I’ve been talking quite a bit with Breki about Wing Chun, a martial art that he recommended, since he’s going to start training it this spring. I’m seriously considering joining him. It seems to be pretty much what I’m looking for: it’s based almost entirely on speed and dexterity, not strength. It’s equally offensive and defensive, with the following meme:

Wing Chun is a counter fighting system. Ninety-five percent of Wing Chun hand techniques are countering applications. Only five percent of the system can be used offensively and then in only the direst situations. The system is heavily influenced by the Buddhist founders and lacks offensive opening moves. In Wing Chun, defense is the offense.

In other words, Wing Chun isn’t about starting fights, it’s about ending them. Making the last blow is better than making the first.

But I’m not interested in beating the crap out of people. As mentioned in a previous post, I’m mainly interested in improving my physical condition. Going to the gym would probably bore me very quickly, and I’ve never been the kind of guy who would enjoy running around on a lawn chasing an inflated pig stomach. A martial art, however, sounds more fun. The philosophy intrigues me.

Historically, it’s 2-300 years old, depending on what sources you read — here’s one, for starters. Wing Chun was, supposedly, the martial art that Bruce Lee started with.

Update: here is a video (3,0Mb, now hosted locally) showing Wing Chun sparring against a dummy. Looks very swift and fluid. Yup, I might like training this.