Ben's Response To R. Downey Jr. & Nicolas Cage

http://wingchunclub.blogspot.com
Wing Chun Training

I would like to respond first to Nicolas Cage. I thought his Wing Chun practice was decent. It was similar to the way we practice Wing Chun. I dont want to really trash these guys cause I thought their portrayal of Wing Chun was not over the top. I did think it was a little dubious when his apprentice became skilled in Wing Chun after 3 weeks.

Robert Downey Jr. on the other hand is a different story. I thought he was very disrespectful to the Wing Chun system. I felt that he trivialized Wing Chun. At the start of the interview he claimed to have a lot of respect for the Wing Chun system, yet he not only made light of it, but he also gave away the intermost secrets! For god's sake him and David Letterman were openly making fun of it!

The other thing about BJ is that it doesnt work unless you are already good at Wing Chun. You try to poke someone in the eye in a fight without knowing what your doing and one of two things is going to happen: either you assailant is going to get very angry and really hurt you - or you are going to get arrested for maiming him.

If you say you have respect for the Wing Chun system and that you are trying to promote it - dont then turn around and trivialize it on national TV!

Category:

Sports

Tags:

• Robert Downey Jr.
• David Letterman
• Nicolas Cage
• Mainstream Wing Chun

[00nyx00]

If we respect an idea we will eventually idolize it. Perhaps Robert Downey was bringing up a good point. Maybe he was just being funny. Either way he made you look at an IDEA in a different way, which is never a bad thing.

[ben95619]

Thanks for leaving such a detailed comment. What you say is true - Robert Downey did make me look at an idea in a different way. Still, I feel he could have done so in a more respectful manner. It's not that there are hidden secrets in Wing Chun that he has disrespected us by revealing... the only real "secret" in martial arts is how hard you have to work to be proficient. Its his trivialization of the art that I have a problem with. When something is important it should never be taken lightly.

[5764830]

all you say is true and genuine but my point of view is that Robert D Jr trivialialisation belongs to the nature of the kind of show he was in and we should take it less serious and more like a popularisation of wing chun, wich could make possible for you and for other good teachers to live out of the art they love.

[ben95619]

You comment is sound, however, to trivialize the secrets of your art - even to promote it, I think shows a certain disrespect. Thanks for leaving a good comment!

[pouecc]

i think you are taking this too seriously- also the Biu Tze form is no longer secret anymore. dont forget wing chun is the most popular practiced martial arts in the world, so please do not talk like wing chun belongs to you, or that you are any better than anyone else. so just shut up and keep your stupis comments to your self.

[ben95619]

1. Martial Arts study is always something to be taken seriously - we are training ourselves to injure and even kill other human beings.

2. Not at any time have I insinuated that Wing Chun belongs to me or that I am better then other people. I merely request that people show the proper respect for the art they practice.

3. Shut up and keep my stupid comments to myself? Thank god educators don't think like this or we would still be living in caves and stoning each other.

[jeffjen652]

I agree 100% with Gridfire, I think your rant about Robert D. Jr. is unnecessary. He actually meant the technique of Bil sau, he did the movement alot during the show. Bitching about it just makes you look like a follower(Sifu Z), and a chump.

[rickolini]

Downey was being funny cause thats what he does best. On Letterman something will always be made fun off. This was positive for wing chun. Get over yourselves.

[EBB47]

I thought Biu Jee was too occupy or slip past the opponents center line with a palm facing up with relaxed fingers ... and could lightly be turned into a weapon. The whole idea of poking eyes with it is ridiculous.

[SFmaster23]

Making fun of Wing Chun?

Wow, I think you really took it the wrong way.

Even serious political subjects are taken in a jokingly manner in shows like Jon Stewart or Steven Colbert.

[mertles02]

I agree, I think with certain personalities teachers should approach showing the more dangerous techniques with caution, not before a high degree of skill and humilty is earned

[Cal1skater]

I agree that he showed a little bit of disrespect but surely the important part of the WC system is the concepts and ideas and the understanding of the application which RD jr didn't show or mention in any detail really. so from my point of view the only thing the viewer gained was some useless choreography

[njac1946]

too serious

[00nyx00]

Secondly, why does wing chun deserve respect? And note, I'm not trying to troll your comments page. But why does it? A gun can kill you just as well. So can a toddler accidently tripping you on the sidewalk. Because it's old? Christianity is old too, and neither me nor you respect it. Ideas shouldn't be respected, they should be taken apart with every tool we have. We should constantly analyze them and rebuild them, throwing out the waste and keeping or building anew what we need in the moment.

[00nyx00]

It seems to me that there should be no "secret move" in a system. While while people in times past have done this, we need to learn from their mistakes. How many phony sifu do you think there are in america purporting that they have some hidden "secret" that nobody else has, that they'll tell you for 9.95 plus S+H? We need to get away from the dogma of secret moves and all that. Because a move that is hidden away, above all other ideas of open information, is a seldom tested move...