So we just had our annual Wing Tsun vancouver dinner on friday. Good times! Good to see the familiar faces in a more casual setting and to see some of the older faces too :) I like how it gives us the opportunity to know the person more on a different level beyond merely being a target.
At one point in the evening my instructor gives us a rundown of his Calgary seminar. Interesting I have to admit. From what I can understand, it seems that the function of WT has been lost and substituted in place for the form of WT. Makes sense as form is much easier to teach, and more lucrative. My instructor talked about how unfamiliar the participants were of stepping beyond 100/0 weighting, beyond simply chain punching - in other words, they were only exposed to "text book form" of WT. The concept of functionality is gone, as such, the idea of deviating from 100/0 weighting and centerline attacks is non-existent.
Some might think that the idea of functional wing tsun is nothing more my Sifu or myself repackaging WT in a way as of "bastardized wing tsun" and that true/real wing tsun is simply chain punching and the "traditional" stepping. But, my friends, this is not true all. I want you take a look at this clip with Emin Boztepe at a much younger age. Ignore the hands and the attacks. Look at his legs. Observe his footwork. It's alive - his legs are revving like an engine ready to take off. You can see, during the defense against the stick, how his legs and stance are not your traditional concept of WT - again, it's alive - it's natural. The 100/0 function is there when he needs it, but not there when he doesn't. This is functional wing tsun - it's always been there. Unfortunately, it seems that it's rarely being taught this way anymore.
Oh well, makes us look way better! how lucky we are...
Until then.
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