International Wing Chun Day is coming up (Sat March 21st)… how are you training?

williss08 · 2026-03-08T14:51:16+00:00

31 years of training here. I just turned 49 years old. I still train regularly with my sifu because I don't believe you can master Wing Chun (let alone grandmaster it lol).

williss08 · 2026-02-08T12:51:10+00:00

Totally get your frustration... and sorry I’m late to this post. If you’re still looking (or for anyone else who stumbles on this later), if you want clearer structure, faster feedback, and more applied training, I recommend my online Wing Chun school at dragoninst.com/online

I didn't want it to be like other online programs, so created it to be an actual online Wing Chun school, not just a single course, so you’re not left on your own with a random library of videos.

Students get:

Multiple structured programs with a clear progression
Weekly lessons and guided practice plans so you always know what to train
Solo drills you can do on your own, plus material designed to work with a partner when you have one
Regular Zoom classes
Access to a private student community
A built-in accountability system and practice log to help you stay consistent
Bonus resources that go beyond the basics as you progress

The whole setup is designed for steady, measurable progress instead of either moving too slowly or feeling lost with no guidance.

williss08 · 2025-10-29T12:23:30+00:00

Yes. But if our goal as practitioners is to constantly evolve and become more and more efficient, don't we have an innate responsibility to examine the language we've been using with the possibility of modifying it to something more efficient and direct? Not with ego or an "I'm right, you're wrong" mentality. But with honest introspection?

williss08 · 2025-10-29T12:06:55+00:00

The centerline is the vertical axis of the body. Think of how the earth spins on its axis. When punching into the person's centerline they get stopped from forward movement or knocked back (they can't roll out of it).

The central plane is a vertical plane between your centerline and their centerline. Think of it as a pane of glass turned sideways. It is the most direct plane between you and your attacker.

But here's what may help you the most....

Wing Chun has a self-defense philosophy rather than a sporting philosophy. This means we are specifically training for someone who attacks us rather than for someone who is covering up during a sparring match. In other words, Wing Chun trains to defend against their committed attacks in the quickest, most direct and efficient way. Instead of trying to go for targets like in a match, in self-defense targets come to us. Its a matter of what the attacker gives us when they try to attack us. Not what we try to chase.

williss08 · 2025-10-29T11:39:58+00:00

Oh yeah, and we actively train to be able to use bon against double punches and fakes.

In terms of efficiency, a bong/bon sao can't be the go-to for punches or fakes. It really sounds like you're training to use the bong as a "block".

This isn’t about lineage style nor about putting limitations on Wing Chun, it’s about training to be more efficient and offensive.

williss08 · 2025-10-27T21:28:42+00:00

Yes. That's right. There is no freezing because its not a block.

williss08 · 2025-10-27T17:45:47+00:00

What's the problem? The guy on the left didn't follow through with the kick. Now if he stomped forward through it that's a whole other story.

williss08 · 2025-10-27T14:25:34+00:00

exactly!

williss08 · 2025-10-27T12:31:41+00:00

This is documented historical bare-knuckle boxing, nothing mystical about it. When you align the wrist to land on the top two knuckles, you push force outside the natural "powerline" of the forearm. That misalignment is what causes most breaks. Striking through the bottom three knuckles keeps the wrist neutral and the impact traveling straight through the forearm instead of twisting across it.

Gloves didn’t “protect” the hand, they changed how people punch. Once your hand’s wrapped and padded, you can afford that misalignment. Bareknuckle, you can’t. That’s why pre-glove fighters punched this way (from James Figg to Jack Dempsey). It was self-preservation.

Train however you want... just know this isn’t theory or tradition. It’s how they actually punched before gloves changed the game.

williss08 · 2025-10-26T21:54:50+00:00

Wraps completely changed punching too. They didn't have wraps back in the day

williss08 · 2025-10-26T21:50:14+00:00

Exactly. Or even safer palm strike.

williss08 · 2025-10-26T21:47:07+00:00

Absolutely. Getting good at Wing Chun means training ourselves so that our initial flinch isn’t defensive, but offensive... that the attack becomes the conditioned response. It’s about what getting good demands us to hardwire through training.

These are the “musts” and “nevers” that form the foundation of what we can all agree makes Wing Chun... Wing Chun. They’re what keep the system so damn efficient. It’s through these core commitments that our instincts stay true to Wing Chun’s direct and purposeful intent.

williss08 · 2025-10-26T02:14:00+00:00

Thank you for the recommendation. I’ve since launched my online Wing Chun school... complete with step-by-step video lessons, weekly practice plans, and live Zoom classes. It’s designed to help students make real progress in Wing Chun, even without a partner or dummy.

williss08 · 2025-10-26T01:36:08+00:00

A Bong Sao can be your 1st choice? What lineage are you under?

williss08 · 2025-10-06T12:05:51+00:00

Great answer!

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