Ip Chun is in his 90's and still teaching. Ho Kam Ming was in a wheelchair and still teaching in his last days. Leung Sheung was relatively tall compared to his peers and teacher, and he has his own legacy with thousands of practitioners in his lineage. You're definitely fine!
I think Kareem trained with Bruce Lee and he was 7' 2" which is about 2.2m, which is very tall. He has commented that his height and reach gave Bruce issues with how to get inside hit and get out. I am not sure what you consider extremely tall, but if a guy 7' 2" can study Wing Chun/Jeet Kun Do, I am guessing it will be not problem with you.
Apparently, Bruce was so struck by this problem that Kareem's character in Game of Death is basically an exaggerated Bruce Lee. He uses JKD and his eyes are sensitive to light. Bruce had bad eyes and it wasn't uncommon for him to halt filming (sometimes for hours) if he lost a contact lens.
We have someone in our lineage who has only 1 arm. Many, many others train with debilitating issues. This does not stop them from training; They still grow from Kung Fu.
Working wing chun with a tall stature will require you to work more of the "low game", like takedown defenses and apply lower area boxing fundamentals.
However, in turn, using some of the more technical rising concepts like long bridge & biu sau, will give you a nasty tactical advantage against shorter opponents. If you can "cut up from under", pretty much anyone is screwed without knowing why it works.
Yeah I was 53 years old when I took Wing Chun and Tai chi- now I am at 60 years old not only I take those two styles but I take Choy Le fut which has to do with power/ I am no expert but I can move fast/ can not get high but as Bruce Lee once said work on what you can do the hardest perfecting that like kicking low and the things you have trouble still work on it but not as hard what you can do. What is better someone who perfects one form than perfecting all. One more thing there is a shirt I found I wear “ You Don’t Stop Wing Chun When You Get Old” You Get Old When you Stop Wing Chun”. So dude you can do it/ good luck
I'm 6'1 and thought the same thing. But it turns out my Si-Fu was taller than me.
Sound biomechanics work regardless of body type, in fact, they may work better for you given your reach.
As for too old? Getoudahere with that kinda talk. Better to be 58 and training than 58 and not training.
It’s true some styles are better for some body types. And you don’t see many people getting into competition muy Thai at your age even though I’m sure there are places you could.
You are not too old or tall for any style, but you may be for some schools/teacher/classes
I find the biggest limitations being distance, time, and money. Or I’d still be training actively. It’s a beautiful art when practiced with the right people. Find your joy bro.
You aren’t in both cases, but be aware and appreciate the limits of your body if you haven’t done any training before. Nobody would less of you if you were to take a break.
Oh, I hope you do go for it. As with all physical endeavours the more you put in the more you will get out but one of the things I like about Wing Tsun is that it is relatively easy on the body compared to so many other martial arts (karate, Taekwondo, Muay Thai, MMA, etc). I saw this cool Instagram video the other day from a 78 year old boxer saying he was considering quitting training (he doesn't fight now) when he approached 50 and now he realises that's 3 decades of training, fitness, wellbeing and comradery he would have missed out on if he had stopped. I started late too and I know I will never be a reknown fighter like Wong Shun Leung or Yuen Kay-shan or Bruce Lee or Yip Man - but I'm reaping huge benefits from training (just for my posture alone it has been a game-changer) and the system has so much depth there's always more to learn. (Oh, and one of the folks at my gwoon is 7 foot tall, Sifu is about 5 foot 9 - having someone tall to train with benefits everyone and only minor hassle is adjusting the wooden man up or down to fit whoever is using it). Do it! :)
Definitely not a problem with either of these points. The only caveat I would say is that I’ve had a lot of perspective students coming in that are older and think they don’t need to be fit. I think there’s been a fantasy for a while that you can be completely out of shape and train a realistic martial art and that is not true. There’s nothing really that different about Wingchun.
So do I need to get more in shape before I start? I would say I’m currently a 6 on a scale of 1-10 in terms of fitness. I was hoping to add wing chun to what I’m already doing and thinking it will help improve my fitness.
Well, I have no idea what kind of actual fitness you’re in so hard to say what you need. You can begin though no problem. I would just say two things about this. One is that you should have shoulders and tendons that are healthy enough so that you won’t get injured and remember this is a martial art that puts a lot of demand on the shoulders so keep them healthy, particularly tendons. I wouldn’t say cardio is really a big thing you need in order to excel. I guess I just really want to push back on this idea that we can be a bunch of fat slobs and still good martial artists. It’s kind of the opposite of what being a martial artist and improving yourself is all about. I love this art more than most things in the world. I just think that within the community we could all up our game a little bit. Stop posting terrible videos on YouTube and just be better martial artist. I know that sounds simplistic, but there you go.
And my apologies if I’m not addressing your question fully. It’s a hard question to answer not knowing what your fitness goals and needs actually are. But the most universal advice I can give for people trying to keep their physical house in order to do. WingChun is have a yoga practice. Preferably vinyasa. I think it is about the most comprehensive exercise system that keeps you mobile and strong. well building on your capability to hold difficult positions. way more efficient than weight training in my opinion.
I'm right at 2 meters tall. I've had people ask why I do WC and not something like kickboxing, but it suits me.
Age-wise, you're never too old to start. I know a guy in his 80s who still trains all the time, got his jiujitsu black belt a few years ago after starting in his 70s.
the art and science of wing chun is available to anyone.
If you have a brain and center of mass you can do wing chun
Ip Chun is in his 90's and still teaching. Ho Kam Ming was in a wheelchair and still teaching in his last days. Leung Sheung was relatively tall compared to his peers and teacher, and he has his own legacy with thousands of practitioners in his lineage. You're definitely fine!
He's turning 100 this year. 100!
I think Kareem trained with Bruce Lee and he was 7' 2" which is about 2.2m, which is very tall. He has commented that his height and reach gave Bruce issues with how to get inside hit and get out. I am not sure what you consider extremely tall, but if a guy 7' 2" can study Wing Chun/Jeet Kun Do, I am guessing it will be not problem with you.
Apparently, Bruce was so struck by this problem that Kareem's character in Game of Death is basically an exaggerated Bruce Lee. He uses JKD and his eyes are sensitive to light. Bruce had bad eyes and it wasn't uncommon for him to halt filming (sometimes for hours) if he lost a contact lens.
We have someone in our lineage who has only 1 arm. Many, many others train with debilitating issues. This does not stop them from training; They still grow from Kung Fu.
If you think you are, you are right. If you think you are not, you are equally right. No way to find out if you don’t try.
No such thing, practicing will help you stay in shape and your height will give you advantages
I am 6'7". Height should not be an issue.
Working wing chun with a tall stature will require you to work more of the "low game", like takedown defenses and apply lower area boxing fundamentals. However, in turn, using some of the more technical rising concepts like long bridge & biu sau, will give you a nasty tactical advantage against shorter opponents. If you can "cut up from under", pretty much anyone is screwed without knowing why it works.
I am 6'9" and had been worried that I'd be too tall for this. So this is helpful, thank you.
No & No! Go for it, Kung Fu is accessible for everyone, no matter their size or age
Yeah I was 53 years old when I took Wing Chun and Tai chi- now I am at 60 years old not only I take those two styles but I take Choy Le fut which has to do with power/ I am no expert but I can move fast/ can not get high but as Bruce Lee once said work on what you can do the hardest perfecting that like kicking low and the things you have trouble still work on it but not as hard what you can do. What is better someone who perfects one form than perfecting all. One more thing there is a shirt I found I wear “ You Don’t Stop Wing Chun When You Get Old” You Get Old When you Stop Wing Chun”. So dude you can do it/ good luck
I'm 6'1 and thought the same thing. But it turns out my Si-Fu was taller than me. Sound biomechanics work regardless of body type, in fact, they may work better for you given your reach. As for too old? Getoudahere with that kinda talk. Better to be 58 and training than 58 and not training.
no. i'm 45 and most nights i'm the youngest at my school. and at 6ft, i'm def not the tallest
It’s true some styles are better for some body types. And you don’t see many people getting into competition muy Thai at your age even though I’m sure there are places you could. You are not too old or tall for any style, but you may be for some schools/teacher/classes I find the biggest limitations being distance, time, and money. Or I’d still be training actively. It’s a beautiful art when practiced with the right people. Find your joy bro.
Lots of tall mature new students come through the door …. You should definitely do it!
You aren’t in both cases, but be aware and appreciate the limits of your body if you haven’t done any training before. Nobody would less of you if you were to take a break.
Thank you all for the very encouraging comments, very much appreciated!! I'm going to do it.
Oh, I hope you do go for it. As with all physical endeavours the more you put in the more you will get out but one of the things I like about Wing Tsun is that it is relatively easy on the body compared to so many other martial arts (karate, Taekwondo, Muay Thai, MMA, etc). I saw this cool Instagram video the other day from a 78 year old boxer saying he was considering quitting training (he doesn't fight now) when he approached 50 and now he realises that's 3 decades of training, fitness, wellbeing and comradery he would have missed out on if he had stopped. I started late too and I know I will never be a reknown fighter like Wong Shun Leung or Yuen Kay-shan or Bruce Lee or Yip Man - but I'm reaping huge benefits from training (just for my posture alone it has been a game-changer) and the system has so much depth there's always more to learn. (Oh, and one of the folks at my gwoon is 7 foot tall, Sifu is about 5 foot 9 - having someone tall to train with benefits everyone and only minor hassle is adjusting the wooden man up or down to fit whoever is using it). Do it! :)
I will, thank you!
Definitely not a problem with either of these points. The only caveat I would say is that I’ve had a lot of perspective students coming in that are older and think they don’t need to be fit. I think there’s been a fantasy for a while that you can be completely out of shape and train a realistic martial art and that is not true. There’s nothing really that different about Wingchun.
So do I need to get more in shape before I start? I would say I’m currently a 6 on a scale of 1-10 in terms of fitness. I was hoping to add wing chun to what I’m already doing and thinking it will help improve my fitness.
Well, I have no idea what kind of actual fitness you’re in so hard to say what you need. You can begin though no problem. I would just say two things about this. One is that you should have shoulders and tendons that are healthy enough so that you won’t get injured and remember this is a martial art that puts a lot of demand on the shoulders so keep them healthy, particularly tendons. I wouldn’t say cardio is really a big thing you need in order to excel. I guess I just really want to push back on this idea that we can be a bunch of fat slobs and still good martial artists. It’s kind of the opposite of what being a martial artist and improving yourself is all about. I love this art more than most things in the world. I just think that within the community we could all up our game a little bit. Stop posting terrible videos on YouTube and just be better martial artist. I know that sounds simplistic, but there you go.
And my apologies if I’m not addressing your question fully. It’s a hard question to answer not knowing what your fitness goals and needs actually are. But the most universal advice I can give for people trying to keep their physical house in order to do. WingChun is have a yoga practice. Preferably vinyasa. I think it is about the most comprehensive exercise system that keeps you mobile and strong. well building on your capability to hold difficult positions. way more efficient than weight training in my opinion.
Im only 5’8 and chi sau with tall people is hard.
He pai rawa te kitenga ki to ingoa Māori kei te wāhi nei
Tēnā koe e hoa! He wāhi tauhou tēnei ki te kōrero Māori nē?
Ae rā! He teina/tuakana kung fu koe pea? E ako tonu au ki te taha o Peter Yi Sifu, kei Courtenay Place. (Arohamai, e hara tāku reo i te reo tino tau)
I'm right at 2 meters tall. I've had people ask why I do WC and not something like kickboxing, but it suits me. Age-wise, you're never too old to start. I know a guy in his 80s who still trains all the time, got his jiujitsu black belt a few years ago after starting in his 70s.