I don't know anything about WC, but here's what I've gathered:
- WC focuses on fighting in 'trapping range' which would be between 'long striking' range and clinching range.
- Like pretty much any other MA, it would give you a huge advantage vs. an untrained combatant in a fight.
- It has been suggested that it is a bad 'system' for a fighter. If I might try to interpret that, the problem is as follows: It is extremely difficult to force your opponent to fight at 'trapping range'. Vs a boxer, it will be difficult to avoid fighting at 'striking range'. Vs a grappler, it will be difficult to avoid clinching.
- It was suggested that WC developed as a response to other forms of kung fu. So perhaps where it was developed, most other trained combatants _preferred_ trapping range. WC then specialized in fighting in that range even further. When it originated, it might have then seemed 'invincible' - the only likely opponents either were untrained or would choose to fight at trapping range.
- The hand traps and some other techniques appear to be situationally effective.
- (not just from this thread) street effectiveness is somewhat different from ring effectiveness. On the street, you might be fighting a group, you might be fighting an armed opponent. That said, introduction of a knife to your opponent would - to me - make 'trapping range' even more undesireable. A karate style approach - keeping distance, jumping in to land one strike and jumping out - would likely be the best bet. Of course we can imagine scenarios where you would be in trapping range, but that doesn't mean it should be the _basis_ of your fighting set.
So ... would most people agree:
- WC could have some useful techniques for any fighter to use.
- WC as a primary basis, if intended to be used against other trained fighters, MUST address how to get and maintain the desired range.
Another question ... would 'trapping range' striking and parrying practice be useful in defending (or launching) GnP? The video of the two masters rolling around made me consider that the distance between heads/shoulders during GnP might be similar to 'trapping range'.
I agree with everything you said except the knife scenario. We saw how easy it was to get into "stab," range in one of the earlier videos. At that point, I'd much rather know a trapping based art with a heavy focus on blocking/parrying/deflecting than anything else. I'd say the answer to all your questions at the end was yes. Some of the guys I grapple/cross train with have experimented with trapping from guard positions and it works well to clear the head for strikes.
I agree with most of this. It appears that WC is only effective at this "trapping" range. How would you maintain this desired range against another experienced non-WC fighter?
I'm curious as to how this could be applied to GnP. Any WC practitioners here that have also experimented with trapping range with GnP?