Wing Chun vs. Jiu-Jitsu

By Phil Bradley

The sport of mixed martial arts (MMA) has, without a doubt, caused a renewed interest in the communities, as well as introducing the martial arts to a brand new audience. Personally, I love the UFC and what it is doing to promote it to the masses.

And while some of you might think that since this article is titled “Wing Chun vs. Jiu-Jitsu” will attempt to “trash” Jiu-jitsu, you would be wrong. In fact, far from it. Jiu-jitsu has more than proven itself both in and out of the ring, and even if it didn’t, those that know me already know that I have a great respect for all martial arts.

Instead, articles such as this are merely to educate the Wing Chun practitioner in arts they might be unfamiliar with.

In that light, let’s take a brief look at how a Wing Chun fighter could approach a jiu-jitsu fighter. Note that this is only a “possible” scenario, since anything can and usually does happen in the real world. On the flip side, this is not the ring and there are no rules. So if something here pinches a nerve, take into consideration that there are tons of “what if’s” out there.

First, let’s consider a jiu-jitsu fighter’s preferred method to fighting. Striking is not out of their realm, but their primary goal is to submit you, to lock a joint to the point that if you don’t give up, you’ll never use it again. In addition to this, you can quickly get choked out without even knowing how they did it (and yes, they’re that fast).

So how does a WC fighter contend with this? Number 1, NEVER EVER grapple with a grappler. Let me repeat that: NEVER EVER GRAPPLE WITH A GRAPPLER. You wouldn’t box a boxer, and you wouldn’t kick fight with a kicker. Fight YOUR fight, not the fight of the attacker.

Possible responses are:

1. Against shooting in, drive your elbows into the back of their head or the back of their neck. Immediately continue with chain-punches and drive them into the ground.
2. Another response to shoots is to immediately start slamming your fists into their face, head, neck, throat, etc. Wallbag and dummy training condition your fists and limbs to withstand a great deal of punishment like this if trained correctly.
3. Remember section 2 of the Siu-Nim-Tau? Or most of the Chum-Kiu? Many think that Wing Chun does not have anti-grappling movements, forgetting that the art was created to defeat the Shaolin methods (many of which are grappling, takedown and fighting methods). Yes, Wing Chun DOES have anti-grappling and anti-takedown movements. In fact, the first and second movements of the wooden dummy are exclusively for that very thing.

Some will vie to “sprawl out” against an incoming shoot, and at first it doesn’t sound like a bad idea. But if you sprawl out, then you are going to the ground. The ground is the last place you want to be, particularly with a grappler.

First of all, the ground is the grappler’s preferred environment. It is there that he/she works best and is in their realm. Second, our art’s preferred environment is standing up. On the ground we are very limited, particularly in the real world when the attacker’s buddies are coming in to join the fray.

Ground work for the ring is essential, but in the real world where cowardice runs rampant (and is usually followed with “whiskey muscles”), your odds of having to contend with more than one attacker are greater than ever.

Do you really want to be on the ground where you have limited mobility and you are at the bottom of a dog pile? No, you don’t. So increase your odds by doing everything you possibly can to stay off the ground.

One other possible response is to utilize knees into the face, coupled with driving your palms down on the back of the head, adding a double force to the effect. It is not as easy as many think it is, but it “is” a viable response if trained.

Now, nothing can truly beat working your skills against a willing jiu-jitsu practitioner that wants to experiment working with you. At first, you might find yourself in situations that you never thought you would be in. But don’t look at it as a “bad” thing; instead, keep it a learning experience and always stay positive by examining what works in Wing Chun against these types of attacks.

Work the concepts, and work them to competence. Don’t just do a few drills and think “I got it.” No you don’t. It takes thousands of repetitions to create a nerve pathway so that something happens automatically without you having to think about it. And that’s how many times you have to work every concept of Wing Chun to make it automatic.

Remember that this is just a basic look at the “what if’s.” There are tons and tons of things that “could” happen, so think about this as you work your drills and learn more about the concepts that makes Wing Chun truly effective. In this way, you continue learning more about something in a different light that was right in front of you the whole time.

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By Phil Bradley The sport of mixed martial arts (MMA) has, without a doubt, caused a renewed interest in the communities, as well as introducing the martial arts to a brand new audience. Personally, I love the UFC and what it is doing to promote it to the masses. And while some of you might think that since this article is titled “Wing Chun vs. Jiu-Jitsu” will attempt to “trash” Jiu-jitsu, you would be wrong. In fact, far from it. Jiu-jitsu has more than proven itself both in and out of the ring, and even if it didn’t, those that know me already know that I have a great respect for all martial arts. Instead, articles such as this are merely to educate the Wing Chun practitioner in arts they might be unfamiliar with. In that light, let’s take a brief look at how a Wing Chun fighter could approach a jiu-jitsu fighter. Note that this is only a “possible” scenario, since anything can and usually does happen in the real world. On the flip side, this is not the ring and there are no rules. So if something here pinches a nerve, take into consideration that there are tons of “what if’s” out there. First, let’s consider a jiu-jitsu fighter’s preferred method to fighting. Striking is not out of their realm, but their primary goal is to submit you, to lock a joint to the point that if you don’t give up, you’ll never use it again. In addition to this, you can quickly get choked out without even knowing how they did it (and yes, they’re that fast). So how does a WC fighter contend with this? Number 1, NEVER EVER grapple with a grappler. Let me repeat that: NEVER EVER GRAPPLE WITH A GRAPPLER. You wouldn’t box a boxer, and you wouldn’t kick fight with a kicker. Fight YOUR fight, not the fight of the attacker. Possible responses are: Against shooting in, drive your elbows into the back of their head or the back of their neck. Immediately continue with chain-punches and drive them into the ground. Another response to shoots is to immediately start slamming your fists into their face, head, neck, throat, etc. Wallbag and dummy training condition your fists and limbs to withstand a great deal of punishment like this if trained correctly. Remember section 2 of the Siu-Nim-Tau? Or most of the Chum-Kiu? Many think that Wing Chun does not have anti-grappling movements, forgetting that the art was created to defeat the Shaolin methods (many of which are grappling, takedown and fighting methods). Yes, Wing Chun DOES have anti-grappling and anti-takedown movements. In fact, the first and second movements of the wooden dummy are exclusively for that very thing. Some will vie to “sprawl out” against an incoming shoot, and at first it doesn’t sound like a bad idea. But if you sprawl out, then you are going to the ground. The ground is the last place you want to be, particularly with a grappler. First of all, the ground is the grappler’s preferred environment. It is there that he/she works best and is in their realm. Second, our art’s preferred environment is standing up. On the ground we are very limited, particularly in the real world when the attacker’s buddies are coming in to join the fray. Ground work for the ring is essential, but in the real world where cowardice runs rampant (and is usually followed with “whiskey muscles”), your odds of having to contend with more than one attacker are greater than ever. Do you really want to be on the ground where you have limited mobility and you are at the bottom of a dog pile? No, you don’t. So increase your odds by doing everything you possibly can to stay off the ground. One other possible response is to utilize knees into the face, coupled with driving your palms down on the back of the head, adding a double force to the effect. It is not as easy as many think it is, but it “is” a viable response if trained. Now, nothing can truly beat working your skills against a willing jiu-jitsu practitioner that wants to experiment working with you. At first, you might find yourself in situations that you never thought you would be in. But don’t look at it as a “bad” thing; instead, keep it a learning experience and always stay positive by examining what works in Wing Chun against these types of attacks. Work the concepts, and work them to competence. Don’t just do a few drills and think “I got it.” No you don’t. It takes thousands of repetitions to create a nerve pathway so that something happens automatically without you having to think about it. And that’s how many times you have to work every concept of Wing Chun to make it automatic. Remember that this is just a basic look at the “what if’s.” There are tons and tons of things that “could” happen, so think about this as you work your drills and learn more about the concepts that makes Wing Chun truly effective. In this way, you continue learning more about something in a different light that was right in front of you the whole time.