Ving Tsun in the Era of Mixed Martial Arts

Ever since Royce Gracie tapped out numerous opponents starting in 1993 with the advent of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, mixed martial arts has become quite popular.  Since the new hybrid mixed martial arts style has dominated in the cage, many say that ving tsun and other traditional martial arts are no longer valid.  This is not true.

In ving tsun, we train for violent confrontation on the streets.

We need a system that will work when we are sick, tired, injured, or otherwise not on top of our game.  Violence does not wait to occur at the precise time a 12 week training cycle comes to a peak.  Attackers do not select their victims based on weight class.  They do not fight you one at a time.  Concealed weapons may be involved.  No medical staff is standing by a few feet away.  There are no rounds and no referees, no predetermined time or place.  The ground may have debris and broken glass on it and the attacker’s friends may be standing by to give you a good kick making groundfighting very dangerous.  The area may not be well lit.  You may not have your support team with you.

There are no rounds for you to rest between.  In fact, we strive to end a confrontation as quickly as possible.

Ving tsun is not a sport.

Watching two highly trained athletes go toe-to-toe is highly entertaining, but it’s important to recognize mixed martial arts for what it is: a sport.  I have a great deal of respect for mixed martial art athletes.  The training is intense and to compete at a high level requires a lot of dedication.   Some attributes developed in the sport will carry over to the street but some skills learned could put one’s life in jeopardy if applied in a self defense situation.

Ving tsun develops the nervous system, mind, and body to handle multiple attackers and larger opponents.  It is as pertinent in today’s world as it was when first developed hundreds of years ago.

Train hard and relax hard.