We're not talking past each other. We're sharing our experiences, there's a huge difference. I know you talked about how you're concerned about how people really dig their heels in the ground when it comes to discussing martial arts and I know exactly what you're talking about. I'm no stranger to r/martialarts and I'm no stranger to places like Sherdog forums. Don't worry. You're not gonna get that from me here and you're probably not gonna get that from most Hubski users, as I think the majority of them don't take much interest in these kinds of conversations. With the exception of maybe two martial arts that I can think of off the top of my head (Aikido and Systema in case you're curious) I think that the majority of martial arts have a lot of value to them. They all have their benefits and they all have their drawbacks.

When you talk martial arts with me, what you will get is three things.

One, mad respect for you participation in any martial art and your desire to deepen your knowledge and improve your body. For health reasons that I won't go into, I'm forever sidelined from martial arts and it fucking kills me. You have absolutely no idea what I'd be willing to give to be able to put on my boxing gloves and pick up where I left off. The fact that you're here, actively participating in Wing Chun and talking to me about it makes me equal parts excited and jealous. You keep doing what you're doing bro, you won't see me saying "Lol. Wing Chun sucks. It can't hold up against core MMA styles." You'll see that on Sherdog and sometimes r/martialarts. You won't see that from me.

Two, an active desire to learn from you and anyone else who wants to share as well as share what I've learned and observed. How many boxing and MMA fans do you know of that know what Chi Sau is? If you post a Wing Chung technique video, you bet your ass I'm gonna watch it, ask you questions, and give my opinions. I love this shit.

Three, a practical outlook on what various styles can and can't do. Every style out there has their merits and every style out there has serious drawbacks. If you want to debate the merits of street vs. the ring, sure, lets debate them. Grappling vs. striking? Absolutely. Wanna talk about various weapons from various cultures? You have me hook, line, and sinker. I love them all, and I love discussing them all, but I also love being realistic. If someone came to me and said "I am a three time trophy winner for my weight class in Judo so I'm confident I could take on any Muay Thai fighter no problem at all" I'd say "Your accomplishments are fantastic, keep it up. Let's talk though, about Muay Thai and why you feel the way you feel. Your expectations might be a bit up there."

So we're disagreeing, but once again, don't think it's me dogging on you and don't think it's me not listening to what you're saying. You have me at all ears. If you didn't, you'd have found me immediately dismissive, not trying to go in depth discussing why Mr. BJJ had difficulty taking you and your peers down. You oughta be proud of that and what your Sifu has taught you by the way. Stuffing a takedown is pretty difficult, even when your opponent doesn't know much of what they're doing.