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Go Back   AikiWeb Aikido Forums > AikiWeb AikiBlogs > Seeking Zanshin: Blood, Sweat, Tears & Aikikai

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Seeking Zanshin: Blood, Sweat, Tears & Aikikai Blog Tools Rating: Rate This Blog
Creation Date: 02-24-2005 10:53 PM
jducusin
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One small gal + a dojo full of big guys = tons o' fun
Blog Info
Status: Public
Entries: 270 (Private: 12)
Comments: 195
Views: 827,109

In General Wing Chun and Aikido Entry Tools Rate This Entry
  #188 New 09-12-2005 09:29 AM
So...I signed up for a Wing Chun Do Kung Fu class at the university recently and just had my first lesson yesterday.

I'd been looking forward to seeing what it's like --- if only as a good complement to Aikido --- but naturally won't be doing the Thursdays (which would take away from my time at NWA). Sensei's jealous enough about it as it is. :-D I did, however, have some bad feelings about it...after signing up, I saw a poster in which the Wing Chun instructor claims he is "Third Generation Bruce Lee" and posts a picture of himself with his former instructor next to a picture of his instructor with Bruce Lee. Not only is this tacky on it's own, but what makes it even cheesier (and more dubious) is that the second picture is obviously a very badly doctored image in which he combined two separate graphics of Bruce Lee and his own teacher. The pixellation and different resolutions are a dead giveaway. I mean, come on. The graphics editor in me was reeling. The martial artist in me was quite apprehensive, to say the least.

But I was pleasantly surprised. Though warming up by kicking a hacky sack around and bowing to a Bruce Lee poster were...singularly unique experiences. The instructor, aside from looking like a club bouncer, seems to be able to explain things in fairly good detail (though I found some of the language he used had a predominantly militaristic tone to it). Aside from the awkward differences in stance and movement (especially the footwork --- striding forward with the toes of one foot pointed inward feels just plain weird, after all --- and some deflections) that will take a fair amount of getting used to, Wing Chun seems just as I had expected it to be --- an art based on many of the very same principles as Aikido, only applied and described in different ways. There is a focus on one's centreline, balance, adaptation to differently-sized opponents and redirection of energy --- so much so that a lot of the instructor's movements often mimicked what we've already been doing in class on Monday nights. I couldn't help but smile.

Will keep y'all posted...
Views: 3129 | Comments: 2


RSS Feed 2 Responses to "Wing Chun and Aikido"
#2 09-28-2005 10:53 PM
jducusin Says:
Good point. And it looks like the "lineage" is valid (I recognize the names James DeMile and Rocco Ambrose as being mentioned by my instructor). Thanks for the heads up!
#1 09-15-2005 10:24 AM
You're lucky to have found a class that teaches it. Usually people that claim to be a "such and such" generation really are. There are too many sceptics that actually research lineage and do their homework to prove people wrong. To make a strong claim to Bruce Lee would be stupid if you were lying. The picture could have been created, but you have to remember, any fan of Bruce in the old days could have gotten a picture, studied his art and claimed to be his student. You can also look the family tree up and see if any of his lineage is actually listed. For instance: Bruce Lee James W. DeMile Ronald Ogi ***Francois Arambel - 23 years in the martial arts. Eight years (as a kid) in Judo and Karate. Seven years in Tae Kwon Do. Awarded a Blackbelt. Came in first place in tryouts for the nationals in Spain, then was injured a week before the competition. Eight years in Wing Chun Do. Certified as an instructor in June of 96 and presently teaches in France. He is a member of the Wing Chun Do International Association and the United States Jujitsu Association. ***Chris Blanke - Trained with Jim Clark in Michigan in 1985 and became certified in the basic instructors program in 1991. He has a school in Port Clinton, Ohio. Chris became fully certified in March of '96. Chris is the 1995 national lightweight Sport Jujitsu champion and represented the USA at the 1995 World Jujitsu Championship in Auckland, New Zealand. He was on the 1997 USA Sport Jujitsu team at the World Championships, held in West Virginia. He won 7 out of seven matches to receive a team gold as well as won a gold medal for individual Blackbelt competition. He is the current World welterweight full contact champion in the International Sport Jujitsu Association. ***Sibok Rocco Ambrose - Senior instructor in WCD. Over 30 years of martial arts experience. Nineteen years of study in Wing Chun Do, with 11 years teaching WCD. Began training WCD in 1981 and joined the Instructors program in 1986. Became certified in the basics in 1988 and after training in the advanced levels was fully certified in 1993. He has had a successful WCD training center (Ambrose Academy) since 1991. He is a voting member of the International Wing Chun Do Board of Directors. *** Michael Banaag - Instructor at the Shoreline training Center, Shoreline, Washington, Started training at 14, Black Belt at 18 and instructor by 20 *** Doug Tritton - Brisbane Australia. Resume being updated. (This information found at http://www.wingchundo.com/default.cfm/PID=1.1.4 ) Good luck to you and glad you have started your journey in Wing Chun.
 




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