Wing Chun for Self-Defense - Staying True to Our Purpose

I teach that Wing Chun is for self-defense, not for sports competition.

Combat sports enthusiasts often put down Wing Chun for not competing in MMA or other combat sports. Their belief is that competition is the only way to prove a martial art's validity.

Therefore, some Wing Chun people have chosen to participate in competition in order to "show the world" the validity of Wing Chun. However, I believe this line of thinking is misdirected.

There are distinct differences between training for competition and training for self-defense. Some people simply don't know the differences. Others see the differences as too minor to differentiate. Here is where the problem lies...

The fact is, the differences between competition fighting and self-defense are HUGE! 

The training methods are completely different... and rightly so. Simply the act of competing against someone else changes how you go about fighting. Knowing that you're participating in a fight with someone else completely alters both their mindset and yours. They go in guarded and ready to defend against you. They know to keep their distance and not to over commit to any attacks. These things, among many other factors,  change everything.

These are a few of the reasons why I'm such and advocate for remaining true to our purpose for our training. You can't compare apples to oranges. If someone else doesn't understand Wing Chun, they should learn it. We can't let the opinion of those outside of Wing Chun to change how we determine the validity of our art or our training methods. We must remember our goal for training and stay focused on that goal.

That's really how you get great at anything... by staying on track and always being mindful of why you train.

Addendum for wimps: Don't use this article as an excuse not to train hard or spar with substantial contact. That's missing the entire point. This article is for those who do train hard and spar yet are considering competition as a means to improve their Wing Chun. Although competition adds "aliveness" and pressure, I believe it has too many downsides and takes a Wing Chun practitioner too far away from our goals. Sparring can and should be done with substantial contact without sacrificing the integrity of our purpose for training.

Posted by Adam Williss, Founder of The Dragon Institute

© The Dragon Institute | Orange County Wing Chun

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I teach that Wing Chun is for self-defense, not for sports competition. Combat sports enthusiasts often put down Wing Chun for not competing in MMA or other combat sports. Their belief is that competition is the only way to prove a martial art's validity. Therefore, some Wing Chun people have chosen to participate in competition in order to "show the world" the validity of Wing Chun. However, I believe this line of thinking is misdirected. There are distinct differences between training for competition and training for self-defense. Some people simply don't know the differences. Others see the differences as too minor to differentiate. Here is where the problem lies... The fact is, the differences between competition fighting and self-defense are HUGE!  The training methods are completely different... and rightly so. Simply the act of competing against someone else changes how you go about fighting. Knowing that you're participating in a fight with someone else completely alters both their mindset and yours. They go in guarded and ready to defend against you. They know to keep their distance and not to over commit to any attacks. These things, among many other factors,  change everything. These are a few of the reasons why I'm such and advocate for remaining true to our purpose for our training. You can't compare apples to oranges. If someone else doesn't understand Wing Chun, they should learn it. We can't let the opinion of those outside of Wing Chun to change how we determine the validity of our art or our training methods. We must remember our goal for training and stay focused on that goal. That's really how you get great at anything... by staying on track and always being mindful of why you train. Addendum for wimps: Don't use this article as an excuse not to train hard or spar with substantial contact. That's missing the entire point. This article is for those who do train hard and spar yet are considering competition as a means to improve their Wing Chun. Although competition adds "aliveness" and pressure, I believe it has too many downsides and takes a Wing Chun practitioner too far away from our goals. Sparring can and should be done with substantial contact without sacrificing the integrity of our purpose for training. Posted by Adam Williss, Founder of The Dragon Institute © The Dragon Institute | Orange County Wing Chun