The air was heavy with anticipation, when the words that over 200 students had been waiting for months to hear were finally spoken: “Ladies and gentleman, for the first time in Australia, please welcome Great Grandmaster Leung Ting”. Spontaneous excitement and applause broke out, before Professor Leung led everyone to pay their respects to the Grandfather of WingTsun kung fu, Chung-Si Yip Man. And then the seminar began! The Australian Chief Instructor, Sifu Stefan Fischer, had arranged for the first day to be open to students of all styles, and indeed there was an eclectic mix of WT students, traditional wing chun students, karateka, thai boxers and tae kwan do practitioners, all keen to increase their overall knowledge of martial arts. And Professor Leung did not disappoint. He is a lover of all martial arts, as expressed in his many books. But he is not afraid to describe something as “ineffective” or even “stupid”, no matter what the background, if it does not subscribe to natural physical laws. GM Leung Ting and Si-Fu Stefan Fischer where in excellent mood. Students were treated to clear, detailed explanations and effective demonstrations of why various techniques can work in the training hall, but fail in the real world. The students were then shown Professor Leung’s methods, all devastatingly simple, that would turn a flawed self defence technique into something that would protect them outside the kwoon, dojo, school or ring. Professor Leung, along with his student Grandmaster Keith Kernspecht, has expanded WT to be the largest single self defence organisation in the world, and listening to him teach it is not hard to see why. A strong current of thought throughout the seminar was that a martial art cannot just rely on techniques. The concepts behind an art are just as important. Professor Leung related many humorous stories about the misconceptions often held in fighting theory, and gave everyone a quick lesson in Cantonese by explaining the roots and origins of the words used to describe WT movements. It was extremely interesting to hear how descriptive the definitions were, and helped many students understand the movements in a better way. He even let everyone in on movie making secrets! Professor Leung has directed several kung fu movies, and produced many kung fu TV shows. The funny stories he told about how fight scenes are choreographed had the audience in fits of laughter. Day 2 of the seminar was held outside in the sunshine, and there was a hint of nostalgia as Professor Leung gathered everyone around to sit under the shade of a big tree in order to explain the theories and concepts behind a noble fighting art – just like they did in China many years ago. With the number of attendees, this was no mean feat by the Great Grandmaster! It was here that Professor Leung explained the physics that creates the amazing power generated by masterful practitioners such as himself, whilst retaining complete flexibility and breathtaking reflexes. He continually demonstrated the physiological applications and concepts behind his system, and did not shy away from potentially problematic demonstrations. At one stage, two men with a combined weight of 230kg were told to pit their strength against the Grandmaster and trap him. They repeatedly failed as Professor Leung used his flexibility, reflexes and incredible power to nullify their attacks, and all the time keeping up a commentary on what was happening without even losing his breath. It was awe inspiring, and the applause took a long time to die down. Day 3, the final day of the seminar, was devoted to the principles behind WT. Professor Leung explained how the application of core principles makes WT overwhelmingly effective in all the fighting ranges - kicking, punching, elbows and knees, standing grappling and groundfighting. He also explained why many other systems cannot easily adapt like WingTsun. It was a pleasure to watch as Professor Leung demonstrated effective techniques without relying on brute strength. He showed how the average person could apply the art against stronger opponents, and there was not a single person in the room who was not convinced of his skill. To conclude, the Great Grandmaster treated everyone to a demonstration of some advanced techniques, and then surprised everyone by getting them to practice with him! | At one stage, two men with a combined weight of 230kg were told to pit their strength against the Grandmaster and trap him. They repeatedly failed as Professor Leung used his flexibility, reflexes and incredible power to nullify their attacks, and all the time keeping up a commentary on what was happening without even losing his breath. It was awe inspiring, and the applause took a long time to die down. Day 3, the final day of the seminar, was devoted to the principles behind WT. Professor Leung explained how the application of core principles makes WT overwhelmingly effective in all the fighting ranges - kicking, punching, elbows and knees, standing grappling and groundfighting. He also explained why many other systems cannot easily adapt like WingTsun. It was a pleasure to watch as Professor Leung demonstrated effective techniques without relying on brute strength. He showed how the average person could apply the art against stronger opponents, and there was not a single person in the room who was not convinced of his skill. To conclude, the Great Grandmaster treated everyone to a demonstration of some advanced techniques, and then surprised everyone by getting them to practice with him! At the end of the seminar, it was immediately obvious that no-one wanted to finish, and several people asked Professor Leung when he was coming back to Australia. He explained that he was currently working on a large TV project, but once finished would be delighted to arrange future seminars with Sifu Fischer. The Great Grandmaster’s teaching style was extremely informative, with an infectious enthusiasm and great humour. He helped all students understand the philosophy and principles behind WT, and backed them up with clear, effective demonstrations. It was a sheer delight to see him in person, and he will make many people very happy when he returns. Master Bill Newman As part of the Knowledge is Power seminar, Sifu Stefan Fischer organised for Master Bill Newman to hold some classes in Escrima, the Philippine stick fighting art. With over 100 people attending the Escrima classes, there was a mix of complete novices, some who had experience of Escrima, and others with experience in other weapon techniques. The mix of ability could have made it difficult to teach such a large class, but Master Bill handled it with ease, with fantastic demonstrations, good humour and a great deal of patience. Day 1 started with the students learning how to do a basic strike correctly, learning to use the power of their body rather than just their arm. Some grasped the concept faster than others, but fairly quickly, with the help of an eloquent Master Bill, everyone learned the correct technique. Next, it was time to learn how not to block, but to attack every hit from an aggressor, and to use every means of attack to end the fight quickly. Practising in pairs, the students learned in a controlled manner how to perform this method effectively. It was at this stage that Master Bill, who is very active in England re-creating mediaeval battles, introduced everyone to a short sword called the sax. He then proceeded to demonstrate how the short, economical but powerful movements could then be applied to the sword, just as they were in ages gone by. It was very impressive! Day 2 saw more practice of basic hitting techniques, and additional training in attacking hits through efficient body mechanics. Master Bill then treated everyone to a demonstration of the Escrima First Form using a 1.3m, 5kg Conan sword, which left the students gasping for breath. The seminar concluded with Master Bill holding an open forum, handling questions on fighting techniques and the application of Escrima. He was extremely knowledgeable about martial arts in general, and had a great ability in explaining things clearly and effectively to the students. Master Bill was treated to rapturous applause, and everyone left the seminar much wiser than when they started.
Footnote The original format of the Knowledge is Power seminar included Grandmaster Keith Kernspecht. However, shortly before leaving for Australia, Sigung Kernspecht contracted an ear infection, and was advised by doctors not to fly. Everyone from Wingtsun Australia wishes Sigung Kernspecht a speedy recovery, and we look forward to his arrival to Australia in the future. |
