AWCA Weblog

Something I have been asked more frequently over the past couple of months concerns our Distance Learning Program and if it is really as effective as I have said it is. Additionally, some have been asking how a program like this can be as effective as personal instruction.

So let’s talk about that a bit.

To answer the first question, yes, the AWCA Distance Learning Program is effective, and I have multiple students who have proven it with real situations. I have worked with many of them at our annual Training Camps, too, and have personally witnessed what they have been doing with it. So yes, they learned effective Wing Chun and solely through our DLP.

How? By being dedicated and actually caring about what they do vs. just glossing over an eBook or watching a few videos. They hit their training with pride and persistance, always working to get the most out of their efforts. I continuously receive emails from students all over the world about their training and progress, as well as videos for feedback and how to make their training even more effective.

We have even gone the extra step by making webcam sessions available for real-time feedback, which has already shown to be an invaluable aid. Today’s technology really takes things further than ever before and allows us to work right there with my students, showing them in real-time what is good and what needs work.

So yes, the program works for those that actually get involved and train vs. those that just sit on their duffs watching videos or reading about it. You cannot build a motor skill by “watching” what someone is doing; instead, you build that skill by actually training.

The second question asked is how the program can be as effective as personal instruction. I’m not sure where that one came from since I do not promote that philosophy. Everyone knows that the best training will always come from hands-on personal instruction. That is simply human nature and there will never be anything to replace it.

However, do not underestimate one’s passion for wanting to learn and work hard to gain a skill. We all learn from a variety of methods, including books, videos, etc. Everyone has the capacity to learn, regardless of what they are exposed to. Taking all of those venues to heart and putting them into a standard method of learning just makes it all the more efficient.

Many of those that balk at a distance program are the same ones with a variety of books and videos. Do they get anything out of those books and videos? Of course they do. The difference is that they have to wade through it themselves in order to learn.

With a good distance program that follows proven learning guidelines for delivering the information in a standard and approved method, it takes the guesswork out of it by providing a format to follow. Within that format, there are also checkpoints to know if it is being trained in the right manner.

Add to that today’s technology of email and videos, and you have a very good formula for delivering training that most can glean from.

Naturally there will always be those that will scoff at what others have accomplished. They have the opportunity of training at a school so they place themselves “above” others because of it, forgetting that not everyone has that same opportunity.

Our program was created to reach those that do not have access to schools or qualified instructors. It was also geared for those that simply do not have the money for a school or just want to train at home. It was not meant to replace hands-on personal instruction, which is why I also have yearly training camps and other opportunities for training.

So for those that wonder if the DLP is effective, most definitely it is. It reaches hundreds of dedicated, passionate practitioners all over the world who thirst for learning. And for some, it has already served them well by keeping them safe in real situations. It will never replace personal instruction (nor will any program like this), nor was it meant to. But it provides the opportunity for learning that might otherwise not be available.

The AWCA Distance Learning Program is like everything else in life: you get out of it what you put in to it.

Most martial arts focus on a primary point in which the rest of their system revolves around. For example, taekwondo is known for powerful kicks, jiu-jitsu for its grappling, locks, and ground fighting, boxing for lightning-fast jabs, crosses, uppercuts, footwork, etc.

While the Wing Chun system encompasses multiple ranges and tactics, its preferred focus is to remain standing and in punching range. Over 75% of all Wing Chun actions are driven by fist actions, so we can deduce that the art itself favors the punching range as having more opportunities for attack and defense.

But what about ground fighting? Is it really as necessary as some say it is? If so, when did ground fighting suddenly become so important? If not, why do so many arts have a ground fighting curriculum?

To answer this question, we should first examine what real life is all about vs. what is sometimes the mainstay in classroom teaching.

No one can say with certainty that all fights will go to the ground. I have had over 20 fights since opening the AWCA and not one has ever gone to the ground. Some have tried take downs, but Wing Chun’s anti-ground fighting and anti-grappling tactics prevented it.

But just as no one can say with certainty that all fights will go to the ground, we also cannot say that they will not go to the ground. All fighters have a preferred range but that does not mean that that range will be successful.

The truth of the matter is that you will never know what will happen until it does happen. And with the ever-changing world within the martial arts circles, our art must be constantly examined to ensure that it can respond to elements as they arise.

That being said, the curriculum I was taught does have a full ground fighting program. With grappling, anti-grappling, ground fighting, and anti-ground fighting tactics, the program begins at Student Grade 2 (section 2 of the Siu-Nim-Tau) and culminates at Student Grade 8 (after completing the Chum-Kiu and first 2 sections of the Chi-gerk curriculum).

These programs are nothing new to the Wing Chun environment, though. The concepts themselves are completely Wing Chun in every way, just applied from the ground. There are no jiu-jitsu, karate, or judo movements as some might claim, and nothing is “stolen” from any art that was not already there to begin with.

The concept of Wing Chun ground fighting focuses not on being tied up, but instead how to get back on our feet as quickly as possible. Wing Chun does not include all of the locks and pinning actions that arts such as judo or jiu-jitsu employ, so we do not train in that manner.

If we find ourselves on the ground, we will work to keep both hands in Man-sau so as to protect the upper body. Our legs will see one foot on the ground while the other is up for defense or attack. The feet can change positions as needed in order to drive into the attacker’s shin or knees, as well as switch positions for pivoting the body on the back in order to keep Man-sau pointed towards the attacker.

As the attacker comes in, we would drive a leg into their leg and, via Chi-sau, engage the upper body so as to explosively roll back over, putting us on top. From this point, elbows and punches would rain down on the attacker, or we could even step out of the position and resume standing in order to get back to our preferred range. After all, I would not want to grapple with a grappler. That is his range, not mine, and I want to fight my fight vs. his fight.

Is grappling and ground fighting as necessary as some claim it to be? Yes, it is. It is a valid range that we might find ourselves in, even if unintentional or by accident. And if you are in this range, the same concepts that serve us when standing are suited equally well when on the ground.

After months of searching, I was finally able to acquire an affordable high-definition camcorder with all the features I need, so all website and eBook videos will now be recorded on it, as well as the Video of the Month (beginning in October).

In time I will also be re-filming all previous eBook videos and re-posting the eBooks, but starting with Volume 4: Biu-Tze, the videos will be in high definition with Dolby surround sound. Hi-def is quite a bit different than normal digital tape use, so bear with me while I learn about it. Quality will be immediately better, but it will also improve as time goes by.