How do Wing Chun fighters deal with ground fighting?
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Answer: In my opinion most Wing Chun fighters don’t deal with it well. The reason is a lack of practice.
My sifu said once, “…there’s already enough for you to master in Wing Chun itself that there isn’t much time left to master grappling or ground fighting too…”
In any case, I’d rather be a great striker than a great ground fighter.
It’s safer and more effective, especially on the street.
However, if you want to learn more about grappling and get better at it fast, Check this out.
If you grapple with someone bigger or stronger than you, you’re in trouble or dumb. If you have to defend yourself against more than one attacker there’s no strategic advantage in dropping to the ground.
As a striker, especially a Wing Chun fighter, you can do maximum damage with minimal force. Plus, you’re on your feet and can flee if it’s strategically better to do so.
I often hear MMA, BJJ, and other ground fighting martial artists justify ground fighting by saying something like, “…30% of all fights end up on the ground…”
I always reply, “…100% of all fights start standing up.”
Learning ground fighting is important
I think it’s worth it to learn some ground fighting techniques in addition to your Wing Chun training.
A past student at my club studied a lot of grappling and ground fighting styles. His reason: “I don’t want to freak out if I get taken down or accidentally fall or slip…”
We don’t often practice grappling or anti-grappling techniques at my kwoon. But when we do I like to really get into it (it’s a great
workout in any case).
The dynamics are different, your body has to move very differently, strategies are different. It’s a chance to learn new muscle memory applied to ground fighting. Plus, I don’t want to freak out either if some dummy tries to tackle me or dive for my legs.
Most Wing Chun fighters don’t practice enough to know how to deal, evade, or take advantage of a ground fighting opportunity. And that’s too bad.
But I pity the fool who tries to go to the ground with a solid Wing Chun fighter. There are no rules, right? That ground fighter will have to deal with eye gouges, blown ear drums, explosive attacks to the neck and throat, even biting.
I recommend any Wing Chun fighter to learn at least basic ground fighting skills. If you’re lucky your kwoon (like mine) will have ground fighting as applied to Wing Chun along with locks, breaks, sweeps, and take downs as finishing moves.
At the very least, knowing how to fall and roll is an important skill for your overall health and well-being
Before Wing Chun I practiced Aikido and knowing how to fall and roll saved my butt in many occasions that had nothing to do with martial arts.
One time as I rode my bicycle home on the sidewalk, a truck popped out from an alley and slammed right into my side sending me sailing into the middle of the street.
Because I had muscle memory about “flying” and rolling out of it I ended up with a few scrapes and a hairline fracture on one finger. That’s it.
I was actually able to ride my twisted bike home and get medical attention (that’s the beauty of endorphins).
