Sifu Ron Van Clief Edition: Issue 56

Wing Chun Illustrated Issue 56 featuring Sifu Ron Van Clief

"Always excellently done, always thought-provoking, always interesting content, very well balanced, and always presented with grace and respect for all. I wish that all our Wing Chun brothers and sisters were as mindful in their day-to-day interactions with each other."

LARRY BUTLER

United States

The simple and profound truth about Wing Chun Illustrated is that it delivers! In a world where bias is omnipresent, hagiography widespread, and superficiality the norm, Wing Chun Illustrated truly does provide a forum for many perspectives and approaches, always with depth and content—meaning that it’s impossible to pick up an issue without gaining new, worthwhile insight into our beloved art. Truly, if one is serious about understanding Wing Chun, regardless of spelling tradition, Wing Chun Illustrated is de rigueur. Consequently, never settle for “just” present and future issues, but do get the full package, including all the back issues!

CHRISTIAN A. STEWART-FERRER

Denmark

This is an impressive magazine and I am set back with each issue by its quality of appearance and content. Clearly, this has the potential to overshadow many other national martial arts publications. Stay the course and always protect the line. Excellent job. As always, thanks and continued success.

MOSES McCLENDON

United States

I have purchased Wing Chun Illustrated in printed format and I have to say that it is simply the highest quality magazine I have ever owned! Beyond the quality paper and printing techniques utilised, the articles themselves are thorough and true to the Wing Chun system. I really appreciate owning a piece of history and I look forward to future issues!

JAMES BUMPAS

United States

I have looked forward to this magazine for months and was not at all disappointed. The articles are well written, nonbiased, and most importantly very informative. This is the first magazine that I have ever read from cover to cover. I’m encouraging all of my Wing Chun brothers and students to subscribe. I’m very much looking forward to the next issue!

WIZE SHABAZZ

United States

I have been practising Wing Chun for the best part of 30 years. In my time, I have read a huge amount of material on the art; however, I can honestly say that your magazine is by a long, long way the finest collection of articles I have come across. The fact that all views (and you and I both know there are so many) on the art of Wing Chun are made readily available in one place, without prejudice, is really inspirational and will hopefully serve as a guiding light and a template for dialogue within the art itself.

CHRIS HARVEY

United Kingdom

Sifu Ron Van Clief Cover Feature

RON VAN CLIEF
Tao of The Black Dragon
By Mike Quijano
Sifu Ron Van Clief started to study Wing Chun with Sifu Duncan Leung, Sifu Jason Lau and Sifu Leung Ting in the early 1970s, and even worked out with the late Bruce Lee. In 1971, he founded his own system called Chinese Gōjū.

A multi martial arts “Hall of Famer,” Sifu Van Clief has a long career of competing in both full-contact and semi-contact martial arts tournaments in the United States and internationally. He won several World Champion titles and, most notably, at the age of 51 he fought in the 1994 Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Columns

SECOND NATURE
The Importance of Context
The Key to Efficient Teaching & Learning
By Wayne Belonoha
Sifu Belonoha covers the five key pieces of context that will help improve your teaching, or your learning if you are currently a student.

EMBRACE THE JOURNEY
Sil Lum Tao
The Key to All Wing Chun Forms
By Alton Miller
Sifu Miller explains the importance of Sil Lum Tao and how all other Wing Chun forms are reliant on our understanding and mastery of this first form.

UNDERSTANDING WING CHUN
What Makes a Good Teacher?
By Colin Ward
Anyone can gain a certificate, give themselves a fancy title or even just buy a Black Sash and start a class, but what really makes a good teacher?

THE INNER CIRCLE
Tracing the Roots of Wing Chun: Part 3
By Alex Danos
In the final part of this series, Sifu Danos examines the relationship between Wing Chun and Weng Chun.

THE STRAIGHT LEAD
Jeet Kune Do
A Chip Off the Old Block
By Jason Korol
There are a great many similarities between JKD and Wing Chun, which often surprises many who have been led to believe that Lee abandoned his mother system.

Features

ADAM CHAN
The Pragmatic Mind
By Jason Korol
In a day and age where bragging abounds, Sifu Adam Chan is that rare gem—a humble instructor who lets his skill and knowledge speak for itself.

WING CHUN DOUBLE SWORDS
Tactical or Ornamental?
By Justin Och
Are the Wing Chun Double Swords an ornamental rite of passage to upper-level understanding, a training tool or a unique combative weapon meant for learning practical in-fighting timing, combat and distance?

CARINA CIRRINCIONE
Train to Learn, Fight to Win
By Donna Yap
Sifu Cirrincione began studying Taijiquan in 1989 in Tucson, Arizona, and in 1993 joined Fong’s Wing Chun Gung Fu Federation, and has been training consistently with Sifu Augustine Fong for the last 27 years.

THE POWER OF LEAD-INS
Breaking Your Opponent’s Defence in Seconds
By John Hennessy
With a single devastating shot, a rarity in other styles, but eminently applicable and common in Wing Chun, Sifu Hennessy explores the concept of “Primary Lead-Ins”, and its closely related sister “Secondary Lead-Ins”.

THE ONLY CONSTANT IS CHANGE
By Tony Massengill
We owe a great debt of gratitude to the Wing Chun masters of the past, but we are not slaves to their understanding of the fighting arts. What is needed is practical application changes with every generation.

Departments

STRUCTURE AND APPLICATION
Private Lessons: Part One
By Dr Robert Chu
During private training with experienced Wing Chun practitioners, Sifu Chu emphasises improving overall skills with functional differences in practice; not politics or lineage.

THE KUNG FU GENIUS
Training “the Dummy” versus Training “on the Dummy”
By Alex Richter
Sifu Richter gives his observations on this seemingly superfluous distinction between “training on a Wooden Dummy” and practising the “Wooden Dummy techniques”.

MY MARTIAL ARTS JOURNEY
The A-Team
By David Lampert
If you want to add raw strength, flexibility/mobility and body awareness to your Wing Chun, welcome Calisthenics as your strength training coach.

Reviews

IN PRINT
Lafayette Harris reviews the following books: Notes From A Factory Floor: How I Got From There To Here by Geoff Thompson and Spotting Danger Before It Spots You: Build Situational Awareness to Stay Safe by Gary Quesenberry.

SCREEN FIGHTING
For this issue, David Peterson reviews the Criterion Collection Blu-ray box-set Bruce Lee: His Greatest Hits.

SCREEN EDUCATIONAL
Dwight Hennings reviews the following educational DVDs: Phil Romero: Breaking Structure and Stephen Joffe: Wing Chun Vs Grapplers.