Shaun Rawcliffe: Dedicated

Posted by: Kenton Sefcik In: Articles 10 Sep 2013 Comments: 0 Tags: Interview, Shaun Rawcliffe

SIFU SHAUN RAWCLIFFE IS A WING CHUN INSTRUCTOR, CLOSE QUARTER COMBAT INSTRUCTOR, FORMER CLOSE PROTECTION OFFICER AND HAS BEEN ACKNOWLEDGED AND AWARDED THE COMBAT HALL OF FAME AWARD THREE TIMES.

He is also one of only 20 Wing Chun instructors to be certified by Ip Man’s son, Sifu Ip Chun. Almost 23 years with Ip Chun, he has written many articles, travelled to many seminars and has released two books. In the fall of 2012, Crowood Press will release his new book, Wing Chun Kung Fu: Weapons Training.

Aaron Vyvial: Ving Tsun from the Heart

Posted by: Kenton Sefcik In: Articles 07 Jul 2013 Comments: 0 Tags: Aaron Vyvial, Interview, Moy Yat

AARON VYVIAL STARTED IN VING TSUN AT THE AGE OF 17 AND BECAME A DISCIPLE OF MOY TUNG IN 1998. LATER, HE WAS INVITED TO BE A DISCIPLE UNDER MOY YAT AS A MEMBER OF HIS GSSA (GRAND SPECIAL STUDENT ASSOCIATION). HOWEVER, MOY YAT HAD A STROKE AND HE HAD TO POSTPONE THE BAI SI CEREMONY, NEVER MAKING IT IN THE END DUE TO MOY YAT’S PASSING.

When Aaron started his first school in 2002, he was given the honour of a Gung Fu family name, Moy Sup Tung, by his Sifu, who also left him with this advice: “Teach pure Ving Tsun from the heart.”

Danny Xuan: Wing Chun is not a Fighting Style

Posted by: John Little In: Articles 17 May 2013 Comments: 0 Tags: Danny Xuan, Interview

DANNY XUAN IS A RADICALLY DIFFERENT BREED OF INSTRUCTOR—A WING CHUN INDIANA JONES! LIKE THE FAMED CINEMATIC ARCHAEOLOGIST, XUAN TRAVELS TO EXOTIC LOCALES, ALL THE WHILE SEARCHING THROUGH THE PAST OF THE ART IN ORDER TO UNCOVER SECRETS THAT ENHANCE THE ART’S RELEVANCE AND VITALITY FOR MODERN DAY PRACTITIONERS.

While Xuan obviously respects tradition, he is equally wary of it. He champions Wing Chun as the child born of the understanding of natural laws and logic, with the science of physics and Chinese culture as its touchstones.

A devoted Wing Chun practitioner for over 40 years with a worldwide following of students, Danny Xuan downplays lineage and champions the cause of the individual practitioner. In Wing Chun circles he is a breath of fresh air, representing a truly new 21st-century approach to the art.

Chan Chee Man: A Link to the Past

Posted by: Kenton Sefcik In: Articles 26 Apr 2013 Comments: 0 Tags: Chan Chee Man, Interview

CHAN CHEE MAN IS ONE OF GRANDMASTER IP MAN’S SENIOR STUDENTS. CURRENTLY, 76 YEARS OLD, HE STARTED IN WING CHUN IN 1954 AND IS STILL ACTIVE AS AN INSTRUCTOR. CHAN CHEE MAN CAN ALWAYS BE FOUND TALKING PASSIONATELY ABOUT WING CHUN WITH A SMILE ON HIS FACE—WHICH WE WILL SEE IS HIS SECRET TO MAKING HIS WING CHUN SO EFFECTIVE.

Please tell me how you came to start in Wing Chun.
When I was young, I started to learn Wing Chun from Ip Man and it was a precious time. Looking back, I chose Wing Chun because I had met many people who practised it, which piqued my interest. At the time, the Restaurant Union was in Shan Shui Po district on Wong Chuk Street, and my home was near there. I went up there to learn Wing Chun—sometimes four or five days per week, training early in the morning and every night until about 9:30pm.

Wang Zhi Peng: Keeping it Real

Posted by: Jai Harman In: Articles 18 Apr 2013 Comments: 0 Tags: Interview, Wang Zhi Peng

BEIJING VING TSUN’S MASTER WANG ZHI PENG IS KNOWN FOR HIS DIRECT, NO-NONSENSE APPROACH TO WING CHUN. AN EXPERT TECHNICIAN WHO KEEPS TRUE TO THE TRADITIONAL VALUES PASSED DOWN BY THE LATE WONG SHUN LEUNG. BUT HE IS BY NO MEANS A TRADITIONALIST STUCK IN THE PAST.

Touted as a “human weapon” wang keeps it real with free-fighting that both observes old techniques and brings them up to date to ensure that students can deal with a more modern, well-trained assailant or fighter. he lives by the saying: “Let the hands do all the talking”.

Donald Mak: The Art of Self-improvement

Posted by: Kleber Battaglia In: Articles 16 Apr 2013 Comments: 0 Tags: Donald Mak, Interview

IT WAS VERY INSPIRATIONAL TO SIT DOWN AND TALK TO SIFU DONALD MAK AT HIS SCHOOL IN PRINCE EDWARD, JUST BEHIND THE VING TSUN ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION IN HONG KONG. HE IS A DOWN-TO-EARTH GENTLEMAN AND EVEN THOUGH HE ONLY TEACHES WING CHUN PART-TIME, HE HAS MANAGED TO ESTABLISH AN INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION WITH NEARLY 100 SCHOOLS IN 15 DIFFERENT COUNTRIES.

Sifu Mak started learning Wing Chun in 1979 from Master Chow Tze Chuen, a direct student of the late Grandmaster Ip Man. In 1987, he became an instructor in Master Chow’s school, and in 1993, with his teacher’s encouragement and blessing, he set up his own school.

During our meeting, Sifu Mak impressed me with his way of approaching Wing Chun, giving me an insight into the philosophical aspect of the system, seeing the three forms not just as physical training, but as a way of “seeking a bridge” to reach a higher level of consciousness.

Kevin Chan: A Passion for all Things Martial

Posted by: Alan Gibson In: Articles 15 Apr 2013 Comments: 0 Tags: Interview, Kevin Chan

WHATEVER LINEAGE THEY COME FROM, EVERY WING CHUN PRACTITIONER IN THE UK WILL HAVE HEARD OF KAMON AND KEVIN CHAN. KAMON IS ONE OF THE LARGEST WING CHUN ORGANISATIONS IN ENGLAND AND KEVIN, ITS FOUNDER, IS JUST AS PASSIONATE ABOUT HIS PERSONAL TRAINING AS HE IS HIS COACHING.

Quite apart from his credentials in the Wing Chun world, he trains in Western Boxing and Thai Boxing and also holds a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. For Kevin, martial arts are an intrinsic part of personal development, a philosophy that underpins everything he stands for.

Donnie Yen: Bringing Ip Man to Life

Posted by: Eric Lilleør In: Articles 15 Apr 2013 Comments: 0 Tags: Donnie Yen, Interview

DONNIE YEN HAS A DEDICATED FOLLOWING IN ASIA FOR HIS IMPRESSIVE MARTIAL ARTS SKILLS, AND HAS ACHIEVED INTERNATIONAL CULT STATUS FOR ROLES IN ACTION MOVIES SUCH AS LEGEND OF THE FIST: THE RETURN OF CHEN ZHEN, PAINTED SKIN, FLASH POINT, SEVEN SWORDS, SPL, SHANGHAI KNIGHTS, HERO AND BLADE II.

With the recent box-office success of the Wilson Yip helmed movies Ip Man and Ip Man 2, Yen has become one of China’s hottest actors and is now being offered roles outside of the action genre.

In connection with Cine-Asia’s UK DVD release of Ip Man 2, we were able to chat with Yen about bringing Grandmaster Ip Man to life on the big screen and ask him probably the #1 question on fans’ minds: Will he reprise the role of Ip Man in a 3rd movie?