Question for martial arts adepts

There is a new school in my area which teaches Wing Chun Kun Fu. I watched several videos on youtube and it looks rather efficient!

The problem is, I lost 32 kilos since may, and sadly, it's not all fat, but lots of muscles too. I doubt I can survive one hour of training without collapsing!

However, I want to get in shape, and I want to be able to defend myself against all these drunken groups of stupid gangsta wannabees in my area when I'm walking the streets at night on weekends. They love it to encircle and insult you, and I want to be able to kick their asses when things get really out of hand.

I use a crosstrainer and make push-ups every day, but it's not all that amusing. And I hate fitness studios!

Does anyone have experience with Wing Chung Kun Fu? Or are other martial arts techniques better to get in shape? And don't forget about the self-defense potential! I don't intend to beat up people, but being able to defend myself would be a nice side effect. No, I don't live in the ghetto, but I had some bad experiences during the last years with drunken or coked-up fucktards.

Don't know if this is the right room for my question, mods, please move my post if you think another room is more appropriate.

If all they do is circle + insult you.....let it go. They want you to get physical so they have an excuse to kick your ass.
If you are outnumbered, all the martial arts in the world will not help if they are bent on really harming you.

Remember, many of us on WF live in places where there is much armed robbery, shootings, stabbings, fatal/crippling beatings, etc. We will not just be insulted or harrassed if we are encircled - so this is to be avoided at all costs!

My point? Martial arts are great for excercise, competition, and for defense of your life only when all attempts to avoid a physical confrontation are exhausted.

But if you want to know martial arts just to put bullies in their place, you are on a fast-track to an ass whipping/early grave.

We had a few people beaten to death in The Army when attacked by a gang of people - they went out fighting back, until too many kicks to the head did them in.

You could always carry a gun/taser/can of mace for self protection.

Not me, sounds like spicy buffalo wings from a bad Chinese sports bar that somehow has a Wang Chung vibe.

Well, this is the forum for requesting advice.

Without commenting either way, I'll give you this homework assignment:

How many professional full-contact fighters (UFC, Pride, etc) list their main fighting style as "Wing Chun"?

You are right.

I usually let it go and do not react to street gangster wannabes who are looking for a fight. Except two completely drunk 16-year olds try it... Some harsh words and they leave, haha. But there were cases when they surrounded me and did not let me go for several minutes and only waited that I would show a reaction. And on two occasions, I was hit in the face without any reason. I stood up and walked away. If I had fought back, they would have beaten me up and I could have been severely injured, not just a black eye or a bloody lip...

Things like this happen all the time here on weekends. You can report these incidents to the police, but that's all. Of course, this is rather harmless compared to places where some of you live. But it still annoys me like hell.

Pepperspray, guns? No, that's unmanly! And I need a very good reason to get a gun legally here. And you can be sure that if you use pepperspray against a gang of four or five, they will beat you up even more... And you can be sure that they have knives, too...

I would use my skills only if my life is in danger and nothing else could help.

UA: The school is only a few hundred meters from me, so... I'll give it a try.

Oldfella summed it up best.

Besides, it would take several YEARS of intense training (assuming it's a good school to start with) before you could reasonably expect to take on even two people at the same time and win empty-handed, much less a gang.

Martial arts ain't like the movies. Chuck Norris and Bruce Lee win against hordes of baddies because it's a fucking movie. In real life someone is going to toss a brick at the back of your head while you're waving your arms around and then you're gonna get curb stomped by the whole gang.

You live in Switzerland, so I'm guessing that carrying a gun is out of the question. That leaves knives, thick walking sticks, whatever else you can McGuyver, travelling in a group yourself, and cardio for hauling ass. Sucks to live in Yurp.

Word to the wise- don't join a Kung Fu school thinking you're the karate kid. That's the high road to the hospital, right there. Shit, I'm an instructor in Yoshinkan Aikido and I carry a fucking gun for self defense. That ought to be a clue right there.

These are wise words from Marso. When I think about it, the only reason for practicing martial arts is to get in shape. The point is: These gangstas allready HAVE martial arts skills. Most of these gangs consist of teens and young adults from the Balkan. And everybody here knows that they all train kickboxing...

You'd be better off with Marso's Aikido. Preferably in combination with some Jiu Jitsu and Muay Thai.

Even so, he'd still be looking at about 5-8 years of hard training before it would really do him any good on the street. What you see in the dojo doesn't equate to the practical application of technique against a true adversary out to hurt you.

It was funny, my instructor was a Jacksonville PD SWAT officer. He also ran tactical/ pressure point control courses for cops and such, and once I was advanced enough that I could take some hard falls without breaking my face, I used to go be his 'cuffing dummy' for some of these classes. It was always interesting how those classes differed from the 'straight' traditional classes that were taught at the dojo. They invariably hurt more, I'll tell you that.

And even then, you never, ever assume you have any advantage over anyone. Every person you face is potentially the deadliest individual in the world, and you don't get into a brawl with them unless it's worth seeing one of you dead or crippled and the other in prison.

Guy who works some jiu jitsu with me once in awhile is the kind of instructor who is more than willing to make every demonstration hurt if you need some convincing. I, of course, always need convincing. I need to see something work before I'll believe in it.

I don't know that Wing Chun is bad. It is probably more practical than something like Tae Kwon Do.

Back in the early 1990s there was a school called Chung Moo Quan that I found to be excellent. It was a synthesis of about six martial arts. Only problem is that the entry level course was a reasonable price, but after about a month or two you'd pretty much learned everything you could and had to enroll in a two year+ black belt program that cost an arm and a leg. I couldn't justify the expense. Then around the mid 1990s, the founder got thrown in jail for tax evasion or something.

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In all honesty, move someplace else.

Oldfella got it spot on, and if it's the Balkan lot they tend to be the kind of fucking nutters who regard getting their arses kicked as an excuse to step it up a notch, so even if you did successfully beat them they'd just bring weapons and extra people next time.

Unless you're actually prepared to kill and do time, just walk away, report it if it means no comebacks on you, and plan to live elsewhere.

It's sad, but leave them to create their own hellholes and maybe when it gets too bad the governments will awaken to the trouble without accusing all and sundry of xenophobia.

Chuck Norris would make them all instantly sober as a judge just by scowling at them!

IMO the style you choose isn't the issue. If you go all out 100 percent at any martial art (that you enjoy of course) it will benefit you! Cardio, strength, speed, flexibility, confidence, humility, respect.....all these things make you a better peson.

Riiiiiight.

So I assume Jan can go down to the local gun shop and by a .357 Magnum hand gun and carry it concealed everywhere he wants to go?

Dumbass.

Is this the European mentality? Just give up your home to hoodlums and crooks? If so, you people are neutered not just physically, but mentally as well.

You seriously need to boot your politicians in the ass, make gun ownership legal, and start looking after yourselves. Unfuckingbelievable!

Jan, you're in Switzerland and you don't have a Swiss Army Knife for self-defense?

I still see no mention of handguns. Are you suggesting Jan carry his government issued rifle to the bar with him when he goes for a drink?

Dan, do you know how to read?

I don't know a single person around here who walks around with a handgun. Some people like shooting as a sport, some people hunt, but 99.9 percent of the population is unarmed in public, I guess. But there are many old pistols and assault rifles in the attics. And of course the stgw-90.

Dan, you are a funny guy...

I bet I could complete the required paperwork by the time I get done saying that word.

I kid, I kid.....but Germany had my head spinning with the long-ass words with a gazillion letters all crammed together into one word.
There was a German office building across the street from my apartment that said TRUPENBUTZENCAMMANDATURPLATZEN.

might as well throw SUPERCALA-FRAGALISTIC-EXPIALA-DOSHOUS on there while you are at it!

ALERT! This could be considered RED ROOM, but it needs to be said.
WTF? In America that would equal at least seven different lawsuits!
And the majority of these countries have large Muslim populations....
why all the Muslim hate, Switzerland? This is some straight-up discrimination. Okay.....maybe these groups are high-risk.

By that rationale blacks in America shouldn't have guns because statistically their gun abuse is off the scale!

Here's the deal, I defend myself against anyone who isn't a white male I have to contend with the police assuming I'm at fault. The Diversity boys, who work 9-5 and wouldn't be seen anywhere near any proper police work, ensure that, along with a system that says identifying racist behaviour (not prosecuting mind) looks favourable when pushing for promotion.

Assuming I can then point out I was the victim defending myself, I'm open to all kinds of retribution, legal or otherwise, from them. The legal stuff is annoying, and if the magistrate has a functioning brain will get tossed out but that isn't a given.

The illegal stuff will likely result in petrol being poured through my letter box and ignited. If I'm lucky.

So the math here is 'move where the fuckers cannot afford', preferably one of the gated communities with private security that have started springing up.

Even then, when it comes to these kind of groups, you're in a spot. A handgun is a range weapon, and in melee you're as likely to harm yourself, anyone trying to help you, or a passer-by as you are an attacker. And even assuming you're able to get your gun out whilst they jump you, assuming you can shoot some of them, unless you're Rambo all you're going to do is take some of them to grave along with you.

Trying to reload whilst three or four people are trying to kick your brains out of your ears is no easy task.

I'm all for gun ownership, but in these case it's of limited use except as a weapon of fear, and many groups like the Balkan gangs don't do fear.

What the fuckers need is banning from entering if they've a criminal record, no benefits until you've earned a certain amount or placed down a large marker when you come to live in a nation and proper sentencing. Some of those gangs are too far along criminal life and need locking away with the key being dropped down a drain.

Yeah, but those states have issues and groups tat Black America doesn't.

Take Albania, it's essentially run by a few crime families who make the Godfather look like a Disney cartoon, and those leaving are - fairly or unfairly - looked up on as trouble.

It is using a wide brush, but if out of every 100 of them, 90 turn out to bad bad 'uns, you start weighing up the odds.

All the groups from the Balkan are high-risk. The tamil population here is very peaceful towards the Swiss, but sometimes kill each other... This has decreased since the Tamil Tigers have been defeated in Sri Lanka.

I think there is no more Muslim hate here than in other European country. The difference is that we can vote about things like banning minarets and so on... If the other European states had direct democracy too, they would vote the same, I guess...

I agree with ecky, btw. If you stand up against these gangs and you hurt somebody in self defense, you get in trouble. You have to prove that you are the victim. Not to forget the payback you get from the friends and relatives of your "victim"... It's a lose-lose situation. So if you have beef with one of these gangs and even get hurt, you better be quiet about it. Sad but true. Or else these guys will let you feel that you should not mess with them. I live in a area with many people from the Balkan. This wasn't the case when I moved here three years ago. Now the Swiss are a minority here. Most of these foreigners are ok, but I'm not that stupid to take on Albanians from Kosovo, for example. Because they know who I am and where my flat is. Or they will find out. And the police won't protect me. It's a fucked up situation.

My best friend is from Croatia, however. And he gets a lot of shit from the Swiss because of it. Only because a few people from the Balkan don't know how to behave properly. And if you have an "ic" at the end of your family name, you have trouble to find a job here. Because we Swiss have LOTS of prejudices against people from the Balkan, myself included. Especially the younger people who have to deal with these gangs every weekend in clubs, bars and discos... It's a lose-lose situation for both sides. But the real victims are the people from the Balkan who learn the language, work and try to integrate themselves. The question is: Who started all this shit? Who is to blame?

I think that this thread should be moved to the red room and have the thread title changed. Gun laws, immigration, crime... Typical red room stuff.

A handgun is not a range weapon. There is plenty of close quarters training available to use them.

I have a great idea - MMA style fighting! Yes, like UFC or Pride, etc.
I see a lot of people around here (then again it's a military town) involved in this. They even teach it now in The Army. Once you go through the basic classes of groundfighting, you can move on to the actual "real deal" with punching, knees, elbows, etc. The Army is all about safety, so of course it's strictly controlled + regulated.

But off-duty a lot of soldiers are joining MMA clubs and some are getting quite good at it. It's simply the most effective, efficient, creative, and ever-evolving system on the planet.

You may be the World Champion in one very limited, traditional style (like Karate, boxing, etc) but take on any well rounded professional UFC fighter and you will get your ass handed to you every time.

But MMA is banned in Germany (for example) because it is "too violent."