Samuel Kwok - Preserving the Wing Chun Kung Fu of Ip Man

Wing Chun is a very unique and scientific form of martial arts. Wing Chun's specialty is in close contact combat, using quick punches and kicks with a tight defence, coordinated through agile stances and fotwork for a quick advance. The effectiveness of Wing Chun is achieved by well coordinated attacks with simultaneous defence and vise versa. The student must learn to deliver the correct amount of energy, whilst staying relaxed when possible.

Wing Chun is sometimes referred to as Ving Tsun, Wing Chun Kung Fu (or Gong Fu), Wing Chun Boxing, or even Wing Chun Kuen (fighting) amongst some other names. This is because Chinese text does not translate precisely into Western letters or even western speech. However the name is not the important thing. The most important thing is that the Wing Chun student learns an effective form self defence and fighting. Wing Chun is Kung Fu. Kung Fu roughly means time and effort and originally referred to any skill painstakingly developed. Recently Kung Fu has become synonymous with martial arts.

Unique to Wing Chun is "Chi Sau" (or Chi Sao), a form of training to help develop and put into practice your techniques and theories you learn during your training. Chi Sau teaches and help you to develop, responsive reflex, position, 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), "Biu Gee" (thrusting fingers). Then the serious of students will learn "Muk Yan Ghong" (wooden dummy), "Luk Dim Boon Gaun" (six & a half point pole) and finally "Bart Cham Dao" (eight cutting double knives).

Pictured top left is Grandmaster Ip Man (sometimes referred to as Yip Man), in the only known photograph of him wearing a suit. Ip Man taught many famous martial artists including the late Bruce Lee. To the right, Ip Man's sons Grandmasters Ip Chun and Ip Ching, and their student, Samuel Kwok.

It was Ip Man's dream to make the Chinese martial art Wing Chun, a well respected fighting system around the world, and through tuition by his sons, Samuel Kwok has played his part over the last twenty five years. Sam Kwok has helped bring Wing Chun to the forefront of Martial arts practice today. Grandmaster Kwok has wrote a couple of great Wing Chun Books and made many Wing Chun Videos and DVDs which help students across the world improve their Wing Chun. There are many Wing Chun schools and instructors 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 's teaching of traditional Ip Man Wing Chun.

Samuel Kwok Wing Chun Association

Samuel Kwok, under the guidance of Ip Chun and Ip Ching, continues to represent Traditional Ip Man Wing Chun in Europe, as he has done for many years. Use the links at the top of the page to navigate the site, and learn more about the Traditional Ip Man Wing Chun style. The Site contains many Videos and Photos of Wing Chun in action. In the true spirit of Wing Chun and with the aim keeping the art practical and efficient, Samuel Kwok has trained with many different martial arts masters over the years. This includes masters from Brazilian Ju Jitsu (BJJ), Mauy Thai, Kickboxing and professional boxers. This has ensured that Samuel Kwok's teaching of Wing Chun techniques is of the highest quality and always practical.

" Our aim is to respect the wish of grandmaster Ip Man. About 6 weeks before he died he asked his 2 sons and his student Lau Hon Lam to film him performing the Wing Chun system as practice by him. He only managed Sil Lim Tau, Chum Kiu and the Dummy form. This is because he was in a lot of pain and was weak and unsteady on his feet. He was going to do Biu Gee, the Knife form and long pole. However Grandmaster Ip Chun and Ip Ching and Sifu Lau Hong Lam stopped Ip Man because Biu Gee, the knives and full pole form require a lot of energy to perform.

I want to pass on Ip Man Wing Chun as taught by Grandmaster Ip Man and Ip Ching and Ip Chun "

- Samuel Kwok