Tag: Sifu Och

Sal Ficaro: Ageless Training

Posted on by Tim Kittelstad

Sal Ficaro came to Sifu Och Wing Chun about one year ago. He tried one of our classes and got very frustrated with himself and decided to leave. Sifu Och was able to talk to him and arrange for private lessons instead to help him through those first steps of learning. When I took on Sal and his private lessons I knew this would be a difficult task. Sal was not used to Wing Chun and it’s movements. However, I knew that it could be done because Sal had the right mindset. In this article, Sal Ficaro: Ageless Training, Sal will tell a little bit about himself and his training here.

Sal Ficaro: Ageless Training

“Hello, my name Salvatore Ficarro I am 58 years old. I’ve been training at Sifu Och Wing Chun it’s been a learning process. Timothy Kittelstad is one of the trainers at this studio and he is absolutely wonderful. Even though the journey has been tough I absolutely love it.

If anybody is in the 40s or 50s age and would like to learn some self-defense they should not hesitate. They should come down to Sifu Och and start their own journey! Your age shouldn’t hold you back. I’m 58 but that is just a number. I don’t allow that to be an excuse to not learn something new. Life can be very hard. And many times you want to just give up. But the wonderful things in life take some time to learn.

When you are working hard to learn something you may fall a little short. And when that happens, as long as you get back up and come back stronger that day was a success. There are days I feel I’m only at maybe 60% where I should be. But if I leave at 61% that means I am improving. Then next time maybe I’m at 70% or 80%. As long as you work hard and improve, no matter how small the improvement, you will always be able to grow. The staff at Sifu Och Wing Chun are the best trainers I’ve ever seen. They are their to help you. All they want is for you to be your best. And I want you to succeed. I feel if you give it a try your will fall in love with it.”

Age doesn’t Stop Hard work

Sal shows that now matter your age you can accomplish anything with hard. Day after day Sal comes into class and puts in a hard days training. Starting from private lessons he has been able to work himself into the group classes. The most impressive thing about Sal is his determination. He doesn’t care about belts, or awards, or flashy techniques. He simply wants to know that he can take care of himself. Each day he comes in and builds himself from the last class.

Age is just a number. Everybody has hurdles they have to learn to overcome. Everyone has their own life story. Once you learn to accept your story and do the best you can with what you have you can start to really learn new things.

Instead of complaining about his age, or “not being able to move like he used to”, Sal trains his body to move the best it can right now. Because that’s what matters, the now. Not the past, not the future, but right now. What are you doing right now to make a difference in your life? If nothing than you should find the reason why. And then find a strong reason why you need to change that. Sal is a great example of someone who tackles life no matter what happens.

 

My Journey Toward Wing Chun

Posted on by Tim Kittelstad

My Journey Toward Wing Chun

My martial arts training started late in 2006 at Dan Parrish’s Taekwondo school.  The sole purpose of me training there was for it to be an outlet for my anger issues. When my training first started, my attitude toward others, school, and life in general was horrible. At the same time that I was practicing Martial Arts, I was also regularly seeing a “Guidance counselor“ . With the help of my “guidance counselor“, my instructors at my Martial Arts school, and my parents… I was able to reduce the amount of anger I’ve always had and calm down as much as possible.

Introduction to Ip Man

As years went on I became a black belt at the same martial arts school but under a different instructor who’s name is Master Gary Hernandez. Around that time is when I watched the first Ip man movie. That’s when I wanted to start to learn any new style of Kung Fu, but Wing Chun in particular. Something terrible occurred I was working towards my 2nd degree black belt. A near fatal incident happened to my mother and now ex-stepfather.  Once that happened, my training drastically went downhill. I wasn’t wanting to throw a single punch or block a single strike.

Re-Focusing

After a while, when I knew my mother would be OK I began to start training again. But this time I was traveling with a friend every Thursday and Saturday to Zephyrhills to continue my training. I was also training and teaching as one of the head instructors at my Lakeland taekwondo school. As 2014 was coming to A conclusion, my taekwondo school and Lakeland shut down because of financial issues which allowed me to become A full fledged student under Gary Hernandez. Once I became a student under Gary Hernandez I started training in the super foot system and earned my 2nd degree black belt.  Soon after I received my next rank, I moved further away to the city of Winter Haven which kept me from training because of transportation issues.

Lakeland Wing Chun

Fast forward towards 2016, I stumbled across the Wing Chun school in Lakeland. At the time I was very hesitant about walking in and asking questions because of the simple fact that I did not know how I would be able to make it to classes without there being A problem. I am glad to say that I do not regret walking into the front door. I met both the manager, Timothy Kittelstad, and the owner, Sifu Justin Och. They immediately made me feel welcome.

sifu justin och, ip chun, hong kong, florida, son of ip man, masterOne of the many reasons why I love to train at this particular school is because of the authenticity of the Wing Chun that is being taught. There’s no place else like it, and there’s no other place that you can learn wing Chun from one person that’s been certified under multiple lineages. So far what I’ve gained and hope to continue gaining is the realness of Wing Chun and how the principles of Wing Chun affect more than just a persons martial art aspect,  but also different aspects of every day life and activities. I’ve also learned and have gained many different techniques that is and will be always important to any true martial artist.

Wing Chun’s Greatness

Lastly, one thing I’ve gained since I’ve signed up at Sifu Och’s Wing Chun is the love and care that he provides and all of his students. Anyone who signs up will be able to experience the greatness and directness and effectiveness of Wing Chun. They will also be able to see how family oriented the school and the atmosphere is. They will also how hard and dedicated all the students are to their training.

My Journey Into Wing Chun: By Rich Dorsey

Posted on by Tim Kittelstad

“My Journey Into Wing Chun: By Rich Dorsey,” is my story hope you enjoy!

I’ve wanted to train in the Wing Chun system specifically ever since I knew of it when I first got started in martial arts as early as my 18th year. My first teacher, a master of Isshin Ryu, was fascinated by it. Upon many of my homework assignments I received then I also was given information, literature and videos about Wing Chun.

My Journey Into Wing Chun: By Rich Dorsey

Those few Karate teachings were basic. I had only begun to scratch the surface of how to use my hands and feet. They are minuscule to the depth I’ve seen at this early stage of Sifu Och’s system. Even still I feel many significant differences in the fighting styles. Not only are both of my ‘weapons’ straight-on utilizing more than half my body, but my hands (when I’m practicing my techniques properly) are continuously forward ready to be fired in short range fire attack. This being said I can honestly say I’ve never had any real training. Even though over the years I’ve tried many different styles of martial arts even boxing.

My Inspiration

I’ve met many masters and many students but never anyone who has ever truly inspired me. I began to believe my dream of learning Wing Chun and meeting those kinds of individuals was out of reach. Not only did I find what I was looking for, I met one of the best fighters I’ve ever known. A teacher not only surpassing my expectations in knowledge but one who inspires me still. A system that not only challenges me but one that works. I’ve seen it work and have felt it work. To this day I don’t know if I’m more inspired by him or fellow students. Not only can I see what it’s done for myself but I see what it’s done for them. The changes in us all over the past two years.

My Past

And before I go on about the many benefits of Sifu Och’s Wing Chun system it’s important to me to remember who I was before I came. I’ve been athletic my entire life. I began calisthenics at the age of five, and weight training as early as eleven. As an adult, I became a personal trainer by trade. My confidence was exuded for all to see. Yet there was always something missing. All my goals in my physical attributes had for the most part been met. I wanted more than just to look like I could kick butt and take names. I wanted to feel it and believe it.

Refining Myself

So I began refining myself, my cardio respiratory and training on my own to prepare myself for martial arts. Had I known then what I know now I would have just started immediately. When I felt like I was ready that’s when I found him. ‘When the student is ready the master will appear.’ I can honestly say I had no idea what true cardio was. And all the confidence -that I soon realized was only on the surface- was stripped away as soon as I realized how much I didn’t know. How much younger men (and some women) only half my size and strength could easily defeat me. Most only in the beginning phase of the system. The confidence that I have now runs deep. 

My Future

The cardio I currently have I could have never imagined. I’m tougher than I ever could’ve imagined. These are only a few of the benefits I’ve gained and being only a short distance along the long road I’ve begun to travel I can only imagine how much more there is in store for me here. The excitement only grows the more I learn, understand, and experience…

Sifu Och! WING CHUN!!

Afterschool Martial Arts: Showing You Care

Posted on by Tim Kittelstad

“People don’t care what you know until they know that you care”. That statement has never been more true then when it comes to dealing with kids. Children these days have a serious struggle with staying focused. Lack of focused is compounded in a class setting. As an instructor we must take every advantage to maintain our student’s focus. One of the biggest ways to help them maintain their focus is helping them understand how much you really care about them. In this article, Afterschool Martial Arts: Showing You Care, I will go over some tips on how to accomplish that.

Afterschool Martial Arts: Showing You Care

Mat Chats

Mat chats are a great way to intentionally impart wisdom to the next generation. At the Sifu Och Wing Chun and Just Dance Afterschool and Summer Camp Classes we take 5-10 minutes every class to sit and talk to our students. Each month we go over new concepts to help them grow as people. This can range from peer pressure to manners. These mat chats are not lectures. They are a time to engage with your students and listen to their responses. Getting them to open up to you shows them that they can trust you. When you listen to their responses you are leading by example. By showing them how to listen respectfully they can see what it means be respectful.

Little Lions preschool martial arts

Listening When Disciplining

Many times I have seen, and experienced, instructors in martial arts and sports doing blind discipline. A child acts up and immediately they are jumped on and made to do some form of work out for a disciplinary action. Before moving forward let me confirm that discipline is key, without it classes are chaos and nothing is accomplished. However, maintaining discipline is a two sided coin. True discipline is achieved when the student is maintaining discipline out of respect, not fear. I accomplish this in my classes by taking the student’s aside that are acting up and talking to them.

When I have engaged a student I seek to explain to them my point of view. Helping them understand why I am pulling them out of class or off to the side. What I am trying to accomplish is to show the child that I have perceived a wrong has been committed. And then due to that perception something must be done about it. I then allow the child to explain himself. Allow him to share why he was acting up or not staying focused. Most of the time there is no good reason and proceed to explain why I must discipline the child. However, there are times where the child was not deserving of punishment.

Lakeland little lions kids preschool martial arts kickboxing karate kung fu ages 3 - 5 years old

To Punish Or Not To Punish

Many times when speaking to the children I have found that outside factors played a big role in their distraction or outburst. If they are having a hard time focusing on their training sometimes it leads back to family or school problems. In that scenario I have the chance to teach them another lesson. This can be anything from perseverance in a hard time to forgiving a friend for doing something wrong to them. In any case a punishment would have only hurt their growth.

Most of the time, unfortunately, the child is acting up because they simply have not learned discipline yet. In that is the case you must be consistent, firm, but caring in your punishment. If it is a repeat offender in the same day I will again take them aside and speak to them. If after I have spoken to them, and punished them multiple times then in might be time to speak to the parents about what you can do as a time to help with his discipline.

Conclusion

Children can be wonderful to teach. Their mind can absorb very quickly and they have a very high energy most of the time. That being said, your kids classes are what you make them. If you make them a time that the children feel safe and cared for, they are more likely to listen and enjoy your classes.

Wing Chun vs Jab, Cross, Hook Takedown Combo

Posted on by Tim Kittelstad

Wing Chun vs Jab, Cross, Hook, Takedown

Wing Chun vs Jab, Cross, Hook, Takedown was a question a beginner posted for anyone to answer on a Facebook group. He asked for the key to using Wing Chun vs Jab, Cross, Hook, Takedown Combo. Sifu Justin Och and Senior Instructor Garret Brumfield posted a video titled “Wing Chun vs Jab, Cross, Hook, Takedown Combo”.

In this article we will address some of the finer points. Stopping this combo is no easy task but Wing Chun does have an answer.

Wing Chun vs Jab, Cross, Hook, Takedown Combo

The Jab

If you are to deal with an attack you must understand it. To understand strikes you must make a distinction between committed and non-committed strikes. A committed strike could be defined as a strike that has the entire weight of the body fueling the power for the strike. Alternatively, a non-committed strike will be much faster but won’t have the power. A jab is a non committed strike. That being the case, the counter must be equally fast. As you can see in the video Sifu Och uses his paak sao but immediately follows up with a straight punch. This allows for quick adjustments where needed.

The Jab, Cross

If your opponent crosses immediately after his jab you may not have time to follow up off the initial strike. Sifu chose is one of the most direct options to counter although there are many variations. The hand that was used to paak the initial strike simply follows its trajectory to the face. In conjunction, the back hand paaks the next strike. This results in and immediate strike to your opponents face.

The Jab, Cross, Hook

Let’s say that your counter does not damage your opponent enough. As a result, he follows up again with a hook. The hook that Sifu Och Demonstrates is a very tight “rabbit” hook. Theses types of hooks are very hard to deal with. A Bui Sao, Bui Jee, Man Sao will be very hard to execute in this scenario. You must be able to fully extend these techniques for them to become effective. When the opponent throws this hook, it will be very tight to the body with a lot of torque. Torque equals power, and if you are unable to fully extend your technique it will crumble. In this scenario Sifu chooses to utilize upward elbow to cover the opponents strike. He is now able to strike with is other hand and move on with his attack.

The Jab, Cross, Hook, Takedown

wing chun vs jab cross hook

Finally, we moved on to dealing last part of the combo. None of your counters have successfully stopped your opponent but because you are in so tight he feels the need to shoot in and take you down. There are two scenarios to be address when an opponent shoots in on you. If he gets under your elbow or not.

If he does not get under your able a you can simple remove the foot he is attacking and stop his forward motion with a Gum or Jum Sao to the neck\head. This is addressed in our article Fighting Footwork where we go into a little more depth. However, if he does get behind one of your elbows you must sprawl back or you will be taken down. Once you have sprawled you can then establish a line of defense again with your Jum or Gum Sao. This line allows you to regain your structure and move on with your attack.

End the fight

At each stage of the attack your goal as a Wing Chun practitioner should be to the end the fight. When you respond to an attack you should be immediately seeking to follow it up to finish your opponent. You would only utilized these counter techniques if you are unable to flow into and 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, etc. follow up. So in theory, your opponent will never get to his takedown, or his cross for that matter. However, that is why we as martial artists should always be prepared. If the worst happens, you will be ready.

The Fatal Flaw in Testing

Posted on by Tim Kittelstad

Getting tested in martial arts can be nerve racking but also invigorating. Your abilities are all laid out to bare for all to see. No more excuses just reaction. This is quite exciting. Along with that is the satisfaction when all your hard work does actually pay off. Attaining the next level feels great and if you earned it you should feel proud. However, “The Fatal Flaw in Testing” is what I would call the Sprint Mentality.

Sprinting for your test: The Fatal Flaw in Testing

Finals week, the week before the last set of tests for college students. Energy drinks, microwaved food, and zombies with backpacks become rampant on college campuses. Students will “cram” in those last extra hours of studying to strive for that grade at the end of the semester. This is the same as I call it, the “Sprint” in martial arts. Martial art students will train for months but many times you will see a tendency to really step up the training right before a test. Even though this does encourage that extra training at the end of a section there is a fundamental flaw to this process.

Student’s who are training hard consistently will have no need to sprint at the end because they will already be prepared for the test. But for this to be realized your goal must be analyzed. If your goal is to simply achieve belt ranks, then cramming is a perfectly legitimate way to achieve that. However, if your goal is to be prepared at all times for combat, then you should train as if you had testing every day.

One Breath

Grandmaster Ken Chun, from Wing Chun Dynamics in California, visited our school and gave a great tip on mindset. He explained that in an encounter you have one breath to channel all of your training to defend yourself. In that one breath you must focus your mind and your body to one task.

He also explained that this should be trained every single day. In other words, you shouldn’t wait for the week before testing to snap into that “one breath” mode. Every single punch, every single kick, every single takedown should be done with the same mentality. If you don’t accomplish this attack it could be the end, not of your opponent, but of you! So as you train, take in that one breath mentality every single time you move.

Your actual goal

Attacks on the street may have indicators. However, indicators do not come a week ahead of time. They may only be caught a moment or two before something happens. That being the case, if you do not keep yourself optimally prepared you could be overtaken. If preparing for testing is your ultimate goal, you are in danger of getting caught. Testing should not be used as your goal. Your goal should be your training regiment. Each day you should seek to improve and upgrade that training. The result of this shift is that your perspective changes on your testing. Instead of looking at that as an end game, it is used to evaluate whether or not your training is effective to keep you prepare.

The importance of keeping your training up is even emphasized in martial arts business circles. Even with these successful million dollar schools the owners understand that their training is top priority. John Kovar, found of Kovar systems lists Training first, then Teaching, then Business. You don’t know when you are going to be attacked so every training day is vital to you surviving an attack.

So ask yourself, what are you training for? Have you fallen prey to the The Fatal Flaw in Testing? Are you training for a belt? Social standing? Sense of accomplishment? Or are you preparing yourself for real, terrifying, messy combat?

 

 

Afraid to Get Hit?

Posted on by Tim Kittelstad

We see it all the time. Someone will come into a class with the goal of learning realistic self-defense. However, they have no intention of getting hurt in the process. And then the first class happens. They realize that goal is a little bit more difficult to achieve than they had imagined. So what is at the root of this fear? And how do we combat it both mentally and physically? In reality, true martial art injuries are less common than that of football and hockey players. But the martial arts is still viewed as the more dangerous activity – Still Afraid to Get Hit? Let’s unpack that.

Afraid to Get Hit? Mental Preparation

Fear of getting hit is a common enough mindset. It most certainly makes sense: why would I intentionally do something that would hurt me? We all have built up layers of protection in our minds that keep us from doing things that will hurt us. The body has countless mechanisms in place to protect itself and is reluctant to consciously allow harm. But when it comes to martial arts, we have to weigh the risks against the benefits. Do I want to (a) be able to defend myself when I really need to or (b) avoid the possibility of immediate injury in my martial arts class? Choosing option A is the first step toward changing this mindset and moving toward being an effective fighter. The second step is a bit more complicated: accepting that you are, beyond a shadow of a doubt, going to get hit. A lot.

Hopefully your school implements safe sparring practices like gloves, a mouthpiece, and head gear – and doesn’t glorify students beating each other into a pulp. But if they do implement safe sparring practices, be rest assured that there is little to no risk of serious injury. Minor cuts and bruises yes, muscle strains and sprains maybe, but serious injury – unlikely.

lakeland fl advanced martial arts classes sparring

Afraid to Get Hit? Physical Preparation 

After you have accepted that you will be getting hit, the best way to prepare for that is a lot of practice. Practice in the air, against a punching bag, and with a partner who is willing to take it slow until you get the technique. Learn the defensive techniques and practice them until they are a part of your muscle memory and engrained in your subconscious. Practice until you no longer have to think about which technique to use, because you already know.

Time

No one is going to be a great fighter their first day, like everything it takes practice; but if it isn’t the right kind of practice, it could only make it worse. Say you are practicing with someone who always throws their attacks in the same sequence. Or they aim toward the side of your head instead of straight at it. Or obviously telegraphs their moves. The amount of progress you make working with this person is going to be considerably less than working with a good partner.

Fear

Ultimately, it is possible that your fear of getting hit is actually a fear of failure. A fear, not of getting hurt, but of losing and being considered lesser than your opponent. When I first started sparring, I was a purely defensive fighter. This was solely for the reason that I was afraid to try and attack. I was afraid to attack because I knew at first I would fail. In my mind trying and failing was worse than not trying at all. For other people, they fear the pre-punch anticipation. Meaning, not knowing when or how they are going to get hit. But if you ask any instructor, they would rather see someone who puts in the effort and fails over someone who never gets hit any day.

Kung Fu Belt Ranking

Posted on by Tim Kittelstad

Kung Fu in its origins does not have any sort of belt system. The Chinese would wear sashes whether they trained martial arts or not. Sashes were used to help with carrying day to day odds and ends. So then why do you see modern day (typically American) Kung Fu Belt Ranking used by schools? The main reason is here in American we feel the desire to achieve or attain very strongly.

Kung Fu Belt Ranking: Goals

Karate and Tae Kwon Do as businesses have flourished in America. This is partially due to their dynamic movements but also due to their ranking. Attaining a Black Belt brings with it not only a social recognition but also sense of accomplishment. Setting short term goals and hitting them on the way to a larger goal is the key to achieving long term success in anything. Since these systems already had these concepts in place their transition to America was very fruitful.

Kung Fu (Wing Chun in particular) while popular hasn’t been able to reach the same level of success. Since Wing Chun is a conceptual art it is very hard make the teaching uniform. Without a standard it is difficult to reward someone for their achievement. This concept is difficult for Americans, generally speaking, to let go of and stick to for a long period.

The need to feel achievement is not only reason, after all american’s are used to instant gratification. Technology is a big part of that. If a student trains for years on end and feels no achievement or sense of accomplishment their spirit can get dampened. As a result of our culture conditioning us many masters decided to implement something to combat that.

Sifu och wing chun: Belts and curriculum

5th level Master, Sifu Och has been able to create a curriculum and belt system that works very well. The belts provide short term goals that are attainable within 3 months for the lower ranks. As a student progresses the term in between ranks increases and the amount of material grows.

Sashes

Sifu has broken up he stages to a Black Sash into 4 main sections. Subsequently, he then broke those sections into smaller sub sections. Shirt Colors divide the main sections: White (beginner), Blue (intermediate), Red (advanced), Black (Sifu). The Sections within those shirt colors are divided again by sashes:

White Shirt

  • No Belt
  • White
  • White Black
  • Yellow
  • Yellow White
  • Yellow Black
  • Orange
  • Orange White
  • Orange Black

The above list about a year to year and a half of training depending on how hard someone pushes.

kung fu in downtown lakeland fl, kung fu, sifu och, wing chun, gung fu lakeland fl

Curriculum

Sifu Och uses a rotating curriculum. We group students together by their main sections and have them all work on the same material. For example: if you have a white shirt, whether you are a white black belt, or a yellow white belt, you will all work on 1 of the 5 sections going towards blue shirt. As a result we accomplish a couple of different goals.

First, brand new students are able to work with more experienced students. It is not wise to pair up two brand new students with each other. The old adage, “blind leading the blind” applies perfectly. Neither of them know the techniques but more importantly they do not know how to help the other person train the technique. Having that person a few steps ahead of you when you start out as a partner can make the difference in someone staying or not.

Second, it keeps things fresh. We are able to continue to challenge students who are unable to actually make it to testing. Instead going over the same material again and again, they are able to go over new things and continue growing until they are able move to the next level. As a result of this, students also get a good review of the material once it cycles back around. This ensures that the material is well known before graduating to the next big section.

American Kung Fu

Even though traditional Kung Fu does not use any sort of ranking system, there can be great benefits to having them. Goals and purpose bring a powerful dynamic to ones training.

 

 

Fighting Footwork

Posted on by Tim Kittelstad

You can have the fastest hands in the world, but if you aren’t at the right place at the right time that won’t matter. Foot work is literally the foundation to any style. You may be able to block or evade an attack here and there with good hands or head movement. However, if you do not base your counter with fighting footwork, it will be difficult to execute.

positioning your Fighting footwork

Superior angles will make your life much easier. It is much simpler to deal with an opponent when you have minimized their ability to use multiple “weapons” at once. In the same way, striking your opponents key points will also be easier when you are positioned correctly. Wing Chun seeks to dominate the outside angle allowing maximum trapping and striking to occur.

Weight distribution

There is a big debate among Wing Chun practitioners. Not only about weight distribution through the feet but also between the legs. First let’s address weight through the feet.

Heels

When a weight lifter squats his weight must drive from the middle portion of his foot to his heels. With proper skeletal alignment his structure is locked in place and only the strongest muscles are recruited to move the weight. If alignment is broken serious injury can occur. When finished correctly the weight will be completely on the heels as seen here.

Just as the weight lifting supports his weight with structure, the Wing Chun Fighter supports his power through his alignment. Following the same rules through physiques the weight is on the heel when engaged. This allows strikes at full power to be stopped and maximum strength can be delivered through blows.

Toes

Even though the heels are the source of power and structure, speed is seriously inhibited when the weight is focused there. Weight should only be distributed to the toes when looking to utilize speed. Speed is used to gain the correct position. This is typically done before contact is even made. Once connected to your opponent weight should immediately be transferred to the heels to again for power. Closing the distance with an opponent is essential to the Wing Chun Fighter. If he is unable to get to the trapping range it will be difficult to execute proper techniques.

Stance Distribution

The final aspect of weight distribution to cover is the amount of weight on each foot.  At Sifu Och Wing Chun we typically keep our weight 50-50. The reason behind this is to keep our ability to defend against takedowns. If the weight is distributed to far to one leg you can become susceptible to those types of attacks. Sweeps and single leg takedowns are difficult to stop without even distribution of weight.

To give a specific example, we will look at a single leg takedown defense. First, hand positions: jum to the neck, gan to the arm. (Essentially a Gan Da). This will then become a tan and a fook. The Jum to the neck stops the person from getting to your core. The gan to the arm is used to block them from getting your leg. As a result you gain an underhook. (illustrated below).

In unison the foot that is being attacked must be retracted. The foot must be swept back to avoid getting caught. This all occurs within a split second. If the weight split 70-30, or 60-40, it will be very hard to adjust and defend this type of attack.

In Conclusion

There are many different opinions and reasons about weight distribution. At Sifu Och Wing Chun we keep it mostly 50-50 to maintain the ability to adjust in any direction as quickly as possible. We are then able to shift and adapt to any attack that is thrown our way.

Why wait until your child is a victim?

Posted on by Sarah Lister

Children will always be susceptible to acts of bullying, but why wait until that happens? Don’t wait until your child’s already a victim of bullies, harassment, depression or a habit of disrespect. Enrolling your child in the martial arts under individuals like Sifu Och Wing Chun has the potential to solve the problem before it begins. Creating a proactive solution to the problem that so many face. Putting your child in martial arts has the ability to increase respect and self-esteem, and improve peer relationships. Why wait until your child is a victim?

Respect and Self-esteem

Sifu Och Wing Chun kung fu and other martial arts for kids can help increase respectful talk, and respectful behavior. This can go a long way in life and with teachers in the school system, making learning and education a more enjoyable experience for all involved. But fostering a sense of respect is no easy task and takes time, effort, and lots of parental involvement. If the child is only disciplined and in a structured environment once a week, it may take years to see change; however, if the parents are continuing the effort put forth in class, results may occur in as little as a few weeks.

Lakeland little lions kids preschool martial arts kickboxing karate kung fu ages 3 - 5 years old

Respect and self-esteem are two values that often influence one another. When the child is respectful to others, he or she is more likely to respect his or her self – encouraging good self-esteem. Having good self-esteem is imperative to warding off bullies. Bullying leads to a lack of self-esteem, but a lack of self-esteem may also lead to bullying. When the child’s self-esteem is low, they begin to believe what the bullies are saying about them and start to identify with that image. Children with higher self-esteem are more likely to disregard bullies, easily believing their words to be untruthful. In the martial arts, children are taught their worth and encouraged to build themselves up. Martial arts give children goals to set and achieve and, with the right school, instructors that mentor each child to reach their full potential.

Peer Relationships

Sometimes your child may be their own bully solution. By increasing their self worth they reduce depression and anxiety. Sifu Och Wing Chun can also help with their social skills which can help them to make new friends. When children are suffering with depression and anxiety, they are at a greater risk to become a victim of bullying. Physical activity of any kind has a positive effect on depression and anxiety, when that activity meets with the structure and discipline of martial arts the effect is twofold.

But on top of benefiting the child physically and mentally, the peer relationships that they make in class encourages good social development. Often times in school, certain children have a tendency to get left out. Either by the group as a whole or ostracized from different cliques. In a martial arts class, children work with everyone in the class as well as in groups and individually. When doing partner work the partners will switch up every round. This gives each child the opportunity to meet and make new friends as well as work with different body types. Simultaneously promoting social and martial arts skill.

Choose Now-Why wait until your child is a victim?

People of all ages are susceptible to bullying, but why wait until after the fact to do something? Most adults have learned to cope and deal with bullies, but it is usually after years of being bullied themselves. Enrolling your child in a martial art does not mean that they won’t get bullied. It does, however, ensure that they are better equipped to deal with it when it happens.

Little Lions preschool martial arts

Why Sifu Och Wing Chun After-School Program?

Posted on by Sarah Lister

Importance of a Strong After School program

Parents all over the United States rely on an after-school program to take care of their children while they are finishing their day at work or at home. With an increase in dual-income families and single parent homes, these after school programs have become a necessity for a vast number of families. This has created a great demand for after-school care programs; however, all programs are not created equal. Parents have many options to choose from in picking an after school program and the amount of time the child spends at that program makes it an incredibly important decision, so what makes a good program?

Sifu Och vs Other After-Care Programs

Most after school programs have a singular focus with only one program to offer. Our children have the opportunity to learn both martial arts and dance. Let’s face it: children have very short attention spans. The opportunity to attend two completely different aftercare programs every week allows for a greater ability for them to learn and enjoy themselves. The two skills of dance and martial arts in themselves are invaluable. The dance classes teach coordination, flexibility, and self-expression. While the martial arts classes teach children discipline, respect, and to defend themselves. As well, children in both classes will learn a number of skills that teachers cannot explicitly teach in the classroom. Some of the additional skills taught include: etiquette, manners, team building, organization, social interaction, and cleanliness.

Curriculum

Sifu Och Wing Chun and Just Dance offer a unique program curriculum that encourages both personal growth and learning. We place children into different classes based on age. The older children working on Wing Chun Monday’s and Wednesday’s while the younger children follow Just Dances program. On Tuesday’s and Thursday’s the older kids go to Just Dance and the younger ones do kickboxing. We offer kickboxing to the younger children instead of Wing Chun, as it is a little bit easier for them to comprehend and practice. In the Wing Chun classes, we teach children the same curriculum that adults learn throughout the week; including punch and kick defenses, forms, and combinations. The kickboxing classes incorporate a mixture of principles from Wing Chun, Karate, and Boxing all done in a kid friendly class.

best summer camp in lakealnd fl, best summer camp in lakeland florida, best summer camp, lakeland, fl, florida, sifu och wing chun, kung fu

The Just Dance classes teach dance from a variety of styles including: Ballroom, Ballet, and Hip Hop. Summer Camp is also offered along with the regular school year after-care. In summer camp kids will continue taking martial arts and dance. They will also participate in a plethora of activities to keep them busy. Activities range from museums to amusement parks to arts and crafts, and are all monitored by an attentive staff.

Lifelong Benefits

The benefits gained from our after school program reach beyond the immediate. They have the potential to greatly affect each child’s future. We give these children valuable time to be physically active and interact socially with their peers in a way that their school is unable to provide for them. Being active in the younger years has the potential to decrease the likelihood of various diseases and boosts immunity, allowing for a healthier future. It may also have the ability create fewer emotional and behavioral problems. At Sifu Och Wing Chun, our program also strives to instill good leadership qualities in the children. Rewarding leadership in students and encouraging success by positive reinforcement. An investment in your child’s future, is always worth the effort. This investment made early on will have lifelong physical and cognitive benefits, make sure it’s a good one.

Robert Downey Jr Wing Chun Kung Fu Practitioner

Posted on by Sifu Och Wing Chun

Kung Fu is starting to pick up interest in the mainstream thanks to some very prominent practitioners. The popularity, however, started more than a little while ago. By the time the 1970’s rolled around, Kung Fu was starting to become very popular thanks to several TV shows and a whole host of films. In fact, kung fu had become common enough that most individuals in the U.S. had heard it referenced in connection to Chinese martial arts. For the first time, kung fu was being differentiated from the more well-known Karate. Initially made popular by Kung Fu the Legend Continues and Bruce Lee, Wing Chun is making inroads with a new spate of Chinese martial arts films like Ip Man and almost anything starring Donnie Yen. These popular martial art movies, TV programs, posters, and a larger number of emerging schools are really taking Wing Chun far into the mainstream.

Robert Downey Jr Wing Chun Kung Fu

The “latest” of these new popular examples may be the Robert Downey Jr Wing Chun expertise shown in his recent Avengers and Iron Man movies. Western society is continually being emersed in Chinese Martial Arts with figures like Jackie Chan, Jet Li, Robert Downey Jr., Nicholas Cage, and Donnie Yen. If you want to know how popular Wing Chun is really becoming, however, look no further than the fact that all Chinese Airline flight attendants are required to train for anti-terrorism responses using Wing Chun Kung Fu.

The Robert Downey Jr Wing Chun journey began after the actor decided that his life needed a amor turnaround. Having abused drugs as a child and struggled with addiction, arrests, and parole violations, Robert Downey Jr needed more than just another rehab. Around 2003 he started training in Wing Chun kung fu. To begin, Downey went to Las Angeles Wing Chun Academy founder, Sifu Eric Oram.

The Robert Downey Jr Wing Chun training was more than a casual event. He dedicated a lot of time and energy to the practice and Sifu Eric Oram held him accountable to show up consistently and train to his full potential.

Your Training Practices

The real motivation behind learning, wanting and pushing yourself in Kung Fu gives you daily inspiration and is not a forced motivation but a focused one.  You should crave greatness and development of the mind and body to something greater than what others limit you to.  Motivation is a driving force a fuel unlike any other and we can gain it from many sources, competition, life threatening experiences or lack.    There is no fast food way of learning, you can be shown all of Kung Fu all of Wing Chun, all the combinations, all the forms, all the techniques in a short time but understanding, applying, using and cultivating that power, that skill, that understanding and reaction against all signs and types of pressure and stress without hesitation is a life time of Discipline, Motivation and Time. The only question is will you give yourself an excuse today as to why you can’t or will you give yourself every excuse to conquer and achieve?

A Kung Fu practitioner doesn’t have time or the privilege to waste time, indulge in wasteful fruitless, and idle activities.  A self motivated and disciplined practitioner reflects a person that others are inspired by and want to become.

Sifu Och – Wing Chun Kung Fu
https://sifuochwingchun.com
116 E. Pine St, Lakeland, Fl 33801
sifuoch@facebook.com
863.800.0171

Lakeland Ledger – Lion Dance at the Museum

Posted on by Sifu Justin Och

Lion Dance at the Museum – Chinese Lion Dancing

The Lion Dance team under Sifu Och does charity performance for the Families of Polk County and The Polk Musem of Art!!  The Lakeland, Florida Wing Chun Martial Arts and Lion Dance Team were featured in the Lakeland Ledger! We love seeing the Polk News feature the main contenders at these events. Traditional Chinese Lion Dancing brings culture, good luck and great fun to any special event!

The Traditional Chinese Lion Dance is an integral part of Southern Kung Fu training as well as an important traditional aspect of Asian and Chinese Culture. Florida Wing Chun Kung Fu professionals show their strength, endurance, flexibility, and stamina. Most Lion Dance teams charge any where from $495-899 for local work and $999-$2800 dollars for out of town shows. Pricing depends on the size and venue, how many performers are needed and how far the venue is.

This is live entertainment! An all inclusive live performance brought to you and shown to an average of 35-400 people the cost is amazing!  Clients fortunate enough to tie the Sifu Och Lion Dance team down in Florida for an event are treated like VIP. The Sifu Och Lion Dance team in Florida beats almost all competitors prices and their team customizes shows based off the clients requests (within reason of course!) Truly bringing an enlightened and fun experience for all.

The Wing Chun Kung Fu Lion Dance Team under Sifu Och, Lakeland Lion Dance team is one of the most enjoyable and active lion dance teams in Florida. The Florida Lion Dance Team under Sifu Och has performed all over the state for numerous Asian Weddings from Orlando, Tampa, Maitland, Kissimmee, and Brandon. We have opened for asian culture events all over florida and have performed for Museums in Bradenton, Sarasota, St. Petersburg, Lakeland and all the way to Jacksonville!!!  Art and cultural exchange events and Asian American Society special events.

The Sifu Och Wing Chun Florida Lion Dance Team places on public demonstrations and celebrations all throughout the year. The Chinese New Year Cultural event and New Year’s celebrations for various restaurants and organizations. Our Florida Lion Dance Team performs year round and favored by businesses, school events, children’s birthday parties!

Do You Want us at Your Next Event?

For more information about booking the Sifu Och Wing Chun Martial Arts Florida Lion Dance Team for your next event text us or call 863.800.0171

For more info watch our Lion Dance videos.

Chi Gerk Wing Chun Leg Fighting

Posted on by Sifu Justin Och

One of the most well-known and misinterpreted martial arts, Ving tsun kuen (more commonly written as Wing Chun) has baffled many as a style that involves simple and direct footwork. For many Kung Fu systems, complex footwork has always been a normal thing, but Wing Chun breaks that mold—believing in simple and direct movements for attack and evasion. Relying on quick footwork without large movements, one of the most important components of Wing Chun Leg fighting is Chi Gerk. When the standards and principles of Chi Gerk Wing Chun leg fighting are mastered by the fighter, it becomes automatic in his conscience. Chi Gerk training involves approximately 5 stages:

Stage 1: ROOTING

It is necessary to understand the significance of a strong stance (rooting) to begin any formal training on Chi Gerk Wing Chun leg fighting. The power of the stance is essential for chi sao as well  i.e, the fight to have control over your body’s  central line, sticking your hands and using it for defense and retaliating in a series of successive attacks.

STAGE 2: ONE –LEG STANCE

The primary stage commences with the practice of siu nim tau on one leg. At least for an hour, the fighter alternates his legs until he tires himself out.  This ensures his balance, flexibility and power. When siu nim tau becomes natural for the fighter, the next step is to practice many alternating front and side kicks to balance your central line and the journey of your leg.

STAGE 3: SENSITIVITY

The third stage in Chi Gerk Wing Chun leg fighting involves the understanding of the art of sensitivity. Adopting  single leg stances, two men are driven to grasp each other’s forearms. This is followed by a kick initiated by one of them to which an immediate defense strategy should be employed by the defender. This strategy should be quick and can involve either blocking or trapping. When the active leg loses balance, the other leg must take over and position itself to get into attack mode. This change must be detected by the partner and he must control the change by crashing down on the leg and pinning it down. As the fighter gains proficiency, he must learn to free himself from the grasp of the forearm.

STAGE 4: CHI SAO AND CHI GERK

In this stage, both Chi Sao and Chi Gerk are deployed in unison. While tying up the fighter’s hands, leg style and techniques or when a fighter identifies a weak stance of his opponent.

STAGE 5: ADVANCED STAGE

This stage makes the fighter take out one big factor (and what drives most of their techniques to this point): eyesight. The techniques that the fighter has learned so far would be administered under blindfold. This allows his senses to take over and lets him see through his sense of touch and hearing. This becomes a benefit for the fighter during unfortunate circumstances such as home invasions or a dark parking lot in low lit areas. At later stages, the fighter uses the gerk jong (the kicking dummy) to streamline his positions and techniques. This makes the fighter more sensitive and prepared to meet the brute strength of his opponent.

One should always remember that, in addition to having strength and discipline, a true Chi Gerk Wing Chun leg fighter should never utilize his knowledge to showcase his superiority. The process of gaining vast knowledge of Wing Chun always begins with humility.

Building Striking Power with Wing Chun

Posted on by Sifu Justin Och

Wing Chun Kung Fu is a war-like art as well as a combat system born in Southern China. While this art was planned by a woman and is actually aimed for small people to attack larger people, building striking power is quite important to be effective. Apart from strengthening muscles as well as making one effective using normal body weight, this “warfare sport” inculcates precious skillfulness in children which can be applied all throughout one’s life. Building power to effectively manage a confrontation is imperative in progressing in Wing Chun Kung Fu.

Building Striking Power to Enhance Balance and Eye-hand Coordination

You can quickly build up balance and eye-hand coordination by practicing kata—otherwise known as Kung Fu kicks. This conventional kung fu practice focuses on flexibility and stretching (also good for holistic muscle development). It also serves to build striking power—even when practiced at a young age.

It Takes Time to Build Striking Power

Building striking power takes time, but not as much as you may think. Building power to oppose another’s force during a confrontation can be done by practicing with an opponent. While this assumes the lively application of training with an partner—you can also train your body through resistance training with objects, training your muscles with free weights or body weight exercises. You can employ hanging bags, speed bags, rice bags, wooden dummies, focus mitts, and anything else that builds knockout power from repetitive blows.

You can further build striking power by doing pushups, or even striking one thousand times a day at a focus mitt. Make use of anything and everything that is accessible so as to build your muscles as well as your endurance. Nothing is useless as long as it can be used to build striking power. Try your hands at lifting or even benching for focused periods of time. This type of exercising will prove to be very useful later on when you start combating in Wing Chun Kung Fu. Bear in mind that, in terms of effectiveness, using a 25 lb weight in both hands and punching fifty times will not be as useful as punching 1000 times with 5-8 lb weights in each hand.

Using a Partner

Finally your power build-up will be best built-up when using a partner. Remember—you may have power, but it will prove to be useless if you are not able to land the hit in the right place. Use a partner, and your training will be increased exponentially.

Knockout Power

Whenever you practice for control, velocity, endurance, intention as well as accuracy, knockout power is created. The ability to deliver power as a steady flow lets you execute and release a perfect build up of power against an opponent. Working towards a flawless execution style isn’t enough. Aptness of speed with a deficiency of power means that even if you hit a person with a hundred chain punches it will be devoid of power. You punches will simply “tail off”. Conversely, raw power will also not result in fully useful strikes unless coupled with proper velocity, control, accuracy, precision, and aim.

Chinese Lion Dance Team at the Polk Museum of Art

Posted on by Sifu Justin Och

lion dance teamThe Lakeland Polk Museum of Art held a free annual open house that was great fun for all ages!  The first 750 school-age children received a free goodie bag of art supplies! More than that, however, they got to see the Lakeland Chinese Lion Dance Team in action at the Polk Museum of Art.

People stood at the front of the Lakeland, Florida Polk Museum of Art. They heard there would be a Chinese Lion Dance performance here in Lakeland, Fl and the Museum was having a Family Day, so they couldn’t resist.  They waited and watched, looking for some clue of the Lakeland Chinese Lion Dance Team.

In the distance a drummer approached and laid down a large Chinese Lion Dance drum in front of the crowd outside the Polk Museum of Art.  Everyone was waiting to see what was about to happen as they lined up around the corner to get in to this once a year event. The Drummer lifted two large sticks into the air and broke the silence with an authoritative beat! The crowd looked and peered around the corner, something large and red was in the distance. The Chinese Lion Dance had begun!!!  The bright red lion danced among the crowd, jumping, dancing, prancing and cuddling up to each participant waiting for the doors to be opened so they could get the full performance!

The children played with and teased the lion, laughing and loving every moment of the performance.  Parents with huge smiles looked down at their children with the same wonder and amazement.  The Chinese Lion Dance drums thundered away with the height of the excitement!

The Chinese Lion Dance continued as the Chinese lion performers scratched at the door of the Polk Museum of Art, the performers sympathizing with the line of parents and kids waiting for the Family Day event to start!

Chinese and Asian traditions have an ancient culture with live Chinese Lion Dance performances that chase away bad luck, evil intent and instead bring good luck, prosperity and fortune for the coming years.  No matter how many times you have seen the Chinese Lion Dance as performed by Sifu Och’s Wing Chun Kung Fu – Lakeland Lion Dance Performance Team it is always a memorable and exciting experience to say the least!

Contact Sifu Och to Schedule A Lion Dance Today!

Customized Chinese Lion Dance Team Event

The Lion Dance for Sifu Och’s Wing Chun Lakeland Lion Dance team does not perform traditional rituals and prayers.  Instead each performance is customized to the size and requests of the Bride and Groom, Business owner or purveyor of the event.

Red envelopes filled with paper money are fed to the Chinese Lion during the performance bringing back luck and good fortune to all.  Bok Choi is a leaf lettuce that can also be fed to the Chinese lion during the performance to add another wonderfully fun traditional feature.

Wing Chun Kung Fu is a Southern Kung Fu style and is taught by Sifu Och in Downtown Lakeland Florida.  Sifu Och teaches the Southern Lion Dance and performance which is characterized strong based stances, fast sharp movements and fun playful crowd pleasing antics.

The practice of Kung Fu requires strong training, dedication and an ability to know distance, and structure.  With the prowess and experience to test the limits of endurance and demonstrate a wonderful live performance using this rare Asian tradition.

The Lion Dance is extremely taxing on the performers and thus the practitioners are professionals with high trained endurance while developing and maintaining intense concentration.

Wedding, Special Event, or Birthday Party?

If you are interested in scheduling our Chinese lion dance at your Asian themed Wedding, special event, birthday party, restaurant, or Chinese New Year celebration.  Please click on the following link and complete the form and then text us at  863.800.0171.  Sifu Och will be in touch with you shortly to go over all the details and pricing information.   We travel and have done HUGE events to small private parties,  so do not be afraid to ask!

For more info watch our Chinese Lion Dance video:

Wing Chun Real Self Defense

Posted on by Sifu Justin Och

A real self defense system needs to be based in a rich and proven heritage. Wing Chun, one of the primordial fighting arts of the Chinese, actually developed from quite a lot of other fighting styles approximately 360 years ago—following the end of the Ming Dynasty. The objective was to build up a very efficient fighting system which could produce competent warriors within a very short span of time so as to protect against the foreign policies and affronts of the Qing Dynasty.

Born from this was the very real self defense system of Wing Chun. Anticipating responses as well as taking into account body placement and leverage, the Wing Chun combatant assaults while maintaining self-protection. From the beginning, students of Wing Chun are trained in a very advanced approach that involves a plan of attack. At the same time, they will be able to control the attack of the opponent, turning however strong an initial attack into a less effective effort.

Trained to face situationS WITH real self defense wing chun

The students of Wing Chun are trained to meet every option that could perhaps come about in a real self defense Wing Chun situation. The concurrent use and working of hands, arms, and legs are exercised at the most basic and direct level. Using your eyes and quickly reading the actions of an opponent also forms a fundamental part of the Wing Chun response. A very significant feature of Wing Chun as part of a real self defense program is the timely and accurate perception of your opponent’s response. Students of Wing Chun, even at the very beginning, are taught to interpret precise attacks, right up to real contact. This is how Wing Chun lets you work your entire body as a single unit, helping to conclude a defensive situation in a jiffy.

Become experts in real self defense wing chun

Students of Wing Chun are provided training so they can become experts in self-defense from all remoteness. In fact, the physical requirements for the real self defense style of Wing Chun plays only an inferior role. By means of the greatly formulated sensibilities trained via Chi Sao (that is, binding arms), Wing Chun combatants can instantaneously acclimatize to any potential attack. The principal rule in Wing Chun, in addition to the objective of the training, is not to linger “sticking” in place. Consequently, a student can perfect the execution of each single movement—metamorphosing the Wing Chun pupil into an individual who is extremely efficient and able to defend himself/herself with tremendous agility. With the real self defense tactics of Wing Chun, all elements of the body—as well the mind—respond instantly and independently of each other in short time. This is because the path of the information flow is cut down, helping you to react very quickly. They’re able to consider the level of danger in front of them and react accordingly—and quickly.

Learn Wing Chun Kung Fu from the Best at Lakeland Florida

Posted on by Sifu Justin Och

Are you a fan of Kung Fu? Do you stay stuck to the television when the movies of martial arts are on air? Do you wish only if you too could have trained or learnt any styles of Kung Fu?  Do you find it difficult to compete with your friends who are trained in boxing or other forms of martial arts?Learn Wing Chun Kung Fu from the Best at Lakeland Florida. Do you wish that you had same kind of agility and fitness as that of the martial artists? If answer to any of the above questions is yes, then perhaps it is time that you get trained in Kung Fu. And not just any style, but Wing Chun Kung Fu.

more about Wing Chun Kung Fu

Wing Chun is one of the simplest but most effective styles of Kung Fu which originated in South China. Initially it was not much known or practiced but with time Wing Chun gained popularity all over the world. It was developed as a mechanism to survive on the streets and hence practicality is its very essence.  If you have watched movies of Bruce Lee and Ip Man, then you know the kind of martial arts we are talking about. It does not involve any indirect, graceful movements but clean and instant combat strikes which are effective by all means. Now the question is where can you learn Wing Chun Kung Fu?

Learn Wing Chun Kung Fu at Sifu Och in Lakeland Florida

Located at downtown Lakeland Florida, Sifu Och Wing Chun Kung Fu is one of the best and most popular schools of Wing Chun. Our school provides different types of classes, from beginning Wing Chun classes to Advanced Wing Chun Techniques. Some of other programs offered at Sifu Och Wing Chun include Kickboxing and Boot Camps to after school martial arts programs for students. So while Wing Chun is our most popular class, we offer classes for literally every walk of life—from men & women, to students, to college & young professionals. We’ve also got our share of athletes who have enrolled in our Sifu Och Wing Chun classes in our downtown Lakeland Florida studio.

Learn from the best at Lakeland Florida

Wing Chun style is a no-nonsense martial art, and our Lakeland Florida program is headed by none other than Sifu Justin Och. Sifu Och is a renowned Black and Gold Sash practitioner in the Wing Chun style. Having trained under the masters from all over the world, he has been recognized as a Leader in Combative Wing Chun Kung Fu and is also a national instructor of the Art of Wing Chun Kung Fu and Close Combat systems.

Wing Chun Stances and Rooting as Foundation

Posted on by Sifu Justin Och

More than bent knees and wide stances, Wing Chun stances and rooting provide the basis for the strength and force of each offensive and defensive move. Take, for instance, a “duck stance”—most people walk and stand with the toes pointing out from the heels and centerline. When this happens, your center of gravity changes from being underneath you to behind you. When the toes point out and your heels point in, your center is drawn behind you. Though you could bend your knees, widen your stance, or think about rooting, it would not improve your dynamic structure if you are attacked.

Your center of gravity within the various Wing Chun stances and rooting is more than just bending the knees and getting a wider stance. It’s also more than simply visualizing yourself “sinking” into the ground. As my Tai Chi Grandmaster would say: “these are all great tools, but you’re still cheating”—cheating in the sense that anyone can widen their stance or bend their knees to gain this kind of rooting.

The Source of Good Wing Chun Stances and Rooting

So where does great rooting come in? First you must question and test your current understanding and abilities in rooting and moving. Wing Chun stances will undoubtedly alter your preconceived ideas about these positions.

Rooting without dynamic movement is useless stance work and impractical. When you practice static rooting or stances without movement it has no purpose or ability against a striking, multi-ranged assailant.

There are many tools and drills we use to check every level of Wing Chun stances and rooting from the arms, chest, hip, and legs into the ground.  Rooting downward and striking forward is a mystery to some. I remember learning other styles where the Master would tell us to bend the knees and “feel” yourself rooting. This is like saying knowing “of” and “feeling” out your A, B, C’s is like knowing, reading, and understanding the ‘Freedom From Fear’ by David M. Kennedy.  It isn’t the same and you will always question if your rooting could be better and what you might gain if it was.

Great Wing Chun Stances and Rooting Questions

What does wing chun stances rooting mean if it isn’t just bending the knee’s or widening the stance?
Is rooting for your school of Wing Chun shock value rooting?
Can you do it if you’re standing in a bar, restaurant or home or does it need preparation? 
Is it too close or too far apart? 
Does your rooting hold up when caught off guard and someone attacks with something you didn’t expect? 
Someone comes and pushes you can your rooting recover quickly or do you lose balance easily?
Is your stance tested and practiced reflex, or is it more of induced movement attached to a sequence of responses? 

Can you, while attacking in a fast or vicious manner, maintain this chosen rooting, wide stance, or structure at all times, or do you notice it changing? Choosing a stance that maintains your rooting, structural reinforcement of all of your techniques while keeping and increasing your ability to be dynamic within your footwork are all key.

Wing Chun Stances disagreements

wing chun stances wing chun rooting sifu och wing chun kung fu lakeland florida martial arts gung fu class
wing chun stances wing chun rooting sifu och wing chun kung fu lakeland florida martial arts gung fu class

Even within Wing Chun there is a disagreement of structure, Wing Chun stances, rooting, distance of footwork, knee positions, and even weight distribution. I have visited many different schools and heard the arguments and justifications of each thought. Some very well known instructors keep the knees in, almost touching each other in order to protect the groin.  Other well known teachers have stances that keep 80% of their weight on the front and 100% of their weight on the back foot. Still other teachers claim there is no set stance—just foot work that is used dynamically. The key is whether their students can use it for fighting. If so, then the explaination is backed by the beautiful and sweet music of practical application.

If your foot work can move dynamically; be used practically and under the tenants of pressure, shock, and surprise; and can still hold up and reinforce every attack and block you have, than you are doing your art justice. It’s easy to use the strikes and footwork of another art but to dive deeper within your own and find the truth and practicality in it preserves the art into the next generation.

We have our own ways of testing our downward rooting while pressing forward in and out of the dynamic representation of Wing Chun. That’s not to say we are not always students of this amazing art and that we have it perfect—we don’t. We are always improving, gaining, growing, and seeing new light that Wing Chun has to help us in every aspect of our self defense. Ask the questions, test yourself, and grow within each day as new skills are both discovered and revealed. If you have questions about our footwork and structure, please feel free to ask us. We would love to continue this discussion.

Jeet Kune Lakeland Florida

Posted on by Sifu Justin Och

Jeet Kune Do is a fighting style originally developed by Bruce Lee, the world renowned actor and martial arts prodigy. It is known for its fluid movements and simple, yet potent techniques to accommodate various real-life scenarios. The style combines the best moves found in Wing Chun Kung Fu, boxing and fencing. To find Jeet Kune Lakeland classes, all you need to do is visit Sifu Och Wing Chun, a school that incorporates the best of Jeet Kune Do into a modernized fighting combat style.

Elements of Wing Chun Kung Fu in Jeet Kune Lakeland Classes

Bruce Lee studied a form of Kung Fu known as Wing Chun Kung Fu from a very young age. In fact, the majority of videos that have captured his training feature the famous martial artist practicing moves from that very same fighting style. With only three forms, the entire system gets together with a real partner for practical training and reaction.

Like most other Chinese martial arts, Wing Chun teaches a strict form, controlled movements, and attack patterns that react to the actions of your opponents. This proves to be highly effective in a controlled environment of martial arts competitions, but can become limiting and predictable when faced with a real danger of violence on the street.

Difference Between Wing Chun and Jeet Kune

Bruce Lee had perfected Wing Chun Kung Fu moves through years of training and regarded them highly, but also believed that they can be improved to better reflect the chaos and unpredictability of street fighting. In order to do that, he got rid of strict techniques in favor of quick and unpredictable moves that would have an element of surprise. The focus shifted from domination and control to flexibility and speed.

When you come to seek Jeet Kune Lakeland Florida classes, Sifu Och Wing Chun teaches the same principles that were originally envisioned by Bruce Lee when he referred to his invention as a “style with no style” and worked hard to make his movements “fluid like water”.

Jeet Kune Lakeland Fl Classes

  • Jeet Kune Do uses the simple moves of Wing Chun that achieve maximum possible effect.
  • Quick and elusive techniques taught that take your opponent by surprise.
  • Hitting multiple parts of the opponent’s body in close succession.
  • It borrows moves from different styles of martial arts and even some sports.
  • The moves consist primarily of kicking, punching, trapping and grappling.
  • Instead of controlled movement patterns, techniques flow smoothly and freely.
  • Jeet Kune Do uses Wing Chun tactics to disrupts engaged opponents as they are about to attack

Before you search for a place in Lakeland, Florida to learn Jeet Kune Do, consider the following facts about this style, and see if it will be suitable for your goals and your body. Some of them can also be taken as advice for those who are planning to start their training in the future.

  • Jeet Kune Do requires a lot of flexibility, which can be achieved through regular stretching exercises.
  • There can be no improvement without constant training, so involving someone else to train with you daily would be beneficial.
  • Remember that learning Jeet Kune Lakeland Florida classes take a lot of time and practice.
  • You won’t get to any of the advanced techniques unless you’re patient.

If you would like to find out more about learning this form of martial arts in Lakeland, Florida, contact us to get familiar with the specifics and requirements of Jeet Kune Do.

Anger and Wing Chun Don’t Mix

Posted on by Sifu Justin Och

A angry mind full of stress, anxiety, and frustration will cloud the judgment of a Wing Chun Kung Fu practitioner—or any martial artist. Saying this and training for a clear mind are two different things, of course. You must make it a practice, so the body can relax and calm its breathing, heart, and mind when under duress.

Anger and Wing Chun Don’t Mix

siu nim tao gung fu in lakeland fl wing chun form anger sifu och wing chun kung fu lakeland florida martial arts gung fu class
Siu nim tao gung fu being practice in our Downtown Lakeland Sifu Och Wing Chun studio

Anger management within the martial arts is extremely important. Anger and Wing Chun don’t mix. Not only is calming the mind important—restraint of primal anger during a confrontation keeps you from having a “fogged” perception. The mind needs to be clear in order to fulfill its full capability and goals.  Wing Chun Kung Fu demands a clear mind swept of anger in order to be filled with purpose, skill and drive.  Though anger can have a drive of its own if not tempered it can run rampant in our lives and destroy that which is built and postive.

Wing Chun Kung Fu strikes such as chops, punches, palms, elbows, head butts, kicks, and knees are coupled with simultaneous blocks, traps, redirects, countering measures, and changing body movements and timing. If you succumb to anger, you won’t have the mental discipline to remember, let alone execute, the required movements to keep you safe. Stand up strikes require extremely fast targeting, and you need to keep your strikes along the centerline principle of the body. The centerline of the body contains most of the vital areas, pressure points and weaknesses.  Though when Wing Chun Gung Fu strikes these points it is concerned with the hitting of fists, elbows and knees into these areas.

Though there are few grappling techniques or holds within Wing Chun Gung Fu as it is seen as a waste to hold when you could be striking.  There is in fact the use of quick Chi Na (wrist and joint lock applications) that are taught widely within this system of self defense.

The discipline of Wing Chun teaches many other techniques such as gun defense, stick and knife defense as well as ground defense training.  Schools like Sifu Justin Och also teach no-gi ju-jitsu as a addition to in-depth Wing Chun Gung Fu instruction.  This addition of no-gi ju-jitsu for ground training and fighting teaches a practitioner that whether stand up or ground Sifu Justin Och students are covered.

Wing Chun Gung Fu is one of the fastest martial arts known, by striking the human bodies vital areas you can shut an assailant down quickly.  Whereas a Wing Chun Gung Fu stylist learns to protect these areas.  The centerline is the most vital battleground and tactic available to a practitioner.  It is the source by which all techniques seek to attain and strike.

All attacks, deflections, redirections, blocks are tools to attack and devastate the centerline vitals such as the throat, knees, groin, eyes, temples, joints, Xiphoid, collar bone and many other areas that can’t be built up.

Gung Fu in Lakeland Florida

combat wing chun fighting resistance focus mitts lakeland florida martial arts sifu och wing chun kung fu lakeland florida martial arts gung fu class
Combat Wing Chun fighting resistance practice with focus mitts in our Lakeland Florida Wing Chun martial arts studio.

The battle ground and warrior tactics within Wing Chun Gung Fu emphasize the short distance between two points is a straight line.  Wing Chun Gung Fu teaches you to strike directly instead of indirectly.  This aims every attack at this centerline.  Wing Chun Gung Fu spends alot of its time training and learning how to direct force, precision and power against this centerline while getting any and all defenses down.

Striking any one of the vitals found along the centerline can end a assailants capability to harm the Wing Chun Gung Fu practitioner.  A powerful blow to the throat, collar bone, eyes, groin, knee or joints could very well shut them down.  This is why Wing Chun Gung Fu has so many tactics from extremely fast chain punches to turning punches that involve the full momentum of the body, hip, torque, weight and speed.  Only one blow is needed but Wing Chun trains for many strikes to ensure increased success for its practitioners.

If above all you want real self defense for you and your family, choose Wing Chun Gung Fu.

Sifu Justin Och is in downtown lakeland florida and has classes that can give you and your family exactly what you need.   A Black and Gold Sash instructor under multiple proven Masters of the system of Wing Chun Gung Fu.  Sifu Justin Och is also recognized internationally as a amazing instructor that looks after his students and trains them to the highest capabilities they can and are willing to achieve.  A hard but fair Sifu in the world reknowned system of Wing Chun Gung Fu.

 

 

Universal Wing Chun Applications

Posted on by Sifu Justin Och
universal applicaiton sifu och wing chun kung fu lakeland florida self defense
Sifu Och teaches universal Wing Chun applications that apply to men, women, children, and the elderly.

Wing Chun asks a lot of questions. For example, even if you’re strong now, what happens when you’re attacked and are sick, weakened, have aged, or have incurred an injury? Can you still kick the same, use the same technique, punch the same? Can you struggle for as long, throw the same punches, or use what you have learned from now until the end of your days? What if the person across from you is a violent attacker? We try to teach universal Wing Chun applications that can stand the test of time and continue to work as you age and change.

There are many ways and many martial arts applications that can be used to answer a single situation—and no one martial art or form is perfect. The real answer is that you wan to find a style that can be used universally. A good way to identify a style like that is to see if the techniques and movements can be taught universally to women, children, and men. Removing ego and asking the hard truth, the universal Wing Chun application asks the question: Are you teaching to survive?

Universal Wing Chun applications are trained into quick and natural reactions and responses that will train your body (over time) to build the synapses and muscular reactions necessary for survival. The more time you practice, and the more patience you have to continue, the better you will get. A good technique will become a skilled reaction. Skill is an evolution of understanding, application, applied knowledge, and the ability to adapt.

Sifu Och Teaches Universal Wing Chun Kung Fu IN lakeland fl

As you start to understand the technique you gain a vital piece of the puzzle. You may not be able to use the technique yet in fast fighting, but you can see its benefit—and you want it.  Second, is application which is the ability to have the body mimic the movement of a technique.  During this stage the body doesn’t yet react under stress in order to apply it as the synapses and muscle memory are still being developed.

Applied knowledge means you are now applying the knowledge under stress as a reaction whether through conscience or unconscious application while under pressure. Last is the ability to adapt under pressure and stress using applied knowledge as a reactionary solution. Bringing this adaptation into the chaos of combat while maintaining your Wing Chun and changing your actions and reactions according to the situation is one of the highest levels of any martial art—especially Universal Wing Chun Kung fu.

For your ability to go through the first three stages takes time and has to be done with each technique you are taught. This is like learning and reacting with a different weapon perfectly. Think of all the different weapons, the differing weights their uses and situational expertise. With each individual technique it takes time and dedication to use, perfect and bring them to a high level of unconscious skill and reaction. The addition of the fourth step means that you can integrate it seamlessly with any of the previous techniques that have made it to the fourth stage. The fourth stage is the accumulation of all your applied knowledge that is capable of adapting, changing and integrating with any other fourth stage skill. Allowing you to bring reactionary control and momentary order under the chaos of combat.

Realistic Self Defense right in Lakeland Fl

Ip Man brought Wing Chun Kung Fu out from private instruction and into the public eye, teaching great practitioners and fighters like Bruce Lee, Wong Shun Leung, Simon Lau, Moy Yat and of course his two sons Ip Ching and Ip Chun. Train and follow a path of traditional martial arts and shaolin kung fu that is unmatched by its depth into realistic self defense right in Lakeland Florida.

Bruce Lee Jeet Kune Do Style

Posted on by Sifu Justin Och

Bruce Lee and lakeland florida Jeet Kune Do

The Bruce Lee Jeet Kune Do style didn’t start anywhere near Lakeland, Florida. But although it began in China, the heart and soul of Jeet Kune Do, or Wing Chun Gung Fu (Wing Chun Kung Fu to us Westerners) is alive and kicking. Without the full understanding of Wing Chun Kung Fu, practitioners of Jeet Kune Do-like Bruce Lee-only have a piece of the puzzle. Bruce Lee was constantly improving his understanding of a system he believed and trained in, Wing Chun. But there’s more to the story. While Wing Chun is the engine by which Jeet Kune Do and all other techniques within its system follow within principle and technique.   Bruce Lee as a teen without full understanding of the Wing Chun system work to fill in the gaps of what he missed when he moved to the USA.  Bruce Lee worked hard, trained hard and fought hard.  Bruce Lee was a warrior for Wing Chun and for himself in Jeet Kune Do.

With all of the techniques within Jeet Kune Do, Bruce Lee himself only ever had two instructors. The first was Grandmaster of Wing Chun Ip Man, and the other was Master of Wing Chun Wong Shun Leung who learned Wing Chun Gung Fu under Grandmaster Ip Man.

jkd lakeland jeet kune do florida sifu och wing chun kung fu lakeland florida martial arts gung fu class
Master Dr. Nelson Rios teaching San Da, Wing Chun Kung Fu and combat applications at Sifu Och Wing Chun in Lakeland, Florida.

Both of these amazing fighters and teachers brought Bruce Lee up in the Wing Chun arts. At the beginning of his life he learned under Ip Man and then moved to America. As he developed his fighting prowess, he created Jeet Kune Do for his students. Then, as Bruce Lee’s movie career skyrocketed, he traveled to China once more-supposedly asking Wong Shun Leung to be in his movie The Game of Death. Wong Shun Leung said Wing Chun did not look good for movies as it was a fighting martial art. Though he declined, Wong Shun Leung would go on to teach Bruce Lee the remaining system of Wing Chun Kung Fu.

Until the very turn of the twentieth century, Wing Chun was almost unknown to the western world. Bruce Lee helped with this by letting others know of its power and combative fighting capabilities. At Sifu Och Wing Chun’s Lakeland Florida martial arts, Wing Chun Kung Fu is practiced, and training can reach the highest levels. The concepts of Jeet Kune Do that were instilled are as true today as they were when Bruce Lee was alive. Though many of the concepts of Wing Chun Kung Fu were lost from one instructor of Jeet Kune Do to the next, even without the complete understanding of the only system, Bruce Lee came back to Wing Chun Kung Fu…twice.

Wing Chun… Bruce Lee approved!  ;-)

The Story of Yim Wing-Chun

Posted on by Sifu Justin Och

Wing Chun Kung Fu certainly didn’t start in Lakeland Florida. It actually has the fascinating legend of being a form invented by two women. The story of Yim Wing-Chun goes that a woman named Yim Wing-Chun was desired by a local warlord. As she rebuffed his advances, she finally challenged him to a martial arts match. If he won, she would be his bride. Not being very adept at martial arts, Yim Wing-Chun sought training from a Buddhist nun named Ng Mui. The nun developed a form of martial art specially for Yim Wing-Chun which was born of watching a crane battle a snake. The young woman beat the warlord, and the new kung fu form was passed on by Yim Wing-Chun and her eventual husband Leung Bac-Chou, to be known as Wing Chun Kung Fu.

The story of Yim Wing-Chun is inspiring, and it’s also inspired the training of people as legendary as Bruce Lee and Ip Man. Are in Lakeland Florida, Sifu Och Wing Chun carries on that fascination and inspiration, offering numerous summer camp programs in Wing Chun Kung Fu. The basis of the Wing Chun martial art roots itself in the belief that the better fighter is the one with a better body form, so practitioners are taught body and movement awareness, to perceive one’s own senses as orienting from various parts of the body. In fact, Wing Chun Kung Fu stresses softness of tension and relaxation prior to the strike. The Story of Yim Wing-Chun lives on with each and every student trained in our Wing Chun classes or after school martial arts programs. In our summer camp programs students learn not only the benefit of the fighting form of Wing Chun but the beneficial body and mind effects of techniques to reduce unwanted muscle tension. Wing Chun seeks to overcome strength in an opponent by conserving energy and using looseness of movement to exhaust the opponent’s energy.

If you follow the Story of Yim Wing-Chun, you don’t go far before you understand that the style was first popularized by Bruce Lee, who actually never learned the entire technique. Instead, he incorporated what he learned of it into his own form, the Jeet Kune Do style. More recently, Robert Downey Jr has credited Wing Chun Kung Fu with changing his life, making him healthier and more able to focus. The self-defense benefits of Wing Chun are valuable for both men and women, teaching how to overcome an opponent by directing energy to opportunities to punch and kick and releasing energy when the opponent grabs or tries to restrict your movement, by loosening your body into fluid movements of detachment.

Wing Chun Fighter Mindset – lakeland fl kung fu

Posted on by Sifu Justin Och

Wing Chun Fighter Mindset – lakeland fl kung fu

Don’t Beat yourself up, with the right training, the right instructor, you will achieve! – Sifu Justin Och

(this article can not be copied or used on any other site, permission granted to share link only) With respect to all arts, watch a well versed Ju-jitsu Black Belt on the ground, they no longer struggle, but relax, they seek the openings that their assailant makes available.  They work each position with intelligence and resolve and should be respected.The Mindset of a Wing Chun Fighter Calculated decisions are made, reactions and intentions are decisive.

This is the same stand up mindset of a Wing Chun Fighter, working each angle with precision, timing, control,, resolve and intelligence.  Enjoying the fight, the reaction, and taking the advantage or adjusting as the reaction of the situation dictates.  A Wing Chun Fighter is reactionary knockout speed, power and dynamic flow.   A well versed and trained practitioner flows continuously with each counter and reaction their assailant throws letting the assailant show and tell the practitioner where there vital areas are open and exposed.  A Wing Chun Fighter Mindset is trained, forged and made into a great piece of internal and external manifested art that flows within time and reaction adapting to each environmental change.

“The assailant will show you how to defeat them, each time they move they open up one door by closing another.  Each moment a opportunity opens, a vital opens, a counter attack is available and when taken the assailant will attempt to close that opening, always being one step behind the mindset of a Wing Chun fighter, always playing catchup.  The Wing Chun fighter creates a new opportunity else where within there gate and takes it. ” – Sifu Justin Och

Wing Chun Fighter Mindset
sifu och wing chun kung fu lakeland florida gung fu downtown self defense

The Mindset of a Wing Chun Fighter Calculated decisions are made, reactions and intentions are decisive.  Just knowing the techniques and what to do is not enough you cannot allow distractions to waive your resolve.  You are calm but alert, ever ready in your response.  You are aware of everything around you and you are allowing your mind and body to take in what is and calculate your responses accordingly. You are not attached to the circumstance but rather you are a part of the whole controlling the flow of every action and the creature in front of you is not your enemy but your prey.The Mindset of a Wing Chun Fighter Calculated decisions are made, reactions and intentions are decisive.    They are not human because a human of purpose and good will would have stopped to consider all the individuals they would hurt by hurting you.  A human without conscience has no thought of anyone else but themselves. They are selfish, thoughtless, and beasts of burden.

sifu och wing chun kung fu lakeland florida gung fu
sifu och wing chun kung fu lakeland florida gung fu

These predators will take from you, rob and kill you for the $5 in your pocket, rape or beat you.  These types of humans are nothing more than a loaded gun looking to harm any and all who don’t give them what they desire when they desire it.  The Mindset of a Wing Chun Fighter calls for rapid simultaneous offensive and defensive strikes because one gun shot or one stab could end your life.  Minimize as much damage to you and those you love as possible.  No Martial Art is perfect or can claim perfection.  As martial artists we seek to minimize the damage these types of individuals cause.  Thus we seek perfection, peace and long life within the mind, body and spirit, doing our best to support and protect our families and communities.

Wing Chun Kung Fu (Sifu Och, lakeland fl kung fu) seeks all of the appropriated logical and most effective possibilities of counter-attacks and counter measures by an opponent.  Wing Chun always attempts to place the opponent’s body in structurally weak position’s that are increasingly more advantageous to the Wing Chun practitioner.The Mindset of a Wing Chun Fighter Calculated decisions are made, reactions and intentions are decisive.    This is the goal, but getting there takes practice, honing ones skill and utilizing these techniques, concepts and drill them into application.  Mastering Wing Chun Kung Fu means complete combat application of gate theory, angling, stepping inward, around and backward while attacking and countering.  It means mastering many different approaches and solutions to a single problem, so you keep your opponents guessing while taking advantage of centerline structure, speed and power.   It means sparring and applying your knowledge against a multitude of styles and scenarios.  Reaction, power and speed of both hands and feet depend on the attack, attacker and the situation at hand.  A series of jabs and crosses will allow some practitioners to move in quickly taking advantage of the forward knee that the opponent presents with each jab and cross.  Taking out this knee, hip or ribs when exposed will have the opponent’s body and mind off balance as you continue pressing inward with forward strikes.  This same attack may be seen from another practitioner’s perspective as an opportunity to stay farther away.  Biding time while the Wing Chun Kung Fu practitioner analyzes the opponent’s tactics allowing the practitioner to strike and injury.  The opponent’s arms, legs and other weapons as they present themselves within the fight.  This may be done to weaken a stronger opponent, while frustrating them into making mistakes or moving in a direction that has been set up by the Wing Chun Kung Fu practitioner.

sifu och downtown lakeland florida kung fu self defense
blood is NOT REQUIRED to become a Wing Chun Fighter, just determination, and Sifu Och in downtown lakeland florida has the kung fu self defense for next level application… Though at Sifu Och Wing Chun… you may bleed and bruise

Everything we have discussed thus far and have yet to discuss is all within the mindset of a Wing Chun Kung Fu practitioner within my school.  I make sure of it.  Your protection is a lifetime of achievement.The Mindset of a Wing Chun Fighter Calculated decisions are made, reactions and intentions are decisive.    It is invaluable to you, your loved ones, and every single person you may touch in a positive way throughout your life.  PROTECT THAT, because the person attacking you doesn’t care about your future, doesn’t care about your loved ones, or about what you have done for your community or your children.  The person attacking you only cares about themselves.  They have no conscience. If they did, they never would’ve attacked you and all those who care for you in the first place.

Everything is wishful thinking Every theory, every drill and every application spoken about or shown is only wishful thinking until you make it your own.  Don’t live in just the understanding of concept but the conceptualization of proof and reaction.The Mindset of a Wing Chun Fighter Calculated decisions are made, reactions and intentions are decisive.    We cannot live on the stories of our Master’s or our Great Grandmaster’s but rather prove their training and applications through our own existence and application.  So we can prove and honor the existence they lived for to teach us.  The existence they strived for and gave to us.  It is truly a power for the protection of others, when we seek to uplift those that uplift others.  Through friendship, love and honor, I look forward to each practitioner I meet that wishes to welcome each other as family under our love for real self defense.

I’m sure reading this article has left you questions about my way of Wing Chun Kung Fu in Lakeland Florida.  I have begun writing these thoughts and perspectives from my travels, practitioners, Masters and Grandmaster’s I have met that have touched and changed my thoughts on Wing Chun Kung Fu and how Ip Man evolved within this amazing system known as Wing Chun.   Our Lakeland Fl Kung Fu, our Wing Chun is a system of concept, purpose and drive, in a sense a pure love for Wing Chun Kung Fu.The Mindset of a Wing Chun Fighter Calculated decisions are made, reactions and intentions are decisive.

This website is only a brief anthology of my experience and thoughts. Thus there is so much more I can show and teach in person. Come and visit our Wing Chun kung fu school in lakeland, fl.   I would love to continue this discussion and thank you for your reading.

Sifu Justin Och
Wing Chun Black and Gold Sash
https://sifuochwingchun.com
http://www.facebook.com/sifuoch
sifuoch@facebook.com
116 east pine street, Lakeland Florida
863.800.0171

Facebook Group; http://www.facebook.com/sifuoch#!/groups/SifuOchLakelandWingChun/
Twitter – https://twitter.com/sifuochwingchun

 

Kung Fu in Downtown Lakeland fl

Posted on by Sifu Justin Och

Kung Fu in Downtown Lakeland fl

Historically, the terminology “Kung Fu” has not been present in any of the ancient texts found in Asia, China or surrounding regions. The phrase “Kung Fu” was actually first coined by Jean Joseph Marie Amiot a Frenchman and missionary who lived during the 18th Century.  He used this term “Kung Fu” to reference all of chinese martial arts. Kung Fu in Asian cultures and Chinese history is also known as Wushu, Gong Fu, Gung Fu, or Kuoshu and originally bestows the name of expertise in any specific life skills, profession and rising towards a greatness of self, personal and community.

A brief hisotry traces the ancient Chinese texts speaking of the philosophy, martial art training, practice, mentality, and concepts of Kung Fu is traced back to the Dao De Jing, Zhuang Zi, and Sun Zi Bing Fa (written by Sun Zi this is the Art of War), all of these ancient Chinese texts were written and documented between 1111-255 BC. The Dao De Jing, Zhuang Zi, and Sun Zi Bing Fa (written by Sun Zi this is the Art of War) relate and detail the philosophical practice, mentality and principles of Chinese martial arts both combative and passive aggressive.  The history of Chinese Martial arts, their complexity, depth and culture influence is deeper then most may understand.

kung fu wing chun sifu och lakeland florida usa kung fu
kung fu wing chun sifu och lakeland florida usa kung fu

The difference in Kung Fu systems is not clear to many westerns though to Kung Fu practitioners it is as vast and deep as the sea itself   There are those techniques used for fancy application, motion and movement and those used and forged in war.   Sifu Och Wing Chun Kung Fu in lakeland florida for instance teaches the forged war like survival tactics of traditional Wing Chun Kung Fu which was modernized by Shaolin Monks for a new era of combat.  There are those who know a little Wing Chun or a little Kung Fu claiming to teach and know mulitple systems, styles and techniques, but the terminology of Kung Fu is greatness and expertise above and beyond.  Sifu Och’s Kung Fu school in downtown lakeland florida is a prime example, though it is a place to rise above limitations on the mind and body.

There are theories on Kung Fu and its written history suggesting that the Yellow Emperor (reigning from 2698 BC) may have wrote the very first treatise on Chinese martial arts in ancient times. Though others say Taoist monks introduced the art form we known that looks similar to Tai Chi around the era of 500 BC. Though in 39-92 AD Pan Ku created the “Six Chapters of Hand Fighting” in a thesis documented history on Han dynasty (Han Shu). Hua T’uo physician wrote a book entitled, “Five Animals Play” in 220 AD during the progress of popularity within the martial arts grew.

By the late 1960’s the word Kung Fu had become common enough that most individuals in western society new its name and reference to chinese martial arts. Made popular by Bruce Lee  and many popular martial art movies, TV programs, posters and emerging schools.  Western society is emersed in Chinese Martial Arts with figures like Jackie Chan, Jet Li, Robert Downey Jr., Nicholas Cage, and the all Chinese Airline flight attendants and stuartists must train for anti-terrorism using Wing Chun Kung Fu.

The concept and basic principles of the Chinese Martial Arts and Kung Fu surround themselves around life skill principles such as self-motivation a self motivated student and practitioner should want to learn and push as much as they want to breath.  In a world where advertisments and commercials attempt to motivate you long enough to buy, Kung Fu and real martial arts wants more.  It wants more for you then just the moment because Kung Fu means greatness and achievement for a life time.  Personal self discipline is something of a rarity today a person disciplined enough not to let the excuses of the world weigh on them and derail their personal self discipline and goals.  Lastly Time, it takes time to learn real martial arts, to get it as a skill and to beable to truly understand and use every aspect of what you are taught under pressure.  Real motivation behind learning, wanting and pushing yourself in Kung Fu gives you daily inspiration and is not a forced motivation but a focused one.  You should crave greatness and development of the mind and body to something greater than what others limit you to.  Motivation is a driving force a fuel unlike any other and we can gain it from many sources, competition, life threatening experiences or lack.    There is no fast food way of learning, you can be shown all of Kung Fu all of Wing Chun, all the combinations, all the forms, all the techniques in a short time but understanding, applying, using and cultivating that power, that skill, that understanding and reaction against all signs and types of pressure and stress without hesitation is a life time of Discipline, Motivation and Time.  The only question is will you give yourself an excuse today as to why you can’t or will you give yourself every excuse to conquer and achieve?

The real motivation behind learning Kung Fu is inspiration and not force, which should come from an inner craving to learn and develop the mind and body. Motivation here is the fundamental driving force. There is no external or worldly gain for the learner, and the only reward is that of knowledge, skill, strength and wisdom.

Wing Chun Kung Fu for teaches us that self discipline complements motivation as discipline movtivates us over time to greater skill, action and deeds.  You must dominate the mind and excuses to not train before you can dominate the body to rise above your own limitations.

sifu och justin och lakeland self defense kung fu wing chun
sifu och justin och lakeland self defense kung fu wing chun

Most people don’t make the effort because it takes effort, most will speak about the deeds and things they want to achieve without giving the effort, discipline and time needed to gain a better life.  Their minds are dormant and they wait for someone else to “give them” the chance, or the time, or the money.  There will never be a perfect time to join, there will never be enough money in this mindset because you will always see another bill.  Instead make the leap, join and train and you will find that the money will come, the perfect time is now and the results are coming!

Kung Fu is like a seed, you plant the seed by joining, the seed once sown begins to grow but so many look at the surface and yell out, “see this doesn’t work, where is it?” but it is about to emerge, the skill is building, the time is coming, the discipline and motivation are there just have faith.  If you do then the seen will break the surface and you will start to see the tree grow but have doubt and stop training and see the seed fade, never breaking the surface.

To become a red wood you must reach towards the sun, some people are moss and fungis looking for what scraps are near them a red wood has higher aspirations.

A Kung Fu practitioner doesn’t have time or the privilege to waste time, indulge in wasteful fruitless, and idle activities.  A self motivated and disciplined practitioner reflects a person that others are inspired by and want to become.

Sifu Och – Wing Chun Kung Fu
https://sifuochwingchun.com
116 E. Pine St, Lakeland, Fl 33801
sifuoch@facebook.com
863.800.0171

 

 

Variants and Styles: With the passage of time, numerous variants and styles have come up in martial arts, or Kung Fu. Some of the more popular ones include Karate, Escrima, Wing Chun, Jujitsu, Judo, Tae Kwon Do, Shaolin, White Crane, T’ai Chi Ch’uan, and Bagua Zhang.

 

 

Wing Chun Universal Kung Fu – kung fu lakeland florida

Posted on by Sifu Justin Och

Wing Chun Universal Kung Fu – kung fu lakeland florida

(this article can not be copied or used on any other site, permission only to share link) A good technique can be used universally A skilled practitioner, instructor, Sifu, Master or Grandmaster can show you the power behind each technique instantly.Keep reading, but more importantly come down to the Sifu Och Wing Chun Universal Kung Fu academy in downtown lakeland fl, where individuals all over lakeland and central florida travel for realistic self defense, kung fu classes, and street self defense for the entire familyThose who use “show” techniques, and those who fight for survival.Keep reading, but more importantly come down to the Sifu Och Wing Chun Universal Kung Fu academy in downtown lakeland fl, where individuals all over lakeland and central florida travel for realistic self defense, kung fu classes, and street self defense for the entire family  Thus you can see the benefit instantly.Keep reading, but more importantly come down to the Sifu Och Wing Chun Universal Kung Fu academy in downtown lakeland fl, where individuals all over lakeland and central florida travel for realistic self defense, kung fu classes, and street self defense for the entire familyThose who use “show” techniques, and those who fight for survival.  In our school, a technique should show the benefits of practice in moments so that it can be valued as a necessity of training for years to come.  Like skill a good technique takes time to develop, instant use is a sign of a great technique.  But power, speed, timing and execution without thought but pure reaction takes time, patience and hard work.Keep reading, but more importantly come down to the Sifu Och Wing Chun Universal Kung Fu academy in downtown lakeland fl, where individuals all over lakeland and central florida travel for realistic self defense, kung fu classes, and street self defense for the entire family

Wing Chun Universal Kung Fu - kung fu lakeland florida
A universal martial art should prove its effectiveness through great and multiple students.  Sifu Och’s lakeland kung fu instructors, students and self defense classes in lakleland florida prove this daily.

A good technique works or doesn’t work, that is all.  It doesn’t have to be forced or imposed.  Do not imagine a new technique you create, see or even have been trained in, will work.  It must be proven to have merit and not fit a dogmatic principle set upon the instructor or student.  For my part, I do not believe in fancy technique or training that does not have an extreme survival purpose.  It gives no life protection and is more about “play” then reality.  From the beginning there have been two types of schools.Keep reading, but more importantly come down to the Sifu Och Wing Chun Universal Kung Fu academy in downtown lakeland fl, where individuals all over lakeland and central florida travel for realistic self defense, kung fu classes, and street self defense for the entire familyThose who use “show” techniques, and those who fight for survival.  For me, martial arts is about survival.  Once force or pressure is placed on a bad or fancy technique, no matter how much you want it to be good or work, it will fail.

A good technique works because it is good and because it is a direct solution to the issue at hand.Keep reading, but more importantly come down to the Sifu Och Wing Chun Universal Kung Fu academy in downtown lakeland fl, where individuals all over lakeland and central florida travel for realistic self defense, kung fu classes, and street self defense for the entire familyThose who use “show” techniques, and those who fight for survival.  Place pressure, stress and resistance at your best laid techniques and find the truth within them.Keep reading, but more importantly come down to the Sifu Och Wing Chun Universal Kung Fu academy in downtown lakeland fl, where individuals all over lakeland and central florida travel for realistic self defense, kung fu classes, and street self defense for the entire family  Think outside of the world within your Kwoon, Dojo or even your art and ask constantly what would someone else do to stop me and stop this application.

Sifu Och Wing Chun Universal Lakeland Kung Fu, Realistic Self Defense

A quick example; A bear hug for instance is  a typical technique that is shared amongst every style of martial arts.Keep reading, but more importantly come down to the Sifu Och Wing Chun Universal Kung Fu academy in downtown lakeland fl, where individuals all over lakeland and central florida travel for realistic self defense, kung fu classes, and street self defense for the entire family When someone grabs you from behind and holds down both of your arms and squeezes tight, we are taught many answers.Keep reading, but more importantly come down to the Sifu Och Wing Chun Universal Kung Fu academy in downtown lakeland fl, where individuals all over lakeland and central florida travel for realistic self defense, kung fu classes, and street self defense for the entire familyThose who use “show” techniques, and those who fight for survival.  Some are taught to lift the arms, but upon lifting why doesn’t someone choke you out?  What if they grabbed your hair and start to strike the back of your neck as they pull at you? Why don’t they just squeeze harder into your chest as you attempt to lift and smash you into a wall or sharp object?  Does your training involve this as part of the bear hug, or does the person just lift their arms with your motion and stand there for counter-attacks?Keep reading, but more importantly come down to the Sifu Och Wing Chun Universal Kung Fu academy in downtown lakeland fl, where individuals all over lakeland and central florida travel for realistic self defense, kung fu classes, and street self defense for the entire family

During a bear hug does your school train to grab the leg between yours and attempt to pull the assailant down?  If so, then do you also practice to have the assailant move their foot and plant your face and body’s momentum into concrete, since that is where you are headed since your reaching downward toward the ground which breaks your structure and base?Keep reading, but more importantly come down to the Sifu Och Wing Chun Universal Kung Fu academy in downtown lakeland fl, where individuals all over lakeland and central florida travel for realistic self defense, kung fu classes, and street self defense for the entire family

sifu och wing chun kung fu lakeland florida 33801 self defense
sifu och wing chun kung fu lakeland florida 33801 self defense

If your art shows to grab the side of the person and bring them to the ground, are you a master practitioner in ground fighting?Keep reading, but more importantly come down to the Sifu Och Wing Chun Universal Kung Fu academy in downtown lakeland fl, where individuals all over lakeland and central florida travel for realistic self defense, kung fu classes, and street self defense for the entire familyThose who use “show” techniques, and those who fight for survival. I ask because as you throw anyone they have a tendency to hold onto and attempt to take down the practitioner with them.  Also, if your assailant is bigger than you which is usually the case, when you are bear hugged can all of the women, children and men you teach take out someone on the cold asphalt of broken glass, oil and harsh reality of the ground?

A technique to be taught universally has to work universally to every size against every size.  Wing Chun asks this of every application and technique taught  It is up to the practitioner or instructor to ignore or take in these facts.  If you are a 210lbs male then almost any reaction, technique or struggle will probably work for you. As no matter what your martial art is, you already have power and strength.Keep reading, but more importantly come down to the Sifu Och Wing Chun Universal Kung Fu academy in downtown lakeland fl, where individuals all over lakeland and central florida travel for realistic self defense, kung fu classes, and street self defense for the entire familyThose who use “show” techniques, and those who fight for survival.  Yet Wing Chun and our school asks you, If a 120lbs woman or child used that same technique would it work against a violent 210lb male with the intent of huge physical harm and control on the victim in question.  Search within your heart and ask “what are the major flaws of this and how would I counter-attack to kill, harm or bring violence upon this person”.

Keep reading, but more importantly come down to the Sifu Och Wing Chun Universal Kung Fu academy in downtown lakeland fl, where individuals all over lakeland and central florida travel for realistic self defense, kung fu classes, and street self defense for the entire family.Keep reading, but more importantly come down to the Sifu Och Wing Chun Universal Kung Fu academy in downtown lakeland fl, where individuals all over lakeland and central florida travel for realistic self defense, kung fu classes, and street self defense for the entire familyThose who use “show” techniques, and those who fight for survival.

Sifu Justin Och – Wing Chun Universal Kung Fu address; 116 east pine street, Lakeland Florida ph;  863.800.0171

website – https://sifuochwingchun.com you can reach me on

Facebook at; http://www.facebook.com/sifuoch

our group page; http://www.facebook.com/sifuoch#!/groups/SifuOchLakelandWingChun/

twitter-sifuochwingchun
twitter-sifuochwingchun

 

facebook-sifuoch
facebook-sifuoch

 

facebook-GROUP Wing Chun page
Fan Page – Sifu Och Wing Chun

 

 

 

Sifu Riaz Hossenbux and Sifu Justin Och – Making Wing Chun Friends

Posted on by Sifu Justin Och

Sifu Riaz Hossenbux and Sifu Justin Och, Wing Chun Friends

Let us jump back, the year is 2011 and Sifu Justin Och visits the UK, on a search to understand every nature of Wing Chun Kung Fu making friends along the path to finding Wing Chun to grow, train, and live.  Sifu Justin Och gets in touch with a pure Ip Chun Wing Chun stylist, Sifu Riaz Hossenbux.  Wanting to understand all of Wing Chun Kung Fu’s aspects, internal, external, fighting and redirective…  Sifu Justin Och visits the UK

Sifu-Riaz-Hossenbux-london-england-wing-chun-sifu-justin-och-florida-wing-chun-kung-fu
Sifu Riaz Hossenbux London England Wing Chun Sifu Justin Och Florida Wing Chun Kung Fu

London Wing Chun

Sifu Justin Och travels to Sifu Riaz Hossenbux home in London England Wing Chun.  Here Sifu Riaz talks about his london Wing Chun and what differences there are in his Wing Chun and what is shown within other lineage lines.  Sifu Riaz demonstrates form and wooden dummy training while explaining the reasonings passed down to him through Ip Chun.  Sifu Riaz was extremely open, friendly and polite the entire time never talking or seperating the lineage lines negatively but rather respecting all lines of Wing Chun.

Fast forward to 2013 and we find Sifu Riaz Hossenbux taking a Disney like vacation in Orlando Florida.  Now it was his turn to contact Sifu Justin Och about visiting Sifu Justin Och school here in Lakeland Florida.  Into the afternoon class Sifu Riaz walks in and bows to the entire school and lineage line which includes a respected picture of Ip Man, Ip Chun, Ip Ching, Simon Lau and Wong Shun Leung.

Sifu Justin Och’s first starts class by sectioning out the students doing forms from Siu Nim Tao, Chum Kiu and Biu Jee then fighting combinations, inside and outside gate combos with partners striking and moving across the floor.  Next scenario training against bear hugs, side headlocks, triangle chokes, wrist grabs and pushes all using Wing Chun Kung Fu to stop, shut down and destroy these dangerous scenarios.  Then focus mitt sparring and wrist on wrist fighting while switching partners and increase the intensity of the follow up fighting and reactionary techniques.

During this time Sifu Riaz Hossenbux walked around, observing the training, talking with the students and offering additional combinations that come from his pure Ip Chun Wing Chun styling.   Sifu Riaz added his personality and flavor into each technique explaining his take on Wing Chun Kung Fu.  A fun and refreshing kinship between schools.

UK and USA Wing Chun Kung Fu

Sifu Riaz Hossenbux said this on Sifu Justin Och’s Facebook page

A very big thank you to Sifu Justin Och and his students for making me feel so welcome at their club in Lakeland, Florida! It was great to see so many humble and dedicated students fuelling their passion of Wing Chun Kung Fu with great guidance from Sifu Och.

We are so happy and welcomed to find a kind and open hearted man such as Sifu Riaz within the Wing Chun system and are happy to call him a UK London England Wing Chun friend!  A great bond between friends and instructors of Wing Chun Kung Fu is being formed and we look forward to seeing the bond get stronger as the years pass by.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sifu Riaz Hossenbux
London Wing Chun Kung Fu
07779 496434
http://www.simplywingchun.co.uk/

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sifu Justin Och
Florida Wing Chun Kung Fu
863.800.0171
https://sifuochwingchun.com

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Wing Chun Kung Fu Lakeland FL

Posted on by Sifu Justin Och

Lakeland Kung Fu schools and training camps do not lack for new members as people seek training in the art of Wing Chun, a fighting style that relies heavily on close quarters combat and realistic self-defense techniques. It was originally conceived many centuries ago by a Chinese woman monk who borrowed different moves from martial arts to suit a situation when the opponent is close by and the options are limited. This kind of thinking carries surprisingly well into our modern environment, gaining more followers day after day.An important rule taught by Wing Chun Kung Fu lakeland fl is being in control of what is called the ‘center line’, which is the space between you and your opponent. Learning Wing Chun Kung Fu Lakeland FL can be a valuable asset when faced with the possibility of violence or even day to day tasks. After all, martial arts training is known to reflect positively on one’s willpower, strength and physical prowess.

Application

Wing Chun Kung Fu is taught at Sifu Och’s Wing Chun Kung Fu studio in downtown Lakeland fl and consists primarily of collected, efficient movements that are aimed at devastating self defense and deflection, rather than engaging the opponent with the strength of your body.An important rule taught by Wing Chun Kung Fu lakeland fl is being in control of what is called the ‘center line’, which is the space between you and your opponent. Through careful and safe training at any age you become prepared for encounters where the potential attacker is literally inches away from you, letting reflexes kick in quickly and ensure your safety, so that you can escape a potentially more violent confrontation.

Limitations

There are only four types of kicks that are performed by the majority of practitioners in Wing Chun Kung Fu. Unsurprisingly, they are mostly aimed at knees, groin and shins to lower the opponent’s mobility. It’s what you would want to do when outrunning or out striking our opponents and quickly moving to attack again is more desirable than achieving any sort of victory over them.An important rule taught by Wing Chun Kung Fu lakeland fl is being in control of what is called the ‘center line’, which is the space between you and your opponent.  By creating weakness in a opponents foundation you create weakness in everything they do from that point forward. However, the techniques will still suit you if you are planning on learning full range kicks, joint locks, grappling or ground work.  As Wing Chun Kung Fu is an adaptive self defense system based on quick reaction at any range.

Training

Since Wing Chun focuses on reaction versus hundreds of forms without a partner a practitioner learns quicker than in most systems.  Wing Chun Kung Fu also takes a considerably shorter time to learn and master when compared to other Chinese fighting styles and Gung Fu systems.  The techniques trained at Sifu Och’s Lakeland Kung Fu training camps and school in downtown lakeland fl will take anyone of any background to new levels.  This will prove to be ideal for anyone who simply wishes to learn the best techniques for self-defense or engage in healthy physical activities without the need to devote the next 20 years before mastering their skills and achieving something great.

Control

An important rule taught by Wing Chun Kung Fu lakeland fl is being in control of what is called the ‘center line’, which is the space between you and your opponent. When all of your movements are focused on maintaining that control, you are less likely to be blind sided or surprised by your opponents, as their actions are also limited in that position.

Deflections

Instead of blocking the opponent’s attacks, Wing Chun Kung Fu lakeland fl focuses on deflecting them with simple, controlled movements. That way, they are redirected away from your body. You also avoid full contact with your hands, arms or legs, attempting to make a slapping or rolling movement that deflects the punch or kick at an angle.An important rule taught by Wing Chun Kung Fu lakeland fl is being in control of what is called the ‘center line’, which is the space between you and your opponent.

Energy

One of the things you will learn about Wing Chun Kung Fu Lakeland fl are ‘sticky hands’. That’s when you use your attackers’ energy against them through the movements of your hands or wrists.An important rule taught by Wing Chun Kung Fu lakeland fl is being in control of what is called the ‘center line’, which is the space between you and your opponent.

Traps

Traps are some of the most interesting concepts of Wing Chun taught at Lakeland fl Kung Fu schools and training camps. When used correctly, these moves are capable of making the attacker’s arms unusable.An important rule taught by Wing Chun Kung Fu lakeland fl is being in control of what is called the ‘center line’, which is the space between you and your opponent. They are difficult to master, but the payoff is the look of shock on your opponent’s face. If any of these facts about Wing Chun proved interesting to you and you would like to learn more about this Chinese fighting style, visit the following website and find the most suitable martial arts school in Kung Fu in Lakeland fl.

I wrote this kung fu article to let others know a little about Wing Chun Kung Fu and what Sifu Och is teaching in downtown lakeland florida martial arts.An important rule taught by Wing Chun Kung Fu lakeland fl is being in control of what is called the ‘center line’, which is the space between you and your opponent. If you get the opportunity don’t pass up your chance to come down and visit the school.  It will be an experience you will never forget, and if you have the dedication and will power it may turn out to be a life long adventure of love like it is turned out to be for me.

to start your journey contact sifuoch@facebook.com
Sifu Och Wing Chun in downtown lakeland florida martial arts
sifuoch@facebook.com
Black and Gold Sash Wing Chun Kung Fu
lakeland florida martial arts
https://sifuochwingchun.com

Struggling and Wing Chun Gung Fu Power

Posted on by Sifu Justin Och

Struggling Wing Chun Gung Fu Power

One of the very first things that is taught within the system of Wing Chun Gung Fu is to use all of the bodies weapons for both offense and defense.  Blocking and attacking simultaneously while shifting and moving to get out of the way of incoming attacks.  Instead of using force against force Wing Chun Gung Fu has proven counter strategies that take power from the assailant and truly use it against them.  Instead of using force versus force where a smaller practitioner of Wing Chun Gung Fu might fall victim Wing Chun uses dynamic footwork and redirective combinations that take the assailants line of power out of the equation.Wing Chun Gung Fu power is one of the most exceptional martial art systems out there.

For every line of power there are four lines of weakness this means that a smaller and weaker fighter can quickly stop and drop a larger and stronger assailant.Wing Chun Gung Fu power is one of the most exceptional martial art systems out there.  A Wing Chun stylist uses their heads to avoid direct confrontation and uses the assailants strength, force and power against them.

“a struggle of power can only happen between two individuals both willing to struggle – Sifu Justin Och”

If one individual decides to strike instead of struggle the battle of strength against strength is turned.Wing Chun Gung Fu power is one of the most exceptional martial art systems out there.  Fight smarter not harder my Master use to say.  Within Wing Chun there are a lot of concepts and many concetrate on the concepts of Wing Chun versus the ability to use Wing Chun Gung Fu in a dangerous, stress induced, pressured situation.  What many may not realize is that it only takes a small amount of strength to redirect a line of power, though this is not to say that Wing Chun Gung Fu does not use strength or power.  In fact a practitioner of Wing Chun Gung Fu, if properly taught is told to focus on knockout power with speed but never speed over knockout power.   This takes a practitioners mindset away from just fast and fancy movements and pulls them into the reality of combat, knocking or incapacitating their assailant.

Because speed comes so fast to a Wing Chun Gung Fu practitioner many forget to train in its follow through power.  This makes it so that even a weak Wing Chun practitioner can stop, move and break the timing and body down of a much larger assailant if the weaker Wing Chun Gung Fu practitioner is taught to follow through.Wing Chun Gung Fu power is one of the most exceptional martial art systems out there.  Each strike is an opportunity to stop the fight as a practitioner does not want a long drawn out battle.

“Longer fights have to many factors involved from weapons being drawn, accomplices joining, to draining endurance and stamina.  Ending a fight quickly also minimizes damage to all parties involved. – Sifu Justin Och”

Training and pushing yourself to fight five rounds for five minutes is a great goal, but then using all that stamina to end the fight quickly without burning yourself out but rather staying calm in the moment is key.

Wing Chun Gung Fu power is one of the most exceptional martial art systems out there.  The ability to quickly counter, move, attack, redirect, and defend against so many other techniques and systems of combat.  Wing Chun Gung Fu is a proven tried and true system of realistic self defense.  If you want the power, the strength and ability Wing Chun gung fu power provides you have to train like an a animal.  You have to train hard, push hard, under pressure and resistance.  In order to gain realistic self defense you have to train it just like any other athlete, just thinking about it or doing it passively will gain you a passive response when under attack.

to start your journey contact sifuoch@facebook.com
Sifu Och Wing Chun in downtown lakeland florida martial arts
Black and Gold Sash Wing Chun Gung Fu Power
lakeland florida gung fu power martial arts
https://sifuochwingchun.com

 

Wing Chun Lakeland Kung Fu

Posted on by Sifu Justin Och

863.800.0171       –/–       116 east pine street lakeland fl 33801

Throughout training, a lot of emphasis is put into that very concept. Students will learn all about force and strength, and how they can properly counter it. What many don’t realize, is the fact that countering force requires very little strength from the stylist. Even the weakest Wing Chun stylist is taught to take down an opponent 3 – 4 times his size if he uses the proper technique and his opponents force against him.

Wing Chun Lakeland Kung Fu
sifu och wing chun lakeland florida kung fu

Wing Chun Lakeland Kung Fu teaches other techniques as well, such as punching, kicking, and quick grappling holds, chokes and breaks.  Wing Chun Lakeland Kung Fu trains stylists in quick reactions, quick strikes and fast applications minimizing strength against strength. Wing Chun Kung Fu doesn’t teach intense grappling as it can cause joint injuries.  Wing Chun Kung Fu techniques do not use force against force through throwing but instead use mobile and dynamic striking. The strikes that are taught with this martial art are very fast, and aimed at vital areas on the body of the opponent.

A majority of the most vital areas on the human body are found along the center line, the very area that Wing Chun Kung Fu teaches stylists to protect as well as attack with their techniques. This line is the most vital in battle, which is why martial artists should always aim their attacks for any area that exists along this line. Most of the vital points found in the center line can be the end of the encounter if the stylist is able to land one powerful blow.  Though Wing Chun Kung Fu trains to strike rapidly with many powerful blows.

As Wing Chun lakeland Kung Fu emphasizes time and time again, the shortest straw between the stylist and the opponent is the center line, which is where a majority of movement takes place. Due to the linear fashion of Wing Chun, students will spend a lot of their training learning how to direct attacks as well as opposing force towards the center line.

Wing Chun Kung Fu is an exceptional martial art, teaching students how to use force against force in any type of encounter. There aren’t that many grappling holds or weapons used with Wing Chun Kung Fu, although the techniques and moves that are taught are tried, proven, and above all very effective for self defense.

Wing Chun Lakeland Kung Fu

sifuoch@facebook.com   –/–  https://sifuochwingchun.com

863.800.0171       –/–       116 east pine street lakeland fl 33801

Women Self Defense Lakeland

Posted on by Sifu Justin Och

Women Self Defense Lakeland

If you’re a woman, you’re automatically at a higher risk for certain types of crimes—whether carjacking, robbery, domestic violence, rape, and sexual assault—simply because attackers believe the stereotype that women are passive and helpless in the midst of danger. The easiest way for women to prevent themselves from being a victim of these crimes is to avoid being alone or in poorly lit areas at night. However, getting trapped in a violent situation is sometimes inevitable. Therefore, it’s extremely important women of all ages learn how to defend themselves.

Women Self Defense Lakeland Florida Training
women self defense lakeland florida women self defense sifu justin och wing chun kung fu martial art

Many women rely on stun guns, tasers, aerosol sprays, firearms, knifes, or other weapons for self-defense. Yet sometimes women do not have enough time to reach for their weapon of choice before being attacked, making fighting back the most effective way for women to defend against criminal actions. Nevertheless, fighting back is a valid option for women in violent situations only if they have had extensive training in fighting. Throwing random punches and kicks will not scare away a much stronger criminal. As a result, many women across the nation have enrolled in martial arts classes for self-defense purposes.

However, women self defense lakeland who train in commercialized martial arts aren’t receiving the self-defense training they need as forms like karate and taekwondo utilize flashy, flowery techniques that do not translate well when faced with an unpredictable, dangerous situation. In other words, the advanced high kicks and jumps learned in many forms of martial arts will have little to no effect against a close-quarter assailant—even if you hold a black belt! Yet a practical, reality-based martial arts system does exist: Wing Chun.

Located in downtown Lakeland, Sifu Och Wing Chun studio provides women with the skills they need for effective Women Self Defense Lakeland. Unlike other forms of martial arts, Wing Chun focuses on the economic use of motion. Its goal is to not waste time or movement, to never pull back from an attacker. In other words, it’s both offensive and defensive, using a quick combination of elbows, punches, pushes, chops, blocks, and kicks to take down an opponent of any size. No flips, no flash, just constant, direct action.

Women Self Defense Lakeland
siu nim tao gung fu in lakeland fl wing chun form anger sifu och wing chun kung fu lakeland florida martial arts gung fu class

While other forms of martial arts were composed by men, Wing Chun was originally conceived by a woman, making the practice adaptable to all ages, genders, and body types. In fact, while training at the Sifu Och Wing Chun studio, you will have the opportunity to train alongside students from all walks of life—from stay at home parents, to doctors, teachers, former military personnel, college students, teenagers, and even experienced martial arts practitioners who have black belts in taekwondo, karate, and jiu-jitsu.

At Sifu Och Wing Chun, the focus is not on who has the highest ranking, but on providing students with a complete system that is based on keeping you and your loved ones safe during unexpected dangerous situations.

“The number one issue is most people are used to being handed a belt just for paying for the class,” said Sifu Justin Och, a member of the Eastern International U.S.A. Black Belt Hall of Fame and owner of Sifu Och Wing Chun. “The belt means nothing without skill and information. My students know they are protected and will use what they are taught here. We don’t hand out belts…The best part of my job is when people come to me after a dangerous situation in their life and were able to shut it down because of their training.”

Make sure you are ready to protect yourself and your family when dangerous situations appear unexpectedly. Enroll today by registering online or calling 863-800-0171.

Women Self Defense Lakeland

By Amanda Deck

 

to start your journey contact sifuoch@facebook.com
Sifu Justin Och Wing Chun in downtown lakeland florida martial arts
Sifu Justin Och Black and Gold Sash Wing Chun Gung Fu
Facebook – group page
Facebook – fan page
lakeland florida martial arts
https://sifuochwingchun.com

Women Self Defense Lakeland

 

 

LIMITED TIME OFFER!

2 WEEK FREE TRIAL & Access to our full class schedule

Fill out the form below to get 2 FREE weeks of training at our downtown lakeland facility and access to our full class schedule!

FULL ACCESS to our complete schedule of classes & training sessions!
Learn the ENTIRE System of Ip Man Wing Chun Kung fu, Self Defense, and Close Range Combat!
IN HOUSE training with our instructors ready to help you accomplish your goals!
IN HOUSE Group fitness classes, body weight loss training, and free weight training
DISCOUNTED FAMILY RATES if you decide to sign up for a full time studio membership!
Click to get FREE 2 WEEK TRIAL