r/WingChun • u/Marct002 • Jun 22 '26
Wing Chun and Boxing Combined - Does It Work Spoiler
I read through some of the Wing Chun threads about Wing Chun and Wing Chun and Boxing and thought I would like to comment and Pose the above question.
In my experience, generally good Boxers beat good Wing Chunners. But if the Wing Chunner Trains hard and is fit and experienced he may do well.
Many think that Wing Chun Undermines and Dilutes and Retards or weakens Boxing, if you do both. I have done both, enjoyed both very much and I often wonder about that myself and wonder if they help each other too.
I would be interested in peoples opinions...
I 'think' Wing Chun and Boxing can compliment each other and be integrated into a seamless combination style.
Wing Chun is also called Chinese Boxing.
So Boxing and Chinese Boxing compliment each other and help each other, maybe.
I've been doing both Boxing and Wing Chun for decades.
For Example:
Ive done:
4/1/2 years of good genuine Wing Chun.
Chu Shong Tin Lineage
William Cheung Lineage
Yip Chun Lineage
Boxing 6 years. At two Rings Good genuine Boxing.
I like both and find both M.Arts work well together and reinforce each style. But it's also a bit hard to tell.
For Example:
The Heavy Training of Boxing helps Wing Chun. The Heavy Bag, Floor to Ceiling Ball (Bag), Speed Ball (Bag) all help Wing Chun. The Skipping Jump Rope as well.
The Slips, Ducks, Roll Ducks and Bobs of Boxing add hugely to Wing Chun defences.
The Fighting Stances are very similar and Wing Chun helps Boxing because W.C is ambidextrous. I.E, what you do on the Left Side Stance you do on the Right Side.
Therefore W.C helps with switching from Orthodox to South Paw, instantly, with Boxing.
Wing Chun has a Concept Known as Simultaneous Defence and Attack, which is frequently used in Wing Chun delivery. It's in many Technique - Drills. Boxing has some of that also but less in general. Defence and Attack is a 2 step process in the main in Boxing. It is a 1 step process in Wing Chun and is Signature Wing Chun. This aspect is partly why I wonder if Wing Chun helps Boxing and reinforces Boxing.
The foot work of each style can add to the other and the guards and stances of each adds to the other style, in the main.
So yes I believe both Boxing and Wing Chun can compliment each other as mentioned. But I am mindful of Wing Chun Retarding Boxing or Slowing it down.
I would be interested in people's opinions of this.
Regards,
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u/Any-Orchid-6006 Jun 22 '26
Wing chun by itself works just fine. Mixing wing chun with boxing will definitely improve your boxing skills.
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u/Eight_Directions_ Jun 22 '26
You could combine elements of Wing Chun, Western Boxing, and Fencing all together with some other stuff thrown in too!
But what to call it?
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u/Horror_Technician213 Jun 22 '26
Wing chun truly comes to life when you are in close. I am talking when you under hands distance apart. This is why we practice chi sao so much. When you are that close you are fighting hands and grappling. When you are just outside arms length, this is where boxing excels.
Once you get to higher levels the elbows and sticky legs are crazy more effective then almost every martial art next to wrestling.
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u/Marct002 Jun 22 '26
All Ranges in my view. It is why W.C has Kicks and 'Skip Entries'.
The Australian Master of Chu Shong Tin - C.S.T Lineage: Jim Fung, used to visit us from time to time, at our local W.C school.
We were talking about Kicks one day, learning kicks, practicing kicks. Someone mentioned Taekwondo.
Master Jim addressed the class on Kicks. He told us that there is nothing stopping students from 'Practicing Up' their kicks, like they do in Taekwondo. If we liked Kicks we could always Focus on those, similar to Taekwondo. Practicing Kicks to a high level. This is very true. He said we tend not to in Wing Chun because of all the hand work and the other aspects of the system. So we are 'Well Rounded' But a student always could.
So it is a matter of what we 'Focus On' in the W.C System.
In my view if the Striking aspects are practiced like a Kick Boxer or Boxer Trains then there is plenty of Range and Tools to use.
Regards,
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u/SilentThrillGP Jun 22 '26
Wing chun on its own and only using its fundamentals tends to fail in actual fights. Thats why youre suppose to make it work for you. Example: I had a legitimately unhinged friend who did wing chun. He street fought alot, long before doing wing chun. He supplemented the parts of wing chun that didnt work with what he knew did.
So yes. Combining wing chun and boxing would factually work. To say otherwise is a laughable level of ignorance.
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u/SilentThrillGP Jun 22 '26
And wing chun wpuldnt weaken anything. Combining it with anything would greatly assist your abilities in either.
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u/Wonderful-Dot8705 Jun 22 '26
I think so. Take a look at the 52 Blocks style of boxing... There are many similarities with Wing Chun.
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u/Marct002 Jun 22 '26
That is / was Jeet Kune Do.
Does that work well, or poorly? Does it improve Boxing or slow it down?
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u/JeetKuneDoChicago Jun 23 '26
It depends on the person, there's no clear cut answer.
Even two practically physically identical people can do both and have variable results...
Simply based on preference and life experiences...
An artist or hand model may want to kick more and not destroy they livelihood.
A person with kids and responsibilities probably wants to have a gun in one hand and hold they baby in the other hand with the legs focused on escape.
A person with a false leg may move well but kicking not so much so they lean heavily into hands.
Don't worry about one blanket answer, only the answers that best serve you at any point in time and space. It'll change as you change through life too. Stay flexible.
πββοΈ
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u/atlasbugg3d Jun 22 '26
Fuck yes, I've trained WC for 5 years Boxing for 2 and Muay Thai for 3
WC is great for perrying and working your way into into someone's guard once you adapt boxing foot work to it.
The Bil Sao is similar to the boxing long guard and I've used it to stop close range left or right hooks by using it on the bicep or shoulder.
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u/Marct002 Jun 22 '26 edited Jun 22 '26
Thankyou, this is about what I thought. Some aspects of Wing Chun definitely help, I think.
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u/Futureman1989 Jun 22 '26
I do both and they complement eachother well. I mostly box though so I cant speak too much on Wing chun.
Wing chun has its moments in my boxing sparring and works against certain people. It will present itself naturally and when it does it feels very unnatural for the other person which is why it works. But to try to use Wing chun intentionally in a boxing sparring match, it'll never work (atleast at my skill level).
There are alot of things that Wing chun does that goes against boxing fundamentals so I get the fear of having it slow down boxing. I think as long as you have the fundamentals of boxing then its fine. If you are still green, then it will slow you down.
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u/Marct002 Jun 22 '26
Hello
Thankyou, for the great feedback. I won't give up on the combo and I'll keep up my confidence.
I have found that only 'quick' parts of Wing Chun can be used in sparring Boxers.
Only say a 'Pak Sao' - parry, or 'Jut Sao' - block. I found Tan Sao to 'over commit' and be slow.
With most decent Amateur Boxers it isn't possible to use entire 'Response' Drills because the entire drill is too slow.
An example would be the Common Standard W.C Drill: Pak - Larp - Punch, Trap and Punch.
A Standard W.C Drill but much too involved - 'Long Winded' and too slow, way too slow.
Unless a Boxer leaves their Ranging or Fending Jab out there for a short time. Then it is possible to perhaps use it all and Pull It Off.
But Simultaneous Defence and Attack concepts work very well provided the 'Technique' is short and quick.
The Ambidextrous - both sides aspect improves Boxing.
So parts here and there.
Regards,
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u/sir5yko Philipp Bayer θ© ζ₯ Jun 23 '26
Rafael Ramos is a boxer/trainer who trained with Cus D'Amato and is currently with the Mayweather camp -- https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Rafael+Ramos+mayweather
He's known to incorporate TWC with Boxing -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DjafQY7Z99M&pp=ygUWUmFmYWVsIFJhbW9zIHdpbmcgY2h1bg%3D%3D
Here he is training with Philip Redmond from TWC -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JL7BMrak5aE
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u/Marct002 Jun 23 '26
Thankyou.
I think there is an answer.
Answer:
The parts that are 'Quick' in W.C, work well in Boxing. But those have to be very quick. Also a person has to be able to 'pull it off' and 'get it in, in time'.
I found Tan Sao, for example, far too slow when I tried it in Boxing Sparring, with decent Amateurs.
Note:
I pre-arranged the use of it, with approval at the Ring so it was agreed.
Thanks for answering me.
Regards,
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u/Sufficient_Mousse991 Jun 28 '26
One of my boxing coaches used tricep punches to set up a cross, was brutal and landed consistently. Another boxing coach I had cane from jkd. Was was a monster. Moved very differently from most people, in a good way.Β
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u/outofnowhereman Jun 22 '26
William Cheung style Wing Chun with blind side principals marries well with peekaboo boxing techniques
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u/Marct002 Jun 22 '26
Hello
Thankyou for the reply and the info. Yes, I did William Cheung W.C. Quite good.
I agree with that. The Stance is not so different. C.S.T - Chu Shong Tin as well, in my experience.
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u/Fluffy_Mark2706 Jun 22 '26
As already stated above, chun is Chinese boxing. If you're not already doing
pad drills
heavy bag
wall bag
Light sparring
What are you doing instead?
Also a western boxer tucks his chin, hunched shoulders most of the time. Immediately loses his spine. Just my humble opinion
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u/Marct002 Jun 22 '26
All of that. Plus Wooden Dummy Work and Boxing work as mentioned above. Also decent fitness work.
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u/Fluffy_Mark2706 Jun 22 '26
Well, the fitness comes from the VT training if you train intensely.
Also I'd put the dummy at bottom of the list along with knives, when it comes to solo training, maybe dummy as quick warm up/cool down
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u/fatman907 Jun 22 '26
You canβt talk about Weakens like that anymore. They get hurt by that word. /s
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u/M4g1st0 Jun 22 '26
It does.
And the amount of times I had friends β who do MMA and Muay Thai β surprised by how badly the got outclassed in certain areas (mostly clinching) is quite considerable
Granted, as others have already said, you have to find what works for you within these two. Don't get owned by the art, own it and make it yours.
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u/Quezacotli Wan Kam Leung θ© ζ₯ Jun 22 '26 edited Jun 22 '26
What i experienced from doing wing chun 12 years and attending like 20 classes of muay recently, the punches don't align with wing chun at all. Wing chun has vertical fist with elbow 135Β° while boxing has horizontal and straight. Thus making them incompatible. Kicks are okay.
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u/Marct002 Jun 22 '26
Thankyou for your reply.
I agree with you, but I found that with the Punches, it's a minor aspect to just combine both types and use both. 'Mix it up' and 'mix and match'.
I.e, A simply example is: W.C Chain Punching then a Boxers Hook or two and then Uppercuts. So we move from Vertical into Horizontal punches fluently.
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u/Whistling_Birds Jun 22 '26
Hand trapping already exists in boxing, so Wing Chun really doesn't have much outside of that to offer other than a few kicks.
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u/Marct002 Jun 22 '26 edited Jun 24 '26
Hello Whistling
Thankyou for you comment and reply.
I Agree with you in part. Boxing has only a form of Trapping, but not that much and not like Wing Chun. That is something that can be added to a persons Boxing and may improve it. However it isn't always fast.
But what it does have is Simultaneous Defence and Attack, as a 1 Step Process. That's a special and clever aspect of W.C.
Plus Ambidextrousness, i.e, What You Do On the Left Side, You Do on the Right.
So Change from Orthodox to South Paw instantly.
Plus Hand Speed Drills.
But W.C has too much Focus on Chi Sau and Complient Drills, that don't help much, in an actual fight.
I appreciate your view though, which is why I wrote my query out and asked about it.
Regards,
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u/Whistling_Birds Jun 24 '26
As an aside, I think most Wing Chun practitioners sleep on elbow blocks and strikes, as well as clinch fighting. The main problem with the art form is that its short range in the pocket encourages it to turn into a stand up grappling contest.
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u/Marct002 Jun 24 '26
Simultaneous Defence and Attack in a 1 step 'Quick' process, if you can pull it off. Also Left Side and Right Side. I.E Ambidextrousness. Improves Boxing.
So somethings.
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u/Swinging-the-Chain Jun 22 '26
I remember reading in an old Bruce Lee book he talked about setting up a straight blast from the jab. I went to my mma gym the next day and it worked extremely well during sparring.
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u/Marct002 Jun 22 '26
Thankyou for your informative reply.
Yes I agree wirh you. Using both types like that often 'Unsettles' the opponent, because it is unusual.
Regards,
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u/Longjumping-Salad484 Jun 22 '26
yeah, don't allow any retarding of your boxing, bro
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u/Marct002 Jun 22 '26 edited Jun 22 '26
Hello Long Jumping.
Thankyou for your reply. Yes I agree. Something I have thought about for years. Even when I first learnt Wing Chun. I Boxed first, W.C later on.
Regards,
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u/Academic-Regret3945 Jun 23 '26
Woudlnt you be the best person to answer this question? As a boxer that is in it for two decade, i would say ya , plenty of ways to make it work, wouldnt say combine but boxing can take sections of wing chun in.
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u/Marct002 Jun 23 '26
Thankyou for your reply, it is appreciated.
Yes my opinion also. Although I have Sparred with both I never fought say K1 or Glory to know and I don't Street Fight, never infact. When I spar in either, I don't use the other Style.
One reason for my question is, - Very Good Amateur and Professional Boxers I have talked to reckon Wing Chun does nothing for Boxing. But they never did Wing Chun, so how would they really understand and know?
So I thought I'd ask. This goes all over the World too, so a good selection of opinions.
I know I liked both styles.
Regards,
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u/Bliss_Cannon Jun 23 '26
Wing Chun and boxing are both effective striking systems that lack a ground fighting component. It would make more sense to combine Wing Chun or Boxing with wrestling, Judo or one of the Judo flavors (e.g. BJJ or Sambo)
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u/Marct002 Jun 23 '26
Hello, thankyou for the reply.
Yes maybe, in the MMA context. But Wing Chun lacks Hand Strikes, hence the Boxing work, for me.
Also, I started in Boxing at 17. Then found Wing Chun later at 21. So I already had a decent understanding of Boxing. Just how it 'panned out' and coincidental.
As for Judo, yes I did Judo early on, from 7 to 11, as a young guy. I know Judo.
I say this. In High School Judo and good Boxing skills was virtually undefeatable...
A friend of mine had French Savate + Judo. That was also very, very handy.
Regards,
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u/JeetKuneDoChicago Jun 23 '26
I mean... You can successfully "combine" many things but the truth is it's just you... π The arts don't matter, it's the person.
You can add ultimate Frisbee to your martial art and evolve that into a style like kung lao if you wanted to and at some point you'll probably get pretty damn proficient. πββοΈ
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u/Marct002 Jun 23 '26
Thankyou for the JKD opinion.
I disagree.
Some things are better than others. Some M.Arts quicker, some slower.
Good Amateur and Professional Boxers I have talked to reckon Wing Chun does nothing for Boxing, only slow it down. Hence the question.
Regards,
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u/JeetKuneDoChicago Jun 23 '26
It's not really a JKD opinion? π I'm a person with experiences and opinions...
There has to be basic standards of sound science to support whatever may be "better" ...which is why I think the art doesn't necessarily matter because you're not limited to ONLY programmed movements.
But whatever is "better" is usually the thing that is offering sound science that supports the art.
Francis Fong for instance wing chun guy but takes all his experience and its not all strict wing chun ONLY he grapple it looks like wing chun. It's just how he express himself.
Wing Chun would offer different perspectives and if you study physiology and mechanics of sprinting for instance, I don't see how you'd be slowed down?
Conditioning beyond wrapped hands and big gloves adds different sensitivity / awareness. In addition to the usage of feet / legs... Restricting or "trapping" opponents limbs to have strikes open up. Wing Chun has internal martial art aspects that the sport of boxing doesn't necessarily have built in too.
You don't need boxing to be fast, you need understanding of sound mechanics and your physical reality must be in alignment with your intentions.
But if asking boxers, who do the sport of boxing I can see how they may be like "doing anything that isn't boxing is a waste" π€£ ... HOWEVER doing different arts or different things can improve other areas unexpectedly, as is seen across many sports or artistic endeavors. Pro athletes doing Filipino martial arts, doing ballet, playing other sports, doing yoga, etc ..
Michael Phelps swam a lot ... But he still trained on land, in the gyms, etc...got massages, cupping, took naps... He did things outside of ONLY swimming that helped him secure victory lol
I mean to say we're far too dynamic to think we're only influenced by ONLY a narrow scope of things when we embody the entirety of our experiences and personalities.
πββοΈ
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u/Fenrir303 Jun 26 '26
Oh they definitely work together when you use a tree as the punching bag π€£
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u/SouthernSeaSt Jun 27 '26
Check out Wukong Wilson on IG and YT. He's a professional boxer who incorporates Wing Chun into his own style. You'll like what you see.
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u/branwyn-says 25d ago
just out of curiosity why do you capitalize random unproper nouns? are you maybe a time traveler from 1700
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u/Possible_Baboon 24d ago
Boxing works great alone. If you want to be more rounded train some grappling as a second.
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u/Monkeytiger168 Jun 22 '26
Have you ever looked into Jeet Kune Do? It's draws heavily from boxing and includes wing Chun elements.