEASE, do the form. Pick it apart, do it section by section over and over. Sil Lim Tao is everything. It equips and prepares you with the tools and understanding of how to use them. Trust yourself, train and be patient...in time everything will just click and make sense.
Dominick Izzo
Izzo Training Systems
Wing Chun Self Defense for Chicago and the North West Suburban Areas
My Wing Chun is Better than Your Wing Chun...
The never ending debate of who's Wing Chun is "real" or "better" will never go away, nor will it help you in your journey for making yourself the best martial artist you can be.
In the Wing Chun community, we are all victims, and sometimes contributors (myself included at one point) of the mud slinging game of saying, "oh his/her Wing Chun is wrong...its garbage!"
I have been exposed to some fantastic Wing Chun and some sub par Wing Chun. What makes it fantastic or sub par? My opinion and my opinion only. And this is something that we should all keep in mind when we continue our training.
I have had great training experiences in Wing Chun. Who is to say that person A's Wing Chun is better than person B's? And if one person's is better than the other, is it Wing Chun or is it the practitioner?
Keep in mind, that styles and systems do not make fighters...fighters make fighters.
Just like art, the artist uses paint to create the image of his or her expression. In doing so, how can we accuse him or her of using the paint wrong?
Yes, in Wing Chun we have certain guidelines to follow...obviously throwing a hook punch cannot be called a centerline punch, and if someone shifts with their weight placed on their front foot, we cannot consider this correct... But how can we say that someone's Wing Chun is bad or wrong simply because our perception of it is wrong?
Master Michael Wong of youtube fame has a great philosophy...he has no opinion.
Some would consider that his Wing Chun, in point, is wrong... And in some frequent cases I agree. He mis-translates what some terms mean, uses drills that do not make sense for Wing Chun and has forms that aren't exactly traditional. But, his goal is to make people fighters.
He uses the core concepts of Wing Chun to promote fighting and self defense...and his fighting ability is impressive. So, is his Wing Chun wrong or is it HIS Wing Chun?
Or Leung Ting and how people criticize him openly for saturating and demeaning the art... Has he not directly or in part produced some of the most deadly Wing Chun fighters?
Ip Man taught several students... Why do each of them have different abilities? Wong Shun Leung did the same and so on. Why are each of us open to the interpretation of Wing Chun, yet people still will say, "Oh, his Wing Chun is bad?"
Personally, I do not care who a person trains under, I care their ability and understanding. One of my former Sifu's had an impressive Wing Chun resume...however a man who is 6'3" can never understand the needs of Wing Chun for shorter person, therefor his understanding was muddied. My current Sifu does not train directly under Ip Chun or Ip Ching as others do plaster their resume with...yet my Sifu's ability is second to none in direct combat applicability, his reflexes are surgical and deadly and his Chi Sao is devastating.
Wing Chun is for Self Defense and Combat. I enjoy Chi Sao greatly, however Chi Sao is the tool and not the goal of Wing Chun and many of us forget that.
In David Peterson's book about Wong Shun Leung, he commented how his Sifu evolved his Wing Chun through constant thinking, training, and expression. That is your responsibility as well.
We must criticize ourselves so that we never end the journey of our training.
All of your opinions help me to become a better Wing Chun fighter and I hope to do the same in return.
Dominick Izzo
Chief Instructor
Izzo Training Systems
www.izzo-training.com
Wing Chun Self Defense Chicago and the Northwest Suburbs
In the Wing Chun community, we are all victims, and sometimes contributors (myself included at one point) of the mud slinging game of saying, "oh his/her Wing Chun is wrong...its garbage!"
I have been exposed to some fantastic Wing Chun and some sub par Wing Chun. What makes it fantastic or sub par? My opinion and my opinion only. And this is something that we should all keep in mind when we continue our training.
I have had great training experiences in Wing Chun. Who is to say that person A's Wing Chun is better than person B's? And if one person's is better than the other, is it Wing Chun or is it the practitioner?
Keep in mind, that styles and systems do not make fighters...fighters make fighters.
Just like art, the artist uses paint to create the image of his or her expression. In doing so, how can we accuse him or her of using the paint wrong?
Yes, in Wing Chun we have certain guidelines to follow...obviously throwing a hook punch cannot be called a centerline punch, and if someone shifts with their weight placed on their front foot, we cannot consider this correct... But how can we say that someone's Wing Chun is bad or wrong simply because our perception of it is wrong?
Master Michael Wong of youtube fame has a great philosophy...he has no opinion.
Some would consider that his Wing Chun, in point, is wrong... And in some frequent cases I agree. He mis-translates what some terms mean, uses drills that do not make sense for Wing Chun and has forms that aren't exactly traditional. But, his goal is to make people fighters.
He uses the core concepts of Wing Chun to promote fighting and self defense...and his fighting ability is impressive. So, is his Wing Chun wrong or is it HIS Wing Chun?
Or Leung Ting and how people criticize him openly for saturating and demeaning the art... Has he not directly or in part produced some of the most deadly Wing Chun fighters?
Ip Man taught several students... Why do each of them have different abilities? Wong Shun Leung did the same and so on. Why are each of us open to the interpretation of Wing Chun, yet people still will say, "Oh, his Wing Chun is bad?"
Personally, I do not care who a person trains under, I care their ability and understanding. One of my former Sifu's had an impressive Wing Chun resume...however a man who is 6'3" can never understand the needs of Wing Chun for shorter person, therefor his understanding was muddied. My current Sifu does not train directly under Ip Chun or Ip Ching as others do plaster their resume with...yet my Sifu's ability is second to none in direct combat applicability, his reflexes are surgical and deadly and his Chi Sao is devastating.
Wing Chun is for Self Defense and Combat. I enjoy Chi Sao greatly, however Chi Sao is the tool and not the goal of Wing Chun and many of us forget that.
In David Peterson's book about Wong Shun Leung, he commented how his Sifu evolved his Wing Chun through constant thinking, training, and expression. That is your responsibility as well.
We must criticize ourselves so that we never end the journey of our training.
All of your opinions help me to become a better Wing Chun fighter and I hope to do the same in return.
Dominick Izzo
Chief Instructor
Izzo Training Systems
www.izzo-training.com
Wing Chun Self Defense Chicago and the Northwest Suburbs
Saturday, April 2, 2011
The Power of 90
There is a concept of not letting your guard getting outstretched or drawn past the point of 90 degrees.
In Wing Chun we offer our Man Sau / Wu Sau guard hands a bit further outstretched than most other fighting styles do.
Consider the close guard of the boxer or the drop guard of some kickboxing styles. Even Muay Thai has a high guard, yet the position of the hands in relation to the elbows are within the plane of a 90 degree angle.
The goal of an attack on our enemy is to strike their body (centerline) and not their arms. After all, the arms are controlled by the body. If I hold my hands up in a guard position, the initial point of contact for my torso from my guard is a matter of inches, however, if I hold my hands up in my Wing Chun guard, the span of safety I have from contact with my hands to my torso greatly increases.
The issue then becomes being aware of our greatest strength and balance within our arm's reach.
Learning to feel energy (be it incoming or pulling) and the effect it has on your balance is necessary to understanding how much you can take with your body as a unit.
Have your training partner place his/her hands on your forearm and begin to slowly push into your core. Starting from a Man Sau guard, allow the energy to come into your core and determine how far past 90 degrees before you start to feel uncomfortable with your balance.
Do the same with a Wing Chun Lap Sau from your Wu Sau position...feel how far your balance will hold with increasing pulling energy before you start to fall forward.
You will learn how far forward and how far drawn in you can be before your fighting balance seems to suffer.
Dominick Izzo
For Wing Chun Self Defense Classes in the Chicago area visit, www.izzo-training.com
In Wing Chun we offer our Man Sau / Wu Sau guard hands a bit further outstretched than most other fighting styles do.
Consider the close guard of the boxer or the drop guard of some kickboxing styles. Even Muay Thai has a high guard, yet the position of the hands in relation to the elbows are within the plane of a 90 degree angle.
The goal of an attack on our enemy is to strike their body (centerline) and not their arms. After all, the arms are controlled by the body. If I hold my hands up in a guard position, the initial point of contact for my torso from my guard is a matter of inches, however, if I hold my hands up in my Wing Chun guard, the span of safety I have from contact with my hands to my torso greatly increases.
The issue then becomes being aware of our greatest strength and balance within our arm's reach.
Learning to feel energy (be it incoming or pulling) and the effect it has on your balance is necessary to understanding how much you can take with your body as a unit.
Have your training partner place his/her hands on your forearm and begin to slowly push into your core. Starting from a Man Sau guard, allow the energy to come into your core and determine how far past 90 degrees before you start to feel uncomfortable with your balance.
Do the same with a Wing Chun Lap Sau from your Wu Sau position...feel how far your balance will hold with increasing pulling energy before you start to fall forward.
You will learn how far forward and how far drawn in you can be before your fighting balance seems to suffer.
Dominick Izzo
For Wing Chun Self Defense Classes in the Chicago area visit, www.izzo-training.com
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Don't Force Your Bong Sau
Don't Force the Bong Sau
When deploying your Wing Chun Bong Sau (Wing Arm Block) you cannot and should not "just throw it out there."
What I mean by that is the Wing Chun Bong Sau is the best and worst move in the Wing Chun system.
Speaking of the Bong Sau being the worst move, based upon the angle of the position, it leaves your entire rib section exposed.
Speaking of the Bong Sau being the best move, it redirects energy allowing the incoming energy of your enemy to be cast aside like a matador does with the rushing bull.
The issue most of us had in our early Wing Chun training is that we thought the Bong Sau looked so cool, so Kung Fu, that we just "threw it out there" to block an incoming attack.
The misunderstanding most Wing Chun student must learn is that we are "forced" into Bong Sau and must not arbitrarily cast this move. Bong Sau is a transitional move and for the most part, must never even be detected by our enemy.
Think of a straight punch coming right to your face. Why take the chance of shortening your response distance with a Bong Sau (think of the bend and angle of your arm) allowing the punch to come within inches of your face?
Instead, your initial response should always be a linear attack response and once contact is made (based upon incoming energy) you then apply your Bong Sau, thus allowing your natural responses to take over and buying yourself proper time and distance to recover from your enemy's punch.
Again the Wing Chun Bong Sau is one of the signature movements in the Wing Chun system and is fantastic to apply...just apply it correctly!
We will be filming a short instructional video on this topic from our Wing Chun Self Defense class in Chicago and posting it on our Izzo Training Systems Youtube channel!
Dominick Izzo
Lead Instructor
www.izzo-training.com
Wing Chun Self Defense for Chicago and the NW Suburban Area
When deploying your Wing Chun Bong Sau (Wing Arm Block) you cannot and should not "just throw it out there."
What I mean by that is the Wing Chun Bong Sau is the best and worst move in the Wing Chun system.
Speaking of the Bong Sau being the worst move, based upon the angle of the position, it leaves your entire rib section exposed.
Speaking of the Bong Sau being the best move, it redirects energy allowing the incoming energy of your enemy to be cast aside like a matador does with the rushing bull.
The issue most of us had in our early Wing Chun training is that we thought the Bong Sau looked so cool, so Kung Fu, that we just "threw it out there" to block an incoming attack.
The misunderstanding most Wing Chun student must learn is that we are "forced" into Bong Sau and must not arbitrarily cast this move. Bong Sau is a transitional move and for the most part, must never even be detected by our enemy.
Think of a straight punch coming right to your face. Why take the chance of shortening your response distance with a Bong Sau (think of the bend and angle of your arm) allowing the punch to come within inches of your face?
Instead, your initial response should always be a linear attack response and once contact is made (based upon incoming energy) you then apply your Bong Sau, thus allowing your natural responses to take over and buying yourself proper time and distance to recover from your enemy's punch.
Again the Wing Chun Bong Sau is one of the signature movements in the Wing Chun system and is fantastic to apply...just apply it correctly!
We will be filming a short instructional video on this topic from our Wing Chun Self Defense class in Chicago and posting it on our Izzo Training Systems Youtube channel!
Dominick Izzo
Lead Instructor
www.izzo-training.com
Wing Chun Self Defense for Chicago and the NW Suburban Area
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