More gems on Yip Man

[black and blue]

I just can't stop asking Sifu Duncan Leung questions, and good to his word, the man always has an interesting story to tell. I asked him a question on Yip Man and Chi Sau (in part because of our mad debate on 'wrong wc' here on this forum).

Here's the juice...

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I did not have an opportunity to do much chi sau with my seniors or other Yip Man students because I was studying privately in those days. Some seniors I did chi sau with but after over 40 some years it was so long ago that I cannot remember. The only person I had the opportunity to do chi sau with all during those years was Yip Man.

Later on, after I left Yip Man I wasn't involved in Wing Chun until I came to the United States in 1974 and started giving seminars in different countries by request. Many of the people attending my seminars were from different lineages. After awhile doing chi sau with them I began to identify that different students would have a kind of familiarity that you could call a "signature" of their sifus. Now, as soon as we made contact, within seconds, it was easy to tell which instructor they were from.

For example, students from Shu Sheung Tin their hands were very centered and stuck with you like bubble gum and guarded themselves very well with the elbows. Wong Sheung Leung lineage students were totally the opposite. They would try to disconnect so they could find a way to throw wild punches at you. Lok Yiu students, their tan sau and their horse were very firm pressing and they were very well covered.

Doing chi sau with Yip Man was quite an experience. Even though he weighed a lot less than me and was smaller than me and I was at my peak he was still able to stand firm on the ground and move me around using my own strength even when I would pull or push him or use a technique on him. He could cause you to lose your balance and keep you off balance. I do feel that no matter how I pressed him he always found a way to pull me or push me aside to lose balance and move me all over the place with my own force.

In the beginning, he liked to open an area or apply pressure in an incorrect manner to creat a mistake to give me an opportunity to feel the mistake and look for a way to come into him. Sometimes he used a lot of techniques to come in to creat different attacks to make me find a way to cover. When we did chi sau in the beginning once in awhile my fok sau elbow would lose my guard and his tan sau immediately would come in and he would pinch my chest and it would drive me crazy. He enjoyed doing that but it did train me to keep the elbow in to cover at all times.

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[Chris99]

Hi B&B,

Thanks for sharing. That is the first account I have ever heard of someone who touched Yip Man's hands. Very Cool indeed! What an experience that must have been for him!


Thank You Again,
Chris S.

[black and blue]

I'm sure people who trained with/learnt from Yip Man must sometimes sit back and think: "****, if only MY students could have experienced this."

On a side note - this using tan to pinch the chest technique will be incorporated into my training session on Sunday. Tan to Nipple twist. Ouch!

But seriously, if anyone else has heard Yip Man stories (or Sum Nung stories etc) - post them! They're always good to hear, and most of us, when tracing back whatever lineage we're from, come to one man.

Anyone seen those Next Generation episodes where the Enterpise crew use a Holodeck and meet famous people from history?... I dream and hope :)

Yip Man: "Care to spend a few hours practising Chi Sau, Black and Blue?"
Black and Blue: "Don't mind if I do, Sir!"

:D

[gnugear]

I have felt the pinch (not from Yip Man, of course) and let me tell you, it will definitely make you take notice!!

[red5angel]

Very cool! I think that pinching idea might be a cool way to teach someone to keep themselves guarded!

[sunkuen]

This technique is gonna be a big hit with the girls of wing chun, I'm sure of it!!! Better wear a cup boys!!!

[yuanfen]

where?

[williamsremo]

Great stories about training with Yip Man! Sounds to me like a direct copy of the stories related by Hawkins Cheung in a series of articles in Inside Kung Fu back in the mid 90's. With Wing Chun being a system that requires a good training partner, just how much do you think a nearly 70 year old Yip Man was able to act as an active training partner for 15 or 16 year old Duncan Leung in these "PRIVATE" training sessions. And why did Mr. Leung stay inactive from 1959 when he left Hong Kong, until 1974 when he began teaching Wing Chun? Maybe it was because with the death of Yip Man in Dec. 1972, and the death and popularity of Bruce Lee in late 1973 the time was right to get in on all of the cash flowing from those wanting to know what Bruce Lee knew. And with Yip Man gone, who could say what he had or HAD NOT learned in these "PRIVATE" sessions. The perfect lie.

[Grendel]

Originally posted by red5angel
Very cool! I think that pinching idea might be a cool way to teach someone to keep themselves guarded!

I think it would be a good way to invite an ass-kicking. :rolleyes:

Regards,

[Grendel]

Originally posted by black and blue


For example, students from Shu Sheung Tin their hands were very centered and stuck with you like bubble gum and guarded themselves very well with the elbows. Wong Sheung Leung lineage students were totally the opposite. They would try to disconnect so they could find a way to throw wild punches at you. Lok Yiu students, their tan sau and their horse were very firm pressing and they were very well covered.
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Lok Yiu and Tsui Sheung Tin, along with YM's first Wing Chun student, Leung Sheung, were early students of Yip Man. Wong Sheung Leung, although a contemporary was a relative youngster compared to them, wasn't he? I'd be interested in Sifu Duncan Lueng's impressions of Leung Sheung's students.

Regards,

[mun hung]

williamsremo - just got back from my vacation and saw this.

If Yip Man was born in 1893, how old was he when he was teaching Duncan Leung in 1955?

Use your fingers and toes if necessary.

Before you go slandering someone - do a little homework first.

[williamsremo]

Sorry MAN HUG, I said nearly 70, because I wasn't sure of the year of Yip Man's birth. WOW, he was only 62, thats **** near a baby compaired to 70 years old, I stand corrected, that makes such a difference I guess my point is not valad. A 62 year old would be able to be the perfect training partner for a 16 year old. Gee, I hadn't considered that Yip Man had barely cleared puberty at this young age. In case you are too stupid to notice, I really don't think 8 years makes that much difference in how active Yip Man was. A 62 year old is still not goint to be a very active training partner for someone that young. I still think it is the perfect lie, saying that you were a secret private student of a dead master who isn't around to say otherwise. Sounds like another William Cheung story. You sure those two arn't related?

[Miles Teg]

williamsremo

I don't know about you but I would love Yip Man for a training partner.

He wasn't a traing partner anyway, he was his teacher.

Why would you need a training partner when Yip Man is teaching you privately?

Your comments on Duncan Leung serve no purpose but to annoy his followers and give him a bad name. There maybe a lot of people who have lied about being a private student, but there is no point putting a Sifu and his schools down on a guess.

The truth is nobody knows exactly who all of Yip Mans private students were so there is no point making empty accusations. Comments like that are better suited for the OTHER forum.

I'm not of his leneage but I thought the article was very informative especially where he referred to other peoples chi sao.

[reneritchie]

williamsremo - I had the chance to visit my sigung a couple of years ago, and at around 75 years of age, he still did all his teaching hands on, 1 or 2 on 1. He said he needed to sweat with you and work with you to get results. And the quality of his students, even the very new beginners, was phenominal. So, while I don't know anything about Yip sifu and Leung sifu, in theory, if Yip sifu's health allowed, the age alone doesn't seem a problem (heck, Pao Fa Lien grandmaster Chu Chong was vigorous, teaching and running around HK, until he died at over 100 years of age).


Grendel - Yip Man's first student was the son of a man named Chow in Foshan in around 1942. Along with Lok, Kwok, Lun, and 2 or 3 others, they comprised Yip Man's first students. The HK batch didn't start up until 8 years later.

Rgds,

RR

[zipper]

Yip Mans Wing Chun in Foshan is alive and well,If you want to see some good Wing Chun go and see for your self. Did Yip Chun say that Yip Man did not "teach" in Foshan,how can that be!!!.

[mun hung]

man hug??? - You could'nt come up with something more corny?

I'll tell you this one more time. It does'nt matter what screenname you use, cause you post in the same childish and stupid way with all the same poor spelling thinking I won't know who you are. It's a dead giveaway. You're way too stupid.

Another reflection of your poor Kung Fu.

I have a good idea - instead of talking cr@p on this forum, why don't you bring your big mouth to me instead? Remember what happened to you last time?

silly boy...

[TenTigers]

Remo-in the words of EX-heavyweight champ,Mike Tyson (did I mention EX?)"That's ludicrous!" You obviously have no concept at your young age, what age is, especially in gung-fu. When a Sifu is in his 60's, he is far from a weak,dottering old man. I have had the privledge of training under quite a few "old men" who are in amazing shape for their 'old age'! Hung-Ga Sifu Y.C Wong taught a seminar in his 60's. He first taught a group a Pek Kwar form. This is a strenuous Northern set. Well, this old man blasted through this set more than 15 times, patiently teaching it to those who could keep up, with nary a drop of sweat on his brow, and smiling the entire time. He then taught us the Hung-Ga two-man set, and played it with me hands on at full speed. The man is powerful, and fast, and tireless. Henry Poo Yee is also 'gettin on in years" and you wouldn't know by touching hands with him. Si-Bak Duncan is in his mid 60's, and the man flies! His power is undeniable, as is my teacher,Sifu Alan Lee-a mere child in his 50's. Ark Yuey-Wong Grandmaster of Mok-Ga, taught until his early death at 93. If you want to see him in his late sixties, check out the temple scene in the pilot for the Kung-Fu series-he's the one who performs the Dragon movements. I can go on, but it's pointless. They say in gung-fu, you don't reach your prime until about 56. I still have 11 years to go, I guess. When I was 30, I was twice as strong as I was at 20, and at 45 (this July, if you were thinking of buying me presents) I am even stronger.
Perhaps when you reach your sixties, you will be old and weak, perhaps not. Depends on your Gung-Fu.

[fgxpanzerz]

if that's what u were implying, ten tigers. i agree totally with Willsremo's ideas, even though they could be false. I cant believe that yor threatening him online? "bring your mouth to me"

You are so ridiculous. Sure, let's go beat a guy up cause he's talking smack on an ONLINE FORUM. geez. When violent people like you learn gung fu...

[fgxpanzerz]

that message was for mun hung, not you ten tigers.

[fgxpanzerz]

the only enemies are the ones we create in our minds.

Did you ever stop to consider, mun hung, that you are being childish and not I? I have nothing against you but for some reason you're holding something against me and I honestly dont know why. I dont particularly care either.

You like your wing chun and teacher, GREAT. It's got nothing to do with me. I thought u were a nice guy when I first met you and I still think you are. But I guess we all have different faces sometimes. Anyway, dont post anything against me anymore. It's stupid. I repeat. I'm not willsremo.

[TenTigers]

Fox, 'You sayin that me and Mun Hung are one and the same? Huh? HUH??!!ARE YOU?! This means WAR!!!!!
Bwahahahahaha-jes' kiddin! I saw the misprint, and I just couldn't help myself!...we don't even look alike-I'm taller.