If you are not familiar with Samuel Kwok, he is considered one of the best sources to learn proper Ip Man Wing Chun. From what I understand, over the course of his life he managed to study with a number of people who were direct students of Ip Man, including both his sons Ip Chun and Ip Ching, allowing him to pass on a perspective that was once taught by the Grandmaster himself.
Sections I Enjoyed:
Ever wonder, “What is the deal with WingTchunDo (WTD)?” For this post, Scott decided to sit down and have a chat with founder of WTD, Sifu Fernandez. We learned about his fighting background, who he trained with, and what his version of Wing Chun stands for.
We felt it might also be good to give some of the newer readers a quick reference on the names, without going into details behind each one:
– Wing Chun: the generic name of the art of Wing Chun Kung Fu (There are many spellings). It refers to the art as a whole and encompasses all lineages and styles.
– Ving Tsun: a widely used spelling of the art of Wing Chun. It is used to differentiate some lineages from others. All Ving Tsun is from Ip Man students.
– WingTsun: A trademarked version of Wing Chun that represents Sifu Leung Ting’s system of the art. Leung Ting was an Ip Man student.
– WingTchunDo: Sifu Fernandez’s trademarked name to represent his evolution of the art.
– Others: Other spellings are also usually derivatives of Leung Ting’s WingTsun. For example, Sifu Sergio’s WingTjun. Thommy Luke Boehlig’s WingTsjun, Emin Boztepe’s WingTzun, etc. There are many others. This most occurs when the Sifu breaks away from the main Leung Ting lineage and starts their own trademarked version of the art.
So, now let’s see what Sifu Fernandez has to say about WingTchunDo!:
Simple, direct, efficient, and modern. Founding PVT (Pure Ving Tsun) head coaches Jerry Yeung and Mark Wong present the core concepts of their late Sifu Wong Shun Leung’s system with both an innovative and original approach.
The video is based and shot on the streets of Hong Kong, where Ving Tsun initially gained its reputation as a practical fighting art, bridging the generational and also the geographical gap. The audience is invited to delve into the minds, classrooms and rooftops of where Ving Tsun’s reputation and popularity was first forged.
History is written by many authors. The oldest tradition of sharing history, and especially with Chinese martial arts, has always been oral tradition. Pour yourself a nice cup of oolong tea to enjoy while Sifu Moy Yat (introduced to Yip Man and becoming his student in 1957), shares some of Yip Man’s personal history as well as some stories that only the walls could tell. Prepare for a rare insight into the early years of Wing Chun life in Hong Kong from a direct student of the Grandmaster.
If you are looking to get started with a Wing Chun wall bag, Jonathan Petree’s video “Complete Wall Bag Training Regimen For Developing Striking Power” is an excellent video to watch. He teaches everything from why you need to add wall bag training into your current regiment, to how to properly use your horse, to how to install it, to how to hit the bag and why.
We sat down with Sifu John Crescione, a very well rounded Wing Chun practitioner and doctor who knows the system inside an out. He had the opportunity to study with many well known teachers, such as Lee Moy Shan, William Cheung, and Ip Qing. Luckily, we managed to get a hold of him and ask a few questions about Bil Jee and Dim Mak!
Let’s see what he had to say:
If the internet has done anything, it has really expanded my Wing Chun training network. Although I have yet to take any wild trips around the globe and take advantage of Sifu’s I have spoken to, I did manage to interview a number of teachers who really impacted how I view the system and fighting in general.
I want to take advantage of the EWC blog and share what I learned. My goal is to compile some quick actionable items of the information I learned and share it with the Wing Chun world.
Here is what I learned: