Leung Ting WingTsun® Kung Fu

IWTA - North American Section

By

Vocabulary

Master Will Parker, practicing his WingTsun™ vocabulary...Learning a new language or how to play a musical instrument is completely analogous to the process and methods of learning WingTsun™. The joy of learning and growing in these endeavors is in fact, the very “steam” which powers this train! As a guitar player, who has enjoyed playing for several years now, and still takes regular lessons, I am continually amazed at the infinite possibilities that can be realized. My limitations and struggles with the instrument come down to basically expanding my “vocabulary”, applying the underlying theory, and most of all, finding the necessary amount of time to practice. Time and how you chose to spend it, is always the critical factor in achievement and breaking new ground. In music, while there are countless modes and scales available to create melody, it is amazing how much music can be created with even a small amount of practical knowledge. The same is true for WingTsun™!

While it is universally accepted that Jimi Hendrix had a monstrous amount of technique at his disposal, it is even more amazing to note that practically all of his solos were comprised of his exclusive and imaginative understanding of two very simple five-note scales; the minor and major pentatonic. These scales themselves are very simple and somewhat dull if played straight, yet how he made use of these five notes in his arrangements and musical expressions was virtually limitless!

In much the same way, our WingTsun™ system offers us countless possibilities and solutions to various self-defense scenarios, if we are only willing to take the time to practice and consequently discover what is possible! When I first started learning WingTsun™, I like most of my peers would eagerly buy any magazine or book whose subject matter dealt with Kung Fu, and particularly WT, VT, and WC. I was always perplexed when the description of WingTsun™ read something like, “a relatively simple system comprised of three empty hand forms, a wooden dummy set, and two weapon systems.” Sounds so simple, right; something you can knock out in a few years! Really?

The good news is that it’s quite true that the benefits of learning WingTsun™ can be realized in a very short period of time. Even the most elemental and basic techniques and concepts can be immediately applied. The larger truth however, is that if you really want to be fluent in this “language”, you will have to invest more time than you previously imagined! The treasure is there for those who are willing to persist, stay the course, and dig deeper. This mentality is what separates people of common interest.

Like learning music or a new language, each of us has a different level of satisfaction. Some are very happy just to be able to play a few of their favorite songs, or be able to ask for the dinner check in a different language. That’s ok! But if your interest extends beyond the ordinary, you must be willing to dig deep and continually challenge yourself.

Our WingTsun™ vocabulary, like music and language is quite immense and profound! This presents a problem for those in a hurry who are more interested in quantity than content. Having knowledge of something and being able to freely apply this knowledge are two very different standards. As Grandmaster Leung Ting has said, “Learning is like rowing upstream; either you keep progressing or you drop backwards”. If you can learn to enjoy the process of learning for the shear enjoyment of it, the time will pass by quickly and the results will come sooner. I, personally, am never satisfied with my skills in anything, and will always take joy in my opportunity to take lessons and grow! Hasta Luego!

By

Public Statement From Great Grandmaster Leung Ting

Great Grandmaster Leung Ting's public statement on how to verify the credentials of anyone claiming to teach his Leung Ting WingTsun® kung fu system
Click to enlarge

Great Grandmaster Leung Ting was the last “closed-door disciple” of the late Grandmaster Ip Man (Yip Man) and is the Golden Rank Founder of the International WingTsun™ Association.  He systematized and modernized the system, creating a standard ranking system and teaching methodology as well as a standardized curriculum which has now been taught to approximately 1-2 million people in more than 60 countries.

For almost 40 years, he has taught the “Leung Ting WingTsun®” kung fu system and worked hard to establish his trademarks “WingTsun™” and “Wing Tsun™” as synonymous with him and with high quality martial arts instruction.

It is shocking to learn that some people have been using Great Grandmaster Leung Ting’s name, photos, uniforms (or deceptively similar ones), and in some cases even his trademarks* without his permission.  The instructors of the International WingTsun Association – North American Section (IWTA-NAS) are extremely proud to be the only instructors authorized to teach the “Leung Ting WingTsun®” kung fu system in the USA and Canada.  Please see this public statement  from Great Grandmaster Leung Ting.

* TRADEMARK NOTES:  Great Grandmaster Leung Ting has three registered trademarks through the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO):  the phrase “Leung Ting WingTsun®” (Registration Number 3219330), the IWTA-NAS circular logo (Registration Number 3219319), and the IWTA circular logo (Registration Number 3243408). Their registration status may be verified through the USPTO at:  https://www.uspto.gov/. For clarity, we use the common term “trademark,” as it is more widely understood than the term “service mark.” As noted by the USPTO, “The term ‘trademark’ is often used to refer to both trademarks and service marks.” Great Grandmaster Leung Ting also claims two common law trademarks in the USA (and most countries): “WingTsun™” and “Wing Tsun™.” In the USA and many countries, registration is not required to establish common law trademark rights. As explained by the USPTO, “Common law rights arise from actual use of a mark” and “you may use the ‘TM’ (trademark) or ‘SM’ (service mark) designation to alert the public to your claim of ownership of the mark…”

UPDATED DOMAIN NOTES: Please note that since Great Grandmaster Leung Ting’s statement was written in 2012, the primary domain name for the International WingTsun Association – North American Section (IWTA-NAS) has changed from wtdefense.com to leungtingwingtsun.com to make it clear that this site is an official representative of Great Grandmaster Leung Ting and his Leung Ting WingTsun® system. Most links to wtdefense.com now forward from the old domain to the current domain.

By

Congratulations to Danny K.!

Congratulations to Danny K.! Danny successfully completed his 9th Student Grade exam. In doing so, at age 14, he has become one of the youngest Assistant Instructors in the entire International WingTsun Association – North American Section!

Danny began his WingTsun journey many practices ago, as a pre-teen. He was accompanied by his mother, Victoria – also a high ranking WingTsun student. Says Victoria , “I was so impressed with the power and effectiveness of WingTsun and the quality of the instructors at the Wheeling school, that I wanted my son to learn it, too!” In the beginning, it was challenging to dedicate himself to focusing on perfecting specific motions. But, with the support of the Wheeling Team, Danny soon grew to enjoy the challenges as he matured in his mental discipline as well as in physical coordination.

Soon, the skill gap between mother and son began to shrink. This only piqued Danny’s enthusiasm for WingTsun. “Wow, Danny sure has improved since I have been gone!”, noted Allen C. – another high ranking WingTsun student when he returned from a work related hiatus from WT training in 2009. By the time the summer arrived, Danny had passed his mother in rank.

In November 2010, the time had come for Danny to be evaluated for his 9th Student Grade. His examination spanned several sessions of careful evaluation on a technical and practical level by Sifu ChrisMah and the Wheeling Instructor Team. The culmination of this evaluation was the application of WT principles against multiple adversaries. Danny proved his abilities in this challenging exam and passed a milestone and began the starting point for new and exciting work to come!

“We believe that the successful completion of an exam should be the confirmation of the quality of hard work applied to a focused period of learning, perseverance over adversity, and passion and dedication to one’s commitments,” said Sifu Mah.

Congratulations to Danny in his promotion to Assistant Instructor and 9th Student Grade!

By

Your View of Your Training

by Sifu Keith Sonnenberg

Many people have an all or nothing view of life. They believe that if you cannot do something all the way, don’t do it at all.  There is some merit to this point of view but not if it prevents you from forming a good habit.

I am sure that you have heard of the “cold turkey” method of getting rid of a bad habit.  Some will swear that it worked best for them when they quit eating deserts, quit eating fatty foods or quit smoking.  Others follow a gradual plan advocated by counselors or doctors.

The opposite can be true of forming good habits.  How many times have you or somebody you know started an exercise program and went full-tilt for two or three weeks and then gradually quit?  All too often the person trying this method over does it, getting too sore and their body cannot recover fast enough in time for the next workout.  This becomes a de-motivating factor.  In addition, the time involved becomes interruptive to all the things currently in their life plan.  Excuses begin to form and friends start wondering where they are.

For all these reasons I created a ten minute Wing Tsun™ mind-body training program on a card!  It takes only ten minutes to do several basic WingTsun kung-fu drills chosen for their overall benefit to the fitness and skills of the mind and body compressed into a ten minute period of time.  I laminated them onto card stock and students can take them on trips, put them into their gym bag, and, with a rubber band through hole on one side, hang them from hooks in their hotel room or tape it to a mirror!  I recommend carrying a small timer with you on trips and leave it where you practice at home.

Busy people always put their stressful life styles ahead of healthy habits.  If you begin WingTsun training at your local WingTsun school, it is important to follow through with basic exercises at home.

The rationale for this ten minute training is that people always think that they do not have enough time to train or they claim that they do not know what to practice.  Carrying this constant reminder with you eliminates those excuses.  It is called a ten-minute training so that you know it will not take longer than ten minutes.  The timer is to make sure that you do not go beyond ten minutes.  Let’s face it, once you get going, WingTsun training is fun.  Many driven personalities will want to go beyond the ten minutes.  However if you spend too much time during a busy period, you and your family and associates are going to start resenting all the time spent away from them, especially if you are late for meetings or assignments!  The ten minute training is designed specifically for those busy periods.  The longer, regular personalized training with your fellow WingTsun students is yours alone at the WingTsun school in your area.

WingTsun exercises are not jumping jacks or push-ups.  They are footwork drills and punching drills.  They are chosen for their overall effects, addressing the upper and lower body and reversing the effects of stress with breathing exercises while doing the Siu Nim Tau form:

1)    Siu Nim Tau – Do the form at the same pace we use in regular classes – 4 minutes

2)    250 chain punches, moderate-fast pace – 1½ minutes

3)    40 Huen Bo (circling stance) in place, 20 per leg – 1 minute

4)    Turning stance with changing man sau, 30 on each side, 60 total – 2 minutes

5)    Knee thrusts in forward stance, 20 each leg – 1½ minutes

This routine will take ten minutes without having to rush through it.  Be sure to avoid any tendency to rush through the movements.  During Siu Nim Tau, pace yourself and breathe in through the nose and out through the mouth in an easy, natural way.  Let the abdomen swell up and follow that with allowing the chest to expand.  Let the breath out slowly through the mouth.  This is what makes this a mind-body exercise.  It will calm you and leave you refreshed.

Perform the chain punches at a moderate pace.  Make sure to lock out the arm on each punch.

Do the forty circling steps in one place, alternating feet.  Constant daily practice of this technique will pay dividends down the road.  This exercise is so important that the ancestors of this system placed another set of this footwork in the advanced form Biu Tze, learned only by our Technician Level instructors.

Turning stance is to be done using the 45 degree turn.  Beginners can do this with hands chambered.  As you advance, you may use the man sau changing with man sau pointed to a single target on a mirror or on a wall.  Later, you can use any turning stance hand technique such as tan dar, gaun dar, etc.

The knee thrusts are an upward thrust of the knee for knee striking to an attacker’s chest.  Use the forward stance and do ten, then turn 180 degrees and do ten more, then turn and do ten on that side, then turn again and do ten. Total= 40.  Finished!

This whole series can be done in a very confined area such as a hotel room.  More advanced students can elaborate on this program with similar exercises done with both hands and feet moving together.

If you can maintain training with an eye toward a realistic approach to how much you can accomplish during busy and stressful periods, you are far less likely to lapse entirely.  Continuity is one of the vital elements in your continued success with WingTsun training or any physical pursuit.

© Copyright Keith Sonnenberg. All rights reserved.