Shannon Moore is a master of Wing Chun Kung Fu in the William Cheung lineage, and the head sifu at Columbia Martial Arts Center in Columbia, Maryland. He’s known as Dai Sanh, which means Big Mountain. Mountains are already big, which would make the phrase seemingly unnecessary, but Master Moore is 350 pounds, so it actually fits.
In the video below Moore was giving a seminar in Chi Sao (sticking hands), a signature component of Wing Chun training. It’s an exercise that develops awareness via touch of the opponent’s structure.
Every combat sports instructor has met “That Guy.” He’s that guy who mistakenly attempts to raise his status by endlessly asking “Yah but what if?” in a challenging fashion. The what ifs are invariably stupid. For the record, the best reply comes courtesy of Renzo Gracie - “What if you eat, and you don’t poop? You blow up.”
In the video below, That Guy is an Isshin Ryu black belt, who wanted to know what if he stood on the outside, and threw kicks. Then what?! Then you wouldn’t be able to get close enough to do Chi Sao, negating the whole thing!
Sife Moore answered the stupid question, twice, and addressed fighting from the outside. Unless Hadouken’s are real, a fight will have contact, so there is no way to stay out of all contact. And Chi Sao is an exercise to develop important qualities, not an actual fighting technique. Unfortunately, That Guy, the unsatisfied Isshin Ryu black belt, was evidently unimpressed, and replied, 'Why don’t you do it with me? Show me how you come in."
What Happened
That Guy attempts a hapless kick, and then learns how a 350-pound Wing Chun master comes in. That Guy ends up on his butt. Unfortunately, That Guy is invariably so far up inside his own head, or other body part, that he doesn’t get it the first time.
The second time Sifu Moore doesn’t rush it, providing That Guy with every opportunity to try to use his Isshin Ryu kicks to keep him off. The yoko-geri is tried, the mawashi-geri is tried, then Moore moves in and makes his point inescapably - he firmly, with control, punches some sense into That Guy’s head.
It’s a sad fact that some people need to be punched in the face, are materially improved by it. That was doubtless that case here, at least for the moment.
The Comments
The video comments have since been turned off, but one guy coarsely captured the reaction most people will have to the video.
"Karate black belt is the old-fart who comes into a Wing Chun seminar and starts challenging a specific technique being taught. I find Wing Chun to be stupid and generally a waste of time as it takes way too long to become good at it to knock a person out, but what this old-fart Karateka did is very disruptive, disrespectful and just being an all-around jerk.
"There’s no perfect, unbeatable technique, otherwise all will just train that one technique…thus, there are counters & defense to everything. Anyway, this Karateka is one of those forms only black belts who never fought for real before (which is pretty standard for most TMA McDojos). Hell, he probably never even sparred hard for full knockouts. So when he gets popped in the face at about 50% power, he gets all bewildered.
“Wing Chun guy is pretty damn fat and wheezing for air, yet he’s a big dude which is what makes him dangerous to the skinny old guy. But also the WC guy seems to be a legit fighter, with experience. Kind of like fat-ass Steven Seagal, whose 6’4” stature is what makes him dangerous; more so than his being a master in some garbage like Aikido."
The Lesson
Dear Martial Arts Enthusiasts,
Please, in the name of the holy and all this unholy, don’t be That Guy. Every gym suffers through That Guy with some regularity, and if in your recollection yours doesn’t, it’s likely because you are That Guy.
Sincerely,
Kirik