Wing Chun/Jun Fan and body-frame and size?

[Furniturepal]

I recall an article in a martial arts magazine stating that Jun Fan/Wing Chun was primarily only effective if practiced by short people and/or people with small or medium body frames.

I also wonder about this theory even more now that I realize I've never heard of someone over 5 ft. 7 in. doing Wing Chun. Don't get me wrong, the art appears to be spectacular. I'm just wondering if it's easy for someone with a large body-frame and height (6'1") to learn Jun Fan or Wing Chun and be as fast and effective as Bruce Lee, Tommy Carruthers, etc. Are there any tall/fairly large Wing Chun practitioners?

Maybe a stupid subject, but there was nothing stopping me from asking about it.

Thanks.

[aseepish]

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

[Ghost]

JKD is a philosophy not a system. although now it is pretty much a system and has defeated its own point.
JKD though as it was meant to be is for any size. because the idea is to learn what works for you and disregard what doesnt, from any system you choose to study.
so you go to different martial arts schools and learn from them.
not sure how JKD schools fit into this. but oh well. guess they teach what they think works for everyone. apparantly not though^^^

[Furniturepal]

Thanks Ghost. I'm not especially talking about Jeet Kune Do though. I fully understand Jeet Kune Do is a concept. I'm mainly talking about Wing Chun and most of Bruce Lee's techniques. Do you think they could be practiced and used properly by a tall person or a person with a large body frame? Or am I just pursuing a very stupid question?

[Ghost]

Thanks Ghost. I'm not especially talking about Jeet Kune Do though. I fully understand Jeet Kune Do is a concept. I'm mainly talking about Wing Chun and most of Bruce Lee's techniques. Do you think they could be practiced and used properly by a tall person or a person with a large body frame? Or am I just pursuing a very stupid question?

sorry mate, many hours with no sleep.
I personally dont see why you cant just scale up, if it works for a short person then it should work for a tall person i guess its more relevant perhaps in relation to the size of your opponent.
afterall height is only reletive isnt it.
a taller person MAY suffer in the speed front but would make up for this with range etc.

[Furniturepal]

Awwww, speed is my absolute favorite element.

I'm currently deciding either to try to learn an MMA combination of Western Boxing, Muay Thai, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and Krav Maga - or Bruce Lee's fighting methods and Krav Maga, along with adding and subtracting certain moves from the style that work and don't work for me (Jeet Kune Do, I guess). I'm leaning 75% towards the later. I can handle myself pretty well, but I'd like to peruse formal training, more involvement, etc. I just recall reading somewhere in a martial arts magazine that Wing Chun only really works for short, small-frame people. (Which might sound ridiculous.)

Thanks for your input, friend.

[Ghost]

Awwww, speed is my absolute favorite element.

I'm currently deciding either to try to learn an MMA combination of Western Boxing, Muay Thai, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and Krav Maga - or Bruce Lee's fighting methods and Krav Maga, along with adding and subtracting certain moves from the style that work and don't work for me (Jeet Kune Do, I guess). I'm leaning 75% towards the later. I can handle myself pretty well, but I'd like to peruse formal training, more involvement, etc. I just recall reading somewhere in a martial arts magazine that Wing Chun only really works for short, small-frame people. (Which might sound ridiculous.)

Thanks for your input, friend.

no problem mate, my advice would be to try all, see which one you like. then pick one and gain a base. study something in depth and learn it fully.
dont chop and change once you have decided.

[wsdddoa012]

response

Very True. JKD is a personal philosophy, sadly many people interpret it differently over the last 34 years.

[heyyou316us]

Very True. JKD is a personal philosophy, sadly many people interpret it differently over the last 34 years.

My thoughts are that you study and can be taught Jun Fan Gung Fu. Jeet Kune do is how you apply it

[Red Rum]

I am 6 foot 3 and 25 stone. Proof that wing chun can be done by any size and shape.

People of smaller frame can move faster, but bigger people can hit harder!!

In martial arts nowadays it really doesn't matter what size you are. Look at that 7 foot tall Russian boxer for example!!

I prefer to be bigger than smaller (I have been both) but everyone is different

[Furniturepal]

6'3" Wing Chun? That honestly gives me hope.

The next step however is learning Wing Chun/Jun Fan. You see, I live in a city of 30,000 in Alaska...and it's hard enough to find any kind of martial arts teachings other than the Karate club (and they're rumored terrible, trust me). The fact that no Wing Chun (and dare I say Jun Fan) teacher exists in my town, yet alone in this entire state, and the known fact that a lot of Wing Chun teachers out there are very bad teachers or just plain cons, kind of puts me in a bad position to learn Wing Chun/Jun Fan.

So that leaves three options: DVDs, books, or a switch to learning more simple MMA-style arts. But, I've never heard that you can actually succeed in learning a martial art from a DVD or book. In fact I've heard the exact opposite, that you can't.

That's going to really suck because three days ago I ordered Tao of Jeet Kune Do, all four Bruce Lee's Fighting Method books, a few more Bruce Lee books, a good Krav Maga book, and George Hjanasr's 3 DVD set, in hopes of eventually (and maybe even futilely) learning Bruce Lee's personal style, or at least Wing Chun or Krav Maga.

I feel like a tool. Am I a tool?

[Red Rum]

6'3" Wing Chun? That honestly gives me hope.

The next step however is learning Wing Chun/Jun Fan. You see, I live in a city of 30,000 in Alaska...and it's hard enough to find any kind of martial arts teachings other than the Karate club (and they're rumored terrible, trust me). The fact that no Wing Chun (and dare I say Jun Fan) teacher exists in my town, yet alone in this entire state, and the known fact that a lot of Wing Chun teachers out there are very bad teachers or just plain cons, kind of puts me in a bad position to learn Wing Chun/Jun Fan.

So that leaves three options: DVDs, books, or a switch to learning more simple MMA-style arts. But, I've never heard that you can actually succeed in learning a martial art from a DVD or book. In fact I've heard the exact opposite, that you can't.

That's going to really suck because three days ago I ordered Tao of Jeet Kune Do, all four Bruce Lee's Fighting Method books, a few more Bruce Lee books, a good Krav Maga book, and George Hjanasr's 3 DVD set, in hopes of eventually (and maybe even futilely) learning Bruce Lee's personal style, or at least Wing Chun or Krav Maga.

I feel like a tool. Am I a tool?

Yes you are. No I'm just kidding. It's frustrating when you don't have places or people to train with. I was lucky in that a wing chun school opened up next door to me!!

Have you seen No Retreat, No Surrender? Your situation sounds like the main characters. Maybe the ghost of Bruce Lee will come and visit you!

[heyyou316us]

6'3" Wing Chun? That honestly gives me hope.

The next step however is learning Wing Chun/Jun Fan. You see, I live in a city of 30,000 in Alaska...and it's hard enough to find any kind of martial arts teachings other than the Karate club (and they're rumored terrible, trust me). The fact that no Wing Chun (and dare I say Jun Fan) teacher exists in my town, yet alone in this entire state, and the known fact that a lot of Wing Chun teachers out there are very bad teachers or just plain cons, kind of puts me in a bad position to learn Wing Chun/Jun Fan.

So that leaves three options: DVDs, books, or a switch to learning more simple MMA-style arts. But, I've never heard that you can actually succeed in learning a martial art from a DVD or book. In fact I've heard the exact opposite, that you can't.

That's going to really suck because three days ago I ordered Tao of Jeet Kune Do, all four Bruce Lee's Fighting Method books, a few more Bruce Lee books, a good Krav Maga book, and George Hjanasr's 3 DVD set, in hopes of eventually (and maybe even futilely) learning Bruce Lee's personal style, or at least Wing Chun or Krav Maga.

I feel like a tool. Am I a tool?

Can you say Craftsman???

[Furniturepal]

Yes you are. No I'm just kidding. It's frustrating when you don't have places or people to train with. I was lucky in that a wing chun school opened up next door to me!!

Have you seen No Retreat, No Surrender? Your situation sounds like the main characters. Maybe the ghost of Bruce Lee will come and visit you!

I'd kill for a reliable Wing Chun school to open up near me. Until then I guess I'll be forced to learn and apply as much as I can via books and DVDs, and hope it works out.

Can you say Craftsman???

Snap-On. =/


Thank you for all the help and replies, guys.

[CheukMo]

I'm in your position. I did study Wing Chun at a good school, but only for a short time. I intend on returning to that school ASAP. IMO, you cannot learn Wing Chun from DVD's or books. You can learn the movements of Jun Fan / Jeet Kune Do from books and DVD's, but not the trapping. I have Jerry Poteet's videos and learned some of the JFJKD movements, footwork, punching and kicking. Nothing is as good as an instructor though. If you can find a partner to study with, it will work a little better. Good luck!