Samuel kwok?

[chen zhen]

I want to know if he and his lineage is any good, since there is a school in his organisation around where I live.

[hunt1]

Is Sam good and does he know what he is doing? Yes.
Are all those that teach under him or are affiliated with him good and do they know what they are doing? Of course not. Having the best teacher in the world doesnt mean you will be any good. That said check out the school most of his people have a good understanding of the basics which is the most important thing.

[chen zhen]

"most of his people have a good understanding of the basics which is the most important thing."

Then what about the rest?
:(

[DarthGorn]

The instructor under whom i will be taking classes was taught by Samual Kwok's No1 student. I had started training with him a couple of years ago but due to work commitments had to give up training until now, he is an exellent teacher. Where abouts, who is the instructor that takes the class that your looking at?

[Matt_wales]

I've been training within Kwok's association for about 7/8 months so far, and had absolutely no problems at all. My instructor is a great guy and high quality and more importantly he knows what he is talking about, I have also trained and played chi sau with master Kwok and he is very impressive, which is obvious when you consider he has been training for about 40 years. Obviously I'm going to come across a bit biased, but his link to yip man through all of his training with both of his sons is undeniable and his association is well respected. Just give it a go! Where is the club just out of interest?

[hunt1]

Chen zhen you ask what about the rest? How can i tell you when i dont know who the instructor is. I will try to be more clear SAm has an incredible store of knowledge and he tries to pass it on but how good someone is depends on them not the student. Wing Chun is all about the basics. To quote me first teacher who knew about such things from first hand exp. " There are many excellent wing chun street fighters in hong kong that never got past the second form." Point being that once you have a firm foudation in the basics the rest is gravy. If your teacher can teach you the basics well then you can always go elsewhere to learn more advanced thiings if he cant or wont teach them to you.
At the same time if you have a poor understanding of the basics all the advanced knowledge in the world wont help you.

[chen zhen]

hunt1: I meant, if they are only good at the basics, then don't they have better knowledge of more advanced techniques/concepts? I don't expect u to know all about them.;):)

I live in Denmark, so u probably would'nt be able to read the website, but here it is:
www.wingchun.dk

I've been there a few times, but I had mixed feelings for every time I visited. i just want to know if SK's lineage is legit, and that the typical curriculum would be likewise.

[hunt1]

Chen first I have to say i may be biased. Sam is the first person to authorize me to teach. He is very respected in the Chineese Kung-fu community in England and Hong Kong not just for his Wing Chun. His unle was a very well known and respected White Crane Sifu. Sam has had direct access to many true maters if I can use that word of kung -fu styles . The SPM folks in England think very highly of his skills for example. He has had direct access and has studied with all the name Students of Yip Man not just the Yip Bothers. He is also very free with information. i would suggest this school however the best school will be the one that you are most comfortable with. If you get a chance to attend a Sam seminiar do it. You will be happy you did.

[DarthGorn]

Just had a look at the website you posted, it has an option to translate it into english. On the site it has a family tree showing the lineage of Samuel Kwok, and as it states that he is a student of both the GGM's son's you cannot go wrong there.
I also noticed that in the photo gallery it has a picture of my instructors instructor, sifu Trevor Jefferson (or someone who looks like his twin).

[chen zhen]

Thanks. He sounds like a great Sifu, so the Instructors authorized by him should'nt be that off.:)
See ya.

[seafood1397]

good reports about Sam's talent over here.

[reneritchie]

Unless you've been burnt and gotten experience, you probably can't tell good from bad, and unless youv'e been around a long time and seen what there is to see and understand the art beyond the 'he's cool', 'I feel warm and fuzzy', and 'sifu must be the best', you probably can't give advice. Ironic, of course, because by then, you probably won't be looking for an instructor and if you are, you won't be asking people you don't know for an opinion.

Given that, you must first assess your needs. What do you want? The bes instructor in the world? If so, you'll probably have to move. To become the best in the world? If so, you'll probably have to quit your job, lose your significant other and any and all dependants, and then move.

If you just want to have fun and learn some okay WCK, get some exercise and self-esteem and an idea about what to do in a limited fighting context, you can probably keep your home, your family, and just make sure the guy down the street isn't a total d!ck before you invest time in training with him/her. Then you can enjoy and not worry about pesky things like lineage.

[Mr Punch]

Rene, you seem to have been hit with an attack of the random on a subject about which, I'll guess, you don't have any direct experience.

Have you trained with Sam Kwok or any of his students?

If so, please share. Otherwise, leave the getting burnt and the 'warm fuzzy feeling' warnings to another thread...!;)

I've trained with a lot of people from a lot of different lineages (not that I actually care what lineage anyone comes form as long as they are interested in sharing their WC - whther it's the WC I like or nor, you can always learn!) and I've trained with Kwok and a lot of his students. I'm with Hunt1... IMO he's very very good. So it's not a case of, 'if you want OK WC', it's a case of, if you want good WC...! And as with Hunt1, some of his students aren't so good... but for basics they should all be sound... maybe that's what you were getting at?

[Mr Punch]

Sorry about that, my answer seems completely rude, stand-offish and defensive: it wasn't meant that way, I was just wondering what your point was...

[foolinthedeck]

i've heard mixed reports of mr kwok. i hear for one thing that he is a qualified occupaional therapist - this is certainly plus and means he will know much about anatomy etc.

as for how his lineage is respected, i fell it is more respected than some in the UK because there is a clear lineage, having said that he is more of a ip ching boy than a ip chun boy and tehre are differences there. people who attended the opening of the ip man tong can give reports of an apparent rift there.

but then its natural they are only brothers!

as for instructors in the kwok party, stuart mackinnon in swansea is a good guy and very knowledgeable - that would be matt_wales sifu i believe. He's the only kwok sifu i have met.

trust your instincts, most of what i know is hearsay

[yuanfen]

Chen zen - you are in Denmark? A ways from Sam Kwok's home ground. Next level of instructors in any lineage can vary in teaching ability. Visit several times...compare... try it for a while
and decide for yourself. Hunt 1 has already given you some key and sensible advice.