SIFU MARTIN BROGAARD HAS TRAINED MARTIAL ARTS SINCE 1982. BESIDES WING CHUN, HE HAS EXPERIENCE WITH CATCH WRESTLING, JIU-JITSU, SHAOLIN GUNG FU, ESCRIMA, WESTERN BOXING AND MUAY THAI. SINCE 1993, HE HAS PRIMARILY TRAINED WING CHUN AND IS THE FIRST OFFICIAL INSTRUCTOR OF PRACTICAL WING CHUN IN SCANDINAVIA.
Today, Sifu Martin travels the world to spread this amazing art and to honour his Sifu, Grandmaster Wan Kam Leung, and the beautiful culture of Chinese Gung Fu.
SIFU ROLAND TONG IS A LIVING TREASURE TROVE OF KNOWLEDGE ON THE LATE GRANDMASTER IP MAN. HAVING STARTED WING CHUN OVER 60 YEARS AGO IN 1954, SIFU TONG IS ONE OF THE LAST REMAINING STUDENTS OF IP MAN. HE WAS A CLOSE FRIEND TO THE LATE GRANDMASTER AND TO SIFU WONG SHUN LEUNG.
Although 79 this year, he is still actively teaching at the Ving Tsun Athletic Association in Hong Kong, continuing to spread the tradition of Ip Man Wing Chun through his passion and deep knowledge.
SIFU SANTIAGO PASCUAL BEGAN HIS MARTIAL ARTS JOURNEY IN SPAIN IN 1978. IN 1985, HE STARTED LEARNING WING CHUN, BUT NOT UNTIL 1986 DID HE MEET HIS CURRENT SIFU, NINO BERNARDO. AT THE END OF 1987 AND UNDER THE APPROVAL OF HIS TEACHER, HE BEGAN TO TEACH WING CHUN, TOGETHER WITH TWO OF HIS SIHINGS, IN HIS OWN KWOON, WHICH HE CALLED “THE GARAGE.”
Sifu Pascual truly embraces the spirit of Gung Fu traditions. Wing Chun is not just a part of his life—it is his life! He teaches the Wing Chun system in a clear and comprehensive way, including the ethical and martial aspects of Wing Chun, as fighting or not fighting is not important, as he says, paraphrasing his Sifu’s words, “Fighting is a secondary effect.”
LEO IMAMURA (MOY YAT SANG) IS A DISCIPLE OF GRANDMASTER MOY YAT. THE “GUNG FU LIFE” PROCESS PROVIDED BY HIS SIFU MADE IT POSSIBLE FOR IMAMURA TO ACT IN DIFFERENT PROFESSIONAL AREAS, RANGING FROM PREPARING THE MILITARY FOR THE UN PEACEKEEPERS TO CONSULTING IN HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGEMENT FOR COMPANIES OF ALL SIZES.
As a full-time professional Sifu, he is dedicated to providing “Gung Fu Life” to his local and international Wing Chun descendants who come from Argentina, Brazil, Canada, China, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland, United States, as well as other countries.
In 1992, Imamura was the first university professor of martial arts recognised by the Education and Culture Ministry of Brazil and has been involved in a number of projects concerning the martial arts, particularly Wing Chun, for leading universities in his country.
SIFU KLEBER BATTAGLIA STARTED HIS TRAINING AT AGE NINE WITH THE JAPANESE ART OF JIU-JITSU. AS A TEENAGER, HE ALSO STUDIED WESTERN BOXING, ESCRIMA AND HARIMAU PENCAK SILAT UNTIL HE FELL IN LOVE WITH WING CHUN.
In 2010, he moved to Hong Kong to follow his Sifu, Wan Kam Leung, and later moved to Mainland China to deepen his knowledge of Nei Gong and the internal arts.
What is the essential core of the art? Are techniques and strength over-valued?
People, especially in the West, have a misunderstanding about strength. They want to isolate the muscles and use the limbs to generate power, but that way of generating power is a unilateral tension and can only give you a partial force. Real power comes from bones and tendons, from using the whole body in connection with the movement. This increases not only your power but also your speed and sensitivity. However, people use the wrong methods to achieve strength that ultimately does more harm than good. They should train their bodies to be naturally aligned in everything they do: standing, walking, sitting, and lying. Only in this way will strength come from inside out, reaching the whole body; only in this way will you find true rooting in your position. With correct alignment, the body will naturally tell you what to do for you to truly understand the core of the art. Many people focus on external techniques without realising that in doing so, they are weakening their position and power.
SIFU CLIFF AU YEUNG BEGAN HIS WING CHUN TRAINING UNDER THE LATE SIFU WONG SHUN LEUNG IN 1981. HE TRAVELLED WITH SIFU WONG TO SEMINARS IN EUROPE TWICE, IN 1990 AND 1992, AND WAS ONE OF SIFU WONG’S CHIEF INTERPRETERS IN DELIVERING HIS COMBAT THEORY AND PHILOSOPHY TO FOREIGN STUDENTS. SIFU CLIFF IS THE PRINCIPLE INSTRUCTOR AT THE VING TSUN MARTIAL ARTS INSTITUTE IN HONG KONG.
Has your vision of Wing Chun changed since you started teaching?
Of course! I only understood what Wing Chun really was about when I started teaching. I thought about what teaching is, what movement is, what my own feelings within is. To find the right way, I studied science, physics and biomechanics to change my Gung Fu into a more understandable, modern approach. Nowadays, many people only try to use brute force, but if you felt Chi Sau with those great masters, such as Wong Shun Leung and Ip Man, they were so soft, like leather on your arms. That fascinated me, and I tried to reproduce that feeling using scientific explanations.
DEEPLY PASSIONATE ABOUT WING CHUN AND ITS ORIGINS, SIFU MAURO GIBIN HAS BEEN ON A QUEST TO UNCOVER THE INTERNAL ROOTS AT THE FOUNDATION OF WING CHUN—A QUEST ANY TRUE LOVER OF WING CHUN SHOULDN’T MISS.
How did you start your martial art journey?
I became fond of Wing Chun because it immediately fascinated me with its quick applications. When I started, I was looking for a functional self-defence system. During these past years, I’ve been fortunate to work with many famous masters in the field. In 2009, I met my current teacher, Sifu Sergio Iadarola, who has literally revolutionised my technical skills and knowledge. Today, after many years, I must say the search for an effective system of self-defence has given way to a journey of study and development that goes well beyond the technical, involving Body, Mind and Energy!
SIFU NIMA KING WAS FORCED INTO MARTIAL ARTS, DUE TO A VERY INTENSE FIGHTING PERIOD, DURING HIS TEENAGE YEARS; BY PURE LUCK, HE DISCOVERED AND BEGAN TRAINING WING CHUN, UNAWARE IT WAS A MINDFUL CHOICE, ONE THAT WOULD CHANGE HIS LIFE.
What do you believe to be the core attribute of Wing Chun?
The most important attribute is mindfulness; that is the ability to activate the Nim Tau (“Mind Force”) state and a deep level of relaxation through the correct and prolonged practice of Siu Nim Tau. This state is the pinnacle of this remarkable art and is an aspect that can change one’s quality of life tremendously. From a martial point of view, Wing Chun’s harmony with the laws of physics enables supreme efficiency, practicality and power to be unleashed.
MARK HOBBS PROBABLY HAS MORE ACTIVE FIGHTERS IN THE CAGE THAN ANY OTHER WING CHUN SCHOOL AND EVEN MORE THAN MOST UK MMA CLUBS. MARK’S STUDENTS REGULARLY COMPETE IN PROFESSIONAL AND AMATEUR MMA, BOXING, K1, MUAY THAI AND BRAZILIAN JIU-JITSU COMPETITIONS, WHICH SURELY MAKES HIM A LEADING AUTHORITY ON HOW TO GET WING CHUN WORKING IN THE CAGE.
This is a fascinating and controversial subject, as this is an area where most Wing Chun practitioners have had very little success. What makes Sifu Hobbs’ approach different? Why is his Fight Team so successful? We wanted to find out, so we “cornered” him.
SIFU ALLAN LEE STARTED LEARNING WING CHUN IN 1967. HE BECAME AN ASSISTANT INSTRUCTOR WHILE LEARNING FROM SIFU LOK YIU, THEN LATER BECAME A PRIVATE DISCIPLE OF SIFU IP MAN. IN 1974, WITH THE BLESSING OF SIFU IP MAN, HE SOUGHT OUT SIFU DUNCAN LEUNG IN THE HOPES TO COMPLETE HIS STUDIES IN THE ART OF WING CHUN.
What kind of teacher was Grandmaster Ip Man?
Sifu was a traditional, extremely well educated, refined and humble man. He also possessed an unparalleled knowledge of martial arts and a stunning level of skill in Wing Chun. When he gave an explanation, he did so with an incisive and concise analysis insight that could only have come from a lifetime of experimentation, fighting, research and above all, diligent training.