Q-How long does it take to learn to defend myself using wing chun?
A- Unfortunately there is no easy answer to this. How big, strong, fast, tough, in shape are you? Are you a man or a woman? Have you ever been in a real fight? And who will you have to defend yourself against, a drunk, a tough street fighter or mugger, or a gang with weapons? That being said most people show a significant improvement in self defense ability after six months to one year of serious training.
Q- Why do you say that wing chun is one of the most practical arts for self defense?
A- So many reasons! Wing Chun relies on simple, fast, and powerful attacks like the straight punch, straight kick, palm strike, and elbow strike. Kicks are to the waist or below so they actually work on the street. WT relies on tactile (touch) reactions so you react much quicker and don’t have to think. WT does not rely on force or strength.
Q- Do you believe non wing chun techniques can be added?
A- Yes, for practical self defense it would be a sin not to include a few of the most powerful and effective techniques, especially kicks, from arts such as karate, Savate, and Jeet Kune do as well as some hand techniques from boxing and bak mei. I also incorporate different kinds of footwork.
Q- What lineages of wing chun have you trained in?
Moy Yat (briefly a long time ago), Leung Ting (over 10 years) , and Wong Shun Leung (2 years of semi-private lessons).
Q- Where are you located?
A- I am .presently located in Staten Island, relatively close to the ferry and the Verranzano bridge. The bus to Brooklyn is very close to me.
Q- How many students in the class?
A- Classes are limited to no more than 3 students.
Q- Do you teach kids?
A- Because the classes include some extremely dangerous techniques for self defense, I only teach responsible and mature adults.
