Fitness for Fighting? Hell Yes.
It is a common statement in the Wing Chun community that one should not lift weights if they want their Wing Chun to improve.
The thought among Wing Chun purists is that by increasing muscle mass, you will slow your Wing Chun down and / or lose sensitivity in your chi sau and fighting ability.
My thoughts are these: Wing Chun was created 300 years ago where people were not as large as they were today. The average male height in America today is 5'10" and the average male height in China is 5'6". Although height has remained average over the last 50 years, weight has increased an average of 25 lbs! Our enemies are bigger and badder.
Evolution plays an endearing role in the survival of the fittest game and we can see how this applies in fighting or combat.
In the concept of mass on mass, or the larger fighter; the fighter with the more mass doesn't necessarily always win. Wing Chun shows that skilled mass has a greater chance of winning. Wing Chun uses economy of motion, angles of attack, leverage and body mechanic.
But if Mixed Martial Arts has shown anything, it is that fitness and muscle plays a huge role in a person's ability to endure in combat. Granted, this is specific to the individual. For example, google MMA fighter Roy Nelson. In an episode of Ultimate Fighter, he defeated Kimbo Slice who was by far in better shape.
Being fit has direct effects on a person's ability to supply oxygen to the body, and this has a massive impact on a person's ability to fight. As a former police officer, I can attest that fighting for 10 seconds is a very long time when you cannot breathe. Life is not Mixed Martial Arts...there is no time to prep for our fights. Some times we must run or sprint from or towards danger and then fight...and by then you are already winded!
Wing Chun purists also claim that strength plays no part in fighting...again, I respectfully disagree. Strength may play no part in Chi Sau, however in an actual fight, yes, strength may be the difference between you going home or not. I read an article once in where Wing Chun legend Wong Shun Leung stated that he chi sau'd with Bruce Lee after Lee had been in America for several years. During his American years, Bruce Lee had become a fitness enthusiast which is evident by his amazing physique.
Wong Shun Leung stated that Bruce Lee's chi sau was not as good as it once had been and Wong Shun Leung attributed the declination to Bruce Lee's muscle mass.
Granted, my assumption is that this is useful information in the realm of chi sau in itself. Wong Shun Leung, in my opinion, is the greatest Wing Chun practitioner that has ever lived. In my opinion, he far surpassed Bruce Lee in Wing Chun fighting skill. Bruce Lee, however was a more overall well rounded fighter (I qualify this statement by saying Bruce Lee studied all kinds of fighting; therefore making his approach with fitness invaluable.) Bruce Lee, however again, was never able to "defeat" Wong Shun Leung whenever they trained against each other.
So what does that mean? Who knows! In my opinion, maybe Bruce Lee could run faster, or lift something longer or heaver in the context of fighting...or maybe Bruce Lee had the initial physical edge in that he "looked" like the greater threat, therefore ending a fight by intimidation before it even began. But for the average person training in fighting who can never achieve the Wing Chun development of Wong Shun Leung, I strongly believe that being fitter plays a key role in a person's survival. And lifting weights is a key element in staying fit.
Bottom line, yes, fitness is essential for fighting. Lifting weights does aid in muscle endurance, which is something we need for fighting. A stronger muscle is a muscle that can work longer...and in some combative contests, this may be the difference between life and death.
Dominick Izzo
Lead Instructor
Izzo Training Systems
www.izzo-training.com
The thought among Wing Chun purists is that by increasing muscle mass, you will slow your Wing Chun down and / or lose sensitivity in your chi sau and fighting ability.
My thoughts are these: Wing Chun was created 300 years ago where people were not as large as they were today. The average male height in America today is 5'10" and the average male height in China is 5'6". Although height has remained average over the last 50 years, weight has increased an average of 25 lbs! Our enemies are bigger and badder.
Evolution plays an endearing role in the survival of the fittest game and we can see how this applies in fighting or combat.
In the concept of mass on mass, or the larger fighter; the fighter with the more mass doesn't necessarily always win. Wing Chun shows that skilled mass has a greater chance of winning. Wing Chun uses economy of motion, angles of attack, leverage and body mechanic.
But if Mixed Martial Arts has shown anything, it is that fitness and muscle plays a huge role in a person's ability to endure in combat. Granted, this is specific to the individual. For example, google MMA fighter Roy Nelson. In an episode of Ultimate Fighter, he defeated Kimbo Slice who was by far in better shape.
Being fit has direct effects on a person's ability to supply oxygen to the body, and this has a massive impact on a person's ability to fight. As a former police officer, I can attest that fighting for 10 seconds is a very long time when you cannot breathe. Life is not Mixed Martial Arts...there is no time to prep for our fights. Some times we must run or sprint from or towards danger and then fight...and by then you are already winded!
Wing Chun purists also claim that strength plays no part in fighting...again, I respectfully disagree. Strength may play no part in Chi Sau, however in an actual fight, yes, strength may be the difference between you going home or not. I read an article once in where Wing Chun legend Wong Shun Leung stated that he chi sau'd with Bruce Lee after Lee had been in America for several years. During his American years, Bruce Lee had become a fitness enthusiast which is evident by his amazing physique.
Wong Shun Leung stated that Bruce Lee's chi sau was not as good as it once had been and Wong Shun Leung attributed the declination to Bruce Lee's muscle mass.
Granted, my assumption is that this is useful information in the realm of chi sau in itself. Wong Shun Leung, in my opinion, is the greatest Wing Chun practitioner that has ever lived. In my opinion, he far surpassed Bruce Lee in Wing Chun fighting skill. Bruce Lee, however was a more overall well rounded fighter (I qualify this statement by saying Bruce Lee studied all kinds of fighting; therefore making his approach with fitness invaluable.) Bruce Lee, however again, was never able to "defeat" Wong Shun Leung whenever they trained against each other.
So what does that mean? Who knows! In my opinion, maybe Bruce Lee could run faster, or lift something longer or heaver in the context of fighting...or maybe Bruce Lee had the initial physical edge in that he "looked" like the greater threat, therefore ending a fight by intimidation before it even began. But for the average person training in fighting who can never achieve the Wing Chun development of Wong Shun Leung, I strongly believe that being fitter plays a key role in a person's survival. And lifting weights is a key element in staying fit.
Bottom line, yes, fitness is essential for fighting. Lifting weights does aid in muscle endurance, which is something we need for fighting. A stronger muscle is a muscle that can work longer...and in some combative contests, this may be the difference between life and death.
Dominick Izzo
Lead Instructor
Izzo Training Systems
www.izzo-training.com
posted by Izzo Tactical Combat Martial Arts at
7:02 AM
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