Abstract - Solving the problem of the ‘ritual fight’ using WingTsun
I want to present my WingTsun (WT) as a suitable means of practical self-defence to solve a social problem that receives little attention: the problem of how to protect oneself as well as possible against the dangers of degenerate ritualised combat or territorial conflict within the group consisting of male members of our species.
In a similar way to his animal relatives, the “human ape” or “third chimpanzee” – as biologists often call him – defends his “territory”. This not only includes his seat in the pub or bar, his office desk and his marital bed, but also his social position, his ego or his self-image.
As is the case when members of other species come into conflict, this form of combat – which is presciently referred to as a “monkey-dance” in the English language – is not a real fight, but rather a form of conflict management on the part of nature, a show intended to maintain the status quo and preserve life (or genes).
The competitor, the other male of the species, is to be driven from the territory by the threat of violence. Accordingly the animal world tends to fight “with its gloves on”: poisonous snakes have recourse to wrestling, and bears shove the competitor off their patch. The humiliated loser shuffles off and is allowed to live elsewhere.