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