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Wing Tsun Worldwide
Author: Gene Ching
On the rooftops and back streets of Hong Kong,
Wing Tsun Grandmaster Yip Man forged many of the world’s toughest fighters. Of course, everyone remembers Bruce Lee, even non-martial artists. But real Kungfu practitioners go beyond Bruce. They know Yip Man’s other stalwart pioneer, Grandmaster Leung Ting. Few masters contributed as much for Kungfu in the Western world. Professor Leung was one of the first to publish works on Kungfu in English, opening the door of China’s treasured combat arts and inviting the world to come inside. He has over 50 books and videos to his credit, most in Chinese and English, with a few even translated into other European languages. Anyone who has been in the martial arts for the last two decades is familiar with at least one of his works, if not many.
Grandmaster Leung began his martial career with a mission in mind – to bring honor to the art he loved so dearly. Back then, people looked down on Kungfu, viewing it as no more than the killing skills of villains. Many still hold this opinion. Grandmaster Leung fought to change the world’s perspective on our noble arts. While Bruce Lee might have first coined the English spelling “Wing Chun,” this spelling bore a stigma. In Hong Kong and much of Europe, the initials W.C. stand for “water closet” an acronym for the toilet. In 1983, when Grandmaster Leung founded the International Wing Tsun Martial-Art Association, he registered a new spelling to avoid this unsavory association.
Grandmaster Leung Ting Today, Grandmaster Leung’s International Wing Tsun Association is the largest professional organization of its kind with over 4000 branches in over 63 countries. He has taught thousands of champions, fighters, police officers, professional soldiers, and instructors over the years. He even led a historic performance of a thousand students simultaneously practicing Wing Tsun’s first form Siu-Nim-Tau in Hungary in 1999. Recently, he took charge of his American branch after his previous leader failed to meet his rigorous standards. This transition is bringing Grandmaster Leung to the U.S. more often, allowing him to stop by the Kungfu Qigong office for an interview.
Grandmaster Leung Ting is a very animated man. His words rush at you like a barrage of rolling punches and he is quick to smile and laugh. In fact, quickness is the essence of his character. He’s very quick making big gestures that rapidly bridge the gap with arms that are deceptively longer than they appear. His eyes dart about from behind his signature Lennon-style spectacles, yet his attitude is relaxed, as if he’s secure with the knowledge that he’s already found your opening but won’t need to penetrate it. He is very open and easy to interview and runs with any question you might give him. This interview took in fall of 2002.
A Naughty Little Boy and a Policeman Father
"When I was young, I was really naughty. But you know, I was really skinny at that time, so always I got beaten up the big boys in my class, that was why the idea rose up that I should get some Chinese Kungfu – so I wouldn’t be bullied by the big boys. That was the first idea. I wanted to learn Chinese Kungfu."
"It was when I was really really young, you know, I was so naughty at that time. Four or five years old. My father was a police inspector. Actually he did not really like me to learn Kungfu because in his mind, he says, “Eh! You are so naughty, if you really learn Kungfu, maybe you cause me a lot of problems." I think he just learned some Hung Gar or whatever, so he rarely showed me what he learned. He (only) showed me once or twice and also something from the police, some kind of judo or grappling or something."
"I'm the eldest, all together we have seven. It was just after the WWII so people were really poor. Since my father was a detective, he didn’t have really high pay so we used to live in a not-so-good district. It was also because of that district, since I was very young, I have been trained how to deal with that kind of rascals – the bullies. Because I was the eldest son, six years old or something, my mother moved to Hong Kong side, so I lived alone with my grandma and my father. My father was the Chief for dealing with Chinese Mafia. Actually he was the first captain of that district. Because I was alone, he used to take me out. I dealt with those Tong people since he fought against those people and also made friends with those people, you know, so I learned a lot of these kinds of tricks. Actually it was before I learned Kungfu, I already learned a lot of these kinds of Tong things, some kinds of special “skills of the vagabonds." I had to fight, because I was skinny and the district was no so good. Sometimes in the street you faced some rascals, some bullies, they want to ask for money. I hate to be bullied. I used to fight against those people. Most of the time I got beaten up because they were big, you know (laughs.)
"Since I was very young, that was a big lesson I learned – if I were not to fight against those people aggressively, the result was I got knocked out. So finally, I understood, if I have to fight, I must fight better. So it was good. Later, after I learned Wing Tsun, I also applied this kind of idea to train myself. I train my students to fight like this. And that is why now I mainly train those people in enforcement – special police, armies. So I focus mainly on very practical tactics. Wing Tsun is the answer. It's good. I’m really lucky that I found the right stuff."
Street Fights and a Chance to Learn Kungfu
"I did not learn Wing Tsun until I was 13 years old. It was right after a big fight against nearly twenty street boys. Actually they did not bully me. They just bullied one of my friends. So I was stupid, you know. I just went out and tried to stop them and everybody focused on me. Everybody fought me. Unfortunately, my friend, who I tried to save, just ran away. Just quit. So I have to fight. At that time, I knew nothing about Chinese Kungfu, but I learned something from the Kungfu book (although they are not too good, sometime with stupid movements.) Chinese had a wooden bed – you sleep on it, right? So sometimes, I took the wooden bed and leaned it up and drew some target and go do the flying kick. Tak! Tak! Tak! So in that fight, it was on Temple Street – a really complex street, so there were lots of rascals there, full of low class people. So just because I want to interfere with my friend – I was too nosey – and then boom! They all fight me. Temple Street, even today, has lots of people, lots of street magicians, lots of stalls. So I fought and ran, fought and ran. Sometimes if people surrounded me, I just Pum! Pum! Pum! Pum! Kick this kind of flying kick. It works! Later I found out I could not run anymore because there was a dead end. All of a sudden I returned. I just fought against the head man. Bam! Bam! Bam! I did not care about the other people. They punched me on my back like rain. Who cares? Just Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam! Then later, some other guys, they knew that, so they say 'Oh, oh, oh, don't fight, don't fight, don't fight, the police are coming!' Then everybody ditched. After that fight, one of my uncles who was learning Wing Tsun told my mother, 'I think is should take Ting (they called me Ting when I was young) to learn Kungfu. No matter he learns Kungfu or not, he's still a trouble maker. He still would fight. Better to let him learn Kungfu. At least he would learn some self defense.' That was the time I started learning Kungfu."
"My father did not even know about it, not until half a year later. Once I fought with a bus conductor because he bullied an old woman. I always fight for others. Stupid, right? At that time I didn’t care. But now, I look back and think, maybe sometimes I was too much. (laughs) I beat up that guy and also two more big guys. Then I was taken to the police station. So of course, my father found out and then of course, he beat me up for that. (laughs) But later he found out his son could fight so good, a 14 year old boy beat up big guys. Even the police, they could not believe it. I beat them up so serious. They were bruised, bloody, broken nose, everything. The police even said ‘Are you sure it’s this boy who beat your three up?’ And then they were so scared and said ‘no, no, only that boy, only that boy!’ So although my father did not like it, at that time he was really angry with me, actually I know (that) in his deep mind, he thinks ‘Oh, maybe my son can fight.’ Then he didn’t stop me from learning Kungfu anymore. That was good. Then I started training much harder – training day and night."
A Path not Chosen
"If I didn't learn Kungfu, probably I'd become an artist. When I was really young, I like drawing, but my father always stopped me from this. You know, he was still in WWII, and even before, my grandpa died very early since he was 5 years old or something. Actually, my grandpa was very rich so he had a very big family. But right after his death, my grandpa’s younger brother took all his property barely leaving anything to my grandmother. Now you understand why my father, he just wanted me to become a doctor or an accountant or lawyer – all these people who cost you a lot. Make a lot of money! However, I become a boxer. (laughs)"
A High Class Presentation for a Noble Art
Leung Ting and Yip Man "I was the first one to make a lot of publicity for Wing Tsun. At that time, Grandmaster Yip Man used to stop his students from open demonstration. You could hardly see any open Wing Tsun demonstrations. So Wing Tsun was only famous by talking or fighting. At that time, there were some of Grandmaster Yip Man’s students who used to challenge other people. Maybe they win, maybe they lose, but that was the only way they see Wing Tsun. However, when I started teaching, I did not think that way. I thought if you just challenge other people, that means you are just a trouble maker. So I start thinking. I knew exactly the reason why my father stopped me from learning Kungfu – because most of the people, they used to think that Kungfu people are trouble makers. Kungfu people belong to Tongs. Kungfu is some kind fighting that belongs to Chinese Mafia. I fought to change their mind.”
"The first day I went I study in Baptist College I saw they promoted karate. It was just the very beginning of karate promoting in Hong Kong. You only could see judo in middle schools. Even when I started in the middle school, I only saw people practice judo, that’s it, not even karate. So I got an idea. I said ‘Look, Kungfu tactics itself is just some tactic for people, just like a gun. If the police have the gun, they can use the gun to overcome the bullies. They can protect the ordinary people. But if the gun is in the hand of the criminals, of course, that would be something else. So Chinese Kungfu is just the same, especially Wing Tsun. Wing Tsun is so practical and full of wisdom. Why not we promote Wing Tsun in the high class?’
An Old Grandmaster and a Closed-Door Student
Yip Man's Wooden Dummy Set "I really did try very hard. I was the first one who opened a Kungfu class in the high class institute. But I still thought that it was not enough. I needed to learn something more advanced. So my first Si-Fu (my first Si-Fu was not Grandmaster Yip Man) was the first student of Grandmaster Yip Man in Hong Kong. But of course, always some problems. My first Si-Fu did not really teach me the most advanced technique. Of course, later I find out the reason. But of course, I don’t want to say anything, right? Anyway he’s passed away already. So later on, one of my Si-Hings visited Grandmaster Yip Man in the hospital. He (had) got a stomach operation. Grandmaster Yip Man promised to accept me as his student. At that time, he had just 'closed his door,' so I became his first closed-door student. So Grandmaster Yip Man taught me in a different way – opposite. He taught me from the wooden dummy technique. Normally the wooden dummy technique was regarded as the most advanced technique in Wing Tsun. And then go back to Biu-Tze, go back to Chum-Kiu, go backwards. His teaching method changed a lot of my thinking because he was right. Wing Tsun was so flexible. You can do whatever you want if it's logical.
"Also I start learning something I have never heard before. Not even say I have never seen before, I have never heard before. But I know he was not too good in explanation. However all I needed was just he to show me what was the little difference. And then you have to figure it out. So that was how I learned from Grandmaster Yip Man. Actually I spent a lot of time to figure out what the hell he wanted to tell me. (laughs.)"
"Very funny you know, I still remember there was some times I just played a little trick. Sometimes he was just like an old naughty boy, you know. Sometimes he was just over there and he watched you do something and said ‘OK.’ And sometimes when you made him happy, he was like a naughty old man. I still remember he mentioned in the ancient times in Futshan, they wore some kind of old body guard for Chi Sao, so in one week I drew up two Chi Sao body guards for him and then I showed him. He was so happy and then he said, "Hey! Come on! We do some Chi Sao, little Ting!" Hey, that was the way you learned. You can't pay him. You learned some kind of tactic from him."
"At that time, I was training very hard. I was already very strong and I didn’t really know the real, the true concept of 'giving up the force.' Normally we don’t use our own brute force. I always used it. It was because I played this really hard, because I was really strong. But since I went to learn Kungfu from him, he was just out of the hospital. He was weak and he was already 72 years old. How can he show me something? So sometimes I made my arm so soft. And then he was happy, it was just like playing a game of chess. Sometimes you eat somebody, then somebody takes your piece. You win a little bit and he wins a little bit. That was the best way. And then he felt he could do something. So sometimes I let him go in and hit me a little bit and he said "Ah! You see, you see! You cannot even defend this one." So this was the trick I played to him, so as to learn his tactics. But it was fun."
A Legendary Grandmaster named Yip Man
Grand Master Yip Man "Actually he was a real Kungfu (master.) A real martial artist. When I learn from him, I started to learn some brand new concepts. I apply his concept in my system. I started to go traveling to everywhere to promote Wing Tsun. I try hard and I ask him to teach me the most advanced techniques. So I respect him very much. That's why in my system, everybody has to hang up his photo. And everybody has to follow this routine: When they go into our school, everyone, when they study Wing Tsun, they have to bow to Grandma ...
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