Speaking as someone from another martial art entirely (Phillipino), my experience has been that when someone starts advancing, driving forward, it’s very difficult to not give way, and once you start giving way, it’s very difficult to “get off the train tracks”. I mean, disengaging from contact is easier said than done.

Then too, some Phillipino technology/skills are very similar to Wing Chun, and we at least think it’s perfectly OK to not be in contact. That doesn’t stop us from striking our targets; I doubt the Wing Chun guy is going to have difficulty striking just because he’s not touching your arms anymore. The beauty/value of the sticky hands stuff is the skill it brings in finding ways to flow with and thread through a mobile defense, and still strike and control effectively.

Were this the only skill a fighter had available, then yeah, he’d have a problem. But I doubt Emin Boztepe suffers from that particular lack. :)

Speaking as someone from another martial art entirely (Phillipino), my experience has been that when someone starts advancing, driving forward, it’s very difficult to not give way, and once you start giving way, it’s very difficult to “get off the train tracks”. I mean, disengaging from contact is easier said than done.

Then too, some Phillipino technology/skills are very similar to Wing Chun, and we at least think it’s perfectly OK to not be in contact. That doesn’t stop us from striking our targets; I doubt the Wing Chun guy is going to have difficulty striking just because he’s not touching your arms anymore. The beauty/value of the sticky hands stuff is the skill it brings in finding ways to flow with and thread through a mobile defense, and still strike and control effectively.

Were this the only skill a fighter had available, then yeah, he’d have a problem. But I doubt Emin Boztepe suffers from that particular lack. :)