Frequently Asked Questions

1. Rating: +1

   

   Which is the best martial art?

   I’m asked this question by everyone. In one sense, there’s no best martial art: You can always find a student of another martial art who will be able to kick your student’s ass, if you look hard enough – achievement in martial arts is extremely dependent on the degree to which the student is talented, well-instructed, and dedicated.

   There are, however, four things about Wing Tzun that make it an unusually effective system in real self-defense, as opposed to a sports competition.

   First, practitioners are trained to respond to tactile as well as visual cues from their opponent. Why is this important? Because close combat is a chaotic situation. In a real fight, things will happen too fast for you to see what’s going on. You will not have time to analyze the situation or make complex decisions about the best way to respond.

   A system that relies upon visual cues only to guide its defensive reactions is probably doomed to fail, since everything will happen too fast for you to react effectively.

   Humans are unpredictable. A human opponent will not necessarily be in any way logical—he might jab like Muhammed Ali, he might try to bite your nose off; he might try to wrestle you; he might be a smart fighter; he might be dumb; he might be on drugs.

   In a smart system, the basic techniques will be applicable to almost every situation. Wing Tzun, in this sense, is a smart system: You are trained to respond kinesthetically, using techniques that are effective in all of these situations.

   Second, Wing Tzun emphasizes not getting hit. In a real fight, it’s easy to hit an opponent. The difficult thing is not getting hit yourself. Unlike the blows in simulated situations such as rings and octagons, a bare-knuckle punch can be lethally dangerous.

   In a competition match where people are wearing gloves and protective gear, you can afford to take a punch or two, and if you return with twice as many punches, you might well win. In a real attack, you can’t afford to take a single punch. It’s just too dangerous. But this doesn’t mean that we’re always in a defensive posture: Quite the contrary. In Wing Tzun, we are always on the aggressive. We avoid getting hit by using techniques that defend and attack at the same time.

   Third, it emphasizes the training of intuitive reactions. You are trained you to react instinctively, not analytically, with effective protective and defensive counter-measures. Again, this is important because real fights are chaotic. Real stress causes people to forget what they’ve learned, lose their fine motor coordination, and panic. You do not want to be standing there thinking, “Now let’s see, he’s got a broken-off beer bottle, I think we studied what to do about that when we were training that obscure Preying Mantis form, didn’t we? How did that go?” You want to instinctively, without thinking, do something that will protect you and injure him. This is what EBMAS Wing Tzun emphasizes.

   Fourth, the system is complete, not eclectic. The techniques we use are meant to be used together and to reinforce each other. In a so-called eclectic system, you might, for example, learn a block or a parry that resembles one of our Wing Tzun blocks, but absent the larger context of Wing Tzun footwork, posture, balance, and reflex training, this block will not be anywhere near as effective.

   An eclectic system tends to be less effective in a real situation because again, in the chaos and confusion of a real fight, you do not want to be standing there, scratching your head, trying to remember which technique you’re supposed to be applying (“Do I grapple? Punch? Block? Parry? Duck? Weave? Growl like a tiger?). You want to have a single set of reflexes. A properly trained Wing Tzun fighter doesn’t ask these questions. No matter the circumstances – standing, on the ground – he punches in a way that also protects him from incoming blows.

2. Rating: +2

   

   Martial arts sounds kind of scary and macho. I'm not into that. Will I fit in?

   Martial arts isn’t about having a macho, hostile attitude toward other people. It’s about protecting yourself from the people who do. Don’t worry, you’ll fit in.

3. Rating: +1

   

   How Should I choose a martial arts instructor?

   Here are some questions you should ask about anyone from whom you’re thinking of taking martial arts lessons.

   First, does he or she train daily? (many instructors tell you how many years they were doing martial arts rather than how much training, effort and time they put in all those years.) Can he actually do what he’s talking about? Knowing the theory is one thing – being able to apply it is entirely different. It’s fine, for example, to have a boxing coach who just coaches and doesn’t ever box: Boxing is simple enough – because there are rules -- for this to be reasonable. In boxing there are no kicks, elbows, knees, hitting below the belt, head butts, biting. Moreover, if someone is about to get seriously injured, the match will be stopped. A real self-defense situation is vastly more complex. Your instructor should be someone who practices what he teaches and knows the system not theoretically, but as an expert practitioner.

   Second, although it is important to be an expert practitioner, you also want your instructor to understand the theory behind the system – and to be able to explain it to you. In other words, you don’t just want someone who can do what the theory says, you want someone who understands the theory.

   Third, is he (or she) really interested in teaching, or is he just on an ego trip? No matter how many fights he’s won, or how deep his knowledge of the system, if all he’s interested in is being venerated as a martial arts master, he’s of no use to you. You need an instructor who doesn’t think he’s too good to answer your questions – which in the beginning may be very basic – and who has the patience to show you the same things over and over. You need an instructor who actually enjoys teaching and takes pleasure in seeing his students make progress.

   Fourth, does he have a reputable background? Too many martial arts instructors have had no real training in the art they profess to teach. Unfortunately, there is no way for most students to know whether an instructor’s diplomas and credentials mean much: You can’t graduate from the Harvard School of Wing Tzun. But a good clue is whether an instructor has himself studied with a single instructor over a long period of time. Someone who has taken 300 lessons from 300 different instructors probably doesn’t know anything he’s learned in depth.

   Fifth, will this instructor allow you to progress as far and as fast as your talent and commitment permit? A common failing of many martial arts schools is keeping students in stasis – either out of a misplaced sense that this is good for them, or simply because the instructor doesn’t know enough to teach an intermediate or advanced-level student.

   Sixth, is this instructor sensitive to students’ varying emotional needs and learning styles? Because by nature the martial arts involve physical contact and the simulation of aggression, you want an instructor who is able to strike the right balance, for each student, between giving them an experience that will prepare them for the reality of a fight and making the classroom a safe, supportive and pleasant environment. It is also important to find an instructor who understands that not everyone learns in the same way, and who can vary his teaching style to suit the student.

4. Rating: +1

   

   I’m a woman. Will I feel comfortable in your class?

   Many women, especially in Turkey, are uncomfortable with the idea of studying martial arts: They fear the environment will be macho and male-dominated. Although our classes do tend to attract more men than women, we’d like to improve this situation: We believe women, especially, need self-defense skills. We are committed to making women feel welcome and comfortable in our classes – and we have a number of outstanding female martial artists among our ranks.

5. Rating: +0

   

   What will I do in my first class?

   Before the class, we’ll have a chat in private about your fitness level, your experience of other martial arts, and your medical history – we need to know if you have any injuries or other impediments to using a full range of motion. We’ll talk about your goals and we’ll get a sense of where you want to go with Wing Tzun.

   In your first class, you’ll learn the fundamental principles and theory of Wing Tzun. You’ll get individual attention to help you catch up. We’ll go through the basic punches and kicks. This will probably be a bit confusing for most students: This is normal.

   Sihing Egemen encourages students to ask questions and to speak up if there’s something about the system that doesn’t make sense to them.

   The first and second week will also be about learning the basics. You’ll probably be working on your own or with other very new beginners.

   After you have a grasp of the basics, you’ll be integrated into the class. You’ll start training with other students. We recommend you commit to two months at least of class before deciding whether Wing Tzun is right for you. It is hard to tell on the basis of only a class or two, because the first classes are not typical of what you’ll be doing in two months’ time.

   Classes are varied so students are constantly stimulated and the lessons are fresh and challenging. For example, we might begin the class by practicing a form, or we might begin – depending on the student’s level – by practicing defense against multiple armed opponents. We might then practice fighting from the ground, or do drills to improve your reflexes and reaction time.

   After 6-8 months, you’ll have seen techniques for countering all the ways that an unarmed, single opponent could attack you.

   After eight months, you’ll begin your Chi-Sao training, which will introduce you to the heart of Wing Tzun. Chi Sao is Wing Tzun’s training method for teaching students to use an opponent’s strength against him. This is a principle of all martial arts, but our training method is unusual.

6. Rating: +0

   

   What is Chi Sao? What is not Chi Sao?

   Contrary to popular belief – and many instructors, even in other Wing Tzun schools, tend to be confused about this – Chi Sao does not simulate a fight. Chi Sao allows us to train our basic reflexes. It trains you to respond intuitively and instinctively to incoming force with an effective countermeasure. It’s not enough to understand the theory of how to avoid being hit—you need to have the reflex deeply engrained in your muscle memory. This is why we spend so much time on Chi Sao.

7. Rating: +0

   

   What is Escrima?

   Escrima is a Filipino martial art of unknown origin. It’s chiefly a system for using weapons or for using ordinary objects as weapons. It also teaches you what to do if you don’t have a weapon and your opponent does, or might.

8. Rating: +0

   

   Would Sihing Egemen be able to do all those things?

   Yes.

9. Rating: +0

   

   If someone is promising this, beware:

   Ten easy lessons to self-defense: No such thing.
   Self-defense in a weekend workshop: No such thing.
   Magical secrets of self-defense through Chi power: No such thing.
   Making you a master of all the traditional forms in two years: Traditional forms won’t do you much good in a real fight.

10. Rating: +0

    

    Is this good exercise?

    Classes vary a lot: Some classes are more oriented toward learning theory, others will cultivate strength, endurance, coordination and flexibility. In general, you’ll end up sweating. Although this isn’t a fitness class, per se, you’ll probably end up expending more energy than you would in a fitness class. People who stick with it do become very fit. They usually stick with it because they love it, and fitness is a benefit.

11. Rating: +0

    

    Is this fun?

    If you enjoy athletic pursuits in a sociable environment, and if you want to learn how to defend yourself from violence, this class is fun – and useful. We are not grim or humorless about this: The class environment is relaxed and we won’t make you stand in horse-stance for two hours or anything.

12. Rating: +0

    

    Can I get instruction in English?

    Yep. You’re reading this in English, aren’t you? Sihing Egemen is bilingual.

13. Rating: +0

    

    Who do you teach?

    Any student who is willing to learn, regardless of fitness level or martial arts experience, but right now we don’t have classes for kids under 14. We might in the future.

So the question you wanted to ask wasn’t on the list?

No worries. If you have a question related martial arts, you can use the form below to ask it.

I will try to reply your question asap via e-mail and if it’s frequent enough I will add it to FAQ page