Karate vs. Wing Chun Kung Fu

Great Video!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A2Y9H8VYRIA&feature=related

5%

There is a certain necessary evil needed when it comes to efficiently and effectively defending yourself. This evil comes in the mindset of "being" evil. What I mean by that is being capable of doing the most ruthless and brutal thing to another living human being...killing them.

Understand, I am not advocating harming another human being, but in the very nature of self defense you must have the ability to unleash fury and rage on anyone who threatens your life or the life of your loved ones.

Most of us have a "switch" or limit when it comes to harming another human being. This is what I call my 5%.

I like to think that I am in control of my self at all times...and I am. But there is 5% of myself that I believe is primal, basic and still operates under the rule of survival of the fittest.

This uncontrolled 5% is what will be the difference whether or not I survived if attacked by another human. This 5% will take over and act without thought or reason should someone threaten my life or the life of someone I care about.

I embrace this 5% and understand that without it, should someone wield a knife at me, I may react instead of acting. I welcome the 5% and accept that over evolution we have decreased our primal side, therefore placing whatever remains in a sacred place in our minds. Threaten a child in front of his mother...you will see 5% in action.

5% is what will save me... 5% is what I think of when I train in self defense... 5% is what I must become if I am to survive.

Dominick Izzo
Izzo Training Systems
Wing Chun Kung Fu Chicago
Women's Self Defense Chicago
www.izzo-training.com

Wing Chun in Chicago

My resume in Self Defense Training:

My history in Wing Chun Kung Fu began a decade ago after finding it in a Law Enforcement Defensive Tactics Seminar.

Prior to that I had 20 years of combat training including 15 years as collegiate style wrestler, Shotokan Karate, Law Enforcement Defensive Tactics and as an amateur boxer, competing in Police Officer charity events.

I met my first Sifu Danny Halligan while attending a defensive tactics seminar. Danny Halligan was under Ron Heimberger and then later Eric Li. Both of whom were under the Ip Man Wing Chun Lineage under his son, Grandmaster Ip Ching.

I later trained under Phil Nearing of Wing Chun Chicago Kung Fu who had been a student of Steve Lee Swift and later Sam Kwok. Sam Kwok has been training under both Grandmaster Ip Chun and Grandmaster Ip Ching for several decades, both who are sons of Grandmaster Ip Man.

My current Sifu is Syed Ahmad of Chicago In Home Self Defense. Syed's understanding of Wing Chun is second only to his passion for it. A student under the Ip Man lineage as well, Syed's teaching of Wing Chun is something that places him in a class of his own, making him one of the top Wing Chun Chicago area instructors.

I strictly adhere to a structured syllabus which has been detailed by Syed for class instruction and designed to allow the student to know exactly where their Wing Chun training is headed. Having a structured course syllabus allows the student to have goals set and measure their personal success. Unlike my experience with other teacher's who's syllabus' has been in their heads, I strongly encourage my students to ask me where they are going on their journey and to always respectfully question my knowledge on how I am helping them to achieve their goals in Wing Chun.

I strongly urge anyone seeking Wing Chun Chicago area training to research all the area schools. The best teachers will have understanding trumping their ability.

For more information on Wing Chun in Chicago visit www.izzo-training.com

Dominick Izzo
Izzo Training Systems
www.izzo-training.com
Wing Chun Self Defense Classes in Chicago Area

Wing Chun Kung Fu vs Karate

One question that I was asked was what is the difference between the martial arts of Wing Chun Kung Fu and Karate.

It has to be first mentioned that there is no such thing as a "bad" martial art or an inferior martial art...its the martial artist who makes the difference.

Karate is a very "hard" style. Not hard as in difficult, but as in force. Getting hit by a Karate kick or punch would result in certain destruction. Bruce Lee (Wing Chun's most famous student) was correct when he spoke about being like water.

Karate is like being hit with a baseball bat...when it hits you, it is forceful and devastating.

Wing Chun Kung Fu seeks to be like water. Flowing and adapting to its surroundings. Wing Chun Kung Fu seeks the path of least resistance and when it finds its opening, it crashes like water!

Unlike Karate, Wing Chun Kung Fu is a soft and hard art.

Feeling the difference in the structure of the Karate Straight Punch and the Wing Chun Centerline Punch would observe to be useful for anyone seeking to understand the physical applications between the two.

Dominick Izzo
Izzo Training Systems
Wing Chun Self Defense

Class has moved!

Just a quick notification that we have moved our Chicago Wing Chun Self Defense class to 8750 W Bryn Mawr in Chicago. We are in the Wilson / Verizon Wireless Building in Triangle plaza.

Classes are taught under the premise of Wing Chun Kung Fu. Wing Chun is a close quarter combat systems and a "stand up" martial art. Unlike kickboxing or Tae Kwon Do, Wing Chun Self Defense uses mostly hand movements where as Kickboxing and other martial arts use a high volume of kicking.

Classes are "pay as you go" and meet every Thursday night at 6pm. Free parking is available and the Cumberland Blue Line stop is within a five minute walk.

Please contact me with any questions.

Dominick Izzo
Izzo Training Systems
847-875-0458

Shocking and Offensive

In the nature of advertising, I submit that my methods are to evoke true emotion.

In the past I have been accused of attempting to scare women into buying my product.

In my defense I say this...THAT STATEMENT IS 100% accurate.

The very nature of self defense is violence, chaos, horror and terror. Understanding that this nature is what you are protecting yourself from is why you train in self defense.

My job as a self defense instructor is to be offensive...it is to shock...it is to terrify! Without these basic human emotions present a person would remain ignorant and heighten his or her chances of being a victim.

Hate my methods of arousing awareness. Hate it all you like... Hate it more the next time you watch the news when you see about some man killing his family, some man beating women with a baseball bat, some man killing a pregnant woman with his bare hands, some man shooting his wife, murduring his children and saying he was sorry he "ran out of bullets."

My job is to teach self defense...not how to paint rainbows.

I teach Women's Self Defense and Wing Chun Self Defense in Chicago.

Dominick Izzo

Wing Chun Kung Fu Bong Sau

The Wing Chun Kung Fu Bong Sau…what a fantastic technique.

Talk about “aliveness” of Wing Chun Kung Fu! The Bong Sau (or Wing Arm Block) is both the “best” and “worst” move in the Wing Chun syllabus.

Keep in mind that I use the term “block” loosely as in Wing Chun, we have no blocks as all of our movements are either attacking in nature or dissipating energy.

The Bong Sau can be seen as the famous pose for most Wing Chun practitioners, however the Bong Sau is anything but a pose.

One of the main errors in applying the Wing Chun Bong Sau is that students are stationary in its application. The Bong Sau is an apparition and should be ghost like when using it on your enemy.

In my opinion, and again, MY OPINION, Bong Sau does have more than one possible application based on its arm positioning.

The Wing Chun Bong Sau should be, first and foremost, a dissipation of energy. In application, we do not throw the Bong Sau out as a defensive maneuver. The Bong Sau is a transition between applications. In other words, if you throw your Wing Chun Centerline Punch at your enemy and he intercepts the punch (with possibly a punch of his own) then the Bong Sau appears and re-directs his punch’s force.
So, you don’t elbow up and throw out the Bong Sau…it has to stem from some sort of contact. HOWEVER, that said, the POSITION of the Bong Sau does make a phenomenal jamming arm.

Wing Chun Kung Fu does not clash force upon force, however sneaking in a tactic if advantageous may not be a bad idea if it works. In my personal experience doing Chi Sau with taller people, being able to uproot an opponent’s structure and balance was relatively easy for me. From Kiu Sau (or wrist to wrist) when someone would re-engage me with an aggressive Lap Sau/Punch, I would blast in and clash their punch with my Bong Sau. Incorrect? Possibly, yet it was effective for ME. I am not suggesting this is suitable for everyone in every scenario. Sometimes I would just step in and blast a centerline punch, thus intercepting his punch, then of course transition into Bong Sau.

Bottom line, the Wing Chun Bong Sau, appears out of “nowhere” and returns to said “nowhere” after it is used.

As my Sifu, Syed Ahmad, says, “what appears in form disappears in application.”

We teach Ip Man Wing Chun here in Chicago.

www.izzo-training.com

The Centerline Punch

The shortest distance between two points is a straight line... hence one of the reasons we embrace the Centerline Punch in Wing Chun Kung Fu.

Wing Chun uses linear movements due to the very nature that a straight punch to the face of an enemy will get there faster than that of a hook punch.

The effort of a hook punch does have a very "satisfying" feeling of delivery as one can definitely feel the power behind it... but when compared to the Wing Chun Centerline Punch, it's distance, timing and placement is outmatched by the speed and accuracy of the Wing Chun Centerline Punch.

The Wing Chun Centerline Punch uses elbow placement, elbow "power" and skeletal structure to reinforce its delivery in place of brute strength.

Picture holding a baseball bat...your enemy has one as well. As he winds up his to swing it at you, you thrust yours forward and jam it in his face. This is just one of the concepts behind the Wing Chun Centerline Punch.

Izzo Training Systems of Chicago teaches Wing Chun Self Defense.

For more information, visit www.izzo-training.com