Grandmaster Ip Man

The Wing Chun system is a very unique and scientific form of martial arts. Wing Chun's speciality is close contact combat, using quick punches with a tight defence, coordinated through agile stances for a quick advance. The effectiveness of Wing Chun is achieved by mounting well coordinated and powerful attacks whilst maintaining a simultaneous defence, this is achieved by delivering the correct amount of energy but still remaining flexible and relaxed. Unique to Wing Chun is "Chi Sau", a form of training to help develop and put into practice your techniques and the theories you learn during your training. Chi Sau teaches and helps you to develop a responsive reflex, your positioning, how to overcome your opponents strength, correct usage of energy and taking advantage of the shortest possible distance

between you and your opponent. The principles, theories and techniques of Wing Chun are founded on the three hand form and the wooden dummy techniques. Training begins with "Sil Lim Tau" (little idea), "Chum Kiu" (bridge seeking arm), "Biu Gee" (thrusting fingers). In time students will go on to learn "Muk Yan Ghong" (wooden dummy), "Luk Dim Boom Gaun" (six & a half point pole) and finally "Bart Cham Dao" (eight cutting double knives). Pictured above is Grandmaster Ip Man, in the only known photograph of him wearing a suit. To the right are his sons Grandmasters Ip Chun and Ip Ching and their student Samuel Kwok. It was Ip Man's dream to spread Wing Chun around the world, and through tuition by his sons, Samuel Kwok has played his part over the last twenty five years, bringing Wing Chun to the forefront of martial arts practice today. There are many Wing Chun schools up and down the United Kingdom, as well as across Europe, in Denmark, Germany, South Africa, Australia and the United States to name a few. Many of the Sifu's at these schools owe a great deal of their understanding of the art to the influence of Samuel Kwok and his teaching of traditional Ip Man Wing Chun.