TAO OF THE DRAGON : Diving into Bruce Lee’s Water Path By William Kwok   Enter the Dragon This year marks the 50th anniversary of the passing of Bruce Lee, an iconic figure in the martial arts world. As a lifelong martial arts practitioner, I was honored to be the main speaker at a Bruce Lee commemoration event celebrating Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month in New York. It was a truly humbling experience to have the opportunity to speak about Bruce Lee and discuss the impact of his contributions as a legendary martial artist, actor, and philosopher. He is one of my ..read more

Eye Spirit is a poorly understood idea, and so little is written about it that it is difficult to verbalize. In movies, we all know the moment the hero finds his courage — he develops the “Eye of the Tiger”. The eyes can play a role in demonstrating courage, both through a person’s gaze and facial expressions. When a person is feeling courageous, they may demonstrate this through a steady gaze and focused attention. But this type of gaze also plays a role in cultivating actual courage. It can be a valuable tool in fighting stress and chronic anxiety in everyday life. Overall, the eyes and fac ..read more

by Bruce Cai In the past, “Internal martial arts” were considered mysterious and esoteric. Internal martial arts are a concept, and this concept has had a profound impact on the Chinese martial arts community. In contrast, Wing Chun is a southern Chinese martial art defined as an “External Martial Art” system. However, this definition doesn’t apply to Practical Wing Chun. Practical Wing Chun is a new Wing Chun system modified by Master Wan Kam Leung. The idea of the system is based on the logic and philosophy of Chinese internal martial arts and manifested in the form of Wing Chun techniques ..read more

by William Kwok A Tribute to My Father’s Legacy As I reflect on my father’s legacy on the first anniversary of his passing, I remember his passion for physical education and his role in developing Hong Kong’s sports industry. My father, Mr KWOK Yuen Wah, was a remarkable Chinese calligraphy artist and a retired physical education professor at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. His perspective on diligent practice has helped me stay at the forefront of Practical Wing Chun and inspire and elevate the training of those under my guidance. Throughout his teaching career, my father inspired countl ..read more

by Jim Woodcock In all Ip Man lineages (and possibly other short bridge styles of Wing Chun), you will find the concept of keeping the elbow near the waist or the hip. Most WC styles say you should keep it roughly a fist distance away —  others are not so specific and allow the elbow to be freer. There are also disagreements on how far the elbow should be from the centreline. In our system (Wong Shun Leung via Sifu Cliff Au Yeung), we hold the elbow at the point where a line drawn down from the eye-line meets the hip. (Fig 1). The distance from elbow to hip will vary according to circumst ..read more

The Birth of Practical Wing Chun Master Wan Kam Leung learned his Wing Chun under the great Wong Shun Leung. Over the last four decades, he has dedicated himself to his Art, training and researching tirelessly to evolve the original teachings passed on by his late master. Today, he is undoubtedly one of the world’s finest Wing Chun practitioners. His style utilises sharp and explosive movements designed to flank the opponent. It is a great honour for us to have him appear on the cover of our first issue, and we are grateful to him for agreeing to do this interview. We could think of no better ..read more

Kulo Wing Chun originated in the Gu Lao Village (古勞村) in the late 1800s. Its creation is credited to the “King of Wing Chun Fist”, Dr Leung Jan 梁贊 (1826-1901), grandmaster of Ip Man. Dr Leung started his training in Wing Chun in his early 20’s, fought over 300 challenges in his life, and never lost. Dr Leung started teaching Wing Chun in Foshan/Fatshan, where he ran his successful medical practice/pharmacy. Late Grandmaster and Ip Man’s teacher, Chan Wah Shun, was one of Dr Leung’s top students. At that time, Foshan was the melting pot of Southern Style Kung Fu. Ip Man’s lineage largely came f ..read more

This technique originates from Imperial Yang Tai Chi but can also be applied to Wing Chun, especially when practising Chi Sau. In the picture, the large circle appears to connect to the back, but it’s actually linked to a point only a few centimetres away from the back. We all know that when we lean against a wall, we can generate immense power by pushing off it with our backs. You can try applying this principle to your Chi Sau practice as well. Surprisingly, you can replicate the same effect by visualizing an imaginary wall close to your back and pushing off it with your back muscles. The la ..read more