CAN
VING TSUN
MEET THE CHALLENGE OF TOMORROW?

History was made recently when Ip (Yip) Man’s sons, Ip Chun and Ip Ching, along with grandmaster Moy Yat, joined to set the course for Ving Tsun preservation.

Three Ving Tsun grandmasters united for a common purpose in the heartland of America? "Impossible," you say? Well, it happened recently at the Moy Yat Ving Tsun Ohio Branch in Huber Heights.

Ving Tsun living legends: grandmasters Ip Chun, Ip Ching (sons of great grandmaster Ip Man) and Moy Yat (Ip Man disciple and the grandmaster representing the full Ving Tsun system in North and South America), set the course for the preservation of Ving Tsun history with ground-breaking ceremonies for a Ving Tsun museum.

This marks the first time in Ving Tsun history three Ving Tsun grandmasters came together in the United States. The museum they came to support is a product of grandmaster Ip Man’s lifelong dream, kept alive by grandmaster Moy Yat and his Ving Tsun family’s endeavors.

The museum is slated to be named Ving Tsun Chin Tong, meaning the Ving Tsun hall. Project managed and constructed by Moy Yat’s disciple, Benny Meng, and his grand disciples, the museum will house the Ving Tsun treasures, including the priceless Ving Tsun chops, and other Ving Tsun art and historical references of the Ving Tsun family tree and heritage.

Plans for Ving Tsun Chin Tong activities include training certifications and the teaching of authentic Ving Tsun skills. Reference sections will incorporate complete collections of Ving Tsun videos and published articles and books by all Ving Tsun masters and teachers.

Grandmaster’s Ip Chun and Ip Ching pledged their full support to the Ving Tsun Chi Tong by promising to collect many artifacts belonging to their late father, great grandmaster Ip Man, and bringing them personally to the museum during next year’s grand opening.

The entire Moy Yat Ving Tsun family, represented by masters Pet Pajil, Miguel Hernandez, and Anthony Dandridge and Sifu Victor Chung, along with their students, Pledged full support as they participated in the groundbreaking ceremonies.

Grandmaster Moy Yat, and renowned artist and sculptor, told the audience why great grandmaster Ip Man commissioned him to make the Ving Tsun chops and why Ip Man supervised their completion over the course of five years. He wanted the chops to represent the true Ving Tsun system in totality, including its historical roots, its techniques, its principles, and its teachings.

While he was alive, Ip Man knew that all practitioners would acknowledge his advice on what was and what was not Ving Tsun. After his death, there arose many masters and grandmasters, but none has emerged as a great grandmaster.

Consequently, none speaks definitively for the system on a worldwide scale. Ip Man was wise enough to foresee such a turn of events and commissioned the Ving Tsun chops to provide both a scientific and historical reference for the Ving Tsun system.

Grandmaster Moy Yat made the ceremony even more memorable by surprising everyone with the presentation of a room-length scroll muk yan johng (wooden dummy) form. Grandmasters Ip Chun and Ip Ching certified the accuracy and authenticity of this Moy Yat masterpiece by signing the scroll. Like the chops, the scroll will be housed for all the world to see in the Ving Tsun museum.

The ceremony and accompanying activities concluded with all three grandmasters graciously agreeing to interviews designed to elicit their perspectives on Ving Tsun and its future. The grandmasters responses’ clearly indicate why they are among the world’s leading representatives of Ving Tsun.

Inside Kung-Fu: What’s the biggest challenge facing Ving Tsun today? How will we meet that challenge?

Grandmaster Moy Yat: Talk about a "Challenge"…I don’t think we have any, because the Ving Tsun system is unique from other styles. For example, you also study tae kwon do here, so you know what tae kwon do is about and you know what Ving Tsun is about. As you know, we can’t just compare Ving Tsun to other styles because Ving Tsun kung-fu is Ving Tsun kung-fu. If you compare, you’d have to be using the same system, the same way, same style. Otherwise, the comparison would be invalid. I never felt that anything could challenge Ving Tsun kung-fu. Actually, Ving Tsun kung-fu is unique, it doesn’t have an equal.

IKF: Why are there so many ways of doing Ving Tsun when all supposedly stem from Ip Man?

Grandmaster Ip Chun: If they studied under Ip Man, they shouldn’t be so different. But only one-half of kung-fu is the teacher. The other 50 percent is dependent on the culture, build, understanding, and attitude of the student.

IKF: What are the three qualities that make a good Sifu?

Grandmaster Ip Ching: Honesty. A teacher must be honest about his heritage and give proper credit to his Sifu and his Sifu’s Sifu. Also, a teacher must do good chi sao with his students. A teacher cannot spend his time beating his students. Specific goals should be set for each session. Do chi sao for the student’s benefit, not the teacher’s. And a teacher should be discrete, but should not hold back knowledge. If his students are going to be good, they must be taught everything. A teacher cannot be in competition with his students.

IKF: What are the qualities of a good student?

Grandmaster Ip Chun: A student must be open minded and ready to receive and accept instruction. A student must be self-motivated. The teacher is only a guide. The teacher shows him the road, but the student must do the walking.

IKF: I train four days a week…How much time should be devoted to chi sao?

Grandmaster Ip Ching: How good do you want to be? When you reach your Sifu’s skill level, will you be content? How strongly do you want to progress?

IKF: What’s your opinion of full-contact fighting, such as the Ultimate Fighting Championship, which is available on pay-per-view television? Are they sloppy?

Grandmaster Ip Chun: I haven’t seen the cable TV fights you talk about. However, if you are a Ving Tsun practitioner, this kind of fighting has nothing to do with your kung-fu. Ving Tsun is for self-defense and a way of life. In my whole life, I have never had a fight. Therefore, I’ve never lost a fight (loud laughter and applause). But Ving Tsun has improved my health and my way of life.

IKF: How important is Ving Tsun weapons training? What are the benefits?

Grandmaster Ip Ching: People don’t carry weapons anymore, so they don’t train weapons today for the same reason as they did in the past. Today we study weapons to improve our hand skills, sparring skills, and martial attributes. The long pole movements improve your wrist and elbow energy. So do the knives. If your wrist and elbow and shoulder energy are strong, your Ving Tsun can be strong.

IKF: How far did Bruce Lee progress in his Ving Tsun training?

Grandmaster Ip Chun: Both Ip Ching and I were in China at the time Bruce was training so we did not observe his training. However, from photos of him posed in front of the wooden dummy, we are quite certain he did not receive muk yan john training.

IKF: How do you compare Ving Tsun (as an external art) with tai chi (an internal art)?

Grandmaster Ip Chun: External arts are generally associated with external training devices, like the wooden dummy. Because Ving Tsun has the johng, many people associate it with the external arts. In truth, it is an internal art.

IKF: What are the plans for the Ving Tsun Athletic Association after 1997 when Hong Kong reverts to the control of Communist China?

Grandmaster Ip Ching: Things should remain the same…we have full confidence they will remain the same.

IKF: Has Ving Tsun progressed since the death of Ip Man?

Grandmaster Ip Chun: In the last 20 years, the Ving Tsun family grew very fast. Let me mention one thing. Last year when I was in England I saw two big guys challenging each other on television, and one of them said, "Hey don’t touch me. I know Ving Tsun." How come he didn’t say, "I know boxing or something else?" When this happens on television, that tells us Ving Tsun is becoming widely recognized in society.

Actually, in London, when they mention "kung-fu" they mean "Ving Tsun" and vice versa. They have a Ving Tsun program everywhere. Myself, I have three books out, and lately we have on from the Ving Tsun Association. Those books have been translated into foreign languages all over the world. We are trying to spread the Ving Tsun message. Since my father passed away, the art is growing fast.

IKF: What are the current goals of the Ving Tsun Athletic Association? Are there any plans to promote Ving Tsun or to popularize the art form in countries other than England?

Grandmaster Ip Ching: Three months ago, the Ving Tsun Athletic Association had a meeting about plans to have branches for the Ving Tsun Association in the United States and Europe. The idea to have branches in other countries is to reintroduce Ving Tsun kung-fu in the right manner and as a complete system. We also want to permit the students of those countries to become members of the Ving Tsun family and to grow within it.

IKF: Is it feasible to have a Ving Tsun reunion where all the school and families are represented?

Grandmaster Ip Ching: It’s a good idea, but it would be very expensive. We considered selection a few of the top masters, Sifu from I Man’s Ving Tsun Athletic Association, to go from one place to another to do this job. Two things prevented our doing so at this time. Right now we cannot because of the time of the Sifu and their need to remain with their students, teaching. Also because of money. That’s why until now we have not done that. Actually, we have started an effort in this direction by bringing Sifu back to Hong Kong and China for training and certification. It doesn’t cost so much money. In comparison, going from Hong Kong to the United States or Europe costs a lot more.

Grandmaster Ip Chun: No matter what city you pick, no matter what country, there are so many Ving Tsun practitioners to reunite, you couldn’t find enough hotels (big laugh from the audience.)

IKF: Is there room for children as students of Ving Tsun? Is there a program currently designed for training children in Ving Tsun?

Grandmaster Moy Yat: In Ving Tsun kung-fu we talk about the most scientific and logical theories. So, since the nature of Ving Tsun kung-fu is oriented to adults or mature persons, it is difficult for children to do. A little kid physically can’t do chi sao. They simply can’t do it because they are so small. And even if they pick up some techniques, what do you expect them to do? Is it possible? No! So, Ving Tsun kung-fu, physically, is good for adults, grown-up people. And to make them understand what it’s all about, they have to go to school. They need a lot education to understand it.

For example, you say, "Between two points, a straight line is the shortest distance." If you say this to a kid, he doesn’t understand. So, we have not stopped here. We think about it. We say Ving Tsun kung-fu can make you smarter. We know Ving Tsun kung-fu is not for kids, but lots of other styles have kids and they have children’s classes. And they use these activities to try to play Ving Tsun down by saying, "Ving Tsun kung-fu is only good for certain people, even kids, they don’t take it." So, now we start to have kids classes with a few techniques included in a form called siu nim do that kids can practice and play.

So, we do care about kids and we want them to feel a part of the Ving Tsun family. But, the Ving Tsun nature is too advanced for kids. We talk about the theories, talk about it being logical and reasonable…these are things kids cannot understand. So we wait until the kids mature before we teach them. It’s never too late. If you have kids, you can teach them elementary aspects of Ving Tsun with the siu nim do form and associated techniques, also attributes, to give them a sense or taste of Ving Tsun kung-fu. Then wait until they grow up before teaching them the system.

IKF: Could I ask each of you to relate your most memorable experience with grandmaster Ip Man?

Grandmaster Ip Chun: Myself, I understand that my father’s kung-fu was very good and he was a very good teacher. What he knew and how he taught it were two different things. Hopefully, your own kung-fu is good and you also know how to teach, then you could produce some good students. This Ip Man could do well. He could figure out your background, your kung-fu, your level of understanding, and he had a method that could reach you specifically. And he used that method individually.

So some students were taught one way, while others were taught another way. Today, some students say, "That’s what Ip Man taught me." And others say, "This is what Ip Man taught me." Both are right, because Ip man used different methods to teach different people. That is why he became a great teacher, because he could use many methods effectively.

Grandmaster Ip Ching: I agree with what my brother said. The methods Ip Man used often enabled he and his students to become good friends. I witnessed that same thing here today with the way you guys treat your Sifu. Ip Man preferred to teach the teenagers, 16-and 17-year-olds, whose minds were open to new thoughts, ready to learn a ‘way of life’ rather than just a martial skill. He didn’t like to hang out with people his own age that much, because they were set in their ways and often unwilling to change their lives, even for the better.

Grandmaster Moy Yat: I agree with what Ip Chun and Ip Ching said. Ip Man was very smart. On the outside he looked like an old man, but his mind was very young. He was very modern, very updated. Other grandmasters were lacking in knowledge of society’s trends.

IKF: As sons of Ip Man, how did his method of teaching you differ from other students?

Grandmaster Ip Chun: The only difference is that, because we were his sons, we had a chance to hang out with him more. That was the only difference. Maybe my brother has something to add.

Grandmaster Ip Ching: Me—a lot of you guys don’t know this, but I started to teach only four months ago with my own students. When my father was still around, I was the guy who opened the doors at the school (joking…good audience laugh.) I was there to just help out. You could say I was an assistant of Ip Man. When Ip Man passed away, then I stopped teaching. I started my own little business. After I closed my business recently, I started teaching again. So, I have only been teaching my own students for four months. I wish I could carry on my father’s teaching methods. Only time will tell if I can or not. Ip Man not only taught his students kung-fu, but he also used examples from daily life to illustrate the true nature of Ving Tsun. This method has come to be known as "kung-fu life." I had more chance to hang out with my father, but as for learning something more or special, I’m just like everyone else.

IKF: Please explain what is meant by the Ving Tsun training proverb, "Look dim boon kwon moh leung hyeung" (the six and a ½ point pole does not make two sounds).

Grandmaster Ip Ching: Because, during the exchange of battle using the kwon, the attacking point on the pole (the weapon surface) is very small. For example, when we use the dim boon kwon for chopping down to block, it creates only one sound. The techniques of the staff are such that once you make contact with you opponent’s staff, it goes either up or down. We use this opportunity when the opponent’s staff is deflected upward or downward to attack him.

So, if you train your look dim boon kwon well, the attack is very strong. And, if you’ve been practicing well, there is a lot of power there during the counterattack. For example, it’s like a gun. Given a big barrel and a small barrel with the same amount of energy shooting out, you can tell that the smaller will have greater speed and impact power. So, given the smaller surface can produce greater impact when it hits, the opponent can’t get back up. That’s why there is only one sound made, because the opponent is already going down before he can hear the sound that hits him.

IKF: "Chum Kiu" or " Searching the bridge" has also been translated as "Eight-foot bridge"…Please explain this meaning.

Grandmaster Moy Yat: In Chinese, one chum also means a measurement of approximately eight feet. And "Kiu" means bridge. So, chum kiu means a bridge about eight feet long. Basically, a short bridge. In Ving Tsun we call our hand kiu sao meaning "hand bridge." But the chum kiu form is also a short bridge from siu nim tao to biu je, the first and last forms of Ving Tsun.

IKF: The kuen kuit (a collection of Ving Tsun sayings or songs) is a compilation of experiences or discoveries made by various masters over the years. Which if any were contributed by Ip Man himself?

Grandmaster Ip Chun: From what I understand, Ip man did not like to use the kuen kuit. There are many kuen kuit, but I never heard Ip man mention them. A lot of people using kuen kuit in front of him did so to show off and indicate to him that they knew what they were doing. Ip Man responded by saying that was stupid-as stupid as telling the whole world how much money is in your bank account. Because kuen kuit is an idiom, it’s a saying about your tactics. It tells your opponents too much about what you are doing. That’s as stupid as saying how much you have in the bank.

So, it’s good to know kuen kuit, but it serves no purpose to sing it out. Ip man knew the kuen kuit, but he understood why he should not mention it.

IKF: Can you tell us the difference between the long bridge and the short bridge?

Grandmaster Ip Chun: Kiu is another name for the hand. So, when you talk about long bridge and short bridge, you are merely talking about the distance of the hand from the body. If the hand is extended out (arm’s length) it is a long bridge. During a fight, when your hands are close together, that is a short bridge. But, in some styles, when the hands are separated by a larger distance with one hand pulled back to the side of the body or further back even than that, while the other is stretched out in front, this is a long bridge.

Both long and short bridges have their purpose, but in Ving Tsun we prefer the short bridge. Typically, the long bridge styles have big, long stances. That’s where they saying, "Long bridge-big horse" comes from. What determines which is better? It depends on "who" is better.

IKF: There are many styles today and many claim to be better than the others. What do you think of this?

Grandmaster Ip Chun: Back in the old days in Hong Kong, there were a lot of open challenges and matches that involved many different styles. Many of those matches were won by Ving Tsun practitioners. In those days, Ving Tsun became popularly known as "Lightning Hand" because of its efficiency and as "Gangster Fist" because of its aggressiveness. But it must be pointed out, when it comes to matches, they are influenced by two things: equipment and rules. The more equipment used and the more rules, the more Ving Tsun is limited. The less equipment and rules used, the greater the effectiveness of Ving Tsun. But if you compete in that way, then every one would get hurt. During the days when matches (called Gong Sao) were actually held, often the winner was the only one physically able to walk away. So, it is very difficult to promote Ving Tsun as a competitive sport. Likewise, it is very difficult to decide which art would really fare best under actual combat conditions without actually going into combat.

IKF: Can you identify five characteristics of Ving Tsun?

Grandmaster Moy Yat: Why limit it to five? Okay, I’ll do that because we are pressed for time.

It’s natural. Nothing is wasted. There’s no unnecessary movement.

With Ving Tsun kung-fu one cannot tell how good you are just by the outside. (Flashy displays of techniques don’t show real Ving Tsun. Relaxation, sensitivity, and control of an opponent’s energies and balance cannot be seen or learned from seminars or videos.)

Ving Tsun is complete. It doesn’t need to go outside the system for answers.

Ving Tsun kung-fu offers you a way of life.

Ving Tsun is not really for fighting. It is for self-defense. You learn Ving Tsun so you don’t have to fight. If your Ving Tsun life is correct, you don’t need to fight. If you don’t understand that, I’ll see you next year when your kung-fu is better and then maybe you’ll understand.