Some of the memories

With my Sifu Anthony Kan

With Sigung Wong Shun Leung

With Sigung, Sifu and Sifu Clive Potter

With Sigung, my Sifu, Sifu Clive Potter and Sifu Barry Lee

With Sigung, Sifu and Sifu Philipp Bayer

With Sifu Cliff Au Yeung

With Wang Zhi Peng Sifu and Senior Student of Master Wang Zhi Peng namely Jai Harman Sifu

Sigung, my Sifu, Sifu Clive Potter and Sifu Lutz Komp

With Sifu Paul Cotton

Sifu and me plus Sifu Bernard Poon and Sifu Mark Breach

Me and Sifu Craig Clark

In 1993 after some twenty years in Martial Arts including ten years in Wing Chun Kung Fu under previous teachers, Doug met his Sifu for all times to come, namely Sifu Anthony Kan. From that very first meeting and hard training where so much power was shown, Doug devoted the next twenty years of his life to mastering the knowledge, skills and understandings of his Sifu Anthony Kan.

In that time he has met his Sifu's teacher and Doug's Sigung namely the outstanding Wong Shun Leung recognised as a Grandmaster of Ving Tsun who often stayed at Sifu Anthony Kan's home as an honoured guest, sharing his knowledge and his wisdom both at Sifu Kan's home and also in UK Seminars with Sifu Kan and Sifu Potter.

In addition he has met many excellent Ving Tsun Technicians who are recognised Sifu's in their own right to name but a few in no particular order, Cliff Au Yeung Sifu, Barry Lee Sifu, Philipp Bayer Sifu, Lutz Komp Sifu, Clive Potter Sifu, Paul Conway Sifu, Jim Woodcock Sifu, Jason Burton Sifu, Paul Tennent Sifu, Bernard poon Sifu, Carl Rowlands Sifu, Wang Zhi Peng Sifu, Jai Harman Sifu, Alan Gibson Sifu, Adam Cope Sifu, Craig Clark Sifu, Tim Stanbridge Sifu, Kevin Bell Sifu, Jason Gowan Sifu,  Rai Swift Sifu, John Smith Sifu, Steven Girrard Sifu,  and many others.

Doug pays respect to former Sifu's who he has known prior to training in the Wong Shun Leung System. He recognises that all of these people played their part in leading him towards his Sifu and in truth all have added to his knowledge, skills and understandings. 

Doug's view of Ving Tsun as per the Wong Shun Leung System is that only Wong Shun Leung himself did Wong Shun Leung Ving Tsun.

Every other person who has trained with him and/or learned from him is doing their own Ving Tsun based on the knowledge, skills and experience they inherited. This makes logical sense as only the individual person can display and portray their own Ving Tsun as Ving Tsun becomes you, it is in the blood, skin and bones after very long training.

Ving Tsun properly taught has many excellent points. It is simple, direct and efficient.

It uses concepts rather than set techniques (which is the reason it can be open to personal interpretation). It is not a dead System nor a System which uses set responses to set attacks. It makes use of a handful of principles to enable a well skilled Technician to deal effectively with the majority of combat situations one will find oneself in.

Centreline Concept, Facing, remaining Square On, Forwarding of Force, Triangulation of Forces are all utilised to maximum effect.

In addition the concept of Lut Sau Jik Chung is of vital importance for true skill in Ving Tsun Gung Fu.

The Ving Tsun idiom in full is Loi Lau Hoi Sung, Lut Sau Jik Chung, with Lut Sau Jik Chung being the most important concept and training plus applied approach for success in Ving Tsun.

Ving Tsun seeks to do less to accomplish more, it aims to streamline and to use one punch to nullify the attack with Lin Sil Die Dar (Simultaneous Attack and Defence). Many times only one arm of the Defender will be used to cancel out the Attacker's strike and to strike back at the same time. Even if two arms are used by the Defender it is never block and attack, it is deflect rather than block because to block is to clash forces and that deflection and the follow up attack are combined in one timing to still conform to the principle of Lin Sil Die Dar.

Ving Tsun uses the upper and lower parts of the body to generate tremendous force through a concept or principle of Yiu Ma Haap Yat which is using the waist and the Horse (Stance) combined in one, to create the whole body power into the striking.

The concept of Chiu Ying and Joi Ying rather than Joi Sau is very important.

Chiu Ying is to not only face the Attacker but also to take up the most advantageous position so that we are square on to be able to have two of our weapons lined onto and into the opponent whilst their weapons are offlined and offcentered.

Joi Ying is of course to chase the centre of the opponent rather than Joi Sau which is a cardinal sin in Ving Tsun and means to chase the hands.

In addition the concepts of Faar Bo and Faar Kuen are very essential so that one uses Fast Stepping and Fast Punching to be able to overwhelm the Attacker.

We also must remember in Ving Tsun we want to cut the line. Cutting the line of the opponent's attack is very, very important because it shuts their engine down and nullifies their line of attack.

Ving Tsun is very "explosive" in operation aiming to completely overwhelm the opponent by disruption of their line, disruption of their balance and disruption of their position. To cut is to intercept and this is the concept of Jeet.

One Motto or Idiom that is vital is Yet Dam Yi Lik Saam Gung Fu which is for the real fight:

First speak of courage to be able to enter the fight
Second speak of power to be able to do damages
Third and last, only then speak of your System or Style

Another concept is Cheung Kiu Faat Lik which is the Long Bridge Power or Long Bridge Force. Basically Ving Tsun normally operates with Short Bridge or bent elbow concept called Duen Kiu. However, if we find that we need to hit from the extended arm, we can still do so using whole body power. My Sigung called this to Chase the Shadow. We hit from the already outstretched arm which has hit by using turning power and power from the floor and whole body out into the opponent. Lots of Wall Bag training and lots of supplementary training including the Pole Exercises (Luk Dim Boon Kwan) can result in tremendous power. This is the true power of Chuen Ging or Inch Power for the famous One Inch Punch.

Also nearest available weapon to nearest available target is a key concept of Ving Tsun Gung Fu.

In Ving Tsun Gung Fu sitting into the Horse or Chor Ma is essential as is Ting Yiu to adduct the Horse.  This creates both adduction and stability. One's root must be stable whilst at the same time mobile.

These are just some of the concepts that make Ving Tsun through the Wong Shun Leung lineage so unique and useful.