Wado karate meets Wing Chun.
An example how positive and fruitful interchanges can happen between martial art styles.
(Names changed for privacy and political reasons).
I first met Terry socially, it wasn’t difficult to spot him as he had a particular presence about him that seemed to fill a room. He always gave the impression of being a very confident sort of chap, continually animated, he never seemed to stop moving; he was ‘Mr Enthusiasm’, and the thing he was most enthusiastic about was Wing Chun kung fu.
I knew very littel about Wing Chun before my initial conversation with Terry. The only thing I was aware of was the Bruce Lee connection and some origin story about a tiny Chinese nun who developed a method of defence that suited her diminutive stature1 – that was why I couldn’t connect Wing Chun to Terry, because Terry was about six foot tall and built like a brick toilet; another factor that gave him ‘presence’.
After that initial meeting we kept coming across each other and, inevitably, conversations were all about martial arts training; he was as curious about Wado karate as I was about Wing Chun.
Terry was an assistant instructor under a charismatic English Sifu who at first sight seemed to have a very tightly structured business model, and naturally the Sifu wanted to exert a high level of quality control over his team of instructors, but I got the impression he was tone deaf to how individuals had to manage their lives outside of training. It was also clear that there was quite a financial demand involved in being part of this organisation.
Chinese Internal Systems.
Terry was an interesting sort of obsessive; essentially, he had a positive and quizzical nature which caused him to want to look at different systems and, being a Chinese stylist, he was particularly curious about the Chinese internal schools.
At one point, he decided he would supplement his training by joining a Tai Chi class; but after a time he became increasingly disillusioned and frustrated; as far as he was concerned, he wasn’t getting the ‘martial’ aspect he was looking for. To his credit, he was up-front with the Tai Chi teacher, who fully understood his dilemma and suggested that if he still wanted to explore the internal systems maybe he was more suited to Bagua Zhang?
As one of the three Chinese Internal systems, Bagua Zhang is a stand-alone oddity.
The character of Bagua is very distinct. In its core form it involves walking in circles and using the body to create rapidly changing curves and spirals in a sophisticated and dynamic way. Terry and I had previously spoken about Bagua Zhang, as we had both been reading the same books. I really liked the sound of it and it had more appeal to me than Tai Chi, but, as far as we knew nobody taught it, certainly not anyone close by.
Then one day out of the blue I had an excited phone call from Terry; he’d found a guy who does Bagua Zhang, not a teacher, but someone with some knowledge of the system who was willing to share. Terry asked me if I was interested? Sign me up.
So, Terry and I started training under a fella, a taxi driver, who was able to show us the methodology of Bagua, and introduced us to the ‘Palm Changes’ which were supposed to be slotted in while walking round in circles. We had weekly lessons with him for quite some time. We were both hugely impressed with it as a system and for Terry it filled in many of the gaps that he saw in Tai Chi. To both of us, this was another beast entirely.
Eventually, the lessons stopped because the guy’s employment situation changed; but I think both of us really gained from the experience.
Wado/Wing Chun, a clash of fists.
Terry continued with his Wing Chun and I continued with my Wado. I suppose, eventually, it was inevitable that we were at some time going to ‘cross hands’.
Initially we only dabbled lightly, the occasional cross-training in his garage, but clearly this had possibilities.
At that time the Internet seemed to be full of Wing Chun people agonising over the effectiveness of their system, either in a ‘real fight’ or against other stylists. Strangely, this was something I’d never seen Wado karate people losing sleep over; it just didn’t crop up in conversation. I wondered where all this insecurity came from?
Sparring with Wing Chun.
Finally, Terry and I came up with a plan; how about a sparring workshop?
So, we hired a dance studio for an afternoon. Terry had a bunch of his more experienced students who were eager to take part; I put it to my Dojo members, but it was only myself and my assistant instructor Steve who were able to attend.
We had some practical considerations to get round; in that they trained in shoes and we were in bare feet; we were always going to risk either getting our feet stepped on, or toenails ripped back; plus, receiving a kick from a shoe or a bare foot can be quite different experiences. We agreed to work round it.
In the weeks before the workshop I wondered what problems I was going to encounter. Of course I realised that these people were close-range specialists; was it possible to play them at their own game? Would Wado strategies give you an edge, even in their favoured zone?
In my head, theoretically Wado should make you untouchable. I’d always used the description that trying to lay a punch on a Wado stylist should be like trying to punch water; the yielding aspect is the embodiment of that, and, of course, if you punch water you get splashed back. But that’s the theory, for it to work the practitioner has to be really highly trained.
Prior to the workshop I rang a fellow Wado senior who I knew in Leeds. I was aware that he had been involved in multi-style ‘fight clubs’, trying his stuff out in open ‘friendly’ sparring sessions. What was his take on how to deal with Wing Chun people? “Simple, just sweep ‘em” was his typically blunt Yorkshire reply.
Came the day of the workshop. I have to say, the atmosphere was really friendly. Yes, we were outnumbered, but I think they all acknowledged that and did their best to make the whole thing work.
I have to admit, when the sparring started, initially I struggled to get anything in on them, and when it looked as though I was getting close, an elbow or a fist was coming right back at me. I think Steve felt the same. This was particularly the case with Terry, where it was like trying to engage in a fist fight with a man who is wearing a suit of armour.
It took a while but eventually the penny dropped… the reality was that we weren’t fighting our fight; we were fighting their fight.
Rigid thinking had locked me in to assuming that I could actually beat them at their own game; it was never going to happen; they had the angles and they had all the moves.
A rapid recalibration was needed.
I figured that I needed to zoom out, both contextually and physically and the whole situation had to be reframed. Essentially, the opponent was a problem that needed to be solved, while all the time staying in the agreed parameters.
In the early rounds, how I was dealing with it was actually very anti-Wado; I was giving them far too much information, and this was actually what they thrived on, it was what they used to make their thing work. In short, I was defeating myself. Steve had come to the same conclusions.
It seemed that what the Wing Chun people needed was to create a fixed focus around angle, entry and distance and a reliance upon capitalising on the information gleaned from the opponent’s intent. If I was able to take these opportunities away, they would struggle to find a hook to hang their strategies on.
Really, the answers for us were to be found in Wado footwork and bodyshifting, as well as a tactile sensitivity which inhibited the opponent’s ability to read what was happening; it’s all there in our core principles and doesn’t have to be brought in from the outside.
These strategies allowed us to seize the initiative and elicit reactions we could take advantage of; it also meant that sometimes they were behind the beat and the initiative (‘Sen’) was ours.
Tables were turned and their frustrations became obvious, but… they seemed to enjoy it; now we were stretching them!
As for the sweeps… the opportunities were there but I held back; to my thinking, a full-blooded double leg take-down was not going to win me any friends. I did work a couple of destabilising outside front foot ‘tickles’, but I left it at that.
Kicks were interesting because, again, I really wanted to let loose, but wasn’t sure how they would take it. The kicks we use have the potential to ‘engage/disengage’, straight in and out, rather like sniping. In retrospect I wished I had pushed the envelope on that one.
There is no doubt, it was a hard physical session, but it truly was a valuable experience, with open-minded people and no ego problems – perfect.
The follow-on from the workshop was that we organised a couple of mutual exchanges on my territory; not sparring just classes which explored our ideas.
What happened to Terry?
It was inevitable that he would become disillusioned with his Wing Chun organisation; the writing was on the wall at the very beginning. Over time, he found himself drawn towards Escrima/Kali and then on to Filipino boxing, that particular blend, plus his previous experience worked well for him. I wish him luck.
In conclusion.
I always think back on the whole Wing Chun thing as a great learning experience, but chiefly from the viewpoint of my understanding of Wado karate. I came away with the conclusion that the theory of Wado and its core principles creates a rock solid foundation, but it’s that age-old conundrum of the musician and the instrument – the instrument may be technically and mechanically perfect, but it can only truly fulfil and manifest its innate perfection in the hands of a sublimely talented musician.
As a fighting system Wado is so much more than the sum parts of Nagasu (principle of flow), or the yielding aspects inherited from jujutsu and the pugilistic skills found in karate. These composite parts are multi-layered and interact with each other in fluid and dynamic ways. These are all strategies that cover an endless range of possibilities. Wing Chun has chosen to engage with its own list of priorities; they relish the close contact, the setting up of zones; give them a limb and they have so many ways of dealing with it, a very efficient system.
On that particular afternoon workshop what was needed from the Wado side was a paradigm shift, and it was precisely that moment that subsequently enabled myself and Steve to reframe our Wado and change the conversation, and I am really grateful to Terry and the Wing Chun community around him for being open and bold enough to create the environment for that to happen.
Header image source; book cover, ‘Wing Chun Kung Fu’ by J. Yimm Lee. Ohara Publications 1972.
The true origin story of Wing Chun will probably never be known. The ‘Chinese nun’ theory has largely been dismissed as fantasy, but, who can tell? Maybe, there is a grain of truth in it somewhere.
I share your appreciation for interdisciplinary training methods Tim. I myself have greatly improved the efficiency of my Wado curriculum through the simultaneous study of the internal training methodology of 'Yiquan' (which less or more comprises the ‘modern’ synthesis of the ancient Chinese boxing form 'Xing Yi Quan') Especially the different exercises in standing post (zhan zhuang) have taught me a lot about the true feeling and application of relaxation and instant speed. Even today I am working and pondering on how tot integrate this internal training into my solo practice of Wado (which just is still on my age an intriguing, challenging and satisfying pastime)